Thanks to TVersity and PacketVideo for their sponsorship of CONNECTIONS™, and for having folks on hand to demonstrate their media aggregation software solutions. The basic premise is that all content, no matter where it's hosted, can be accessed when the companies' client software is installed on your different media servers. Although that is a fancy term, it's basically any computer that stores your personal or professional content.  In addition to providing for a direct download model, the folks at TVersity said that they think that the software is running on about a million set-top boxes today, and they'd like to pursue additional white label partnerships with the consumer electronics industry.

PacketVideo is a pioneer in the media aggregation space, having been founded in 1998, and providing products to make content accessible on a broad number of devices, particularly handsets. Their solutions also allow for streaming between a handset and a "fixed" CE device, such as TVs.

Finally, I saw the news that MediaMall Technologies' PlayLater solution to record online video.

With Internet streaming video, content owners typically force users to sit through ads -- they can't be skipped. With the PlayLater DVR software, however, ads can be fast-forwarded through just like on TV.

PlayLater requires users to install MediaMall's PlayOn application, designed for viewing online video on TVs. Currently PlayLater is available as a free "preview release." When it's officially released, the service will be $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year. According to MediaMall, PlayLater users do not have to pay for the PlayOn service (normally $4.99 per month, $39.99 per year or a one-time charge of $79.99).

Oh, yeah, and the MediaMall folks say that it's all legal. I am sure that somebody will have something to say about this...