Zatz Not Funny!

Calculating the Energy Cost of Moving DVRs into the Cloud

How much energy would it cost to move all of our digital video recording into the cloud? If the cable companies all followed Cablevision’s path, it would require an estimated 300 megawatts of power, or about one third the output of a nuclear power plant. At an industry event presented by the Society for Cable … Read more

Philips To Launch M100 Internet Security Camera

For someone who doesn’t have a college aged mistress or nanny to monitor, I seem to have an unnatural preoccupation with Internet-connected security cameras. Which may be why I zeroed in on the upcoming Philips M100 when trawling the FCC database today. The M100 looks more Vue or DropCam than Logitech Alert or Archerfish in … Read more

YouTube on Roku. Via Facebook.

While most of the competition offers YouTube on the big screen, Roku remains a notable holdout. At one point, we did enjoy an unofficial “private” channel… which Google had shut down (to new users). And while there was a glimmer of hope last fall that an authentic YouTube channel was headed our way, it’s yet to materialize. … Read more

Gifting Roku Could Be Cleaner

Despite Apple TV’s recent update, we still recommend Roku for folks seeking a basic Netflix streamer (with benefits). After all, you can pretty much purchase two Rokus (starting @ $50) for the price of a single Apple TV ($99). And at such a reasonable price point, Roku also makes a great gift. Yet Roku could improve … Read more

The Samsung HDTV Capacitor Settlement

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Samsung recently settled a lawsuit related to faulty capacitors within HDTVs produced between 2006 – 2008:

The class action lawsuit alleges a defect that may cause the television to experience symptoms such as not turning on, experiencing a delay in turning on, making a clicking sound, cycling on and off, or other similar problems. Samsung denies the allegations in the lawsuit, but has agreed to settle the lawsuit to avoid the costs and uncertainty of continued litigation.

Of the millions of sets Samsung has moved, they estimate only 1% of their LCD, DLP, and plasma HDTVs are affected. Members of the class may be entitled to reimbursement for prior repair, a $300 debit card, or actual repair. As it turns out, a friend’s 3 year old 40″ Samsung LCD had started flaking out in recent months – requiring several minutes to display a picture at full brightness after powering on. So, of course, I directed him to Samsung’s site to determine if his out-of-warranty model and serial number are covered. And, once it was clear he’s eligible, instead of completing the claim form (PDF), he simply called 1-888-899-7602 to see about getting assistance.

Google May Be Ready to Sell Part of Motorola, but Who Will Buy?

If you were mesmerized by Apple news this week, you might have missed the scoop from The New York Post suggesting that Google is putting the Motorola set-top business on the chopping block. So far it doesn’t appear that anyone else has confirmed the report, but no one’s terribly surprised by it either. Google has enough … Read more

The Apples & Oranges Of The New iPad

As we’re all well aware, Apple introduced the “new” iPad yesterday. And, while I’m still not quite sold on the tablet form factor, I did place a pre-order. Primarily due the iPad 3’s integrated voice dictation capabilities and much heralded “retina” display — likely featuring more pixels than anything else in our homes. Although, I do wonder how long it’ll take app developers to maximize its potential.

During the marketing spiel Apple made several fascinating and dramatic proclamations. I’m not prepared to classify any as dubious, but it looks as if some could be comparing apples & oranges. For example, I was initially stunned when they said, “This new device has more memory and higher screen resolution than an Xbox 360 or PS3.” Yet, after thinking about it, the factoid isn’t so surprising… and what exactly does it mean?

Other interesting points to ponder: Nvidia has taken issue with the characterization of their competing chipset, utilized by some Android devices, and what exactly is a PC?

The Minor Apple TV Updates

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Touched on briefly as an undercard leading up to the iPad 3 HD main event, a slightly refreshed Apple TV was introduced earlier today. And the primary differentiator between this diminutive streamer and its predecessor is an upgraded single core A5 processor that enables 1080p video playback. Related, select iTunes and Netflix video content will now be offered at those higher resolutions. Should your broadband throughput and data cap cooperate. The incoming aTV, expected on store shelves next weeks, sports the same $99 price tag of the outgoing unit. And that’s pretty much all there is to say.

Along with the new hardware, Apple TV 5.0 software has been unveiled… and is also being made available to prior generation Apple TV as you can see from these photos. Replacing text-based lists, is the more familiar presentation of icons as seen on other iOS devices, like the iPhone. But still no app store. Yet. Although it was our second most predicted (requested?) feature in the poll we recently ran, behind the obvious bump in resolution. Lastly, our iTunes video purchases will be permanently accessibile from various devices, on demand via iCloud.