HDBaseT 2.0 spec makes the all-in-one home theater cable better, cheaper

We haven’t checked on the HDBaseT Alliance in a few years, but now its 5-in-1 Ethernet cable spec is getting a second revision. HDBaseT already crams virtually any HD source and signal — and power! — into one connection, and 2.0’s biggest addition to the mix is USB 2.0 support. Manufacturers can now remove the multiple interfaces and conversion components the previous spec required, driving down prices and requirements for hardware like Pioneer’s $3,000 A/V receiver. Beyond that, this new version brings control point-capability and networking into its single cable-party. Until now, this tech has been aimed primarily at professional installers and dedicated enthusiasts, but the new spec’s focus on user friendliness and lower cost could bring more of us to the whole-house media bandwagon. Finally, surround sound for the bathroom delivered by a single network cable is within our reach.

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Via: Missing Remote

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Epson adds the Home Cinema 750HD to its line of home theater projectors, ships in March for $899

Epson adds the 3LCD Powerlite Home Cinema 750HD to its line of home theatre projectors, ships in March for $899

Looking to finally convert that guest bedroom into an in-home movie theater this spring? If so, you’re in luck as Epson has announced the 3LCD Powerlite Home Cinema 750HD projector here at CES 2013. The home theater unit offers 2D and 3D 720p capabilities for viewing at up to 120 inches or larger. Touting up to 3,000 lumens of both color and white brightness, the 750HD sports Bright 3D Drive tech and Easy-Slide image correction to power viewing sessions from DVD / Blu-ray players, cable boxes, gaming consoles, PC, Apple devices and smartphones — without the need for an additional format converter. Of course, HDMI and USB connections are here as well alongside five color modes for adapting the picture to each viewing environment. Epson’s RF 3D glasses are also along for the ride that boasts 40 hours of viewing or up to three hours after a three-minute quick charge. The Home Cinema 750HD is set to arrive in March, hitting wallets up for $899 in order to procure one.

Continue reading Epson adds the Home Cinema 750HD to its line of home theater projectors, ships in March for $899

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MediaPortal posts new beta with new look and CableCARD, teases bigger sequel (video)

MediaPortal posts new beta with new interface and CableCARD, teases bigger sequel video

MediaPortal is a rare veteran spinoff of XBMC — a testament to its fan base, but also a sign that it needs a fresh coat of paint. A new 1.3 beta might offer just what home theater PC users have been looking for to keep the front end relevant, at least in the short term. It carries a much more contemporary (and less Windows Media Center-like) skin with minor tweaks to the layout and overall interface. CableCARD support also makes its overdue appearance, although the lack of official CableLabs approval keeps the software from recognizing any copy-protected shows. Don’t fret if those additions aren’t enough, however — we’ve been given a hint as to what the long-in-development MediaPortal 2 will offer through a pair of videos. The clips are largely top-level overviews, but they allude to mobile tie-ins, events, extensions, more skin support, video backgrounds and news. With an Autumn Build of MP2 available “right around the corner” for viewers, it might not be long before we learn what those new additions are like through first-hand experience.

Continue reading MediaPortal posts new beta with new look and CableCARD, teases bigger sequel (video)

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MediaPortal posts new beta with new look and CableCARD, teases bigger sequel (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Oct 2012 23:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aereo opens its streaming TV to Mac and Windows web browsers

Aereo starts streaming TV to Mac and Windows web browsers

If you’d wanted to watch Aereo’s unique antenna-to-internet TV streaming until today, you had to tune in from an iOS device or Roku box. That’s not a lot of choice for placeshifting, is it? A fresh update to the company’s streaming service has widened the choices considerably for New Yorkers to include all the major browsers on Macs and Windows PCs. As long as you’re using a recent version of Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera or Safari, you can catch up on Ion or Telemundo while you’re checking email. About the only restrictions left are the continued lack of Android support and occasional lawsuits from traditionalist broadcasters.

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Aereo opens its streaming TV to Mac and Windows web browsers originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Oct 2012 21:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Parrot Zikmu Solo reaches US in November, makes a tower of wireless sound yours for $999

Parrot Zikmu Solo reaches US in November, makes a tower of wireless sound yours for $999

Parrot has taken some time trotting out the Zikmu Solo speaker since we first saw it at CES, but those enamored with very vertical audio can rest easy now that the unit has a North American release schedule. Both Canada and the US can buy the Philippe Starck-crafted speaker in November, when it will cost $999 for Americans in its black and white guises (sorry, no red for now). While that’s a lot to pay for a 100W speaker, Parrot is counting on the unique acoustic design, a conventional iOS dock and a mix of Bluetooth, NFC and WiFi to tempt people away from the land of horizontal sound. It’s undoubtedly one of the easiest ways to make a speaker dock the focus of a room — and that’s part of the point, isn’t it?

Continue reading Parrot Zikmu Solo reaches US in November, makes a tower of wireless sound yours for $999

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Parrot Zikmu Solo reaches US in November, makes a tower of wireless sound yours for $999 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Oct 2012 14:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Behringer iNuke Boom Junior shrinks a giant iOS dock, won’t trigger as many earthquake warnings

Behringer iNuke Boom Junior shrinks giant iPhone dock, won't trigger as many earthquake warnings

As enraptured as we might be with Behringer’s monolithic iNuke Boom, the 8-foot-long frame and 10,000W output don’t really lend themselves to a home installation. Not unless we want to produce false positives on the USGS’ earthquake meters, anyway. We’re happy to say the company has addressed that domestic oversight with the iNuke Boom Junior. The iOS- and iPod-capable speaker dock won’t launch nearly as large-scale an audio assault at 50W, but it’s also less than a twentieth of the size of its parent; no one will need a forklift to get Junior into the living room. In spite of the less than ego-inflating dimensions, the smaller system appears balanced with discrete woofer, tweeter and mid-range components as well as separate bass control. We just wish it was slightly more futureproof. As glad as we are that the iNuke Boom Junior’s $180 price at Costco spares us from raiding our retirement funds, the speaker is still using a pre-Lightning dock connector and lacks any wireless audio — iPhone 5 owners will have to turn to an adapter or the aux-in jack. At least we won’t be violating any local noise laws in the process.

Continue reading Behringer iNuke Boom Junior shrinks a giant iOS dock, won’t trigger as many earthquake warnings

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Behringer iNuke Boom Junior shrinks a giant iOS dock, won’t trigger as many earthquake warnings originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Oct 2012 08:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Zeebox adds Viacom to its list of second-screen partners

 Zeebox adds Viacom to its list of secondscreen partners

We love riffing on TV shows like a latter-day MST3k, which means that companies are desperate to harness our homespun satire to their own ends. Second-screen start-up Zeebox has inked a deal with MTV and Comedy Central owner Viacom, offering exclusive content in exchange for on-screen advertising. That said, we’re not sure if the promise of behind-the-scenes clips would be enough to draw us away from just cattily judging the Project Runway contestants on Twitter, where we’re less likely to be moderated into oblivion.

Continue reading Zeebox adds Viacom to its list of second-screen partners

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Zeebox adds Viacom to its list of second-screen partners originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Oct 2012 16:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Netflix Just for Kids comes to iPad, keeps Dora exploring beyond the TV (video)

Netflix Just for Kids comes to iPad, keeps Dora exploring beyond the TV video

Netflix’s Just for Kids portal may already be a parent’s ticket to saving money on endless Dora the Explorer DVDs without keeping a constant watch on the screen, but it has so far been left to consoles and the web. That’s not much help to movie-loving grownups who’d sometimes like to free the PC or TV for their own streaming sessions — so it’s likely a relief to many that the Just for Kids interface is now available on iPads. Like on bigger screens, the mobile app provides a safe zone for the under-12 set that organizes videos into sections that junior viewers will more likely appreciate, such as sing-alongs and talking animals. For now, Android tablet owners and those holding on to first-generation iPads will be left out. It still shouldn’t be too long before more adults can be sure their mobile-savvy kids are watching Curious George instead of Chasing Amy.

Continue reading Netflix Just for Kids comes to iPad, keeps Dora exploring beyond the TV (video)

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Netflix Just for Kids comes to iPad, keeps Dora exploring beyond the TV (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Oct 2012 11:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Slingbox 350 and 500 show up unannounced in Best Buy, flaunt 1080p and built-in WiFi

Slingbox 350 and 500 show unannounced in Best Buy, flaunt 1080p and builtin WiFi

You might say Dave Zatz just had a happy accident. While he was hunting for the as yet unofficial Logitech Harmony Touch in Best Buy, he discovered the Slingbox 350 and 500 — two more living room gadgets that have yet to receive an official introduction. The placeshifting hubs both look to be major improvements over the aging Slingbox Pro HD and Solo, making 1080p streaming available as long as the connection is up to snuff. Those who spring for the 500 should also get long overdue support for WiFi without having to use a wireless bridge, although they may miss the Pro HD’s ATSC tuner. Outside of the networking, Sling Media is making expansion its upsell angle: the 500 supports USB media sharing and HDMI, while the 350 has to make do with whatever can pipe through its component and composite jacks. Zatz was unfortunately foiled in an attempt to buy one of the new Slingboxes and couldn’t get final pricing, but Best Buy’s suggestion to try again around mid-October hints that we won’t have long to wait for a much-needed upgrade to our remote TV viewing.

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Slingbox 350 and 500 show up unannounced in Best Buy, flaunt 1080p and built-in WiFi originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 30 Sep 2012 18:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Onkyo DS-A5 grafts AirPlay on to existing home stereos, docks older iOS gear

Onkyo DSA5 grafts AirPlay on to existing home stereos, docks older iOS gear

Embracing AirPlay has usually involved a wholesale switch in hardware: years of speaker investment go out the window for the sake of skipping a wire. Onkyo doesn’t have a problem if you bring your own equipment to the fray. Its new DS-A5 docking station brings Apple’s WiFi media streaming to many home stereos, including those of rivals, as long as there’s a wired or 802.11g-capable wireless router to feed the connection. Naturally, there’s perks if you do live in an Onkyo universe — any link using its Remote Interactive cable can both wake the stereo through AirPlay as well as control the dock from a traditional remote. About the only oddities are the vintage composite video output and a 30-pin dock for charging iPads, iPhones and iPods, neither of which will be much help if you live on the cutting edge. Onkyo brings the DS-A5 to American shores in October for $199; that’s a lot to pay for playing songs from the couch, but it’s a sight more affordable than replacing home audio equipment costing multiple times that amount.

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Onkyo DS-A5 grafts AirPlay on to existing home stereos, docks older iOS gear originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 04:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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