PersonalVideoRecorder
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Hauppage releases the HD PVR 2 Gaming Edition, now with HDMI
Hauppage has released the second version of its "Gaming Edition" Personal Video Recorder, which allows you to record streams of video from a television, gaming console or PC directly on to your Mac. We took a close look at the last version of this device, and it worked well, but completely without the benefit of HDMI. This new version, however, includes an HDMI port, which means you can record video on it at up to 1080p resolution. The box is listed at $169, but you may be able to find it cheaper online. The biggest drawback with this unit, however, is that you'll need to buy the software used on the Mac to capture video from it, and that can run you about $29.95. But if you specifically need a Mac to record the video, the box works well, and that added HDMI port means you have even more options (including buying an iOS HDMI adapter from Apple and even recording video straight from an iPhone or iPad).
Sunglasses with hidden camera and attached PVR make you the ultimate pervert
Finally you'll be able to get your new website -- BodaciousVoyeur.com -- off the ground thanks to this new, totally mind-blowing device: a personal video recorder with sunglasses acting as the camera. That's right, you can take the streets and record minutes upon minutes of video to the onboard 32MB of RAM (okay, you can throw an SD or MMC card in there for a little bit more time on the clock), in NTSC or PAL at 510 x 482 or 500 x 582 (depending on the format). The glasses, mistakenly described by the seller's site as "very stylish," contain a small camera with a 1/4-inch interline CCD sensor, and apparently they will also capture "exceptionally clear audio," though there's no specific mention of the kind of mic used. The whole hideous package can be yours for £695.00 (or around $1,400).[Via OhGizmo!]
Philips announces new TiVo-like DVRs at IFA
Word on the street is that Philips has decided to dip its collective toes into the DVR world with a new line of products that appear, at least ostensibly, to compete with TiVo. Like the "TiVo Suggestions" feature that the recorder-company offers, Philips' new devices tout user preference tracking, which will "learn" different user's likes and dislikes, and create custom sets of programming geared towards those tastes. The new line will also be able to access and download YouTube and other internet video, as well as podcast content. Advertising on the new boxes will also follow user's watching habits, thus ensuring a steady flow of laser-targeted ads beamed directly at your face. Apparently the new products will begin their lifecycle as software for PCs, but will eventually become set-top boxes for the living room. What's really interesting here is that Philips used to manufacture TiVo hardware, which increases the chances of cross-pollination (and lawsuits) oh... about tenfold.
Ubicod UMS200 set top box does PVR and VoD
Ubicod has thrown together the UMS200, a standard definition set top box which does a whole lot of interesting stuff with your video. The most interesting feature for us is the network capability made possible by two Ethernet ports. If you hook up a PC to the box you can watch live TV pretty much anywhere: it also goes the other way and lets you stream MP3s, pictures, and unnamed video file formats to your TV. Taking a little step back, the UMS200 also features a PVR function with time shifting for those of you that don't fancy watching TV on your laptop screen. Specs wise the UMS200 has a 200MHz processor for decoding MPEG-1, -2, and -4 video, as well as streaming MPEG-4 over a network at bitrates from 300kbps to around 6Mbps. Unsurprisingly for a standard definition device, it only features analog RCA outputs, so you'll have to look elsewhere if you like your definition nice and high. Other less interesting features include online flash game support, and an Electronic Program Guide so that you can plan your life around what shows happen to be on. We'd love to tell you when and for how much the UMS200 will ship, but unfortunately Ubicod's product site won't cough up the details.[Via MaxGizmo]
Toshiba annnounces new VARDIA HDD/DVD recorders
Toshiba's introduced a pair of new VARDIA digital video recorders for the Japanese market today, the RD-E300 and RD-W300. Each box packs a fairly substantial 300GB hard drive, DVD burner, digital TV tuner, and HDMI output, with the RD-W300 throwing some VHS action into the mix -- cause nothing shows your rebellious side better than digital content stored on an analog medium. Toshiba's also seen fit to include not one but two remotes with each unit (a full-featured one and a simplified one), no doubt a well-intentioned move on Toshiba's part, but one that's also likely to cause a few bouts of dueling remotes. No word on pricing for either of 'em, but it looks like they should both be available in November.[Via Akihabara News]
Evergreen's DB-MRC100 video recorder / player
Just in case you were in the market, Evergreen has this new Memory Stick DUO/PRO, SD/MMC, and Compact Flash video recorder up for grabs. The DB-MRC100 specializes in recording video for playback on your PSP or iPod via a couple of recording pre-sets but is certainly not limited to these devices. It features MPEG-4 recording at a resolution up to 640x480 at 30fps and can playback a wide variety of audio, video, and picture formats including DivX 3/4/5, MPEG-4, JPEG, MP3 and WMA when connected to your PC or TV via RCA jack. Shipping in Japan starting September 22 for ¥14,800 or right around $127.[Via Impress]
Neuros OSD hardware out in beta, let the hacking begin!
Ah, so this is what you get when you take a hardware platform "open-source" -- the Neuros OSD. This infinitely hackable Linux-based media recorder / player beta unit is on sale now. Yeah, beta, 'cause this ain't no ordinary hardware offering. See Neuros is willing to pay you cash-money "bounties" to code new features into the open source firmware: YouTube or Google video ($1000), Flickr photo browsing ($600), wireless remote capabilities from a WiFi handheld device such as a PDA ($500), TiVo-style radio recording when connected to an FM/AM or satellite receiver ($700), and VoIP capabilities when a USB phone is connected ($500). Not bad for something you'll likely do for the fun of it anyway right? Out of the box, you get a standalone media player which can record from any external analog audio/video source and then automatically encode it for playback on PSPs, mobile phones, and iPods in popular formats such as MPEG-4, AVI, ASF, MP3, OGG, WMA, and AC3. And with a dual-core ARM9 / TI DSP, multi-card memory slot, USB host capability, Ethernet, recording up to 720x480 resolution at 30fps, IR Blaster, and S-Video in and Composite audio/video in/out, well, you still might be tempted to plunk down the meager $230 to take this baby home. Hurry though, only 200 beta units left!
Pioneer intros 4 HDD/DVD recorders for Japan
Pioneer has introduced a bundle of new HD-based digital video recorders for the Japanese market, all packing either 250GB or 400GB drives, and two of which come equipped with the unsettling combination of DVD burners and VHS recorders -- with HDMI output to boot. We doubt that your collection of Max Headroom tapes will look any better when pumped though a spiffy HDMI cable, but at least you'll have the convience of transferring 'em to a DVD at the push of a button. All four recorders are also compatible with Pioneer's HDD-S400 external hard drive, which'll give ya an extra 400GB of storage. Sadly, though, pricing and availability have yet to be announced for any of them.[Via Akihabara News]
SanDisk's V-MATE: records video to what else, flash memory cards
Sandisk is plenty busy with new products at IFA in Berlin. Now, they've thrown down with a whole new product line-up by launching the V-MATE video recorder. And since SanDisk likey their flash memory, the V-Mate is designed to record directly to a wide variety of memory card formats from any composite video source such as your set-top box, DVD player, or TiVo. The V-MATE features a remote control, on-screen programming interface, and an infrared emitter to turn on your TV tuner device and select the right channel for programmed recording. And MPEG-4 compression delivers about 1.8 hours of playback per 1GB of flash at the V-MATE's maximum 640 x 480 recording resolution or up to 3.6-hours when the rez and bit rate are throttled back for the requirements of say, your cellphone display. Available in October for about $130.
Leadtek announces "WinFast PalmTop TV" external tuner
External USB TV tuners are a dime a dozen these days, but with DIY media PCs still growing in popularity, we can expect to see even more devices like Leadtek's WinFast PalmTop TV before the flood of products tapers off. This Japanese model features a high-speed USB 2.0 connection, hardware-based MPEG-1/2/4 and AVI encoding, and a wireless remote, along with a suite of bundled software for TV watching, recording, and DVD authoring. Expect this unit to hit an already-crowded market next month, for an unknown price.[Via Impress]
