I’ve been using the new On Demand feature from Direct TV for awhile now, but chances are some of you haven’t had the access yet.

Well that problem should be gone now. Engadget is reporting that it’s now available across the country, with new features coming soon, like internet remote scheduling, etc.

It’s pretty simple to use, and it’s free (for now). All you need to do is plug that DVR into your home network somehow, via router, wireless hub or whatever.

Mine is setup with a wireless print server behind my entertainment unit. That then connects to my home’s wireless router and I’m ready to go.

From there, it’s all fun and games. My wife loves to download the HGTV shows on demand, and I know right now you can see episodes of The Office, 30 Rock and Heroes for a small rental fee.

It’s a sweet deal, and if you have a Direct TV DVR already, find a way to hook this up and test it out.

And Facebook is just flat out better anyways. MySpace is trying hard to catchup, but they just pale in comparison. FB is clean, crisp, and has all kinds of fun features. If someone changes their profile photo, you get a little notification. You get alerted to your friends becoming friends with other people, which could end up being someone YOU know as well.

There are a ton of others, but the main purpose of this post is to talk about their new chat feature.

Not only can you see which of your friends is currently ON Facebook, but now you can chat with them just like your favorite Instant Messenger service.

I’ve already tried it this morning and it’s pretty cool. It sits at the bottom of your screen and will not only tell you how many friends are on, but it will also popup notifications that normally just display on your profile feed.

Anyways, if you are on Facebook, check it out. If you aren’t, maybe give it a try. It’s pretty fun and a nice place to put photo albums and just see what your friends are up to.

If you do join, add me: Mike Olbinski

My last name shouldn’t be too hard to find.

According to EngadgetHD, the CEO of Netflix, Reed Hastings, said on a conference call yesterday that they are planning on “instituting a modest monthly premium” on top of your normal fees if you rent Blu-Ray.

EngadgetHD says it DOES make sense, because these discs cost a bit more than a normal disc, but I mean honestly: How many more people does it take to rent that Blu-Ray disc to make up the different? 2? 3?

I dunno, but to me that seems like a charge just to charge people for something they should be getting anyways.

Regardless, if you are with Netflix, be on the lookout.

Source: EngadgetHD

I’ve included you thus far in my high-definition DVD journey, so I may as well keep it going.

The deal is this: I’m having a kid in about eight months and my life is going to drastically change, especially in the financial department. After December 4th-ish, the chances of me buying a Blu-Ray player are slim to none.

Now is the time.

I got my $50 credit from Amazon.com for my ridiculous HD-DVD purchase back in December, so I want to put that to good use.

Also, what better way to spend my Federal Tax relief money that’s coming next month?

So now I need to know what Blu-Ray player I should get. Amazon has quite a few, but I’m just unsure which is going to be the best choice. I figure some of you already have a player and can tell me the right way to go.

I’m hoping to find one around $300-400, which will then be a bit lower with that $50 credit.

So help a brother out!

Starting this summer with the box-office disappointment Doomsday, Universal will start simultaneously releasing titles in Blu-Ray as well as the good ol’ DVD versions.

Some of the big titles coming out this summer that will be available in Blu-Ray before the end of the year: The Incredible Hulk, Wanted, Hellboy II, Mamma Mia and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.

However, on July 22nd is when we’ll get three older films released on Blu-Ray: The Mummy, The Mummy Returns and the series spin-off, Scorpion King.

Coming sometime after that (but before the end of the year) are also The 40-Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Miami Vice, End of Days, U-571and Land of the Dead.

Fans will soon get an extra treat as Survivor will make the HD jump this summer when they film the 17th edition of the show. Survivor will be the first CBS reality show to make the HD jump, via Sony’s XDCAM production system. Executive producer Mark Burnett is calling it a “new era” for the show. Many others are saying, “it’s about time.”

A majority of the scripted television programs now routinely film in HD although many of the reality shows still do not. Survivor is one of the biggest shows that still films in the old 480i. With Survivor making the switch it seems that most other show of this nature will probably be forced to consider making the switch as well if they want to compete.

I usually end up falling asleep once I turn golf on, but some of you may not and if you stay awake for the entire tournament, you SHOULD try to watch it in style.

I stumbled across this yesterday when I wanted to see the leaderboard. Direct TV has put up a high definition Masters MIX channel that comes complete with a leaderboard and four picture-in-picture displays that are 16:9 ration (high-def) and a selectable audio feed.

The PIP displays show different holes and tournament highlights.

The HD version is on 706, the SD one is 701. The SD one is basically the same, and you should still be able to select the audio feed and also interact with the leaderboard and other such tools.

So if you plan on watching it this weekend and have Direct TV, then make sure you check out these channels. You can easily select one of the PIP displays and tune to that specific channel full screen too.

It’s pretty sweet.

Other stores, like Best Buy and Circuit City, all offered people full refunds, credits, etc., towards Blu-Ray players, or even money back.

Word comes down today that Amazon.com isn’t going to be going as far as those companies did, but they WILL be offering a $50 credit to anyone who purchased a HD-DVD player from them prior to February 23rd, 2008.

Now, it’s not like it’s as awesome as cash or like a huge discount off a Blu-Ray player, but at least I get to keep my HD-DVD player (the upconversion is awesome) and still get $50 credit.

My next goal when I get this credit, is to probably use it towards a Blu-Ray player once they drop a bit.

This credit supposedly is being sent out via email, which I’ve not received yet, but EngadgetHD has a copy of one, which you can see below.

Dear Amazon.com Customer,

As someone who purchased an HD DVD player from us before February 23, 2008,* you might like to hear about a special offer available from Amazon.com.

New technologies don’t always work out as planned. We at Amazon.com value our customer relationships more than anything and would like to support customers who purchased these players by offering a credit good for $50 off any products sold by Amazon.com.** Just use promotional code XXXXXXXXXX when checking out. The code is valid through April 9, 2009, so you have plenty of time to use your credit. Purchases from third-party merchants on our site are not eligible.

* On February 23, 2008, the last manufacturer of HD DVD players announced it was ceasing production of those players.

** Offer cannot be used to pay for special-order titles, e-books or downloadable e-content, wireless service plans, gift certificates, gift-wrap, taxes, or shipping and handling charges. $50.00 promotional credit is per HD DVD player purchased prior to February 23, 2008–up to 10 units for a maximum credit of $500.00.

Of course, they make it sound all cool, but the choices you have are limited to about three pages. There are some good ones of course, like 300, The Departed, Reservoir Dogs…but nothing super exciting.

Regardless, if you need or are looking to add to your library, head on over to Amazon and see if they have something you want.

If I had a Blu player, I’d buy Wild Things, Into the Blue and then my free disc would be Seven Years in Tibet.

(I’m kidding)

Any PPV movies or programming you order from Direct TV will now expire in 24 hours.

In my previous blog post, I pointed out that my recent PPV movies suddenly came with an expiration date, and a few of which I lost entirely because I didn’t get to them before it was too late.

That obviously was just a taste of things to come.

I used to like to record PPV movies to watch at a later date whenever I felt like it, but that’s not going to work anymore. The only upside to this news is that I’ve noticed Direct TV’s high definition On Demand library growing a bit. In fact, you can go download and watch Once or Bourne Ultimatum right now.

Anyways, the main thing you need to know about this post: If you order a PPV movie, start watching it, and suddenly get tired and go to bed, you’d better finish it before 24 hours are up or you’ve lost $4.99.

The only caveat is that if you don’t ever start the movie, I don’t think you get charged at all.

So what do you think? Does this limitation upset you? For those of you who don’t have Direct TV, don’t think you are off the hook. It’s only a matter of time before your provider does the same thing.