Smart Home Blog

Looks like Boxee is going to add PVR functionality very soon. It’ll use USB TV tuner to allow Boxee users watch, schedule, pause Live TV as well as navigate via EPG. Social features will be also available for that kind of media content. You’ll be able to share your favorite TV shows with your Boxee or Facebook friends.

XBMC which was and is a base for Boxee still doesn’t have PVR support. There is a way to watch and record live TV using VDR (yaVDR) or MythTV (MythBox). But it’d be nice to have a native PVR functionality. Let’s see how it’ll be implemented in Boxee. The PVR release should be launched soon. But now let’s watch a short demo video of Live TV setup under the Boxee after break.
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Fibaro announced four new Z-Wave mini-modules – universal dimmer, a motor controller for blinds and shutters and two relays to switch loads of 1.5kw or 3kw. Using them you may transform any switch in your house into Z-Wave-enabled and spend not more then five minutes for each of them. That’s really cool solution for retrofit houses as well as for new ones.

The new Fibaro Z-Wave modules are available now from Vesternet.com at £42 (~€50).

There are plenty of possibilities to use iOS devices to control AV equipment. But there is not such abundance for Android platform. So, Griffin tries to change that situation launching its Beacon universal remote control system for Android. It costs like iOS version – $69.99 and includes hardware and software parts. To communicate with IR transmitter it uses Bluetooth and not WiFi. I like that approach because consumers don’t need WiFi access point to use this system.

Additionally to ordinary features of universal remote control Beacon offers integrated guide to browse, search and call up TV shows. But I suspect it’ll work only in US and Canada, where all digital channels have EPG. In any case I like the Griffin’s Beacon universal remote for Android. Good stuff indeed.

The latest update of Panasonic’s Social TV app brings a very interesting feature directly to your TV. Now you may watch TV show and see Twitter or Facebook stream at the same screen. What does it mean? Well, let’s imagine you watch a football game and want to discuss it with your friends and relatives. With new Social TV app it can be done very easy. Cool stuff indeed! By the way, Boxee announced similar feature a few years ago. But it offers its own live chat for that purpose and not Twitter or Facebook.

The Movie section on Google TV.

After launching cloud service myPlex Plex developer team announced a Plex-client for GoogleTV. It includes all features of ordinary Plex-client – playback of local media, support of Plex channels and myPlex. So, if GoogleTV doesn’t cover all your needs then Plex might fix it and even bring much more.