Hasta La Gadget!

Do you own a Boxee Box and have an account with a little streaming music service called MOG? Well, soon enough you’ll be able to pick and choose from the company’s 11.5 million song strong library right on your TV. That’s 320kbps audio and album art in 1080p that you can peruse using your double-sided Boxee remote and a welcome expansion of the media box’s music repertoire — which currently includes Last.FM and Pandora. You can try MOG for 14-days for free, but after that you’ll have to sign up for either a $4.99-a-month basic account or a $9.99-per-month Primo account if you want to keep enjoying its streaming audio selection. Check out the PR after the break.

Update: We just got word that MOG should be live on Boxee around 6 a.m. on Tuesday, so get ready to crank those speakers and wake up the neighbors.

Continue reading MOG brings its music streaming magic to Boxee

MOG brings its music streaming magic to Boxee originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Aug 2011 20:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget inquiry is coming to us from Tim, who’s looking to take his living room (and digital life, by the sound of it) into the future. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

“A while back I was looking at getting the HP Media Smart Home Server, but some time has gone by and I’m wondering if that is still the best solution going around. I want something that is ideally priced at a max of $1000; it has to be something small, not noisy or too power-hungry, and it has to be something that I can hide away. I’ll use it for network storage, backup, streaming and remote access. I was also wondering if it’s worth getting a good universal remote to dim lights, turn on the TV, amp, PS3 and maybe even some home server control — or have the iPhone / Android apps become so good that they are now the best option? Thanks!”

Great Qs, Sir Tim. We’re of the belief that most everything from a home automation standpoint can be done on Android or iPhone, particularly if you’re starting from scratch (and aren’t looking for enterprise-class services). As for Windows Home Server? You’ve still got a few options, but has anything come along to trump up? If you’ve got a say in all this, sound off in comments below!

Ask Engadget: best (Windows) Home Server and universal remote solution? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 27 Aug 2011 22:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple has pulled the plug on TV episode rentals via iTunes, abruptly leaving customers with only the option of purchasing per episode — good thing you can watch those on your Apple TV streamed from the cloud — or a Season Pass where available. AllThingsD has a quote from spokesman Tom Neumayr indicating this was in response to customers that “overwhelmingly prefer buying TV shows.” Making the timing of the move particularly curious are once-again renewed rumors of an Apple HDTV and a WSJ profile of new CEO Tim Cook that indicates the company is “working on new technology to deliver video to televisions, and has been discussing whether to try to launch a subscription TV service.” Like Google, any move depends on its success in negotiating a new delivery model from the networks, who so far have been averse to anything that threatens their existing relationship with pay-TV providers. It appears 99-cent rentals didn’t move the needle, so we’ll wait and see what the folks from Cupertino have up their sleeve next.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Apple stops renting TV shows in iTunes, could be working on a new kind of video service originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Aug 2011 19:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s been a while since we heard anything solid about the DirecTV Nomad unit, but a teaser page recently went live on the satellite company’s website showing the device. The tiny pic isn’t incredibly revealing, but other than “coming soon” the page also displays a laptop, phone and tablet — likely targets for viewers to watch their TV broadcasts away from the satellite box. That MDR1R0-01 remains scarce, but hit the source link and keep your eye peeled on that URL for more information about DirecTV’s competitor to the Slingbox / iPad apps being offered by other TV providers.

[Thanks, Tyler]

DirecTV’s Nomad teaser page suggests a Slingbox competitor, but little else originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Aug 2011 05:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Whether you’re a longtime Engadget HD reader braving the high seas of wonky podcast RSS feeds or an Engadget Classic reader stunned by this alternate universe invasion of Blu-ray, HDTV and home theater news, it’s about time we thanked you for putting up with our dust as we make some changes around here. To that end, our friends at Universal have hooked us up with a few copies of Scarface and The Big Lebowski on Blu-ray to get your fall started, whether you’re heading back to school yourself or just know someone who is. Check out the rules after the break, leave a comment and then clear out some space on your disc shelf — or, put one together if you’re a soon-to-be Netflix refugee.

Continue reading Engadget’s HD Back to School Giveaway: Win Scarface and The Big Lebowski on Blu-ray!

Engadget’s HD Back to School Giveaway: Win Scarface and The Big Lebowski on Blu-ray! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Aug 2011 16:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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