Hasta La Gadget!

If your home theater requires a five-minute preamble on how to watch a Blu-ray or play a videogame, you probably have a remote problem. Simplify things by choosing a universal remote and stuff those extras into the closest drawer.

Despite having been around for a while now, Google TV has never taken off in a big way, and some speculated that Chromecast would serve to replace it. Google’s Sundar Pichai put such concerns to rest in July, however, saying that Google TV would live on as a “full-fledged Android for TV.” While the company’s […]

Earlier this year there were rumors that Panasonic would be pulling out from the plasma TV business and this was semi-confirmed when the Japanese company announced that the ZT60 would be their last plasma TV effort. Well it looks like it has been confirmed as Panasonic has since revealed that come March 2014, the Japanese company will be exiting the plasma TV market which is when the current fiscal year comes to an end. While it had been rumored to be happening, it seems that March 2014 is a little earlier than analysts had expected.

Pulling out of the plasma TV market is definitely the right call as it seems that interest in such televisions have been declining over the years. The demand has seen a drop of 21% in 2012, versus a 1% drop for LCD TVs, indicating that consumers are more interested in LCD compared to plasma. Not to mention Panasonic is currently bleeding billions of dollars, with the company announcing job cuts back in 2012 where it would see about 10,000 staff laid off. Hopefully this exit will allow Panasonic to focus on more current trends, but what do you guys think? Are you sad to see plasma TVs go?

Panasonic To Exit Plasma TV Market In March 2014 original content from Ubergizmo.

According to Reuters, Panasonic is going to stop production of its fantastic plasma TV sets by March 2014. That sucks. But also not surprising since previous reports had hinted at Panasonic planning to cut its TV production and that the TV market has been overtaken by seemingly every other technology not named plasma.

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This article was written on December 28, 2011 by CyberNet.

Now that internet-enabled smartphones are rapidly expanding their market share, we’re increasingly turning to our phones to pass the time while we’re on the bus, sitting in a waiting room or even when we should really be keeping our eyes on the road. People have been watching videos on their phones for some time now, but due to recent developments you can now legally stream major television channels as well. Here are three cheap ways to watch your favorite channels on your smartphone.

Through your television provider

This year many cable and satellite television providers have released their own TV viewing apps, often for both iOS and Android. They have been subject to controversy because some TV channels weren’t happy about this move, so your experience may vary depending on your location.

Apps are available for some, but not all, of the major television distributors:

• Time Warner Cable (iOS/Android)
• Dish Network (iOS/Android)
• Cablevision (iOS only)

Comcast/Xfinity subscribers are left in the dark for the time being. HBO has released HBO Go (iOS/Android), which offers an on-demand app but no live streaming capabilities.

In Europe, similar apps are available for subscribers of Sky (United Kingdom), KPN (The Netherlands), Ziggo (The Netherlands), Telenet (Belgium) and Belgacom (Belgium).

Cost: free with your subscription

No cable subscription?

In the United Kingdom, you don’t even need to have a cable subscription to stream live television. All major Freeview broadcasters (BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5) are available from the ad-supported TVCatchup app.

The worst thing about this service is the 30-second preroll when you tune in to a channel but other than that it is really easy to use. Paid ad-free accounts are not available at this point. I suspect this has more to do with complex legal rules than an unwillingness to offer paid alternatives. Also, keep in mind that you still have to pay TV Licensing if you watch live television online!

If you live in Germany, Spain or Denmark you can watch a selection of the big networks in your area through Zattoo. Depending on your country’s regulations, you may have to pay for a TV license to legally access these streams.

Cost: free, ad-supported

The do-it-yourself solution

If some of the channels that matter to you aren’t available through these apps, there’s a DIY route. You will need some form of TV reception (terrestrial, cable or satellite) and the appropriate software to redistribute these channels for personal use. Orb and SlingPlayer are some of your options.

Orb: streaming from your computer

Among other things, Orb can be used to stream live television from your computer to your mobile devices. You’ll need to install a free piece of software on a Windows/Mac computer and connect an Orb-supported TV tuner to your computer. Their mobile apps for iOS and Android will run you about 10 dollar. If you’re not sure that this is what you need, you can try the lite version of their app for free.

SlingPlayer: streaming from your television

If you have a Slingbox at home, you can buy the SlingPlayer app for iOS and Android to stream live video from your television. Their app will cost you 30 dollar in addition to the price of your Slingbox. Two more caveats: not all of their models are supported and you can only stream one channel simultaneously.

Cost: one-time fee

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