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MobiTV demonstrates mixTV mobile DTV service
This one is still only in the very earliest stages, but it looks like MobiTV has taken advantage of the big National Association of Broadcasters Show in Vegas this week to show off a new mobile DTV service that it's developed in partnership with Sinclair and PBS, which it hopes will eventually find its way to a few interested cellular carriers. The service itself is a combination of free over-the-air DTV broadcasts (from PBS and the CW, at the moment) and subscription-based on-demand content, which would apparently be made available for a seven-day window and be delivered via mobile WiMAX. Unfortunately, there's no indication whatsoever of a potential roll-out, but it looks like MobiTV will be working hard during the next few days to woo some additional partners, so there's at least a slight chance that we could be hearing a few more details before the show wraps up later this week.[Via Phone Scoop]
NetBlender drops iPhone exclusivity on BD Touch 2.0, connects Blu-ray to Blackberry, Android & Pre
It's a new year and NetBlender has a new change of gear, pairing with BluFocus to bring last year's BD Touch software -- and its BD-Live enabled Blu-ray player to iPhone / iPod Touch connections -- up to version 2.0, featuring crossplatform capability with other WiFi enabled handhelds like Blackberry, Android and Palm Pre. While going iPhone exclusive hasn't hurt some apps, hopefully we'll see wider adoption of the technology, which can enable things from making the phone a remote control to using it as a keyboard, downloading files from the disc or playing games, now that it supports more than one platform. More info should be available once it hits the floor at NAB 2009 later this week.
Adobe Flash platform for HDTVs & connected devices on display at NAB
The plan is to get Flash from every computer to every television screen, and Adobe's ready to take the next step this week at the National Association of Broadcasters show in Las Vegas. Broadcom, Comcast, STMicroelectronics, NXP Semiconductors, and Sigma Designs join Intel as set-top box makers with chipsets ready to stream widgets and HD video to connected televisions, while content is on the way from Netflix, New York Times, Disney and Atlantic Records. Of course, Yahoo's widgets and Microsoft Silverlight aim to turn up the interactivity and streaming video to TVs and handhelds as well, though Adobe seems content to share with Yahoo! if need be -- Vizio's Connected HDTV demo and Intel's CE 3100 support both -- expect the blades to come out when Flash enabled hardware comes to market in the second half of this year.[Via Venture Beat]
Solar-powered 'guiltless green' home theater system makes your Wall-E Blu-ray very happy
When Home Theater Specialists of America (HTSA) executive director Richard Glikes wanted a home theater system, he didn't just max it out with the best high definition equipment. He also thought to run it entirely from solar energy from four roof-mounted panels that produce an aggregate of 700 watts per hour in sunlight. It'll reportedly run things for 19 hours straight without having to dip into your traditional power grid. Hardware-wise, we're talking about a 100-inch screen, Sharp projector, six SpeakerCraft in-wall speakers, Integra AV receiver, Lutron lighting, and a universal remote. See how it was made, with the help of time-lapse photography and 1980s infomercial-genre background music, in the video after the break.
Fixstars CE-10 encoder puts Playstation 3 to work on h.264 video
Maybe you don't do enough video conversion to make copping a dedicated SpursEngine card a good investment, but that doesn't mean you can't put the Cell processor in your PlayStation 3 to work in between sessions of Killzone 2, (not like it's busy curing cancer or anything.) Fixstars' CE-10 encoder doesn't exactly fit the "Cell Storage" pie in the sky promises of yesterday, but by installing it on a PC it lets users tap into the PS3's number crunching power to achieve professional encoding quality. No word on what an "affordable prosumer price" is, but if ultra fast HD encoding is something you'd be interested in -- those 1080p vids won't compress themselves -- stop by the Broadcast International booth at NAB next week for an early preview before the software launches in June.
Onkyo debuts Universal Port-loving iPod dock, HD radio tuner
Onkyo only kept early adopters of its recently introduced TX-SR507 and TX-SR607 receivers waiting for a month to put the Universal Port (U-Port) 'round back to good use. The company has introduced an iPod/iPhone dock (is there anything that doesn't have one?) and a HD Radio module as U-Port accessories. The $109 UP-A1 iPod dock will allow remote control of the connected device and will output component video to the connected receiver when it ships in May. The UP-HT1 HD Radio tuner will show up in July and for $159 will unlock HD radio reception to your Onkyo U-Port receiver. Neither peripheral is exactly earth-shaking, but it's a safe bet that one of them will enjoy a lot more uptake than the other.
Multi-room audio owners are all smiles with their purchase
The growing number of "zone 2" speaker taps on the latest generation of receivers is all the evidence you need that multi-room audio systems are big with consumers. Cynics might argue that 7.1 channels of sound pretty much saturated the living room, but a study from the CEA (Consumer Electronics Association) says that people with multi-room audio covering more than two rooms are happy with their setups. A whopping 85-percent of those folks would take the plunge all over again, and with more than half of them using their systems daily, it's easy to understand why. With prices on multi-room audio moving down -- especially with after-market solutions -- we're hoping lots more people jump into this product sector and join that happy 85-percent.
Western Digital 1TB DVR Expander pre-orders up at Amazon, Apricorn add-ons get a face lift
We understand, you're not ready to let go of the BSG season finale just yet even though Tiger and Phil are charging up the back nine at Augusta, but keeping a lot of HD on the DVR can fill up space quickly -- which is where these two come in. Amazon is now taking pre-orders of the long-awaited 1TB edition of Western Digital's TiVo compatible (or other eSATA enabled box) DVR Expander, although no ship date is listed, and Apricorn took our advice on its fugly 500GB, 1TB or 1.5TB sized boxes, giving them a sleek new look. It's dual USB 2.0 / eSATA compatible, but not TiVo, so Scientific Atlanta 8300, DirecTV and DISH ViP owners can claim this one at $219 for the 1.5TB, while the WD will set you back $183.Read - Apricorn Unveils New Look for the DVR ExpanderRead - Western Digital WDG1S10000N My DVR Expander 1TB eSATA (Black)
Motorola's QUE100 MicroEncoder lets analog sources and digital displays to play nice
We were pretty excited to see analog TVs disappear from store shelves; delays in the analog shutoff aside, it was a big move in the right direction. But wouldn't you know it, there's a niche market that still legitimately needs to move video around to analog-only endpoints -- security cameras, commercial distribution systems and MDU (multiple dwelling units) setups, for example. Users of such systems who haven't stocked up on analog sets will be glad to know Motorola's got them covered with the QUE100 QAM MicroEncoder. The svelte rack-mountable units will soak up 2, 4, 8 or 12 (depending on model) standard definition MPEG-2 analog video feeds along with their audio and put them all into a single MPEG-2 QAM output that can be tuned on those newfangled digital tuners.
PlayTV upgraded with upscaling, more DVR features
The PlayTV add-on for PlayStation 3 may be delayed in Auckland, but if it's already grabbing OTA TV for your system the latest software update brings some much needed new features to the table. Among the new additions, upscaling should bring a sharper picture to HDTVs everywhere, and a new XMB option that takes you direct to TV watching should streamline things appreciably. Hit up Joystiq for a quick video explaining all the changes or better yet, get that PS3 online and grab the update.
McIntosh celebrates 60 years, reissues classic stereo gear from its 1960s golden years
If your idea of a perfect evening involves taking in some classic two-channel stereo recordings while basking in the glow of tubes, get ready for a blast from the past courtesy McIntosh. In celebration of its 60th anniversary, the company is releasing limited edition bundle of its classic C22 preamp and a pair of MC75 monoblock amps. The reissues feature updated circuitry -- in the case of the MC75, reliability is improved while the sonics remain faithful to the original, and the new C22 has been brought up to modern performance standards and an IR remote has been added (because getting up out of your chair is so 1960s). To top it all off, each of the 120 bundles will include a signed copy of McIntosh's For the Love of Music, and in case you were wondering, "McIntosh limited" means pricey -- $15,000. Lucky owners are encouraged to supply their own scotch and smoking jacket.[Via Switched]
PlayTV's NZ debut purportedly delayed to add Freeview HD support
Bret? Present. Jemaine? Present. Murray? Present. PlayTV? ... Sony's PlayTV DVR add-on for the PlayStation 3 suffered through more than one delay before going on sale in Europe, and it appears thing will be no different in New Zealand, but at least with good reason - they're getting HD working this time. As it stands, the original version's dual HD DVB-T tuners are pretty useless since there aren't any Freeview stations broadcasting in that format in the UK and FreeSat HD support is still up in the air. David Hine from Sony revealed on the ButtonMasher podcast that a push back 'til the end of the year is related to the spread of high definition on the island, so that they can "work in" HD support before it launches, unleashing Remote Play and XMB powered HDTV watching upon the populace so they can catch season two of Flight of the Conchords as it was meant to be seen.
Atlona's AT-LINE-PRO3 video scaler goes to 11
Bringing things in line with last year's AT-LINE-EX 10-input video scaler, Atlona Technologies has one-upped itself with the 11-input AT-LINE-PRO3. Really more of an update to the measly five inputs on the AT-LINE-PRO2, the new model brings the "PRO" series more in line with the "EX" one. The back of the unit is encrusted with inputs: 2 composite, 2 component, 1 VGA, 1 DVI-I, 4 HDMI and even a lonely S-Video, each of which can be scaled up to 1080p and sent to the pair of mirrored HDMI outputs. Definitely a piece of gear with a more commercial kind of appeal, but it's always better to have more inputs than you need as opposed to fewer, right? Ships this month for $699.
New cable brings iPhone, 3D support to Vuzix eyewear
We know your pain, Vuzix users. You hop on the subway just trying to enjoy a little in-your-face action before the workday begins, and within minutes the accusations and stereotypes start flying. "Look, it's Geordi La Forge!" "LeVar Burton, what's good?!" "Can I try my Zune on that?" Depressing, really. Unfortunately for you, Vuzix's latest cable will not make any of that any more sufferable, though it will enable you to use your existing eyewear with Apple's iPhone and enjoy the spoils of side-by-side, interlaced and anaglyph 3D content. Said cable will be bundled in with the company's iWear AV230XL, though existing customers will definitely want to snag the standalone version for $39.95. The full release is after the break.
Emotiva UMC-1 preamp processor gets an estimated delivery date
Emotiva fans who have been wringing their hands over the debut of the company's UMC-1 audio-video preamp-processor were recently treated to some timeline info when the product page was updated with an "estimated June 2009 delivery date." Having a solid date to shoot for is definitely nice, but some of the folks who have been on the preorder list for a long time -- some over a year -- are getting antsy. Seriously, though, with all the functionality rolled into this pre/pro, we think getting a thoroughly tested UMC-1 on "day one" is well worth the wait. If some new photos of the unit that certainly look like it's hardware-ready aren't enough to tide you over, might we suggest enjoying some of the warmer weather? If that's not doing it for you, either, remind yourself that good things come to those who wait (or so we hope, in the UMC-1's case). Some of those nice photos after the break.[Thanks, Raul!]
Emulator runs Wii games in 720p while we wonder what might have been
Using PCs to do what Nintendon't, YouTube user renebarahona is running Wii games in HD resolutions through the Dolphin emulator. One peek at Super Smash Bros. Brawl in 720p is enough to make any of us wonder what a world where Nintendo didn't hate HD (even yanking 480p capability from the Gamecube, we're still not over that) would be like. These games aren't merely upscaled like DVDs, they're being rendered in a high resolution natively with extra anti-aliasing Xbox 360 BC-style, producing surprisingly crisp visuals. Check out the embedded videos after the break (remember to hit the HD button) for an example, including how to set this up on your own computer.
Xbox 360 TV Calibration app pops up on Community Games
For most of this month, one of the top 10 ranked Community Games on Major Nelson's list hasn't been a game at all, the TV Calibration app is a 200 point ($2.50) tool loaded with plenty of test patterns to make sure your video setup is configured perfectly. There's also a free trial, so we loaded it up and can say it does exactly what it says it does. Most games have at least some PQ optimization helpers, but it's unlikely you'll be able to get this detailed information about pixel mapping and test color patterns with a Gears of War disc, and hey, you gotta make sure those Netflix streams look their best on your HDTV. Other calibration tools may have a few more tests and work on more than one device, but for the price it seems to be a good value. Check out the gallery to see a few of the patterns included, or download it from the marketplace and give it a try.
XStreamHD takes baby steps towards reality
XStreamHD picked the Satellite 2009 show (aren't you mad you didn't go now? we are) to demonstrate its advanced graphical user interface, moving things just a bit closer to reality after finally having some satellite delivered 1080p to show us at CES in January. A content parter or two would go even further in convincing the skeptics this has a shot to come to market, but for now we guess this will have to do.
Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapters now available for under $20
Got a Mini DisplayPort equipped laptop or video card and need to connect it to something... um, not Mini DisplayPort? If you've got a crisp Andrew Jackson, then Monoprice has an adapter for you with HDMI, DVI and VGA outs, all of which are now shipping for $14.25 and up. Unless you don't like saving money, nor enjoy your peripherals actually working with your new machine, it'll be hard to find a problem with this.[Thanks, Phil]
DirecTV iPhone app now available
All those eagerly anticipating the DirecTV iPhone application, and all its remote scheduling, program browsing capability can download it right now from the App Store. All that's required is iPhone software 2.2.1 or higher; anyone can pick it up to check out channel listings, but you'll need a DirecTV subscription and DirecTV Plus DVR (models R15, R16, R22), DirecTV Plus HD DVR (models HR20, HR21, HR23) or TiVo Series 2 receivers with 6.4a software registered to DirecTV.com to take advantage of the remote scheduling over WiFi, EDGE or 3G. And did we mention that it's free?
