CMI has just introduced the SYVIO-200 HD player, a device that's really similar to the Popcorn Hour Media Hour Streamer. Here's the basic specs:
The latest HD player, SYVIO-200 is featured by its HDMI 1.3Version,1080P reolution supported. It allows to pull in digital video, audio and photos from various sources for your enjoyment on customer's HDTV or home theater setup
Can stream or playback customer's digital media content from a variety of sources, such as your PC, NAS, digital camera, USB mass storage devices (flash drive, HDD, DVD drive), internal HDD and even directly from the Internet via the media service portal
It also serves as a NAS and a BitTorrent peer-to-peer down loader to eliminate the need to switch on a PC or other device for this purpose
The SYVIO-200 supports the latest high bitrate video formats (MPEG2 MP@HL, H.264 HP@L4.1, VC-1 AP@L3 in TS of at least 40Mbps) to give you up to 1080p high-definition videos
In recognition of advances in Internet TV, the A-100 supports peer-to-peer Internet TV streaming technology from SayaTV, as well as popular unicast Internet TV such as YouTube, Google video and metacafe via the media service portal
The A-100 firmware is upgradeable to support future media containers, codecs and features
HDD not included
We don't know much else about this device but we'll get you more details as they come in.
If you've ever thought about getting a TiVo, you might want to jump on this deal at Amazon.com. The TiVo Series2 80-Hour is $187.95 but includes a $150 mil-in rebate bringing the cost down to $37.95.
Kensington Announces The World's First Wireless USB Universal Docking Station
We at NAV really hate wires so we're pretty excited about the Wireless USB Docking Station for Kensington. According to Kensington's press release:
The Kensington Wireless USB Docking Station is a universal docking station that works with all Wireless USB-enabled notebook PCs. It has five USB ports, a DVI-I, and a speaker port to connect to peripherals, an external monitor and speakers. The wireless connection between the dock and Wireless USB-enabled notebook brings wireless connectivity to the home or office environment, empowering users to stay connected to their devices. There is no complicated set up required and cable clutter is eliminated.
"Our entire smart made simple design philosophy is about giving users the easiest, most intuitive computing experience," said Frederic Frappereau, Global Product Manager, Kensington. "We're especially proud to be the first to introduce a universal wireless docking station because nothing could be easier or more intuitive than having your accessories spring to life as you approach them with your notebook. We know that Wireless USB notebook users are extremely busy mobile professionals who appreciate every efficiency they can gain, so they can stay productive at all times."
The basic specs break down like this:
Features
Access an external monitor wirelessly, for greater productivity
Print, use your keyboard and mouse, access your external hard drive and more, wirelessly
Five USB ports let you connect your most used peripherals
Wireless connection gives you the freedom to work in comfort anywhere you want within the 15 foot range of the docking station
Audio out port for external speaker
Specifications
1 DVI port
5 USB 2.0 ports
Stereo out port
Works with widescreen monitors up to 1680x1050 and standard size mornitors up to 1280x1024
Compatible with Certified Wireless USB enabled adapters and computers running Windows® XP or Vista®; 32 bit versions only
Of course the Kensington Wireless USB Docking Station won't do you much good until you get a Wireless USB enabled computer but you have to start somewhere, right?
The device will be shipping in a few weeks at around $230 bucks.
Kensington Wireless USB Docking Station Press Release atKensington.com
Kensington Wireless USB Docking Station Product Page at Kensington.com
We've mentioned a few million times in the past about how much we love Pandora radio but even our love may not be enough to keep Pandora afloat. For the last few years, internet radio has been on a pretty shaky ground due to the ridiculous licensing fees but it looked like Pandora might make it through. Now according to TheStandard.com:
Pandora, the excellent music recommendation and streaming service, may be closing its doors in the near future over royalty fees paid to SoundExchange, an organization that represents artists and record companies in royalty negotiations.
Founder Tim Westergren told the Washington Post the company was "approaching a pull-the-plug kind of decision." Pandora will pay 70 roughly of its projected revenue of $25 million in music royalties, a level which Westergren says is unsustainable. "We're funded by venture capital. They're not going to chase a company whose business model has been broken," he says.
There is some hope that a last minute deal can be negotiated by Congressman Howard L. Berman (D-CA) but we're not real hopeful. So if you're a Pandora radio fan, you may want ot lock yourself in a room and lsiten until Pandora goes silent.
Man, I love the Madden football series, as I know most gamers do! There's been a lot of excitment about the new Madden NFL 09 and we've found a 8 minute in-depth video review of the features and gameplay.
Overall the graphics look a lot like Madden 08 but there's quite a few new featrues mentioned in the review that you may want to check out. We know it just came out a few days ago but If you've gotten Madden 09 yet, drop us a comment and let us know what you think.
Madden NFL 09 Xbox at Amazon Madden NFL 09 PS3 at Amazon Madden NFL 09 PS2 at Amazon Madden NFL 09 Wii at Amazon
Unbox: D-Link DSM-330 DivX Connected HD Mediaplayer
If you weren't aware, the first DivX Connected media player hit the market last month. We recently received our review unit and wanted to give you a quick unboxing before we go on with the review. We'll start with the features as listed at D-Link's website:
High Definition DivX Video
DivX Connected™ finally makes HD on your TV a reality with high-quality DivX video playback at up to HD 720p. Use HDMI (included) for the best quality or S-video, component or composite cables for your standard definition TV or HDTV.
Power to the PC
Leverage your PC power and enjoy fast, smooth, stutter-free video, music and photo playback in a rich, remote-controlled TV interface1, and add new functionality with a quick update to the DivX Connected server software. The DSM-330's only function is to stream media to your TV, making it infinitely scalable with add-on services3 and plug-ins.
Easy Setup
The installation wizard helps you connect the DSM-330 to your network and TV, as well as set up and scan your media. It comes with all necessary cables and DivX Converter--a simple software program4 to convert videos to the DivX format on your PC.
Foundation of Your Digital Home
Add the DSM-330 to your wired or wireless home network and access media from all your PCs, hard drives and the Internet. Stream music, photos and video using wireless 802.11g or an Ethernet connection and enjoy the high-quality media experience in your home theater.
We're currently working on the review but here's some images of the unboxing:
VUDU Offering $0.99 Summer Movie Rentals to Beat the Heat
Looking for some cheap movies this summer? You might want to check out the new offering from VUDU. For those of you not familiar with VUDU, it's an HD media streamer that delivers DRM content to your TV for a fee. According to VUDU press release:
VUDU, the company that brings instant access to 1080p HD entertainment to the living room, today announced a summer movie extravaganza that will let viewers rent recent blockbuster hits and cinematic classics for just 99 cents from VUDU's groundbreaking service.
Extended Rental for $0.99: Starting immediately, the VUDU service will allow viewers to renew any standard definition video rental for just 99 cents within seven days of first viewing a film. The 99 cents video renewal is a first in the digital delivery category and guarantees that VUDU owners receive the most generous rental renewal policy in the industry. The rental of high definition movies can be extended for $1.99.
99 for 99: Simultaneously, VUDU launched a movie channel called "99 for 99". Its editorial team selected 99 blockbuster films each available to rent for 99 cents. New films will be rotated into the channel to ensure that new mega-hits are always available throughout the year.
We're not sure what the quality of the $.99 cent movies will be, but hopefully there'll be content for the whole family.
There's been a lot of excitement over the ZvBox from ZeeVee, a unique type of media streamer. What makes the ZvBox so unique is the how it interacts and distributes your media as we mentioned in a previous article:
The box itself converts the video from the PC's VGA port into a high-def channel and sends it out to your home's coax cable network.
A PC app acts as a launcher for all the good PC-based internet video clients, like Hulu, Joost and even Microsoft's own Media Center.
The remote controls not just your TV, but the app on the PC too, giving you decent control over the otherwise PC-locked experience.
The idea of sending your PC content over you home cable setup to any TV in the house just boggles the mind. We've recently received our review unit and we'll get it setup and let you know what we think but we'll start you off with a quick unboxing.
If you're an iPod user, you've probably noticed iPod docks are a dime a dozen. Once in awhile, an iPod dock comes along that go above and beyond the call of duty. The dock we're talking about is the Mint 220 Digital Music Station, a dock and wireless speaker system all in one. Before we start the review, let's look at the features list:
The Mint 220 Digital Music Station offers the highest fidelity digital audio, using Texas Instruments' PurePath Digital audio amplification for optimal performance.
Wireless 2.4GHz lossless audio streaming from your Mac or PC with the included Mint USB Wireless Transmitter
Mint's Di-Fi™ digital-sound is delivered from your PC or Mac wirelessly, with no loss of fidelity, up to 45 feet or 15 meters
Careful craftsmanship, acoustic engineering and sealed enclosure design offer precise audio usually found only in much pricier systems
Two 3.5" full-range Peerless® transducers for big speaker sound and compact, mini-speaker versatility.
Vatata Introduces Technology to Stream P2P To Your HDTV
While there's a lot of legal problems with P2P content, wouldn't it be sweet to stream P2P to your HDTV? Well it might be possible soon with a streaming technology developed by Vatata. According to TVSnob:
Vatata, a Chinese P2P solutions provider, has developed a set-top box solution that brings streaming peer-to-peer video content straight to your HDTV. Right now set-top boxes featuring Vatata's Vakaka P2P streaming platform are headed for China where three providers have licensed the product for use including TV maker Skyworth and set-top box maker Himedia. Not only does the platform allow access to the Vakaka network, but also public P2P networks and protocols such as Gnutella and BitTorrent.
Vatata says that the product is legal but that is would be up to the licensing companies to control content. That statement alones makes it hard to believe that any U.S. companies want to test the legal waters with on their own device. Still, a device with the technology should be in China soon and we sure would like to see it arrive in the U.S. We'll keep you posted if anymore details come in.
We here at NAV just love sleek speaker systems that blend in with your home theater system. We're really impressed with the look of the SLIMstage40 Soundbar from soundmatters. According to the press release:
The industry's first high-performance, low-profile all-one-surround speaker/amplifier/processor console, SLIMstage40TM is now available to consumers who demand an engaging 5.1 surround experience without complicated a/v receivers and unsightly speakers.
SLIMstage40, by soundmatters, inc., features 170 Watts from eight internal amplifiers, yet it measures a scant 3.3" (H) x 3.4" (D) x 39" (W). SLIMstage is slimmer than most wall-mounted plasma and LCD TV's, and at only 3.5" tall - provides a less conspicuous surround sound alternative to traditional oversized surround bars. Demonstrable benefits over other single-box surround consoles, include convincing, detailed surround sound from both stereo and 5.1 signals without reflecting walls, and real, articulate bass - making an external subwoofer an option, not a requirement.
Here's a shot of the SLIMstage40 in action:
Starting at $899, the SLIMStage40 might be a good investment for really adding a touch of class to your home theater system.
Probably one of the greatest inventions ever has to be the Wi-Fi Network (If you don't count the Flowbee). Want to get the most out your Wi-Fi network? Be sure to check out this article at Techprone.com that starts out:
How can I extend the range of my home Wi-Fi network?
First, make sure you are getting the most out of your current Wi-Fi router: Mount it in a central location in your house, preferably high on a wall; make sure that other 2.4-GHz devices such as cordless phones, baby monitors, wireless audio speakers, Bluetooth gadgets, and microwave ovens are not causing interference; and separate your router from your neighbors' router on the Wi-Fi spectrum. If they are using channel 1, for example, try channel 12 to minimize the chance of cross-channel interference.
If you still get a poor signal, consider upgrading to a router that incorporates MIMO (multiple-input, multiple-output) or draft-n technology. These routers not only provide far greater range than standard 802.11b/g routers, but they also boost speed by as much as ten times.
The article covers these topics:
How can I extend the range of my home Wi-Fi network?
What's 802.11n? Do I need to upgrade my router?
How do I share a printer or game console over a Wi-Fi network?
Can I add a network hard drive to my Wi-Fi net?
Can I use VoIP over Wi-Fi? What kind of quality will I get?
How do I stream audio and video from one room to another via Wi-Fi?
Overall it's a simple but imformative article to help you get the most out of your Wi-Fi network.
DVR Expanders - The Answer to the Overstuffed TiVo?
Ever spend an hour trying to figure out what to delet from your TiVo so you'll have enough room to record a classic episode of "Simon and Simon"? Well you might want to check out a DVR Expander. According to an article at USAToday.com:
TiVo fills up even faster when I record programs in high-definition. HD claims roughly 10 times the amount of space as standard-definition recordings.
The Iomega DVR Expander Drive and Western Digital My DVR Expander drive I've been testing promise to increase your DVR's storage capacity, so you won't have to fret about it for a long time.
The Iomega and Western Digital boxes both cost $200 and have 500 gigabytes of storage, equaling about 300 extra hours of standard-definition or up to 60 hours of high-def programming. By adding the Western Digital drive to my TiVo, I upped its capacity to up to 927 standard-definition or 98 high-def hours. You'd have to watch an awful lot of TV to exhaust that much storage.
The important thing the article points out is why a typical external harddrive may not be the answer:
You may ask: "Why do I need a DVR expander when I've got an unused external PC hard drive? Couldn't I just plug it into the DVR's USB port?"
It's not that simple. The USB ports on TiVo, for instance, cannot be used for external storage. Instead, the DVR expanders connect to a different port, called eSata, which TiVo says is more reliable and robust. (I use the USB on my TiVo for a Wi-Fi adapter.) If you do have an eSata drive, you can probably make it work with TiVo by employing an easily found online hack -- except there are no guarantees, and you won't have TiVo's blessing.
At around $200, it's a drop in the bucket to be able to save every episode of the classic "Simon and Simon".
Here's an interesting bit of news out of the Digital Hollywood Conference in San Jose this week. You can now use a use your PS2 to stream content to your TV. According to TheStandard.com:
QTV by BroadQ uses a $30 piece of software to repurpose a PS2 as a digital media set-top for a TV or home theater. All users have to do is pop the DVD into their PS2, turn it on, and they are ready to either stream local network content or Internet shows like Revision3's Digg Reel without leaving their sofas. With almost 50 million PS2s sold in North America, BroadQ's product already has a significant hardware install base to take advantage of.
QTV is able to stream pretty much any non-DRM content to a TV including photos, videos, and music as well as assorted news and Internet radio stations.
$30 to turn that aging PS2 into a streaming media player? Sounds like a pretty good investment to us!
PCMag Lists the Best media Extenders on the Market
It seems every week a new media extender hit's the streets so it can get a little overwhelming deciding which one to get. We ran across a decent article at PCMag.com the gives a breakdown of the major media exteners on the market. Here's a list of the devices they mention (Click the links below to see what we here at NAV had to say about each device):
CMI Introduces the SYVIO-200 HD player
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