Being city-based apartment dwellers, we don’t have the space for a dedicated home theater. Therefore, projector/DVD combo units are appealing as a way to host an occasional big screen experience. Robert Heron reviewed three contenders in the 10/18/05 issue of PC Magazine. Optoma’s MoveTime DV10 was his Editors’ Choice due to accurate colors, native 16:9 resolution, and a quiet fan. HP’s ep9010 was a close second, and while it had great sound from the built-in 20 watt subwoofer the unit’s excessive weight and noisy fan kept it out of the winner’s circle.
Dave Zatz
Tivo Job Openings Offer Clues
As with recent Tivo job openings confirming support for CableCard and next generation DVD specifications, these new listings offer glimpses of what 2006 might bring us. Listing 156 confirms, despite the defection of Consumer Unit head Brodie Keast, progress continues on S3 stand-alone units with Tivo developing new housings. Listing 151 describes the expansion and … Read more
Tivo’s New Downloadable Content, Navy Football?
Is it just me, or is this not so exciting? I dig the idea of downloadable content via broadband, but not this particular content. It’s an interesting marketing strategy though… I don’t get CSTV, so after watching the clips and missing the game theoretically I’ll feel compelled to call Comcast and request the channel. Tivo … Read more
Sharp Updates Aquos DVR Line
Bet you didn’t know Sharp had a line of DVRs… I didn’t! What separates the new models from the old is the use of dual HD tuners. The deluxe model features a beefy 500GB of storage and all feature DVD burners. Too bad Sharp doesn’t sell these units in America with a channel guide… yet. … Read more
DirecTV Partners With XM
Seems natural that DirecTV would partner with XM at some point, given Dish’s Sirius dealings. DirecTV is charging customers a total of zero dollars for this enchancement. DirecTV says: As part of DIRECTV’s dedication to offering the best in entertainment to its customers, beginning Nov. 15, 2005, 72 channels of XM’s quality music, children’s, and … Read more
Slingbox Improves Streaming Throughput 300%
The Slingbox crew just released version 1.05 (beta) of Sling Player, the PC desktop client for controlling and watching your video feed. Jeremy Toeman, VP of Product Management, elaborates on the update: The geniuses in our engineering department have figured out how to squeeze even more throughput out of your network connections, which results in … Read more
Slingbox Gets HomePlug Network Adapter
Sling Media currently ships the Slingbox without an integrated wireless adapter or USB port. If your living room isn’t hard-wired for data, connecting requires the purchase of a network bridge. SlingLink attempts to capitalize on that oversight as a branded HomePlug Powerline network adapter. I prefer the Sling folks focus on providing wireless support, either … Read more
DRM Coming To ReplayTV?
You know it’s inevitable… all content across all media will be locked down. ReplayTV is next up as their parent company is licensing encryption technology from Certicom. As Tivo To Go files are encrypted, so too shall ReplayTV’s. The race is on – will the DRM arrive before ReplayTV is sold off like Rio? I’m … Read more