Hasta La Gadget!

Many of us only wish we could upgrade our less-than-smart TVs. Carnivore at DroidBuild, however, has taken matters into his own hands — he recently finished installing a Raspberry Pi-based media center into his own 40-inch Hisense screen. The hack replaces the TV’s built-in speaker with a Raspbmc system that has a 3D-printed faceplate for Ethernet and USB ports, an infrared adapter and external speaker output. While the modification is risky (and certainly voids the warranty), it’s much more elegant than hanging the Raspberry Pi off the back of the set. Check Carnivore’s photo guide at the source link if you’d like to know how he achieved the feat.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

Comments

Via: Adafruit, Hack A Day

Source: DroidBuild

Did you move to the Kansas City area too late to register for Google Fiber? Don’t fret — Google has both reopened sign-ups in the region’s 180 current fiber neighborhoods and detailed an upcoming expansion. Those in existing Fiber areas can sign up for service by December 22nd, with installations due by the spring. Meanwhile, those in outlying locations such as Gladstone, Grandview, Kansas City North, South Kansas City and Raytown will get a chance to sign up in March.

The search giant has also provided a brief explanation of how Austin residents will sign up for Fiber service when it’s available in their town. As in Kansas City, Austinites will be organized into fiberhoods that have to meet registration goals within a few weeks to qualify for a deployment. There’s still no word on just when the process will begin, although the mid-2014 service target doesn’t leave much time for Google to get the ball rolling.

Filed under: Networking, Internet, HD, Google

Comments

Source: Google Fiber Blog (1), (2)

With Kmart’s revenue reports heading into the toilet, it appears its TV ads might have followed suit this holiday season. Down 4.6 percent in earnings this quarter, one of the nation’s largest discount retailers is taking a radical departure from it’s wholesome Mom’s Apple Pie image to one that replicates the blue material you might catch on late night, a la Chelsea Lately!

It’s not just major broadcasters who are willing to take their fight against Aereo to the Supreme Court. The MLB and the NFL have jointly filed an amicus brief supporting the existing court case, arguing that the streaming TV service jeopardizes their licensing deals. Aereo’s ability to offer sports programming at no extra cost undermines the point of exclusive (and very lucrative) broadcasting arrangements, according to the brief. The leagues are prepared to back up their words with deeds — they claim that they’ll have to move their games to cable and satellite channels if Aereo wins. There’s no guarantee that the Supreme Court will sympathize with this supposed plight, but it’s clearer than ever that Aereo faces stiff opposition from the broadcasting industry’s status quo.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD

Comments

Via: GigaOM

Source: Variety

Sling—the streaming box that lets you use your cable subscription from anywhere—has completely redesigned its SlingPlayer app for Android and iOS to favor better discovery, with added social integration and new split-screen navigation. Sling will also be releasing an app for Windows 8.1 in December. And finally, you can now use your Slingbox with your Roku.

Read more…