NCTA TECH WATCH

Interactive television, digital video recording (DVR) and home networking were all the rage at the NCTA National Show in San Francisco last week. Here is a look at some of the top announcements:

New and improved DVR functionality continues to be a trend, with Gemstar-TV Guide rolling out a feature that will let users who also have the Gemstar-TV Guide's i-Guide interactive programming guide to program their DVR via cellphone. They'll also be able to check schedules and even download TV-related ring tones, wallpaper and video sneak peeks of shows.

Digeo took the wraps off Moxi Mini, a low-cost digital set-top box designed for use on secondary TV sets. It ties into the larger, more expensive DVR box and enables sets in other rooms to access DVR-stored content, VOD and even games.

Samsung is also getting into the DVR market, signing a deal to help build next-generation Digeo boxes, giving Digeo big-time manufacturing capability to compete with companies like Scientific-Atlanta and Motorola.

Speaking of Scientific-Atlanta, the company rolled out the MCP-100, a box that combines multi-tuner HD DVR functions and multi-room connectivity with DVD burning (at standard-definition resolution).

Pace also gave attendees a look at a next-generation box, the Tahoe HD DVR, which will incorporate Sonic Solutions' DVD-burning technology (Sonic is the leading provider of DVD-burning software).

Seagate, which makes DVR hard drives that sit inside the boxes, unveiled add-on DVR storage units with a capacity up to 400GB. Such add-ons, which will make it possible for subscribers to offload content for long-term storage, hold the promise of becoming a huge market.

Gaming also made its share of news at the show. Later this quarter, Time Warner Cable will make a subscription-based games channel available to customers (first up is Columbia, S.C., before nationwide roll-out). It will mark the U.S. debut for interactive-game publisher Visiware and include eight games rotated regularly, with new games added each month.

If you don't have room for a pool table, Buzztime Entertainment brings you Buzztime Billiards, a digital-cable application that allows subscribers to play against other subscribers in real-time. Look for demonstrations at your local bar.

And Cablevision, whose iO system has led the way in gaming, rolled out a new model for Tetris and Asteroids addicts: letting subscribers pay $1.95 for 24 hours of unlimited play. Other games will be added soon by Pixel Play, a new company that is a partner in the initiative.