Lately I've stepped things up again with regard to my Freevo related work and I have been searching long and hard for a decent development platform aimed towards consumer electronics. I've looked at several platforms: Intel based, TI Davinci, ST Micro ST7109, NSC/AMD Geode, and Freescale.

I found some neat boards by Genesi USA, Inc and sent in a question regarding one of their Efika products. After some back and forth with their manager of developer relations, Matt Sealey, he informed me that they often provide developers with free hardware for projects of interest. It turns out that they are just opening another developer program for some new hardware. Among this hardware is a new board using Freescale's new MPC8610, which is pretty sweet. Matt suggested that I write up a proposal for the program. Seeing the potential of this hardware and wonderful opportunity this presented, I worked on a proposal based on my existing plan, and submitted it.

You can find my proposal on the Power developer site. Wish me luck!

As you can probably tell, this site is being worked on. I am currently modifying the UI and adding more content. I decided not to shut it down since I don't get many visitors yet. Feel free to play around! Create an account and try uploading some files! Uploads are moderated of course.

Echostar, the company that runs DISH Network, has released a new portable multimedia device called PocketDISH. The three models of this device have screen sizes from 2.2" 4:3 aspect to 7" 16:9 widescreen, hard drives from 20GB to 40GB, and will have the ability to download recordings from DISH Network PVRs. In addition they will be able to play and store music, images, and games.

These are nice looking devices, I wonder what kind of price tag they come with. It would be really nice if they use an open or known protocol to interface with the PVR. In that case they may be very fun to play with and possibly adaptable to use with other PVRs like Freevo.

The Seatle Times is reporting that Microsoft is getting into the IPTV business.

"It took 12 years and more than $10 billion, but one of Microsoft's biggest dreams may finally be coming true: The company is close to becoming a major player in the television business."

It will be very interesting to see what Microsoft does with this, and in what kind of timeline. Will they empower users with a convergence of technology, or will they restrict rights and use?

The NY post reports that, hungry for new cash, the 3 major networks might start selling on-demand viewing of hit shows next season for $1 a peek, without the commercials.

"Viewers could also choose to watch shows for as little as $0.50 per show if they let commercials run in full, keeping advertisers partially satisfied and letting couch potatoes enjoy their customary snack breaks. On-demand viewing, while commonplace on cable TV, is so revolutionary for ABC, CBS and NBC primetime programs that the networks are struggling in boardrooms from New York to Hollywood on how to make it happen under the 'old-media' model."

The BBC is in a testing phase of iMP, an application for downloading television programs.

"iMP is an application in development offering UK viewers the chance to catch up on TV and radio programmes they may have missed for up to seven days after they have been broadcast, using the internet to legally download programmes to their home computers. iMP uses peer to peer distribution technology (P2P) to legally distribute these programmes."

If you ask me, the BBC are definately with it.