DirecTV Unveils Content 'Nomad'

DirecTV Group Inc. (NYSE: DTV) has unleashed Nomad, a device that lets customers port movies and TV shows recorded on a DVR onto a range of mobile devices, including PCs, smartphones and tablets. A DirecTV official confirmed that the device sells for US$149, with no monthly service fees. DirecTV has created Nomad apps for PCs, iPhones and iPod Touch devices, and expects to offer support for iPads and Android-powered devices "soon." According to the Nomad Web page, the device can hold up to 20 hours of recorded programming and can connect to external storage devices. Unlike a Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK)'s upcoming AnyPlay device, though, Nomad does not stream live TV. (See Comcast AnyPlay to Stream Live TV to Tablets and Moto, Comcast Team on In-Home TV Streamer .)

Yahoo Inc. (Nasdaq: YHOO) has dropped out of the bidding for Hulu LLC , leaving Dish Network LLC (Nasdaq: DISH), Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN) and Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) among the remaining potential suitors of the Web video hub, reports The Wall Street Journal.

Megacable Comunicaciones , Mexico's largest cable MSO with 1.7 million customers, has hired Emerson Sampaio as chief technology officer. Sampaio is late of CableLabs , where he served as senior enterprise architect, and Liberty Global Inc. (Nasdaq: LBTY), where he was CTO for the company's operations in Brazil and Puerto Rico.

Employees of cable installation contract firm Tucker Communications Inc., which does work for Charter Communications Inc. , is suing the company in a Georgia court for allegedly failing to pay them overtime compensation. The suit seeks unpaid overtime wages, interest and costs, according to Law 360.

Harmonic Inc. (Nasdaq: HLIT) and Kit Digital have forged a strategic partnership to develop multi-screen broadband video systems for pay-TV operators. The deal matches the KIT Cosmos video asset management platform and Harmonic's video processing and storage gear. Kit was rumored to have eyes for thePlatform Inc. , a media publishing firm owned by Comcast. (See thePlatform Squelches Buyout Rumor.)

— Jeff Baumgartner, Site Editor, Light Reading Cable