Google’s Chromecast device caused quite a stir when it was first released, turning the television into a “show me anything” display overnight. With a $35 price tag and integration open … Continue reading
Roku Announces New Streaming Stick
Posted in: Today's ChiliRoku announced on Tuesday the launch of a new Streaming Stick which appears to be taking Google’s Chromecast head on. The new device is not much larger than a USB flash drive and connects directly to a television through an HDMI port, bringing streaming media to your TV through a small, hidden package.
The Roku Streaming Stick also comes with a remote control similar to the existing Roku boxes (minus a headphone jack), and a Micro-USB connector for power. It also gives you access too all of the 1,200 streaming media channels that Roku has to offer including YouTube through 1080p and supported by dual-band WiFi.
Compared to Google’s Chromecast this adds a remote, more channels and an extra $15 is cost for the device. The only thing it really can’t access that Chromecast can is your Google Play media library.
Roku is launching the new Streaming Stick in April, retailing for $49.99.
As they say, looks can be deceiving and this unassuming pocket-sized device from Dell fits that cliché perfectly. While the Wyse Cloud Connect might simply look like a USB thumb … Continue reading
Avegant’s Glyph, the wearable display with built in headphones, has arrived on Kickstarter today as promised, bringing with it “Virtual Retinal Display” and on-eyes goodness. The campaign funding is rising … Continue reading
Many of the so-called smart TVs today have built-in browsers, apps and other fancy features, but most of them can only be viewed one at a time, i.e. when you’re not watching TV. A new company called SeeSpace wants to make cable TV smarter with InAiR, a device that displays information without interrupting what you’re watching.
InAiR is meant to plug in between your HDTV and your cable box. It also needs a spare USB port for power as well as a Wi-Fi connection. Once it’s online, supposedly InAiR will be able to detect what you’re watching and provide links to contextually-relevant content. How it detects the content you’re watching is unclear, other than to say that they have a patented content recognition engine which works this magic.
For instance, the video below shows InAiR displaying information about an F1 race being shown on TV. The concept videos and photos also imply that you’ll be able to connect to social networks with InAiR. All of the things that InAiR displays will appear to float on top of your TV. The floating effect should be more distinct on a 3D TV, but InAiR will work on non-3D HDTVs as well.
You should check out the demo video below if you have a stereoscopic 3D display or a pair of stereoscopic 3D glasses.
You’ll be able to control InAiR using your Android or iOS mobile device as a wireless trackpad. SeeSpace will also add support for reading gesture commands with the Kinect and Leap Motion.
Pledge at least $89 (USD) on Kickstarter to get an InAiR unit as a reward. You’ll need to pony up at least $119 if you want the 3D capable version. While SeeSpace says the InAiR is compatible with all cable, satellite and broadcast TV content, it’s unclear if it works with streamed content or movies played from disc.
[via InStash]
Whether for an impromptu movie session or to use as a giant monitor, there are occassions where one needs to connect their laptop to their television or other display. Such … Continue reading
While Google’s Chromecast might seem poised become the quintessential universal streaming device, it’s taking a hell of a long time to get there. So in the meantime, Netgear’s new NeoMediacast dongle is picking up where Chromecast left off by offering streaming content with Micro SD storage capabilities—assuming you’re an Android user, that is.
Most computers nowadays have HDMI ports that let you beam your display to a TV, monitor or projector using an HDMI cable. But what if you could do that wirelessly? And what if you could send media not just to one display but to multiple displays and computers all at once? That’s the idea behind AirTame.
AirTame works by beaming video from one computer to an HDMI device using a dongle. It works with Windows, OS X and Linux computers and even works without an Internet connection. If you have multiple AirTame dongles, then you can send a stream to multiple HDMI devices at once. You can ask AirTame to mirror what’s on your computer screen or to use an HDMI device as a secondary display. The latter is great if you want to keep using your computer or if you don’t want others to see what’s on your computer.
AirTame also has three settings depending on what you want to do. If you want to watch videos, you can set AirTame to prioritize buffering and stream quality. If you want to play games, AirTame can focus on minimizing lag and frame rate drops. If you’re just sharing static images – e.g. pictures or a Powerpoint presentation – you can set AirTame to lower the stream’s frame rate and increase its bit rate instead.
As I said, AirTame’s basic functionality works even if there’s no Internet connection. But if there’s a local Wi-Fi network available, you also have the option of sharing your screen to other computers in the same network without using the dongle. You can password protect your streams so only the right people can see your screen.
Pledge at least $89 (USD) on Indiegogo to receive an AirTame dongle as a reward. Assuming it really is dependable and easy to use, the only drawback to AirTame is that the dongle is powered via USB, so you need a nearby USB port (which old HDTVs don’t have) or a USB charger. It would also be great if it could also mirror to and from mobile devices like AirBridge.
[via CoolThings]
Nothing tests a stiff upper lip like a next-gen console launch. Having already been spooked by inaccurate pricing on the PlayStation Network, some Brits are now discovering that the Xbox One‘s heavily promoted TV functions aren’t readily compatible with their set-top boxes. Whether on Freeview, Virgin or Sky, users’ efforts to route TV output through the Xbox One’s HDMI passthrough port are apparently resulting in “juddery” and unwatchable video — perhaps because the Xbox One defaults to 60 frames per second while most UK hardware sticks to the PAL standard of 50Hz. In turn, if they’re forced to give on using passthrough, they also have to miss out on the use of Kinect voice control to start watching TV, change the volume or “snap” TV side-by-side with an app.
Ironically, one UK service that has made a particular point of never supporting the Xbox One — namely, YouView — may now offer the smoothest experience of the lot (albeit without any EPG integration), as its box seems to be more comfortable outputting a compatible signal. That won’t be much help to others, however, so we’ve asked Microsoft’s PR if there’s any progress towards a fix, and in the meantime you might want to try a possible workaround from a reader at HDTVTest.
[Thanks, Barry]
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD
Source: The Guardian