Microsoft fared badly trying to break into the cable TV world, but it’s had a great deal more success with IPTV. And now that its Mediaroom software has gained widespread global adoption, Microsoft is anxious to keep developers engaged with the platform and pumping out new TV apps. Last month the Redmond giant hosted its … Read more
Normally, I tend to think that most regulations are bad. In a free market, businesses should be allowed to operate with a wide degree of latitude. At the same time there is a pragmatic part of me that understands there can be exceptions to this. Everyone should have the right to free speech, but that … Read more
Less than a year on the market, the SlingCatcher‘s entrance fee has dropped by 2/3rds from retail launch pricing of $300 down to a rock bottom $99.99 at Best Buy. I can only assume sales have been horrible. Which pains me on personal level. The digital media Swiss Army knife vision of the SlingCatcher was … Read more
How I love thee, FCC, and thy never-ending bounty of product announcements. Scanning through the filings this evening, I solved the Flip remote control radiation test report mystery. After perusing the unreleased “FlipShare TV” product manual, it seems the three-piece package is a companion to Cisco’s Flip video recording devices. Previously recorded video, accessed on … Read more
Roku expands their digital media streaming hardware lineup today. Joining the $100 HD Roku box, is a new lower-end SD unit ($80) and a slightly higher-end Roku HD-XR model ($130). Unfortunately, for tech snobs like me, all three boxes retain the same utilitarian enclosure that Roku launched with. For an extra 30 bucks, the Roku … Read more
GlideTV Navigator is the latest entrant into the HTPC, over-the-top video remote control space. And, after several days with a review unit, two things have surprised me… in a very positive way. First off, I experienced none of the touchpad lag or jerkiness I’ve previously encountered using similar solutions such as the Zeevee box remote. … Read more
The interwebs are abuzz (OMG!) with Hulu’s confirmed exploration of paid tiers and pay-per-view, in addition to the current ad-supported video content model. News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch, as quoted by the Associated Press: Are we looking at it with a view of adding subscription services in there and pay-per-view movies? Yes, we are looking … Read more
Those of you who follow me on GeekTonic know that I spend a lot of time with HTPCs and all manner of media playback gadgets. When Syabas announced the new Popcorn Hour C-200 I was intrigued. From the specs it was clear that this device comes to the party prepared, touting the ability to play … Read more