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Soundbrenner watch includes a metronome, tuner and decibel meter
Soundbrenner is far from a household name in the music industry, but having apparently sold over 50,000 Pulse wearable metronomes with endorsement from notable musicians, this Hong Kong startup isn't doing so bad. Today, the company hopes to make a bigger bang with a follow-up model. Using the original Pulse as the foundation, the new Soundbrenner Core adds three functionalities in the hopes of making life easier for musicians: It's also a watch, a tuner and a sound level meter. "We see ourselves as one of the few players in the music-making space... that solve real problems," said Soundbrenner CEO Florian Simmendinger. "Our goal is to create a must-have companion device for musicians, from beginners all the way to professionals."
Dish adds dual tuners to AirTV Player through an adapter
Dish's AirTV Player is an intriguing mix of an over-the-air player with streaming services, but that single tuner has made it difficult to recommend if you want to both record and watch live broadcasts. You won't have to make that compromise from now on, though, if you're willing to pay. The company has launched a dual tuner adapter that enables simultaneous recording and viewing, or recording for two channels if there are two must-see shows you're going to miss.
Tablo easily turns Android TV boxes into standalone DVRs
If you already have a TV antenna and an Android TV box like the NVIDIA Shield, then you're very close to having everything you need for a DIY Tablo DVR. Instead of picking up one of the company's boxes that can start at $180, now you can simply add its $70 USB dual-tuner device, install the free Tablo Engine app and start watching TV. At first, tuner buyers will get access to six months of guide data for free. Once the introductory period is over, however, while they can watch live TV and view up to 24 hours of guide data without a subscription, accessing 14 days of the guide and getting a one-click record option will come at a cost. The price is $4 per month, or $40 paid annually.
Plex Live TV and DVR launches for subscribers
Last fall Plex started beta testing a DVR feature for its popular media server setup, and now it's making the next big step by offering live TV and DVR for all Plex Pass subscribers. They will need to bring their own tuner(s), connected to a TV antenna or cable jack, but Plex will do the rest, providing the necessary guide data as a part of the Pass subscription if you live somewhere with DVB-T or ATSC (North America) broadcasts. . As of today, it not only supports more kinds of tuners, it's also ready to stream live TV to iOS or Android TV, with Android mobile devices and Apple TV next up.
Fender brings its guitar tuner app to Android devices
Fender kicked off its digital push back in August with the release of the Tune app for iOS. Now the guitar maker is bringing that piece of mobile software to Android devices. Fender Tune is now available from Google Play, delivering a convenient option for tuning your guitar or bass without having to back an extra piece of tech. Sure, there are already a number of apps that do this, but the company takes tuning one step further.
Fender is working on guitar apps for beginners and pros alike
Mobile apps that help you keep your guitar in tune are nothing new, but now a big name in the instrument game is getting in on the action. Today Fender announced its Tune app for iOS, offering yet another option for tuning your guitar or bass with your trusty handset. The software is part of the iconic guitar maker's quest to provide tools to players at all skill levels through its Fender Digital subsidiary. The tuner app is the first product to launch from the effort.
HDHomeRun is ready to make your Android TV a DVR
When SiliconDust announced its DIY DVR project a year ago, recording your shows meant building a PC dedicated to the task, or hooking up network storage. Now it's testing out HDHomeRun Record for Android TV, which lets you create an entire DVR with just one of its TV tuner devices and an Android box. Unfortunately, suggested requirements of Android 6.0, Ethernet, and a USB 3.0 connection for external storage mean Amazon's Fire TV and Google's Nexus Player won't work, but NVIDIA Shield Pro owners should be able to try it out immediately, thanks to their 500GB of built-in storage. You can watch the recorded shows directly on the device, or on any platform that runs its HDHomeRun View app.
Tablo gives your Apple TV a DVR for live video
By itself, the new Apple TV's full-fledged app support only partly fulfills cord-cutting dreams. You can subscribe to loads of streaming services, but you can't quite recreate the experience of watching live broadcasts. However, the makers of the Tablo DVR have an answer to that dilemma. They've unveiled a version of their streaming app for the Apple TV, giving you a way to both watch live over-the-air TV and record it for posterity. This solution isn't cheap -- you're looking at a minimum $200 for the box, and that's before the subscription ($5 per month, $50 per year or $150 lifetime) you'll need if you want programming guide data. Nonetheless, the app will probably be your best bet at unifying internet and OTA TV when it shows up this spring.
Your Apple Watch can help you tune a guitar
The Apple Watch is handy for a lot of things, and now you can use the wearable when you tune your axe. Thanks to the folks at IK Multimedia, when you employ the company's UltraTuner app for iOS, note info is beamed to your wrist while tuning that stringed instrument. The software's Stage mode offers a full-screen interface for maximum visibility, and when this setting is selected, a smaller version of the chromatic tuner is displayed on the wearable. IK Multimedia claims that UltraTuner is ten times more accurate than mechanical strobe options -- down to +/- 1/100th of a cent. As you might expect, those figures make it the most accurate tuner available for iOS. If you've already splurged for the $5 app, you'll need to update to the most recent version to pair it with the Apple Watch.
Spiders are the key to ultra-sensitive wearable devices
Spiders might creep you out, but don't dismiss them too quickly -- they may well be the ticket to a new wave of wearable sensors. South Korean researchers have built a device that picks up miniscule vibrations by using the principle behind a spider's lyriform organs, which shake (and send nervous signals) in response to the rubbing motions of a nearby mate. The artificial system recreates the lyriform's slits using layers of platinum and soft polymer with electricity passing through. Even very small changes in the size of those slits will alter the electrical resistance, which makes it easy to measure faint vibrations.
Ceton ships InfiniTV 6 PCIe tuner, crams six HD channels into a home theater PC
Ceton vowed that it would release a PCI Express equivalent of its InfiniTV 6 ETH box, and it's delivering on that promise (if belatedly) by shipping the InfiniTV 6 PCIe. The adapter still lets Windows Media Center users watch or record up to six HD cable TV channels through one CableCARD, but in a form factor that slots neatly into a dedicated home theater PC. The board is in stock at Amazon and Newegg today at its expected $299 price. While that cost puts the InfiniTV PCIe at the high end of the TV tuner spectrum, it may be worthwhile for viewers who just can't afford to miss a show.
SteadyTune for Mac
Agile Partners released SteadyTune for Mac today. It's a simple app that gives you a tuner for stringed instruments in your menu bar, and it's an amazingly accurate alternative to the tuners built into apps like Logic Pro. It uses a completely new algorithm from Agile Partners that provides a stable and accurate meter. You can define your instrument type and listen for all notes, or define a tuning to detect just certain pitches. It has presets for an array of instruments ranging from six- and 12-string guitars all the way through banjo, ukulele, violin and double bass. The entire meter glows red and green as you near the perfect pitch, which makes it easy to use from a distance. SteadyTune can be configured to stay on top of other windows, and you can set the input device to listen on and define a hotkey to pop it up and hide it. SteadyTune is just US$4.99 on the Mac App Store, and check out the website for more information. If you play a stringed instrument, this app is great on its own or in combination with any recording software you happen to use.
SiliconDust HDHomerun Prime CableCARD tuners hit Woot for $130
If you've been thinking about building an HTPC without spending a lot of money then first of all we have a post that can help you with that (and a comment section of folks saying they can do even better), and second, it might be time to grab one of SiliconDust's HDHomeRun Prime TV tuners. The three tuner CableCARD device can turn your computer into a cable box, and Woot is selling brand new units for just $130 (plus $5 shipping) in this morning's one day sale, a decent discount form the $180 - $200 prices we found elsewhere. Still not convinced this is for you? Check out our hands-on with the device or a quick video trailer embedded after the break. Oh, and if you need a new HDTV to plug it into, Woot's also running a sale on some LG LCDs with 3D and connected apps for $650 / $900 (47-inch / 55-inch).
FilmOn finds another way to put live TV on your mobile, but it's still awkward
FilmOn's TV streaming ambitions haven't exactly gone according to plan since it got into legal hot water with a bunch of not-so-minor broadcasters last year -- including CBS, FOX and plenty others. Until that dries off, the company wants to bring TV to your phone, tablet or laptop using an additional route: a portable ATSC tuner. It's shown off a receiver dongle that it claims can enable watching and recording of free-to-air shows on iOS, Android, PC and Mac, with an in-built five-hour battery and pass-through charging. The FilmOn AIR device will start shipping in February with a $95.95 standalone price tag, or $149.95 when packaged with a year's subscription to the main FilmOn service that streams 120 channels over the web -- well, for now at least.
Boxee Box Live TV dongle shipping for $49 in January 2012, pre-orders open today
No point in hiding in plain view, eh? Boxee has just affirmed that the leaked Live TV dongle is legit, and it'll be splashing down on North American shores in January. The Boxee Box Live TV dongle will allow North American users to connect an antenna to their Box to watch channels like ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC in HD with no monthly fee -- assuming you're close enough to an OTA tower to receive said signals, of course. Once equipped, a Box will be able to fetch content from the major networks, Vudu, Netflix and Hulu, though you may want to spring for that bolstered internet connection. Boxee Live TV works with signals from HDTV antennas (using ATSC) or an unencrypted cable connection (using ClearQAM), and a portable antenna is included. Users who live out in the 'burbs may want to consider something a bit beefier, and if you're hoping to use this thing with something other than the Boxee Box... well, keep dreaming. In fact, Boxee has confirmed that even the forthcoming update of its Boxee software for Mac and PC won't support the device, so you'll be forced to pony up for D-Link's hardware if you're looking to party. There's also no DVR function in sight (sort of defeating the purpose, given just how many TVs have tuners already), but hey -- who knows what'll roll out at CES. Pre-orders are available down in the source link, with $49 claiming your spot in line. %Gallery-139570%
Ceton InfiniTV 4 USB tuner now shipping, offers infinite entertainment for $300
It's a little bit behind schedule, but the Ceton InfiniTV 4 USB has finally begun shipping, nearly ten months after it was first unveiled. Originally scheduled to ship on September 19th, this external CableCARD TV tuner is now available from Amazon, New Egg and other retailers for $300. For that price, you'll be able to record four HD shows at once, stream live shows to your PC or TV and access all your photos, music and Netflix account from a single device. Interested? Hit up the coverage link below to grab one for yourself.
DVBLink v4 out of beta, brings live TV, EPG and remote recording on the go
That Boxee client update we saw recently wasn't the only thing brewing over at DVBLogic. It was part of a wider refresh of the company's DVBLink products, including the final release of its Connect! server software that can stream live TV from a network-connected tuner out to Android, iOS and WP client apps with EPG and remote recording. Other improvements include the ability to connect up to eight virtual tuners to Windows Media Center, the promise of less painful WMC setup, as well as a DVBLink Remote API that will allow third parties to create clients for other devices. Check out the full PR for pricing and other details after the break.
HDHomerun Prime CableCARD tuner hands-on
Looking a little different than the prototype we got our hands-on at CES, the retail version of the CableCARD tuner from SiliconDust found its way in front of our camera today. Those who preordered this little guy for $249 should start receiving it shortly, as a series of frustrating delays finally come to an end. We can't wait to plug this network tuner in and toss up to three HD feeds at a time through our Ethernet cabling and expect most others feel the same way. Check out out our pics in the gallery below, we'll let you know if the InfiniTV 4 has competition worth worrying about -- seems like it, given the price drop -- shortly. %Gallery-131085%
Ceton InfiniTV 4 USB is CableLabs certified, almost ready to go
Not finding the current CableCARD tuner options satisfactory? Perhaps the Ceton InfiniTV 4 USB will fit the bill. We first got our hands on it at CES (along with the InfiniTV 6) in January and the company tweeted tonight that it is now CableLabs certified. There's still no word on details like ship date and pricing, but with regulatory hurdles cleared it should be shipping very soon. Check a few more hands-on shots in our gallery.
Elgato offers HDHomeRun TV tuner bundled with its EyeTV software for $180
Elgato has been pushing EyeTV for Mac software alongside its own various TV tuner devices for a while now, but if you prefer Silicondust's HDHomeRun it's added a new package to the list of offerings. For $179.95 the dual-tuner HDHomeRun comes with EyeTV3 software for Mac, drivers for a PC and the requisite cables for you to watch some TV on your computer. It's not a major leap for the hardware or software involved, but if you're a fan of both they're now available in one convenient package at the Apple Store, Amazon and other retailers.
