No, it's not another lamentation about those overlooked shows that really do deserve a DVD set, but just can't seem to get them. I've grown accustomed to having Bob's weekly DVD release post arrive like a slap in the face as Beggars and Choosers is not on it, again. Instead, this is about those shows that do get their DVD set, but are late for no good reason at all. At least, not one that I can come up with.

I started thinking about it last week as I was talking with a friend and we were watching the Hellboy/Chuck promo. She commented that she really should start watching Chuck. In full agreement, I quickly pointed her to the Chuck page on Hulu. But wait, there are only three episodes available on Hulu. I guessed that it must be because they don't want streaming to cannibalize DVD sales. So I headed to Amazon. Chuck isn't out on DVD until September 16th. What the hell?

In what could be a boost for Amazon's digital download store and a potential blow for Apple's, NBC Universal has announced plans to sell TV shows through Amazon Unbox.

The base price of a television episode will be $1.99, the same price that Apple was charging before its little fight with NBC the other day.

But while Apple had insisted on pricing episodes consistently with other content offered via iTunes, Amazon has agreed to offer several different pricing levels. For example, customers can save up to 30% if they buy a whole season's worth of episodes at a time.

TiVo held its quarterly earnings call yesterday, and there's mixed news. Okay, that might be overstating it. Rather, there's bad news and reason for cautious optimism.

TiVo took a product inventory $11.2 million write-down. In a nutshell, that's because the company has more standard definition set top boxes than they need while the marketplace is clamoring for high definition boxes. On the bright side, TiVo did finally release an affordable high definition box this quarter, which could help turn things around in the future.

TiVo and Amazon have tightened the integration of Amazon's online movie download service with TiVo set top boxes.

In March, the two companies launched a partnership that lets you buy and download movies and television from Amazon Unbox to your computer, and then watch those videos on your home network-connected TiVo.

Now, the companies are eliminating the two step process, allowing you to order and download movies directly from your Series2 or Series3 TiVo. All you need to play is a broadband connection and an Amazon Unbox account. You'll have to enter a 5-digit code on your remote control to order movies, which should keep the kids or house guests from filling up your TiVo.

The update makes TiVo a serious competitor for the AppleTV and other devices that bring internet video to your television set.

Within 6 to 8 weeks, TiVo will roll out a new expanded search feature the company's calling "Universal Swivel Search."

Universal Swivel Search will let you find programming that you like based on titles, actors, genres, or suggestions from other users. Sure, you can browse or search for actors or other keywords right now, but the new search feature won't require searching a specific database. My best guess is that means you'll be able to type in a show that you like and your TiVo will spit out a list of other shows you might want to record.

The bigger story is the fact that Universal Swivel Search will let you search for programs online as well as for shows that will be airing soon on television. The search will cover TiVo's online partners, ranging from Amazon Unbox to Rocketboom and other vlogs with TiVoCast channels.

One of the greatest things about TiVo is that the company makes it easy for users to build programs that add functions TiVo has left out.

For example, you can watch movies from Amazon Unbox on your TiVo now, but you can't browse and download movies on your TiVo box. You need to use a computer.

That is, until some enterprising users started hacking together programs that let you surf Amazon Unbox from the comfort of your couch. And why stop there? One user has developed a plugin that lets you browse Amazon Unbox, NetFlix, and Blockbuster all using your remote control.

David Pogue of the New York Times is throwing some love TiVo's way, with a writeup of some of the new features TiVo has added over the last year or two. With what seems like a new feature added every month, it's easy to forget exactly how many things a Series2 or Series3 TiVo can do that a generic cable company PVR can't.

• Share movies you've uploaded with family and friends over their broadband-connected TiVos.
• Schedule recordings through you Verizon cellphone.
• Watch selected web programs via TiVoCast.
• Rent or buy movies from Amazon Unbox.
• Get local weather and traffic.
• Get local movie listings.
• Listen to internet radio stations or download podcasts.
• Automatically record recommended programs from expert-picked Guru Guides.
• Stream music and photos from your PC to your TV.

There's nothing particularly new in Pogue's writeup. But looking at that list, it's hard to see why anyone would stick with a cable company PVR when they can pick up a Series2 TiVo for next to nothing after rebate. If you want high definition on the other hand, the Series3 box's $800 price tag makes this list a little less attractive.

The HDTiVo Blog has uncovered a way to download Amazon Unbox videos to multiple TiVo boxes. So if you're living in a multi-TiVo household and you're not sure which room you'll wind up in when you want to watch your movie, this is how to send a movie to every box you've got:

1. Click the download button for your video.
   
2. A thumbnail page with a drop down box pops up asking you to choose the device to send the movie to.
3. Next, a confirm page pops up.
4. Close the confirm page without clicking anything.
5. Now go ahead and choose another location from the drop down menu on the previous page.
6. Repeat as necessary.

There you go. Now you can take up space on every TiVo in the house with the same movie. No more room for Law & Order reruns.

Sure, TiVo lets you share home movies with your friends and even to download movies from Amazon Unbox. But what if you want to really push your TiVo to the limits? Like Doug Swallow, (who developed an application that you actually purchase Unbox movies from your couch) many users have written programs to add functionality to Series2 and Series3 TiVo's.

TiVo Blog has gone and posted a pretty decent roundup of these applications, including applications that:

• Let you view your NetFlix queue
• Show you live traffic cam data
• Stream media from your PC to your TV
  
• View Flickr photos
• Rent movies from Blockbuster Online
• Read RSS feeds

The list will be regularly updated, so it might be worth bookmarking.

So one of the odd things about the TiVo/Amazon Unbox partnership is that you have to rent or purchase your videos using a computer. Then you can access them on your TiVo. Why can't you just browse for movies from the comfort of your couch?

Well, thanks to Doug Swallow, now you can. He's developed a TiVo HME application that allows you to browse Amazon Unbox and even order movies all from within the TiVo interface. Unbox on Demand will work with any Series2 or Series3 TiVo with a broadband connection.

There's more information available on the TiVo Community Forum.

[via TiVo Lovers]

As reported in February, it appears TiVo and Amazon got all sneaky on us and officially launched their Amazon Unbox on TiVo initiative in the wee hours of the morning.

Users simply link their networked Series2 or Series3 TiVos to their Amazon account, select the movie or television show they wish to download at the Amazon Unbox store, and select their TiVo PVR as the download destination. Shortly thereafter, they'll find the title in the Now Playing list on TiVo Central.

Last September we heard that TiVo was in talks with Amazon to bring the Amazon Unbox video download service to TiVo, but then everything went quiet and all was almost forgotten...

In the meantime:

• People could download movies from online stores and watch them on Media Center PCs.
• The Apple TV got ready to bring iTunes video to the TV set.
  
• The Xbox 360 brought video downloads into millions of homes through the Xbox Live Marketplace.
• And the CES 2007 was flooded with media extenders to bring video into the living room.