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HP MediaSmart home server becomes TiVo archive with TiVoExpander add-on
If you're more than a casual TV viewer, maybe the sort of person who keeps season passes of more than a dozen shows pending on your TiVo, you're probably in a race against time, keeping up with as much as possible before the enormous HD recordings fill up the TiVo's hard drive and force you to delete older content. You could work on finding a way to make the day longer, but it might be easier to pair up your TiVo with one of HP's MediaSmart home servers, now that the pair can work together to seamlessly transport and backup your recordings.
MediaSmart servers aren't the rack-mounted techie variety, but user-friendly boxes that can be used as hubs around which to build your home's entertainment network. Its shared drives let you access your media from any other networked device in the home. With the new TiVoExpander add-on, your TiVo joins that list of devices.
Recorded programs can now be shuttled over to the MediaSmart, where you can view them at your leisure from any of your other computers. If you want to check it out on the big screen, you can even send the program back over to the TiVo, just like it had never left in the first place. The software plugin is available for free download now.
Around the web: Engadget HD (10 comments)
, tech.yahoo.com , The Toybox , SlashGear Profile pages: TiVo, server, HP EX470 MediaSmart, HP MediaSmart, HP MediaSmart Server ex485, HP MediaSmart Server ex487, HP MediaSmart Server LX195, HP MediaSmart EX475, HP
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Google flirting with set-top TV listings search
It certainly seems like Google's made a place for itself in every other corner of our lives, so why not on our TVs as well? The company is working with Dish Network to bring the brains behinds its success as a search engine to help you weed through TV listings as well as internet content displayed on your television.
The Android-based set-top boxes the project uses integrates Dish's satellite programming with content Google pulls from around the web. A search for "football" could return broadcast games as well as YouTube videos of the local high school team. Of course, you don't want to be clumsily typing in your queries with a remote and on-screen keyboard, so the box supports hooking up a proper QWERTY board to make search entry as smooth as possible. This hearkens back to when Dish built receivers with WebTV integration over a decade ago, also supporting wireless keyboards (though without the Google flair).
Right now this project is in very limited testing; if you don't already work for Google, good luck getting your hands on one. Neither Google nor Dish have made any statements about the project, and it very well may never see a commercial product come out of it, but it's provocative to think about how Google could change how you find and watch shows.
Around the web: online.wsj.com (669 comments)
, Alley Insider (1 comment) , searchengineland.com , mashable.com (3 comments) Profile pages: Google, Set-top box, Google Android, QWERTY keyboard, DISH Network
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3D TV coming to Best Buy this week
If you're getting tired of Avatar after your twelfth viewing, wish you had some new games for your Nintendo Virtual Boy, and just don't feel that the real world "pops" in 3D like the movies do, the 3D fix you've been craving might be just around the corner, as Best Buy is about to give the US its first big taste of in-home 3D screens, with a little help from Panasonic.
Starting this week, as soon as Wednesday, Best Buy is going to set up 3D demo areas in its stores to show off the technology to consumers. Just like how the company created listening rooms to show off the capabilities of surround sound systems, these demo stations will likely introduce this new technology to plenty of people for the first time. The showcase of the displays will be Panasonic's 3D sets, with Best Buy stocked and ready to start selling them to interested customers.
Best Buy will start things off in 300 of its stores in major markets, and plans to expand its promotion of 3D sets to about 1,000 locations by the end of the year.
Though certainly more expensive than normal 2D screens, the Panasonic models Best Buy will be selling aren't priced so exotically as to make them unaffordable - in fact, we should be getting the sets cheaper than they can be found in Japan. A 50-inch set will go for around $2500, with another $500 for goodies like the 3D glasses and Blu-ray player you'll need to really enjoy some 3D content. Just think of the expense like 250 trips to the movies; after that, you're saving money.
Around the web: CrunchGear (2 comments)
, reuters.com , Electronista , techeye.net -
Real Networks withdraws RealDVD movie archiver after legal battle
We've got bad news if you were hoping to one day hook a massive hard drive up to your computer, rip all your DVDs to disk, and be able to quickly pull one up to watch whenever the mood struck you. Real Networks has withdrawn its fight to sell RealDVD, its software solution to let you do just that, after a legal battle brought on by the movie studios.
RealDVD let you take copies of movies you own and saved images of each to a local hard drive, DRM-locked to your computers. Real fought tooth-and-nail for fair use rights since 2008, arguing how this use wasn't a violation of the DVD license agreement. After fighting the good fight, and getting some unsupportive judicial rulings against it, Real has thrown in the towel and agreed to kill RealDVD.
The sad thing is that are plenty of more hackery tools available to decrypt and archive your DVDs. The only people being hurt by this defeat are those who wanted a polished, commercial product to get it done - the kind of user who isn't going to be interested in using RealDVD for piracy in the first place. Thanks a bunch, movie studios!
Around the web: techflash.com
, techcrunch.com (310 comments) , arstechnica.com (27 comments) , Electronista , computerworld.com Profile pages: DVD
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Skype turns Samsung LED 7000 and 8000 TVs into videophones
One of the most ubiquitous images of what the future would be like, according to 80s movies at least, was the giant wall-mounted videophone. Instead, we seem to have gone the other direction, crafting smaller and smaller phones, trading grandeur for portability. If you're still holding out hope, we've got some good news for you, as some future Samsung TVs will include the ability to connect to Skype, acting as large-screen videophones.
Samsung announced its LED 7000 and 8000 series of sets at last month's Consumer Electronics Show. Both are internet-enabled, running Samsung's Internet@TV platform. Back at the CES, Samsung talked about some of the applets that the sets would support, but those seemed to concentrate mainly on one-way streaming YouTube-type content. The announcement that the sets will support Skype totally changes how you can plan to use them, pushing them farther away from what we've come to expect from living room electronics.
You'll still have to pick up an external webcam so that your contacts will be able to see you, but the rest of the functionality will be built-in to the sets. All navigation can be handled with the remote, and the sets will support existing Skype accounts. As always with Skype, making in-network calls will be free.
The Skype-supporting 7000 series of Samsung TVs is available now, and the 8000s, the required webcam, and the Skype app should become available sometime this Spring.
Around the web: pocket-lint.com (4 comments)
, news.cnet.com (3 comments) -
Cablevision plan gives your PC its own cable channel
New York-based Cablevision has a new twist on hooking your computer up to your television, doing away with extra cables or boxes in a move that looks like it could streamline media integration for those of us who aren't so technically inclined.There are plenty of ways to get media content from your PC to your TV: Boxee, its predecessor XBMC, Apple TV, and game consoles like the PS3 and Xbox 360 are just some of the devices already available for performing that feat. If you don't know an s-video cable from HDMI, though, even these straightforward products could seem daunting.
Cablevision's plan, called its "PC to TV Media Relay", is to use its existing cable infrastructure to replace those boxes or cables that existing PC-to-TV interfaces use. Run Cablevision's software on your broadband-enabled PC, and your computer will open a connection with Cablevision's servers. These computers format your media for transmission over the company's cable system, sending it all the way back to your house where it will be tuneable just like any other channel on your cable box. Though the round-trip your data takes may seem excessive, we appreciate the way it removes a lot of the uncertainty that might befall a user shopping for a similar solution; if you've got a computer that works, and cable work on your TV, then you're all set.
Some test markets will get access to the service this June, initially just for computers running Windows. When the rest of Cablevision's subscribers will receive access and when other versions of the software will be released isn't yet known.
Around the web: mediamemo.allthingsd.com (1 comment)
, electronista.com , dslreports.com Profile pages: Apple TV
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Walmart buying video streamer Vudu
Vudu may have been around for years, but it's yet to get the kind of recognition in the video marketplace as big names like Amazon and iTunes. That may be all about to change, as it looks like mega-retailer Walmart is buying the company.
Vudu started off as a streaming video rental service, where you used its set-top box and your broadband connection to function like an on-demand PPV system. In the years that followed, it added the ability to purchase movies for keeps, saving them to its internal hard disk, and to access other streaming services like Pandora and YouTube. To access the Vudu content, though, you needed to pay out for one of its receivers, which may have served to scare away consumers who preferred to invest in a box with some bigger names behind it. Vudu technology has been built into some late-model Blu-Ray players, helping the situation a bit, but Walmart's support could really be what the company has been waiting for.
The two companies haven't yet published details of what this purchase means for their futures, but it's almost certain to result in wider distribution of the Vudu technology - though possibly under a new name - and hopefully bring some lower prices to consumers. Walmart could also use the platform as a means to promote its other products and services through targeted advertisements, straight to your TV. We just hope this venture plays out better than Walmart's aborted video download store from several years back. The company certainly has the resources to make this work, so we'll have to wait and see.
Around the web: nytimes.com
, Gizmodo (6 comments) , consumerist.com (10 comments) , engadget.com (15 comments) Profile pages: Blu-ray, Vudu, Vudu Box BX100
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HBO Go brings premium streaming programming to the web
HBO has raised the curtain on its venture into the world of streaming video with the debut of its HBO Go service.
Recognizing that the lines between television and computer are becoming more and more blurred, the cable giant has put together a website that lets its subscribers stream shows and movies to their computers for no additional charge. The service launched this week for Verizon FiOS customers, with support for other cable companies forthcoming. Once you log on and verify that you're a paying HBO customer, you can access the over 600 hours of television and dozens of movies the company has made available.
Initial impressions are mostly positive, noting a clean, well-designed Flash interface and good video quality. The major caveat is the limited selection of programming; you don't get access to HBO's entire back catalog (no Mind of The Married Man, for instance, but shows like The Wire have their complete runs available) and what you can access will change as HBO shuffles new programming into the deck and removes previously-available shows. Ultimately, it works like most On Demand systems, except now you're using your PC instead of the cable box.
If you've already got HBO and broadband, checking out HBO Go is a no-brainer. What it might not be, though, is a reason to sign up for HBO in the first place. What would be very interesting to see down the road is if HBO could offer web-only subscriptions to those who don't receive the channel over cable or satellite. There's no indication just yet that that's coming soon, but we can always dream.
Around the web: reuters.com
, news.cnet.com (32 comments) , Electronista , Alley Insider (314 comments) , TechCrunch (191 comments) , consumerist.com (2 comments) Profile pages: Streaming video, Adobe Flash Player, Video on demand
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Sony Dash internet viewer gets streaming Netflix overhaul
Sony didn't make many waves at the CES when it revealed its Dash internet viewer, but today's news of extra features is starting to make the device look interesting.
The Dash is basically a digital picture frame that runs widgets - small programs that can pull data from the web for display on its screen. You could customize the Dash so it would show you the weather forecast, maybe a television schedule, and your friends' latest Twitter posts. Problem is, this is the sort of stuff you could just as easily do on a laptop if you already had one, and at $200 for the Dash, you'd be better of buying a low-end netbook and getting all the versatility one offers.
Today's news changes things a bit, as the Dash now will be able to stream video from select websites, including the ability to show Netflix streaming movies. Now the gadget seems like a steal as an internet-enabled television. Sure the screen is only seven inches, but that's just about right for a bedside table. The Dash will start shipping in April, if you're interested in checking one out.
Around the web: prnewswire.com
, Engadget (42 comments) , Gizmodo (6 comments) , electronista.com -
No 1080p for Netflix this year
Netflix users who take advantage of the company's free streaming video service (and frankly, you're missing out if you're subscribing and not taking advantage) are in for some upgrades this year, but still have a wait in store for a full HD experience.
First, the good news: within the year you should be able to access Netflix streaming content HD content with the addition of 5.1-channel surround sound and closed captioning. Though those sound like pretty basic features, they're just the kind of things that get removed from movies when they're being prepped to maintain the best quality when streaming.
The bad news is that it will be at least another year before you'll be able to find 1080p content. For now, you'll just have to live with the 720p already being offered.
Around the web: news.cnet.com (10 comments)
, Gizmodo (6 comments) , techland.com , Electronista Profile pages: 1080p, Netflix, Netflix, 720p, 5.1 channel surround sound
Google Nexus One and HTC Supersonic 4G smartphone heading to Sprint
