Too lazy to roll out of bed at 4 AM on Black Friday? Luckily Cyber Monday is upon us, and lots of sites are offering free shipping for items on your holiday gadget wish list. Many of the discounts aren’t fabulous, but at least you don’t have to pay for door-to-door delivery. You can find … Read more
In a highly unscientific investigation, I stopped by my local Sony Style store yesterday to ask the customer reps about Black Friday sales. The rep I talked to initially suspected I was a mall employee, but once we got that case of mistaken identity out of the way, he was very willing to share details … Read more
TVTonic, one of the more popular Windows Media Center applications, is shuttering their service for the time being: In these tough financial times we are faced with the need to take down the TVTonic service while we restructure for the future. Although the service is being retired, you’re free to continue to use TVTonic to … Read more
A periodic roundup of relevant news… from our other blogs: Motorola DOCSIS 3.0 Modems in the Wild: Connected Home 2 Go Tech Behind All-Digital Cable Transition: Connected Home 2 Go MPAA Intends to Close Analog Hole: Geek Tonic The Motorola Museum: Connected Home 2 Go Boxee Fix for Apple TV 2.3: Geek Tonic
Handbrake, my favorite media converter, has just been updated. Version 0.9.3 includes some significant improvements and features that make this a must-download, free application – for Windows, OS X, and Linux. Handbrake 0.9.3 changes include: Convert from all video types (not just DVDs) Improved video quality – uses latest H.264 encoding library improvements. Significant picture … Read more
YouTube has updated their standard web player from the 4:3 aspect ratio to a widescreen format. (All 4:3 videos display vertical black bars on the sides.) YouTube moving this direction is notable since it is the best known and most popular of the online video sites. And along with YouTube’s move towards full-length films (so … Read more
We’d heard Blockbuster was launching a set-top box prior to the holidays, and here we are. The Blockbuster OnDemand service is powered by 2Wire’s new MediaPoint hardware. The box is “free” … should you choose to pre-pay for 25 Internet-delivered movies at a cost of $99. Additional rentals will start at $1.99 and Blockbuster promises … Read more
DISH Network is coming to the Microsoft Media Center experience? And Xbox?