Really Rocket Science

Picture it: you’re at a baseball game and are fighting with your buddy about whether or not the last hit was fair or foul. The away team’s manager is screaming at the ump and the home team isn’t showing the replay on the scoreboard to avoid controversy. You are stuck guessing — and your honor is on the line.

The solution: pull out your mobile phone, connect to your home’s TiVo, rewind the recording, then force your friend to buy you a beer for getting the call wrong. It’s possible!

An innovative blogger pulled off a very useful mashup by connecting his PPC-6700 mobile phone to a Slingbox, and the Slingbox to his TiVo. A Slingbox is a TV streaming device that enables viewers to remotely view content.

After connecting your TiVo to the Slingbox, download the appropriate player for your mobile phone. Currently there are versions for Windows Mobile 2003, Windows Mobile Version 5.0 for Smartphone, and Palm OS.

While many users find the ability to easily record shows to be most important, I’m intrigued by the convenience of having vast amounts of mobile content. The screen size on the 6700 or the Q is not much different than on an iPod and this mashup avoids hard drive space limitations and the trouble of having to download content, then add it to the iPod. By streaming from your TiVo, you are guaranteed a steady selection of fresh media—both live and recorded.

From early user reviews, the quality appears to be more-than-sufficient. Here is a video from a Motorola Q (skip to 3:30 to watch the Chappelle Show):

Don’t have a Slingbox or TiVo but still want to stream TV on your phone? Try a free service called Orb. While it let’s your home computer be a hub that streams all types of media—music, photos, and videos—to any Internet-connected device, its tv feature may be most useful. Simply connect your tv or set-top box to your computer’s tv tuner card (instructions on buying one are here), then install Orb’s free software. Your computer becomes a server distributing your tv’s content. Orb includes DVR technology, allowing you to (like the TiVo mashup) remotely record programming.

Enjoy the game!

According a local news agency, Kazakhstan Today, DirecTV’s new HD-dedicated satellite won’t be launched until next month:

Launch of space vehicle DirecTV-10 planned for June 20 has been postponed at the cosmodrome Baikonur. Federal space center Baikonur press service informed the agency.

According to the press service, the launch date of the American telecommunication satellite DirecTV-10 has been shifted for July. "The date transfer has been done due to the request of foreign manufacturers of the satellite and is connected with the terms of preparation of a space satellite and its delivery to the cosmodrome," the press service informed.

The exact date of the satellite launch by means of a carrier rocket Proton-M will be defined later after delivery of the satellite to the cosmodrome and will depend on the degree of readiness of foreign partners.

This was indeed confirmed by DirecTV’s press guy, via SatelliteGuys.us:

here’s a statement i just received from bob mercer, directv’s director of public relations:

“The launch date of D10 has slipped to july 7. there were some late processing issues in the Boeing factory but they have been resolved and we are moving forward.”

he sent me a follow-up email from his blackberry to clarify the date:

“that’s actually july 6 in the US.”

Back in January, DirecTV promised up to 70 national HD channels via this and another new satellite in 2007. This is a key launch for them.