Time Warner Cable has developed an app for Panasonic Viera TVs, making it the first operator to bring cable TV content to the platform. The app was being shown off in the Panasonic booth, along with other content providers.

For Time Warner Cable and other operators, TV apps are one way to provide more value to subscribers and to make more streaming content available than what they have in their traditional VOD libraries. And for consumer electronics manufacturers, these type of apps provide more content that their consumers can access on the devices.

Last year at CES, Time Warner Cable announced plans to build apps for Sony and Samsung broadband-connected TV sets. However, those apps have yet to materialize, it’s not clear when the Panasonic app — or Time Warner Cable apps for any other CE device — would make it into the market. TWC Director of Digital Communications Jeff Simmermon told me by email that the company would like to launch apps sometime this year across multiple platforms, but didn’t have any launch timing to share.

Time Warner Cable is just one of many cable operators looking to build connected TV apps. Samsung, for instance, was showing apps from Comcast, Verizon and DirecTV in its booth at CES. A representative said those apps would show up on its platform later this year.

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We’ve been talking about initiatives with the potential to change how we watch TV and now, one of them is finally ready to launch. We spent a lot of time going over Microsoft’s new dashboard for the Xbox 360 and what it could, but probably won’t, do to the market. Of course the folks in Redmond aren’t the only ones with something to show as we also cast an eye towards new iPad apps from Dijit and Cox, as well as the possibility we’ll see DirecTV’s HR34 Home Media Center DVR this week. Other topics include the cable companies getting out of wireless, Lovefilm switching from Flash to Silverlight, and Time Warner’s tablet app arriving on Android. As usual we close out with our picks of what to watch this week, so press play and see if you agree with our choices,

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Hosts: Ben Drawbaugh (@bjdraw), Richard Lawler (@rjcc)

Producer: Trent Wolbe

00:03:09 – Xbox 360 Dashboard update review (fall 2011)
00:03:50 – Xbox 360′s new video services won’t all launch right away; Comcast, Verizon, and HBO Go delayed
00:12:15 – Xbox Companion app for WP7 will launch alongside the new dashboard December 6th
00:39:00 – DirecTV’s new five tuner HR34 Home Media Center DVR ready to launch December 8th?
00:45:29 – Hands-on with Dijit’s universal remote app for iPad
00:51:07 – Cox TV Connect app brings more live cable TV streaming to iPads
00:55:00 – Time Warner Cable’s tablet app available for Android, live TV streaming still iPad only
00:53:56 – BBC brings global iPlayer iPad app to Canada, one step closer to the US
00:55:09 – Lovefilm’s movie streaming will switch from Flash to Silverlight on PCs in 2012
00:57:53 – Verizon scores new spectrum from Comcast, Time Warner and Bright House for .6 billion (update)
01:00:29 – Kogan advertises Samsung LCDs in its HDTVs, Samsung would rather not take credit
01:02:09 – Lenovo trudging into the smart TV arena, plans LeTV launch in Q1 2012 (update: aka IdeaTV)
01:04:39 – Must See HDTV (December 5th – 11th)

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Engadget HD Podcast 277 – 12.06.2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Dec 2011 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After waiting years for someone to deliver the first RVU-capable multiroom DVR setup, info leaked to SatelliteGuys indicates we only have to hold out one more week for DirecTV’s HR34 DVR. While DirecTV has yet to make an official announcement, retailer info states that it will be available starting Thursday for just after rebate (9 rack rate), bringing five tuners, 1TB of storage, whole home DVR service in up to four active rooms, and more. Of course, we’ll need to see some of the RVU-compatible HDTVs mentioned (Samsung 6000, 6400, and 6420 series) released before we can ditch the extra satellite TV boxes for good, but this is the first step. Hit the source link for more details including a full spec sheet PDF.

DirecTV’s new five tuner HR34 Home Media Center DVR ready to launch December 8th? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Just a few days after one social TV startup hit the dead pool, another is raising new funding. Miso announced Thursday that it’s raised a million financing round led by Khosla Ventures, with participation from existing investors Google Ventures and Hearst Interactive Media.

Miso has spent the last year experimenting with different social elements, trying to figure out which work and which don’t. It’s also struck some partnerships with operators like DirecTV and AT&T’s U-verse that let its apps know what viewers are watching without having to “check in” to shows. Now it’s looking to leverage those partnerships and its platform to allow content partners to create engaging experiences through its mobile apps.

While investors are betting on Miso, some of its competition has fallen on hard times: Miso’s funding comes three days after competitor BeeTV announced it was shutting down services and attempting to sell off all assets and IP. And competitor Philo was acquired by LocalResponse in what seemed like a fire sale earlier this year.

We’ve seen some consolidation in the social TV app segment already, but Miso CEO Somrat Niyogi expects more of the same in 2012, as competitors either shut down or get acquired. The good news for Miso, at least, is that with the most recent funding it’s gotten some runway and validation from a pretty well-regarded investor. Now it just needs to take that money and execute on its plans.

Miso has 12 employees currently, but Niyogi said the company is likely to double headcount in 2012. Since being founded in 2010, the company has raised a total of million, including a .5 million round in January.

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