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Use Your iPhone as a Universal Remote Using L5[teaser]Simply attach a small adaptor, download the app, and you’re ready to go. [/teaser] There are few oases in the seemingly endless desert of iPhone applications. For every useful piece of software, there’s an app that lets you control the menu on a single Blu-ray disc, or access Twitter by way of the BD-Live menu of Fast and Furious. The L5 Remote looks to be one of the useful ones. The L5 remote is a hardware and software combination that gives you complete control over your home theater using your iPhone. Simply attach the L5 remote hardware – it adds to the end of your iPhone or iPod Touch – and download the hardware and you’re good to go. Customization is key with the L5 remote. The software allows the remote functions to be personalized completely. The L5 can be as simple or as complex as you like. As Wade McNary puts it, “This one small device reverses a long trend toward complexity in remote controls.” The adaptor for the L5 Remote measures an inch and a quarter by just under an inch, and plugs right in to the iPhone’s docking port. After downloading the software, you’ll be guided through a setup process and you’re good to go. The L5 hardware sends out an infrared signal that can control any number of devices at up to a 30 foot range. Source: L5 TechnologyPosted Tue Jan 5, 2010 at 07:00 AM PST by: -
TiVo Premiere Model Leaked[teaser]When opening the box for his new TiVo HD, Chicago area blogger Patrick McCarron got a bit of a surprise. Rather than including the setup guide for the TiVo HD, he got instructions for the not yet announced TiVo Premiere. [/teaser] Based on the information provided, this doesn’t look like the Series 4 TiVo, but a new Series 3 unit. It looks significantly slimmer than other TiVo models, and there have been some things cut from past versions. For starters, the TiVo Premiere – which will also be made in an XL version – features a single multi-stream Cablecard slot on the back of the unit. It lacks a phone jack and the S-video output has been cut. No new features are evident, though we’ll surely know more when TiVo comes forth with an official comment. What is clear for now is that this is not the Tru2way Series 4 TiVo. There’s some speculation that this could be part of the Best Buy branded TiVos that should be hitting stores next year, but without Best Buy and Geek Squad branding anywhere in the setup document, it’d be hard to imagine. Source: Infinite ShamrockPosted Mon Jan 4, 2010 at 01:00 PM PST by: -
Vizio TVs are Going Wireless[teaser]Thanks to a partnership with SiBEAM, some of Vizio’s higher end televisions will come with Wireless-HD built right in. [/teaser] Vizio has come a long way in the last few years. They developed an early reputation for being the best of the entry level HD televisions, but have been stepping up to offer all the same things that the larger and more established companies do. LED backlighting and 120Hz refresh rates are common features of Vizio TVs now and later this year, they’re taking it up a notch farther. The XVT Pro LCD LED HDTVs – Vizio’s top of the line televisions – will feature wireless HD, something that’s not common at all. “By incorporating WirelessHD into a range of new products, VIZIO will be among the first to introduce wireless solutions to the mainstream market,” says Matthew McRae, Vizio’s VP of Products. Vizio will be utilizing SiBEAM’s second generation transmitter and receiver chipsets, which offer comparable functionality to their first chipset, but at a substantially reduced cost. The new chips operate at 60 GHz, which means that the signal won’t interfere with wireless telephones or wireless internet. Using the new chips, you’ll be able to shoot audio and video from your source to your television at 4 gigabits per second. With transfer rates of 4Gbps, or 500MB per second, Vizio promises a lossless 1080p Full HD resolution. Source: SiBEAMPosted Mon Jan 4, 2010 at 12:32 PM PST by: -
Wal-Mart Dedicated to the Blu-ray Experience[teaser]Your friendly neighborhood Wal-Mart may soon be making a push towards more aggressive marketing for high-def video formats with their new Blu-ray Experience Areas. [/teaser] Looking at what Wal-Mart is doing is a pretty strong indicator of what mainstream America is doing. It’s also a wonderful way to get a sense of the integration of new technology for the less savvy consumer. Their stores stretch across the country and are within driving distance of most U.S. consumers. Once a product is on Wal-Mart shelves, it’s something that the average consumer probably knows about and wants. It can be seen as a nice solid step forward for the Blu-ray format then that Wal-Mart is stepping things up from just having discs on shelves. Starting in 2010, they’ll be rolling out Blu-ray Experience Areas to stores across the country. These sections will be strongly branded with the Blu-ray logo, feature Blu-ray players and Blu-ray discs prominently and will of course have Blu-ray movies playing on high definition screens. Best Buy has long been the leader in the Blu-ray market, but Wal-Mart caught up in 2009. The companies are now neck and neck, each making up 30% of Blu-ray discs sales. Wal-Mart won’t be leaving behind DVD any time soon. “The standard DVD continues for now to be the major purchase preference for Walmart customers today,” says Jeff Maas, the category director for Wal-Mart media sections. He states that while people have been educated on the Blu-ray advantage, that still needs to transfer into sales. “Though most Americans are becoming more aware of its differences, it’s still young as an offering.” Source: Video BusinessPosted Mon Jan 4, 2010 at 11:00 AM PST by: -
HDMI 1.3 Will Support 3D After All[teaser]Fans of 3D movies can rest easy. You probably won’t need to upgrade your Blu-ray player, and you almost certainly won’t need to pick up new cables. [/teaser] Remember back when the 3D specification for Blu-ray was announced and somehow the Playstation 3 made the list of compatible devices? It was said that a firmware update would make the popular Blu-ray playing game console compatible, and that’s true. It’s not just the PS3 though, that update will also apply to any BD-Live capable Blu-ray player. In fact, any device that has a method for updating the firmware can be kicked up to support the new format. Cable set-top boxes and satellite receivers included. Like most things though, the 3D update for already existing HDMI 1.3 products comes with a catch, and it’s a catch in the form of reduced video quality. While HDMI 1.4 cables and devices will be capable of shooting out 3D pictures in full 1080p, HDMI 1.3 just can’t handle it. The problem is that for a 3D picture, two images have to be shown nearly simultaneously. Since HDMI 1.3 can’t handle two 1080p pictures at that speed, you’ll get two 1080i pictures. It’s not a huge downgrade when all is said and done. The real clincher comes with TV signals. Since cable boxes normally show a 1080i image, they’ll be stepped down to 540i to handle 3D. With HDMI 1.3 cable boxes, you’ll have the choice between HD and 3D, but not both. Source: DVicePosted Mon Jan 4, 2010 at 07:00 AM PST by: -
Will Time Warner Customers Miss Out on Fox in 2010?[teaser]Disagreements in pricing between the two companies continue to go on unresolved. If Fox follows through on their threats, you may soon wake up without some of your favorite channels. [/teaser] It’s a pretty straightforward disagreement, but one that may leave Time Warner cable subscribers in the lurch. Fox wants more money for their programming. Time Warner doesn’t want to pay more. Of course, if Time Warner pays more, that means the customer pays more. So what could this mean to you? If Fox stays true to their threat, they’ll be pulling the plug in 2010. Fox owns a pretty large part of the television spectrum, so this threat could extend far. Obviously, Fox, Fox News, the Fox Sports Network and Fox movie channels would be affected. Less blatantly branded channels could be caught up in this move too, like FX, the Speed Channel, and the National Geographic channel. Time Warner has set up a website – RollOverorGetTough.com – to help educate consumers on the issue, and to teach them how to cope without the Fox channels if they’re pulled from the cable provider. Their recommendations are twofold. Either buy a digital tuner to pick up local channels, or get the shows online at Fancast or Hulu. The site also features instructions for setting up an HTPC. Source: Time WarnerPosted Sun Jan 3, 2010 at 04:45 PM PST by: -
DirecTV Price Hike Coming Soon[teaser]The cost of DirecTV will be increasing a bit for subscribers in February, according to a letter sent out by the satellite television provider. They’ll also be dropping XM Radio in favor of SonicTap. [/teaser] It’s been a mixed week for DirecTV subscribers. A new satellite was launched to shore up their coverage, and the speculation is that DirecTV may be one of the first providers to add a dedicated 3D channel. On the down side, launching a satellite isn’t cheap. The price increase won’t be enormous for most subscribers. Most plans are only increasing in cost by around $3 monthly. The highest rate change is for the DirecTV Premiere, which goes up by $5.99 monthly or about $72 for the year. DVR fees will also increase, though it’s a much smaller difference. Rather than the currently established $5.99 monthly fee, DVRs will run $7 a month when the change hits on February 9th. DirecTV was quick to mention that that new satellite they launched earlier this week will boost the services HD capacity by over fifty percent, enabling a total of 200 high definition channels. The newest addition to their orbital fleet will also expand DirecTV’s on demand and DirecTV Cinema services. Source: DirecTV (PDF)Posted Sun Jan 3, 2010 at 03:30 PM PST by: -
Lenovo Sneaks Out a Slick HTPC Remote[teaser]Like a kid sneaking into a store to put his band’s CD on the shelf to see if someone will buy it, Lenovo put out a new HTPC remote without bothering to mention it to anyone. The new remote can be found in the wild now and ordered online direct from Lenovo. [/teaser] Lenovo may be a familiar name, but not one associated with fun. They make computers for business people. They make laptops for productivity. They make ThinkPads and IdeaPads and computers for education. They’re not the guys people tend to think of when they think entertainment. Maybe that’s why their new remote – model number 57Y6336 – slipped under the radar. It goes by the moniker of Lenovo Multimedia Remote with Keyboard, but the remote looks to be a bit wieldier than its name. This palm sized remote features a full QWERTY keyboard along with a few multimedia keys that provide shortcuts to commonly used functions. Its keys are bigger than that of a smart phone, but share a similar design. A trackball sits below the keypad along with left and right mouse buttons. Though the trackball looks like it might get in the way a bit, all in all this looks like a pretty solid option for those who don’t want to mess about with full keyboards or motion sensitive mice. The Lenovo Multimedia Remote with Keyboard is available online from Lenovo at a cool $59. Source: LenovoPosted Wed Dec 30, 2009 at 07:00 AM PST by: -
DirecTV to Launch 3D Television in March[teaser]It’s far too soon to matter to most viewers, but DirecTV is going to be stepping things up this spring with the addition of 3D broadcasting. [/teaser] While there have been a few 3D broadcasts of sporting events, and a handful of 3D movies, the general public doesn’t seem as receptive to having the technology in their homes. HDTV was a fairly easy sell in that the difference was obvious, the application was simple, and it was the first step forward in television hardware in a long time. It seems a bit too early to jump into 3D broadcasting. HDTV still doesn’t have as much market share as it really should, and Blu-ray lags behind that. It’s still fairly early in the life cycle of both technologies to be introducing something new, but establishing your company as the market leader may be worth the risk. Among the companies making the push towards the new tech, according to sources, is DirecTV. Their new DirecTV satellite – which is said to give them the capacity to add an all HD 3D channel – is set to launch this week and won’t go fully operational until March 2010. A firmware update is all that will be required for current DirecTV subscribers to access the 3D programming, but viewing it will of course require a compatible television and the eyewear to match. We’re still waiting on an official statement, but our best guess is that we’ll hear more at CES. Source: Tech ShoutPosted Tue Dec 29, 2009 at 01:05 PM PST by: -
Amazon Could Buy Netflix, Says Analyst[teaser]With web based entertainment seen as the future of video distribution, companies are racing to establish their dominance. Netflix is unsurpassed in its offerings, and that could make the streaming video service a perfect acquisition for a number of companies. [/teaser] According to Marianne Wolk, an analyst at the Susquehanna Financial Group, Netflix is ready to be bought. The company made a niche for itself in the rent by mail business and is currently the number one choice in that category. They also dominate the online marketplace with not only a large subscriber base but incredible household penetration. There’s a good chance, according to Wolk, that we’ll see Netflix purchased in the next few years. She says that the most likely scenario is integration into Amazon. Since they use similar rating and suggestion systems, the merging of the two services would be relatively painless. Not to mention the addition of the Netflix subscriber base and content library could make Amazon the number one place to go for digital media. Amazon isn’t the only company that could benefit from the acquisition though. Google has the money to throw around and it never hurts to own another piece of the internet. The most intriguing choice would be Comcast, which could either create a sort of wonderful utopian service where television is available day and date on Netflix, or just create a subscriber based version of Hulu. Source: Video BusinessPosted Tue Dec 29, 2009 at 01:00 PM PST by:
