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SmartKey TV HDMI dongle gives ICS brains to any boob tube (updated)
How many similar devices have to come to light, until a new category is born? Screentop? USBPC? We're going with "Pendroid." Whatever you want to call it, here's another one, this time up the SmartKey TV from Italian firm LiquidTv. Inside its tiny housing are a 1GHz ARM Cortex A9 processor, Mali 400MP GPU, 512MB RAM and 4GB flash storage. There's a USB host port, and one for power, along with a microSD (up to 32GB) card slot, plus wireless in b, g and n flavors. Unlike other products that leave the input solution up to you, this little guy has accessories and a smartphone app purpose-built for that. If you want a slice, it'll cost you €99 (about $125,) or €119 ($150) with a motion sensor remote control. Tune your browser to the Italian video after the break to see it in action. Update: Some people are pointing out the similarities between this product and a Kickstarter project, and it looks like there are some issues between the two. LiquidTv has now removed its existing video demo -- and Infinitec (the company behind a very similar-looking Pendroid project) have been quick to state that the SmartKey TV isn't related to its Pocket TV.
How to make the most of your hotel television
We've covered a number of newer hotel chains that actually recognize the importance of delivering HDTV programming and HD VOD to guests, but for the vast majority of places still living in decades past, there's Gadling's latest how-to guide. If you're sick and tired of checking into hotels with ancient TVs and lackluster programming, there actually are some options. For one, it's always smart to carry a bit of media on a PMP and bring along every connection cable you can imagine. Furthermore, those with Slingboxen and other place-shifting solutions can usually pipe their content from laptop to TV with the right connections. If you're looking to get schooled in the ways of good travel, hit that read link and open wide.
Nero LiquidTV | TiVo PC gets reviewed
TiVo on the PC just sounds good, doesn't it? Unfortunately, the in-house testing proved otherwise... at least with the $99 per year price tag tacked on for no good reason. Head on over to Engadget HD for the full spill, and don't be afraid to wear your TiVo pride on your sleeve.
Nero LiquidTV | TiVo PC review
For the most part, you'll be hard pressed to find someone who doesn't like the TiVo UI. The scary thing is that despite the fact that it hasn't seen a real overhaul in like... ever, it's still better than just about anything else out there. So it makes sense that TiVo would be willing to work with Nero to bring that TiVo experience to the PC -- with a few enhancements to boot. Unfortunately for Nero, the PC DVR market is a little more competitive than the stand-alone market, so it's going to take much more than just a pretty face to fetch the $99 a year for TiVo service. %Gallery-34293%
Nero LiquidTV | TiVo PC gets unboxed
For TiVo fans, there's no denying that the Nero LiquidTV | TiVo PC holds a lot of promise. Granted, it is arriving mighty late to a party that's been rockin' for some time now, but TiVo mixed with PC just sounds so, so good. Engadget HD was able to grab hold of a unit and unbox the thing for all to see, and as you wait for a review in the near future, let us encourage you to enjoy the gallery right over yonder.
Hands-on and unboxing: Nero LiquidTV | TiVo PC
We received our Nero Liquid TV review kit today and before got knee deep in experiencing TiVo on a PC, we paused and took some pictures for your enjoyment. Although we wonder how big the market is for yet another piece of DVR, HTPC software, we do want to find out if the $200 price point, and $99 a year for service, is worth it for a remote, IR transceiver, hybrid tuner, antenna and software. We'll be trying this with our Vista Media Center hardware -- including CableCARD tuners that we don't expect to work -- as well as the included remote and tuner, so stay tuned. %Gallery-33095%
Potential new TiVo user interface shown on video
We know, you're still digesting the whole Nero LiquidTV / TiVo PC introduction, but once you get through your head that said product brings TiVo functionality to your PC, we'd like you to have a look at something only mildly related. In the best form possible (that'd be video, for those curious), a walkthrough of a potential new user interface for TiVo as a whole has been hosted up. According to the lucky soul who was able to grab this information from a recent survey, there's no telling if it'll ever actually be released. 'Course, we highly doubt TiVo pays its engineers to cook up new software for nothing, but we've heard of zanier scenarios. Check out three UI vids after the break, and be sure to look carefully for the oh-so-subtle differences.[Thanks, Dave]
Nero LiquidTV / TiVo PC brings TiVo interface to the PC
Rejoice, HTPC fans -- that partnership between Nero and TiVo has finally borne fruit in the form of Nero's new LiquidTV / TiVo PC DVR package, which brings the TiVo interface and featureset to Windows. The $199 package comes with a year of TiVo service, a Hauppage USB ATSC tuner, an IR receiver, and a Nero-branded TiVo remote, and does exactly as you'd expect -- it's TiVo on your PC. There are some interesting PC-specific features bolted on the usual kit -- you can navigate using the keyboard and mouse (there are even some nifty contextual menus) and you can export directly to iPod and PSP-compatible .mp4 from within the interface -- but for the most part it's the same TiVo experience you're used to, including streaming shows to and from other TiVos and TiVo PCs. If you're already running an HTPC setup, you can get the TiVo PC software and a year of service for $99, but your Media Center remote might be a little wonky without a remap, and Nero reps didn't make any promises about CableCARD compatibility apart from "it should work if Windows recognizes it." Obviously we'd like to see that firmed up a bit -- and maybe get some tru2way support in the deal -- but it's definitely a start. Should be available now.
