Hasta La Gadget!

A new update for DirecTV’s official iPad app just showed up in iTunes, adding the ability to manage recordings on all of your connected HD DVRs. As seen in the screenshot above, v1.2.6 ties into the company’s whole home DVR setup by letting a user control one box directly, then browse recordings stored elsewhere and play them in the room in the room where they are. Also new is the ability to delete DVR’d shows straight from the iPad, and readers tell us that after the upgrade the app has begun working with the revamped HDUI beta that DirecTV started testing a couple of weeks ago. Hit the source link below to grab it for yourself from iTunes.

[Thanks, SV & Stuart]

DirecTV iPad app upgrade adds easy multiroom DVR control, HDUI compatibility originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Sep 2011 21:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Last time we heard about GeeXboX, Palm was ushering out its first webOS phone, Google was putting the traditional navigation model in the grave and unlimited Skype calling over LTE was but a figment of our imagination — two years later, and the aforesaid distro is finally reaching version two dot oh. Like version 1.2.2, the HTPC-centric Linux distribution allows users to decode media on dual- and quad-core systems, with added support for devices running ARM SoCs (like the TI OMAP4 Pandaboard and Tegra 2). The new 72MB version ditches the unique ISO generator tool, legacy HDD installation, support for V4L Analog and DVB Digital TV cards (although the manufacturer promises the last digital feature “will come back shortly”). Check out the source for full upgrade deets, and save us a seat on the couch, will ya?

GeeXboX LiveUSB HTPC Linux distro hits v2.0, adds ARM support for multi-core video decoding originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Sep 2011 21:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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No need for the bookshelf speakers? No problem. Aperion Audio just introduced the second-generation Zona Home Audio Link system, enabling cable detesters to send music from any USB / 3.5mm-enabled source to, well… just about anything. The basic HAL package is comprised of a compact wireless transmitter and receiver, and since there’s no proprietary shenanigans going on, it’s about as universal in nature as you’ll find. Needless to say, folks who’ve been trying to find an easy(ish) way to convert their existing indoor / outdoor speakers into wireless speakers should certainly have a gander, and given that it’ll stream uncompressed 16 bit/48 kHz CD-quality audio to up to three simultaneous zones, the $149 price tag just might be justified. Hit the source to learn more (or place your order, if you’ve heard enough).

Continue reading Aperion Audio’s second-gen Zona Home Audio Link cuts the musical tether for $150

Aperion Audio’s second-gen Zona Home Audio Link cuts the musical tether for $150 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Sep 2011 01:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s that time of year again, when the leaves turn colors and a slew of new programming pops up on our HDTVs. We’ve pushed the series premieres to the top of each day’s listing to help you keep an eye out for some of the new shows coming your way, so now all you have to do is clear enough DVR space to keep up. Check out which selections from this week’s long list of possibles caught our eye, followed after the break by our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames.

Gears of War 3
Microsoft and Epic are ready to close out their trilogy on the Xbox 360 with this week’s release of Gears of War 3. Its cover based, third person shooter gameplay feels as fresh as it did the first time around and according to our friends at Joystiq, this iteration features “one of the most exciting, consistent campaign experiences on the Xbox 360, or any other system.” Assuming the new dedicated servers can keep online play running smoothly this time around, we don’t see any reason to miss this go-round with Marcus, Dom, Cole and whichever of the Carmine brothers is still alive.
($59.99 on Amazon, September 20th)

Workaholics
This was a surprise favorite for us last year, as its stars (and writers) Blake, Adam and Anders deal with the (slow) process of becoming adults while working and living together. It brings more to the table than your average stoner comedy, thanks to its stars / writers from the Mail Order Comedy Troupe. Last season’s To Friend A Predator episode took the it’s-so-wrong-it’s-funny style to its limit and left us in stitches, check out a quick preview of season two embedded after the break.
(September 20th, Comedy Central, 10:30PM)

Person of Interest
One more fall ritual is the debut of an interesting JJ Abrams-helmed show that confuses, intrigues, and eventually horrifically disappoints (on that same note, Fringe also debuts its new season Friday night). This year that show is Person of Interest, a show that features investigators trying to decipher and solve violent crimes before they actually happen. The only really weird thing is how grounded that plot is for a JJ Abrams show. After Lost we promised we’d never go down that rabbit hole again, we’ll find out how strong we are when this premieres Thursday night.
(September 22nd, CBS, 9PM)

Continue reading Must See HDTV (September 19th – 25th)

Must See HDTV (September 19th – 25th) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Sep 2011 18:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Forgive our skepticism, but when your product has missed its original ship date by over half a year, we aren’t believing anything until we see it. Or, should we say, our colleagues in Europe see it. Iomega’s Olivier D’Eternod — Head of Product Marketing for EMEA — was recently on-hand at IBC in Amsterdam, and he was quoted over at Intel’s blog as saying that the ‘TV with Boxee’ would be “available in Europe by mid-October.” For those who can’t remember last week (let alone January), here’s a bit of a refresher — the company actually demoed its own version of the Boxee Box at CES, and promised then that it’d be out in February. Since? Radio silence. If all goes as planned, though, consumers in Germany, UK, Sweden, Spain and France should see it in around four weeks, with Holland, Belgium, Ireland, Switzerland and Portugal in line behind ’em. He also hinted at a future where “access to premium content” was available, but smartly suggested that the company “bring this one to market first” before looking too far forward. Smart man.

Continue reading Iomega’s TV with Boxee (Box) hitting Europe by ‘by mid-October,’ or so it says

Iomega’s TV with Boxee (Box) hitting Europe by ‘by mid-October,’ or so it says originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Sep 2011 04:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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