Hasta La Gadget!

Earlier this year, Livestream quietly entered the hardware business with a real-time streaming puck known as the Broadcaster — an adequate moniker, to say the least. Now, some five months after that camera add-on made its intriguing debut, Livestream’s introducing the Studio HD500, an all-in-one video production switcher aimed at both hobbyists and pros. Most notable, however, is the fact the company’s entering this fresh market in good pricing fashion, given the Studio HD500’s appealing tag of $8,500 — which may still seem like a hefty amount, but ends up feeling light when compared to other similar tools that start off at a cool $15-$20k, such as, say, one of NewTek’s TriCaster offerings. At any rate, those near $9,000 for the Studio HD500 will get you a switcher loaded with live audio / multi-camera mixing capabilities, a built-in DVR and media player, one-click live streaming to the outfit’s own platform, plus a handful of inputs and outputs — including HD / SD, SDI, S-Video and HDMI. It’s also worth noting the Studio HD500 isn’t fully attached to Livestream’s site by any means, making it possible to use with other competing sites such as YouTube, Ustream and many more.

While kindly speaking to us, Livestream’s CEO Max Haot said, “Our goal is to get multi-camera switching equipment into as many hands as possible,” adding that the “key is to make it easier and more cost effective.” The Studio HD500 is available for pre-order today and set to start shipping on October 15th — which could be around the same time the free-of-charge, software-based variant makes an appearance, though all we know about that so far is it’ll be coming at some point “later this year.” In the meantime, there’s a couple of extra pics for your viewing pleasure down below, and the detailed presser from Livestream right after the break.

Continue reading Livestream announces Studio HD500 all-in-one video switcher, ships October 15th for $8,500

Filed under: Misc, Portable Audio/Video, Internet

Livestream announces Studio HD500 all-in-one video switcher, ships October 15th for $8,500 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Sep 2012 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It all looks so simple, doesn’t it? A little board, a cute name — why, you’ll be up and robot-ing in no time, right? Well, just ask one of our techiest editors, who tried to learn a similar product, the Arduino — and failed — boards like the Pi are not cake. So, to push you in the right direction, Cambridge University is offering a free guide to creating a simple OS for the device called “Baking Pi.” It’s part of a course for new students of the institution’s computer lab (who each get a Pi as part of their tuition), but the guide and a tutorial series are free to the public, as well. Programming experience is not required “if you are smart and persistent,” but it will certainly be easier if you have some, according to the Pi website. The campus, which is the seat of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, certainly has a vested interest in getting new coders to the board — not that they need to create any more demand. Check the source and coverage below for the guide and tutorials.

[Image credit: Mark Foss]

Filed under: Misc

Cambridge University helps new Raspberry Pi users break the crust with free guide, tutorials originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Sep 2012 02:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google has won a face-to-unlock patent that seems to let multiple users share one “computing device.” Point your face at the built-in camera, and you’ll be allowed access to your personal profile — and when it’s time to move, someone else can do the same to take your place. While there’s no connection to a real-world product and relates more to biometric ID than consumer technology, it does tickle hopes that we could see the feature included alongside official multi-user support in a future iteration of Android.

Filed under: Cellphones, Misc, Mobile

Google wins face-to-unlock for multiple users patent, makes us hungry for Android support originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Sep 2012 19:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While some mind-control technologies may not amount to much more than gimmicks, there’s also plenty of serious research being done in the field — particularly when it comes to artificial limbs. So far, the majority of that work has focused on robotic arms, but a team of researchers from the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Long Beach, California have now made some progress with a robotic leg prosthesis controlled by EEG signals. As you might expect, things remain a bit limited at this point — not amounting to much more than the ability to start and stop — but the researchers say they’ve been able to achieve a 100 percent response rate with no “false alarms,” and that the results are promising enough to begin tackling additional degrees of freedom like turning and sitting. What’s more, while the system has so far only been tested on able-bodied individuals, the researchers hope that it will eventually be able to aid those with spinal cord injuries and aid in rehabilitation. You can get a quick look at it on video after the break.

Continue reading Researchers tout progress with brain-controlled robotic legs

Filed under: Misc, Robots

Researchers tout progress with brain-controlled robotic legs originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Sep 2012 07:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Modder Andy Rawson thinks he’s found the secret to turning smartphones into super-cheap thermal imaging hardware. Inspired by his quest to find leaks in his old home and the high cost of professional gear, he set about building his own. A 64-zone temperature sensor connects to his iPhone via the dock, overlaying the data onto his camera display. He’s planning to open-source the $150 hardware, and an Android variant of the hardware is currently in the works — although details for both are currently thin on the ground, you can see his announcement video after the break.

Continue reading Modder builds $150 open-source thermal imaging camera to help insulate his house (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Misc, Peripherals

Modder builds $150 open-source thermal imaging camera to help insulate his house (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Sep 2012 17:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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