Jan 29
Synology is adding Google Chromecast support to its range of network-attached drives, allowing photo, audio, and video saved on the shared storage to be streamed to a TV. The feature, … Continue reading
Jan 29
Nintendo continues its downward spiral as it’s game console the Wii U remains unpopular and its profits slump. During the company’s latest earnings call, it became clear just how poorly the Wii U is selling. According to the call, Nintendo sold only 5.86 million units since the Wii U launched.
That represents an incremental 2.8 million units compared to the number sold as of the end of 2012. 2.8 millions sounds like a lot of units – until you consider Sony sold more PS4 consoles in a couple of months than Nintendo sold Wii Us over the course of an entire year.
Microsoft also sold more Xbox One consoles in the same period, with over 3 million consoles sold since launch. A bright spot for Nintendo continues to be the 3DS, which sold a substantial 12.9 million units last year, though smartphone and tablet sales have got the be eating into their handheld market share too. Hopefully, the Big N will find its way back to its former glory in the not-too-distant future.
[via Engadget]
Jan 22
TiVo has laid off the majority of its hardware team as it exits the DVR business and focuses instead on software licensing, sources say, including pushing TV recordings to the … Continue reading
Jan 15
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]
Jan 13
It seems like each time I get a new game console or computer it feels like I will never use all the storage space on the hard drive. Then before I know it, I am having to decide what I want to ditch to get enough space on the drive for new items. If you own a PS4 and you want to upgrade the HDD, the good news is that it is a user serviceable part.
It won’t void your warranty to replace the drive that comes from Sony inside the PS4 with a larger capacity HDD or faster SSD from OWC. The company has a pair of SSD upgrades for the PS4 with 240GB or 480GB of storage and faster access speeds. The 240GB SSD kit sells for $219 while the 480GB version is $399.
The HDD upgrade kit with a 1TB drive is $99.99 with the 1.5TB HDD upgrade kit selling for $149.99. All of the kits include everything you need including the new drive, flash drive for data transfer, instructions, screwdriver, and even a USB enclosure for the drive you take out of the PS4.
Jan 11
Beats Music, the much-anticipated Spotify rival from makers of the fashionable headphone brand, will launch on January 21st in the US, offering curated playlists delivered multiple times a day, ad-hoc … Continue reading
Jan 11
You may or may not recall Google TV. That was Google’s first attempt at an operating system aimed at the TV. The biggest product to use that Google TV was was the Logitech Revue, which failed miserably and was retired. At CES 2014, a company called Hisense is showing off a device called the Pulse Pro.
While its not claimed to be running Google TV, C|NET reckons the version of Android that the Pulse Pro is using is the next iteration of Google TV. The device connects to your TV like other set top boxes and has a nice looking interface that is easy to use.
You can clearly see icons for surfing the web, Google Play, and other streaming services. The motion-sensing remote is said to be much easier to use than your typical Google TV remote. The little remote lacks a full keyboard and looks more like a remote from other home theater devices. The remote even has a mic and responds to voice search queries. Other features include integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.
It’s unclear when the Pulse Pro will launch or how much it will cost, but it looks like an interesting device.
[via C|NET]
Jan 10
I haven’t watched a wrestling match since the days of André the Giant and the Hulkster back in the 80′s. I know tons of people still like the WWE and spend lots of money to see the wrestling matches in person and on pay-per-view. I’ve also seen those events on the PPV schedule and they are anything but cheap. At CES 2014, the WWE announced the pending launch of a new streaming network.
The network is called the WWE Network and it will be available on tablets, smartphones, PCs, Macs and game consoles starting on February 24. I think most people will watch the WWE Network on their PS3, PS4, or Xbox 360 on the big screen in the living room. WWE says that an app for the Xbox One will come later.
The service is slated to cost $9.99(USD) per month with a six month contract. For the money, you will get access to 1500 hours of archived content for on-demand streaming at launch. You will also get access to all 12 live PPV events, including WrestleMania. If you were going to watch those events anyway, you might save some money with a subscription to the WWE Network.
If you’re interested in finding out more about what the WWE Network includes, check out their FAQ here, or view a service demo here.
[via Yahoo!]
Jan 09
I’ve become a bit jaded by the fact that most of the 4k TVs and computer monitors that I have seen cost thousands of dollars. I am in the market for a new TV, but you won’t catch me spending over $1800 or so and I want a big screen for my money too. One of the nice surprises at CES 2014 has been some reasonably priced 4K TVs from Vizio and other companies that normal folk can actually afford.
An impressively low cost computer monitor supporting full 4K resolution has now been unveiled by Dell. The company has announced that its P2815Q 28-inch computer monitor will have a native resolution of 3840 x 2160. It will be available globally on January 28.
The monitor will feature an Anti-glare TN display, DisplayPort, HDMI 1.4 port, and several USB ports. It will support 1.073 billion colors and have 170-degree viewing angles. The brightness is rated at 300 cd/m2.
The big thing here is that the display is going to sell for $699(USD). At that price I am sure that Dell will coax a lot of people into moving to 4K resolution.
It’s nice to see a large high resolution monitor at an affordable price, and I’m sure 4K prices will only continue to decline.
Jan 06
Samsung hasn’t shied away from technology here at CES 2014, bringing along not only huge curved Ultra HD OLED TVs but a bizarre flexing set that goes from flat to … Continue reading
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