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Roku 2 line passes through the FCC with modest hardware updates and a reset button
It hasn't even been a year since Roku last updated its line of streaming media players -- but nine months is a long time in the gadget world. So it was pleasant, though not entirely surprising, to spot a trio of new devices from the IPTV pioneer sauntering through the FCC bearing the model numbers 3000X, 3050X, and 3100X. Eventually the three boxes will likely be sold as the Roku 2 HD, XD, and XS respectively. We'll have to wait to see if there's anything new on the software side, but we can tell you there have been a host of hardware changes, even if they don't amount to a major upgrade. First off, the new models are more rounded and much smaller than their predecessors. Judging by the label affixed to the underside -- which we know is 44.65mm x 44.65mm (about 1.7 inches) -- the latest Rokus are about the size of an Apple TV, and perhaps a bit smaller. Inside that tiny case is a new Broadcom 2835 SOC, an 802.11n radio, a MicroSD slot, Bluetooth, and (most exciting) a reset button -- no more unplugging when Hulu freezes up. Oddly, only the XS retains the Ethernet jack, though the top of the line model ditches support for dual-band WiFi. The primary difference between the HD and XD models still appears to be the latter's ability to push out 1080p video, while the XS adds a USB port and gets a spiffy new RF remote, which we're hoping takes a cue from the Boxee clicker. While you impatiently await important information, like pricing and release date, check out the comparison chart after the break.
Plex Media Server launches client for Roku
Plex has been serving up streaming video for more than a minute, bringing content to Macs, iDevices, and even jailbroken Apple TVs (not to mention apps for all sizes of Android). For those who are neither Apple aficionados nor dedicated 'droid users, the company has rolled out a client that runs on Rokus. It's currently in beta and only supports video, but Plex plans to provide picture and music management in the future. Plex's XBMC secret sauce paired with Roku's ample streaming content buffet? Sounds delicious. [Thanks, James]
Another firmware update grants Roku owners USB channel, MKV containers come along
If you have a Roku player with a USB port, like the XDS above, you've been able to play media directly from USB storage for some time now using third-party channels. For whatever reason it's taken Roku this long to get an official USB playback channel on there, allowed in the latest firmware (2.9 build 1529) and finally available for download in the Channel Store. We're told that MKV playback has also been added, which might make watching those downloaded Top Gear episodes a little easier. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Apple TV vs Roku HD... fight!
Two tiny black 720p boxes, two interesting choices. The $59 Roku HD will put Netflix, Amazon Video on Demand and Roku's 75 other content channels on your TV quickly and easily, while the $99 Apple TV offers up iTunes rentals, Netflix, and eventually AirPlay streaming from your iPad or iPhone. (You could step up to the Roku XDS with 1080p support for $99, but we don't think the extra money will be really worth it until the USB playback channel is released and / or there's more useful 1080p content available.) It's a tough decision, so check out our Apple TV review, our Roku XDS review, and our in-depth comparison chart to just try to make up your mind. Then again, you could grab 'em both and still not break the bank. %Gallery-103840%
Roku launches revamped HD, XD, and XDS players, starting at $59
We've been wondering what Roku had up its sleeve after the FCC leaked the Roku XD and XDS following Apple's $99 Apple TV announcement, and it looks like those earlier price cuts were just the beginning: the new Roku lineup starts at just $59 for the basic WiFi HD streamer with HDMI and composite outputs. That's basically impulse-purchase territory if you're looking for a quick way to get Netflix, Amazon Video on Demand or one of Roku's 75 other channels on your TV. The $79 Roku XD adds in 1080p streaming support for channels with 1080p content, and the top-of-the-line $99 XDS adds in a USB port for future local playback support, component video and optical audio out, and dual-band 802.11n WiFi. All three boxes share the same new slimmer case, while the XD and XDS get a new sleeker remote with new instant-replay and info buttons. Definitely an intriguing set of upgrades -- we've been playing with the XDS for a few days, so go check out our full review!
Roku hits FCC with XD S player to complement its upcoming XD line
Roku clearly isn't taking the new Apple TV lying down. After passing the Roku XD and Netgear Roku XD through the FCC a week or so ago, it's back for more with the Roku XD S. There are still plenty of plugs in the back, including HDMI, USB, Ethernet, component video, composite video, optical audio, and Ethernet, and the 802.11n a/b/g/n WiFi makes its requisite appearance as well. Since we don't know too much about the XD line yet, we're not sure set the XD S apart, but prior experience in the CE space suggests that "S" stands for "small" or perhaps "scintillating."
Roku XD and Netgear Roku XD Player hit the FCC
Well, well, what's this? Looks like Roku has some bigger plans for hitting back at the $99 Apple TV than just price cuts of its own: a Roku XD and a Netgear Roku XD Player just hit the FCC. That's right, Netgear -- Roku's expanding its platform to third parties. We don't know if these two devices are standalones or designed to work together, but we're guessing they're standalones; the Netgear unit might blend in some of the Digital Entertainer line's support for local playback and services like PlayOn, YouTube, and CinemaNow. Of course, the big question is going to be price, since if these are substantially more than the Apple TV's $99 they're going to have to offer some major features, but we should be finding out what's up soon enough: the confidentiality on these docs lifts October 23.
FujiFilm's 12 megapixel F200EXR camera promises a revolution, might just deliver
Meet the FujiFilm FinePix F200 EXR, the company's first camera to host its new 1/1.6-inch Super CCD EXR sensor revealed back in September. The sensor promises high resolution, high sensitivity, and a wide dynamic range without the noise typical of these compact shooters. Spec-wise, we're looking at a 12 megapixel resolution, 3-inch LCD, 28-mm wide-angle 5x zoom lens with CCD-shift stabilization, a 5fps burst mode and 640 x 480 video recording in AVI (Motion JPEG) format, support for SD/SDHC and xD Picture Card storage, and plenty of automatic shooting modes as well as manual control over the shutter speed and aperture. No word on pricing or release but we can't wait for the reviews on this one. Until then, you'll have to settle for the preview over at Lets Go Digital.Read -- Official specsRead -- Preview
Olympus rolls out high-speed Type M+ xD-Picture Cards
Believe it or not, Olympus' original Type M xD-Picture Card crashed the scene over a year ago, so it's about time its successor showed up, don'tcha think? The revamped (and ever-so-slightly renamed) M+ card promises data transfer speeds of up to 1.5 times faster than the vanilla Type M, yet somehow still supports "virtually all digital cameras with xD-Picture Card slots" -- whatever that means. Unfortunately, these speedsters still cap out at 2GB, and while pricing deets remain undisclosed, they should be landing sometime in April for all to see.
LG's 120Hz LCDs now with 52-inches of wood
In that overly-dramatized photo above, LG is touting the wonders of their newest 120Hz LCDs coupled with their latest take on the wooden bezel. The new XCANVAS models share the stylings of their previous wood sets and ship in Korea with 42- (42LY4D), 47- (47LY4D), and 52-inch (52LY4D) panel options. Other than a 178-degree viewing angle, latest XD processing engine, and a USB-host jack for a quick audio or image fix, the machine translated details are notably scant. Fine by us, we're not feeling the whole natural TV thing anyway.
Olympus E-400 DSLR review roundup
Sure, we all heard about how "small and light" this newfangled E-400 was supposed to be, but seeing it in its (relatively speaking) wee-sized glory sure put things in perspective. Olympus downsized its E-500, upped the resolution to match the bevy of competitors, and managed to include "the first anti-dust system" (Supersonic Wave Filter) reviewers at CameraLabs had ever tested "that proved genuinely effective." While we're always skeptical when there's high praise across the board, the E-400 truly seems like a solid offering through and through; its ease of use (in auto and manual modes), pocket-friendlier size, "excellent" image quality, and exceptional versatility seemed to deliver in all the areas that make or break a DSLR. Reviewers did mention that consumers may be immediately turned off by the somewhat higher pricetag, but noted that the "high quality" lens kit that accompanies this model actually offers "excellent value for the money." Moreover, it was nearly unanimous that the E-400 should've landed in place of the E-300 in order to seem "more revolutionary," and now faces an uphill climb in an attempt to dethrone the current kings of DSLR. Overall, however, reviewers couldn't find much to complain about in the results department, and noted that it made for an outstanding option if you're just now thinking about delving into this (admittedly wallet-draining) addiction hobby -- so if Olympus' latest has caught your eye, be sure to hit the read links below for the variety of opinions.Read - CameraLabs (85 out of 100; Highly Recommended)Read - TrustedReviews (9 out of 10) Read - DigicamReview (Highly Recommended)Read - DigitalCameraInfo ("Great, but too late.")
EverGreen kit cleans your flash memory card reader
Well, it only makes sense given that over the last quarter century our cleansing techniques have gone from blowing into Nintendo cartridges to CD cleaning kits, and finally now to the most modern equivalent: a set of cleaning cards for your memory card reader from EverGreen. We don't exactly know how this works, other than you're supposed to insert these dummy cards into your reader and presto-chango, some cleansing happens. We've never exactly had a situation where we'd need to use a device like this, but then again, we never expected to need floor-cleaning robots either -- but such is the price we pay to have the future here, now.
PNY and Olympus team up to release 2GB xD-Picture Card
If you've been holding off on picking up Fujifilm's 2GB xD card in hopes of future competition driving prices down, you're in luck. PNY is teaming up with Olympus to release a 2GB xD-picture card which can house "one thousand digital shots with a camera resolution of eight megapixels." It also touts compatibility with the "exclusive Olympus panorama option," but we're sure they're just stretching for reasons to pick this up over the much more abundant SD and CF alternatives. Regardless, if you're still in need of high-capacity xD storage, you can pick up the PNY xD-Picture Card Type M now for £61.00 ($117).[Via Camborg]
Olympus E-400 DSLR announced and previewed
Why helllooo there Olympus E-400. So, you're the world's smallest and lightest 10 megapixel Digital SLR camera huh? Announced today, this new digital shooter shares the looks of its film-based Olympus cousins and brings that fancy Supersonic Wave Filter to keep the CCD sensor dust free, Zuiko Digital lens, 2.5-inch LCD, 3fps continuous shooting, and dual-memory card slots for xD-Picture Card and CompactFlash. Oh, and the E-400 will work any of those FourThirds-compliant lenses you might have lying around including the complete range of Olympus E-System accessories. Let'sGoDigital got their mits on a pre-production unit and came away with a "very good impression" of the "remarkably compact" E-400 which will certainly sway many first timers looking to move from compact formats to DSLR. Scheduled to drop in Europe come November and the US... wha, it's not coming to the US? Oh Olympus, why? A couple of more teaser shots after the break.[Via Digital Camera Review, Thanks Joshua]
FujiFilm intros 2GB xD-Picture Card
2GB might not seem like all that much compared to 8GB CompactFlash cards and 4GB SDHC cards, but for anyone confined to the tiny xD-Picture Card format, it must seem like virtually unlimited storage. That's cause FujiFilm's new 2GB xD-Picture Card fully doubles the capacity of current xD cards, letting users store a previously unheard of 1,640 5-megapixel photos or 58-minutes of 320 x 240 video. It also promises "quick reading and writing speeds," but FujiFilm doesn't specify exactly how quick. Of course, now that xD's starting to nip at the heels of its bigger memory card rivals, we can only guess that they're gonna hit us with 10 or 12GB cards soon, making our xD-using friends feel even more insecure about their chosen format.
Buffalo's "28-in-1" card reader
It looks like Buffalo hasn't met a memory card it didn't like, finding room for just about every format under the sun in it's new MCR-C12H/U2 series card reader, although they sure know how to stretch the definition of individual card types. Still, marketing hype aside, the so-called "28-in-1" reader packs support for most everything you could ask for, including seemingly every variation of SD, mini/microSD, xD, CompactFlash, and Memory Stick -- and, with the aid of a fresh firmware update, SDHC cards up to 4GB as well (making it a 29-in-1 reader if you follow Buffalo's logic). Our friends in Japan should be able to pick the reader up now, in their choice of four pretty tame colors, for ¥2,960 (about 25 bucks).[Via Akihabara News]
Fuji's six megapixel Finepix F470 reviewed
When it comes to ultracompact digital cameras, they don't get much more pocketable than the Fujifilm Finepix F470 we first spotted at CES, which at 122-grams, is one of the lightest six megapixel shooters you can buy, Yet according to Digital Camera Review, the diminutive F470 is also an excellent performer, with almost insignificant startup times and shutter lag, low to acceptable noise levels up to ISO 400, and most importantly, accurate color and white balance -- save for some purple fringing on shots captured at full 3x zoom. You're also getting a 2.5-inch LCD, VGA video at 30fps, and 16MB of onboard memory, plus, the few downsides here don't sound all that bad: below average life from the included rechargeable battery, only six steps on the optical zoom, and an Exposure Compensation setting that doesn't auto-reset are the only gripes this reviewer had. Oh, that and the fact that you'll have to shell out for an xD card along with your purchase, because chances are you don't already have one, and Fuji doesn't include one in the box.
Maxell announces SDHC-compliant card reader
Accessory manufacturers like Hitachi-owned Maxell must love new memory card formats almost as much as we hate them, because each tiny new card that hits the market requires a corresponding round of high-profit-margin peripherals to support it. We already knew that the new high-capacity SD version 2.0 (or SDHC) cards would not work in readers that don't support the FAT32 file format, so Maxell has leveraged this incompatibility to come up with a new 5-in-1 reader that will support the 4+GB cards when they hit the market, along with MMC, MemoryStick/MS Pro, and our old favorite, xD. Better known as the UA20-SDMSXD, the new reader will be available sometime this summer -- about the same time we're expecting the first SDHC cards from Panasonic.
