Hasta La Gadget!

British Windows Phone owners won’t have to let their TV viewing habits slip while they’re on the move. TVCatchup has just posted the promised Windows Phone 8 version of its streaming app, giving locals access to live programming from the BBC, ITV and others. OS-specific optimizations aren’t extensive, but they exist — it’s possible to pin a favorite network to the Start screen, and to use voice commands to jump directly to a channel or guide. Viewers just need to hit the Windows Phone Store to stay on top of the latest shows with their Lumias.

Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, Mobile

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Source: Windows Phone Store

Netflix’s ultimately abandoned foray into the hardware business with its own streaming device has been known for some time — Wired revealed many of the details in a 2009 article — but Fast Company has now uncovered some more on the effort that hadn’t yet seen the light of day. That includes the actual name Netflix was using for it, Project Griffin (apparently inspired by Tim Robbins’ character in The Player), and a newly-revealed internal video that offers a look at the device itself (and detour to Foxconn that Netflix would no doubt have preferred remained internal).

Despite what was said to be enthusiasm for it at the company, the set-top box would be shelved just weeks before launch and instead spun out to Roku, which released a strikingly similar-looking device itself — Frog Design is said to have worked with Netflix on the original design. Netflix would then quickly move on to partnerships with LG and other companies on their boxes in place of its own branded device. As for the reason for the change in plans, one source said to be at a high-level tells Fast Company that Reed Hastings once said that “I want to be able to call Steve Jobs and talk to him about putting Netflix on Apple TV,” adding, “but if I’m making my own hardware, Steve’s not going to take my call.” You can see the full internal video after the break.

Filed under: HD

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Source: Fast Company

Among the many, many things that LG is unveiling at CES this year is the curious addition of a sound bar with built-in video streaming. That still sounds like a contradiction of purpose to us, but the Smart Sound Bar, also known as the NB3730A, is more fascinating once you dive into the details. The large-sized bar pumps out 300W across its 2.1 channels, and its WiFi takes internet audio and video from CinemaNow, general internet radio, Netflix, Pandora and Vudu. Bluetooth audio is built-in as well. It’s ultimately built for those who don’t have an online-capable TV, Blu-ray player or media hub at their disposal — a group whose ranks are thinning quickly, but certainly still exists.

We got a quick glance at the Smart Sound Bar for ourselves. From a design perspective, it’s simple to operate and thin, if not exactly short. This won’t be a good fit for that small TV in the basement, then, although it’s perfect for that big wall-mounted set. We’d like to tell you how well it works in real life, but expo conditions dictate otherwise: LG unfortunately lacks an internet connection for the sound bar on demo, and an extra-crowded booth isn’t the ideal environment for gauging audio quality. If you’re mostly wondering whether or not it will fit into the living room decor, however, we’ve got a gallery for you below.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, LG

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A simple idea thoroughly executed is sometimes best, and that’s what Plair is aiming for with its new, self-titled streaming video adapter. The golf wedge-shaped device grafts on to an HDMI port and receives video over WiFi from custom apps for Android, iOS, OS X and Windows. While we’ve certainly seen wireless device-to-TV solutions before, it’s Plair’s sheer diversity of sources that makes the difference: along with local content, it includes the near-obligatory internet portals like YouTube and CollegeHumor ,as well as access to a deluge of video from traditional TV sources. We saw NBC intenret clips piped to a TV in remarkably good (though not broadcast) quality. The iOS app we looked at looked reasonably intuitive, to boot. Black, magenta and teal versions of the adapters should ship in late January for $99; given the diversity of material on tap, that just might be a fair price.

Michael Gorman contributed to this report.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

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Source: Plair

It just wouldn’t be CES without IOGEAR showing off new jet-black wireless streaming devices, and today it’s unveiling the lovingly named “Wireless 5×2 HD Matrix,” or GWHDMS52. The two-piece set is capable of streaming uncompressed full HD (1080p) content, including 3D video and 5.1-channel audio, from anything in your main entertainment setup to another TV up to 100 ft away, using the WHDI standard. You plug everything into the main box, which serves as the transmitter — it has one component, one USB and four HDMI inputs, with one HDMI-out to serve the primary display. The receiver box has its own HDMI-out for the device you’re streaming to, as well as a USB-out for controlling whatever’s plugged into the corresponding port at the other end, like a computer. If you hadn’t guessed already, the setup is a matrix switcher, meaning the receiver will pull from any source hooked up to the transmitter, regardless of what’s being watched on the primary TV. The Wireless 5×2 HD Matrix is due to launch in March at a price of $399.95.

Continue reading IOGEAR unveils uncompressed 1080p wireless streaming matrix switcher

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Wireless, HD

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