“The wait is almost over — the season 4 premiere of “Lost” airs this Thursday at 9 PM on ABC. Count down the days with these six “Lost” sneak peek video previews — beware if you are sensitive of “Lost” season four spoilers though!”

Click here to watch all 6 Lost preview videos over at the TV Crunch website.

If you already subscribe to HBO’s award winning programming, your service is just about to get much better. HBO of all companies is jumping on the download bandwagon and is ready to offer live feeds as well as full show downloads on their new service called “HBO on Broadband”. On Broadband will offer unlimited downloads of HBO shows and movies for subscribers which means you now have the freedom to enjoy your favorite HBO programming whenever and however you want. Starting this month, several episodes from HBO’s original series will be available including: “The Wire”, “In Treatment”, “The Sopranos”, “Sex and the City”, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”, “Entourage”, “Six Feet Under”, “Big Love”, “Deadwood” and many more.

Similar to NBC’s service (NBC Direct), HBO will require you to download and install their proprietary media player which also serves as a download manager. However HBO’s application is highly interactive allowing users to rate and hold discussions on their favorite shows. Check back soon for more info about “HBO on Broadband”.

“Great reality TV villains come in many shapes and sizes. There was Puck, the grimy Real World-er prone to sticking his nicotine-stained digits in other people’s peanut butter. There was Omarosa, Trump’s would-be apprentice, who pissed off everyone in the boardroom—including the combed-over mogul—with her confrontationally bitchy demeanor. And now there’s 21-year-old Heidi Montag, who looks like a St. Pauli girl but has somehow become one of the most talked about and controversial stars on television.”

Head over to Maxim.com for the entire February Maxim issue preview.

“The decision from the biggest division of media conglomerate Viacom Inc follows on the heels of the “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” whose popularity online has helped boost television viewership. MTV Networks’s Comedy Central network began offering in October some 13,000 “Daily Show” videos dating back to 1999.

Offering versions of TV shows online has not hurt television ratings, and may have actually helped. “One does not diminish the other by any stretch of the imagination. That is kind of our hat trick,” MTV Networks Chairman and Chief Executive Judy McGrath said at the Reuters Media Summit in New York on Wednesday.

In August, Comedy Central signed an extension of a deal with “South Park” creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, and agreed to create a new joint venture to spread “South Park” materials across the Web, on mobile phones and video games.

So far, the venture, SouthParkStudios.com, features a small collection of video clips from the show.

Bernstein Research said on Wednesday cable network ratings at several of Viacom’s channels spiked in November, led by MTV, reversing a steep decline earlier in the year.

Other shows from the 20-year archives of MTV Networks could also get the same online treatment, but executives stopped short of naming other properties.”

Continue reading the press release here.

Pioneer of all companies is getting ready to launch SyncTV which is yet another on-line television download service. Just like NBC’s solution, SyncTV will be an ad supported application that you install and run on your PC. Unlike NBC’s solution, you will not be limited to shows from one single provider, but you will have to pay for SyncTV including $2/month per channel and another 2 dollars to download any show outside of your subscription. If the price seems a little steep, thats because it is for this type of service (even more than iTunes), but according to the SyncTV website the end result will be well worth the cost. Pioneer is promising “home-theater quality” downloads with HD support and surround sound which means they are targeting this as a replacement for your current TV service or DVR solution. You can also expect set top extenders within the year from a variety of manufacturers that will be compatible with the SyncTV service. SyncTV is currently in private Beta test, but of your lucky you might be able to get on the list by heading over to SyncTV.com. Continue reading below for more information directly from SyncTV.

About
SyncTV gives you home-theater quality TV shows on an unlimited download basis, so now you can download whole seasons of TV shows and watch them when you want. Completely based on open-standards, the SyncTV service works on Windows PCs, Macs and Linux PCs, and in the future it will also work on TVs and portable players.

Unlimited Downloads
Once you have subscribed to a channel on SyncTV, you can download as many current and classic TV shows from that channel as you want, with many of the TV shows including every episode of every season. Our choice of channels is ‘a la carte’ so you only need to subscribe to the channels you love and let the entertainment begin!

Home Theater Quality
We know how important audio and video quality are to you. So we have ensured that the audio and video quality of every TV show is comparable or superior to the same show on DVD. Where possible, SyncTV will provide HD programming across the different channels. SyncTV will also have programming available in discreet 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus, giving you the full home theater experience.

Watch TV Whenever You Want
We believe people should be able to watch TV shows where they want, when they want, on the devices they want. With the launch of SyncTV, you are free to watch your favorite TV shows on Windows PCs, Macs, or Linux PCs now and TVs and portable players in the future. SyncTV downloads TV shows rather than streams them, which means you can play your favorite shows wherever you want, with or without an Internet connection.

Once you have the NBC Direct player installed, you can manage and download the latest shows directly from the player which makes the process relatively simple. Just click the show you want to watch and wait a few minutes while it downloads. On a high speed connection, 30 Rock took only 4 minutes to download completely. After your video download is complete, you have 48 hour viewing period once you begin watching it. Video quality is decent in it’s original size, but don’t even try watch it in full screen mode. Keep in mind that NBC makes their money from advertisements and this service is chalked full of sponsors within the videos and the player itself. After playing around with the service for a day or so, I probably will not stick with it but I can see how it could be appealing to users that are constantly on the run, or for those that use their PC as their primary source of entertainment. To get started, head over to NBC.com/Video.

Content Selection
At Hulu, you’ll find a vast selection of premium programming across all genres and content types including hit shows, movies, clips and more. Hulu offers current primetime shows like The Office, Prison Break, Bionic Woman, House and Bones, and episodes from TV classics like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Miami Vice, Arrested Development and more. We’ve also partnered with premier content owners like E! Entertainment, FUEL TV, SciFi Network and USA Networks to add to our growing collection of premium programming.

Viewing Experience
Hulu is designed with a singular focus on providing an exceptional, online video viewing experience. You can customize the experience to fit your viewing preferences - watch videos in full screen, or pop out the video player and place it anywhere on your computer screen and re-size it if you’re multi-tasking. You can even dim the lights and mute the rest of the browser window so nothing distracts you from the video you’re watching.

Video Sharing
Hulu lets you easily share your favorite videos via email or embed them on your own website. You can even choose to share the entire video or just one scene. By selecting the share or embed feature, you have the option of selecting your own start and stop point in a video to create your own fun video clips.

Hulu Across the Web
Hulu lets you enjoy your favorite videos at websites where you are already spending your time online. Visit our partner sites: AOL, Comcast, MSN, MySpace and Yahoo, to view the same selection of premium programming available at Hulu.com. Each partner features content in its own customized video player to provide a seamless viewing experience on their sites.

“Set in Washington, DC, “Day 7” opens with CTU dismantled and JACK BAUER (Kiefer Sutherland) on trial. Bauer’s day takes an unexpected turn when former colleague TONY ALMEIDA (Carlos Bernard) returns. Meanwhile, President ALLISON TAYLOR (Cherry Jones) leads the country alongside White House Chief of Staff ETHAN KANIN (Bob Gunton) and First Gentleman HENRY TAYLOR (Colm Feore).

A national security crisis prompts an investigation by a team of FBI agents including Agent JANIS GOLD (Janeane Garofalo), Agent RENEE WALKER (Annie Wersching), Agent LARRY MOSS (Jeffrey Nordling), Agent SEAN HILLINGER (Rhys Coiro) and security specialist MICHAEL LATHAM (John Billingsley). Although CTU is no longer, CHLOE O’BRIAN (Mary Lynn Rajskub) and BILL BUCHANAN (James Morrison) are back for another momentous day of shocking events.”

The anticipated TiVo updates and upgrades that were announced a few months ago are finally available for Series 3 and TiVo HD customers. In short these updates include Multi Room Viewing, external drive storage and TiVoToGo, which allows you to transfer and view recorded programs on you PC. Continue reading below for the full press release.

“TiVo, the creator of and leader in television services for digital video recorders (DVRs), today announced the new availability of several exciting feature upgrades and product support for TiVo Series 3 and TiVo HD customers. The news includes the availability of external storage (E-SATA) from Western Digital, the introduction of Multi-Room Viewing and TiVoToGo availability and the new feature of progressive downloads - all for Series 3 and TIVo HD subscribers. Please see below for more information on the news.

E-SATA
· The My DVR Expander external hard drive is capable of storing up to 600 hours of standard-definition (SD) or up to 65 hours of high-definition (HD) television programming based on 500 GB of hard drive storage.
· This is current the only TiVo Verified external storage device.
· The My DVR Expander is compatible with both TiVo HD and TiVo Series3 DVRs.
· WD’s My DVR Expander external hard drive is available now in the United States from Best Buy retail stores and by ordering online from TiVo.com/store.
· MSRP for the My DVR Expander drive with 500 GB is $199.99 USD.

Multi Room Viewing (MRV)
· MRV allows you to transfer programming between TiVo DVRs.
· It now includes support for Series3 and TiVo HD DVRs, meaning you can share shows between Series2, Series3, and TiVo HD boxes.
· Only SD recordings may be sent from a Series3/TiVo HD to a Series2.

TiVoToGo
· TiVo HD and Series 3 users can now enjoy TiVoToGo functionality.
· TiVoToGo™ transfers are available to all networked TiVo DVRs. This service enhancement allows users to transfer programs from a TiVo box to a desktop or laptop PC.
· Using TiVo Desktop software for Windows or Roxio Toast 8 or Popcorn 3 for Mac OS, TiVo subscribers can now transfer recordings from their Series 3 and TiVo HD boxes for playback, DVD burning, or converting to portable device formats on personal computers.

Progressive Downloads
· The progressive download feature gives TiVo subscribers the ability to watch TiVoCast content while it is still downloading, including Amazon UnBox on TiVo.
· When a download begins, the TiVo box checks the speed of the download, and calculates whether you can begin playback. If the download speed is going faster than playback speed, it will let users start playback immediately.
· If the download is slower, it will wait until users have enough of the program “buffered” on disk to be able to play it from start to finish without hitting the end of the buffer, and then let you start playback.
· This service is available for TiVo HD and Series3 subscribers.”

First iTunes, now NBC is dropping YouTube like a bad habit. Why can’t they all just get along? Some say it’s all in anticipation of “Hulu.com” which is NBC Universal and News Corporation’s online video joint venture. Hulu is not targeting to be a YouTube killer, rather a single online source for full length shows and clips that can be played on demand and hopefully for free. But what’s the deal with the name “Hulu”? CEO Jason Kilar states “Objectively, Hulu is short, easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and rhymes with itself. Subjectively, Hulu strikes us as an inherently fun name, one that captures the spirit of the service we’re building.” Ok there buddy, just keep telling yourself that. Hulu.com is supposed to be ready for public beta very soon, so head over there now and sign up for the waiting list.

Heroes is on the verge of season 2 starting September 24th which is only a few days away. There are so many questions and cliffhangers from season 1 that need to be answered which will hopefully make a great second season. Heroes creator Tim Kring has told several sources that “the upcoming second season will constitute a new volume in the multi-volume series, with new characters and an entirely new storyline”.

Volume one got us hooked without a doubt and I hope volume two can deliver the same suspense and excitement. Some old characters are guaranteed to die, but several new ones will be introduced including “Elle” played by Veronica Mars herself, Kristen Bell. Elle is a character described by Kring as a “sexy, mysterious young lady who has ties to the supposed death of Peter, H.R.G.’s past and the future of Claire”. Check out the season two teaser here.

The first episode of Prison Break aired last night with mixed reviews. Just to recap… one brother is in prison and the other has to break him out, but there’s a super secret “company” out there that will stop at nothing to kill them both. If this sounds familiar, that’s because season 3 is actually season 1 all over again. I like to call it “The Remix”. Thing is that remixes work great for music, but not so good for TV. This time around, the prison is in Panama, Michael is the one behind bars, and Linc is the the one that has to save his bro.

Ok, so it’s not exactly the same, but pretty damn close. I also find it to be just a little funny how all the same characters from the last two seasons end up in the same remote country and even in the same prison together. Are writers really that hard up for a story line… or are TV fanatics just bored enough where they will watch whatever garbage hits the screen? The shelf life of a TV show like Prison Break should really be thought out in the beginning. End it before it turns to total crap. If you missed last night’s episode, save yourself some time and just watch the season 3 trailer.

“My new reality show on MTV will be like NO OTHER SHOW ON TELEVISION HISTORY! My show is about finding true love, because for me….having over 2 million friends is cool but sometimes it makes it hard for me to find someone real, and someone whom I can trust and love…..but there is a catch…..the show will be about me finding love as a BISEXUAL!!!!! THAT IS CRAZY RIGHT? So on my new reality show there will be 16 male contestants and 16 female contestants all fighting for my love….the only twist is….yes, there is another twist….the only twist is that these guys and these girls have NO IDEA that I am bisexual and that they are competing against each others sexes!!! GUYS AGAINST GIRLS….WHO WILL I END UP HOOKING UP WITH????? WILL I BE STRAIGHT OR LESBIAN IN THE END?????”

Click the image above for more shots of Tila Tequila.