Hasta La Gadget!

Let’s try this again, shall we? We were none too impressed with the first iteration of the device you see above, mostly because it failed to support audio. A few generations later, and seems as if Warpia may finally have its ducks in a row. The StreamHD is a USB-to-HDMI adapter, presumably relying on Wisair technology to whisk 1080p content from one’s USB-enabled laptop or desktop onto your HDMI-equipped television. It’ll handle material with resolutions as high as 1920 x 1280, and we’re told that both Hulu and Netflix content will be passed along sans issue. Hooking things up is a lesson in simplicity (in theory, at least) — just plug the USB dongle into your Windows PC, and the transceiver dock into your HDTV. High-def content and 5.1 surround sound should be transmitted, and there’s a reported range of 30 feet. It should be popping up any moment now on Amazon for $169.99, and yeah, that does include an HDMI cable and a S/PDIF cord. How thoughtful.

Continue reading Warpia’s wireless StreamHD USB-to-HDMI adapter supports 1080p, 5.1 surround sound

Warpia’s wireless StreamHD USB-to-HDMI adapter supports 1080p, 5.1 surround sound originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 09:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Apple’s AirPlay might be getting all the attention lately but it’s hardly the first solution for wirelessly streaming media to the television. Far from it. In 2003, the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) formed with its first set of interoperable products hitting the market in 2004. Since then, the alliance has certified thousands of products supported by more than 245 member companies, 29 of whom are listed as “promoter members” including such heavyweights as Sony, Nokia, Samsung, Toshiba, Verizon, AT&T Lab, LG, Qualcomm, Cisco, Microsoft, Panasonic, Intel, HP, and Motorola. Pretty much everyone but Apple. Recently, HTC joined the DLNA ranks with the introduction of two smartphones — the Desire Z and Desire HD — and a tiny media streamer known as the HTC Media Link, HTC’s first attempt to gain a foothold in the living room. Over the last week we’ve been testing the Desire Z (a Eurofied T-Mobile G2) with the Media Link, lazily streaming video, music, and images around the house using a myriad of sources and controllers from Apple, Samsung, Microsoft, and Western Digital. How did it perform? Click through to find out.

Continue reading HTC Media Link DLNA streamer review

HTC Media Link DLNA streamer review originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Dec 2010 11:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

As you can imagine, the thought of a marriage between a broadband / cable TV service provider and a content provider for television and movies has more than a few folks concerned, which is why it’s taken a while for the FCC and its erstwhile chairman Julius “Caesar” Genachowski to draft the conditions under which it would let Comcast snatch up 51 percent of NBC Universal. According to the Wall Street Journal, the FCC wants to require that Comcast make any content owned by itself and NBCU available to competitors (including streaming video providers) “at reasonable, nondiscriminatory terms.” Additionally, Comcast will be barred from prioritizing its own video streams above others or interfering with rival Internet traffic. Of course, without the actual announcement, it’s hard to know what impact this will have on everyone involved (especially Hulu), although with any luck the actual proposal will see the light of day soon enough. Even then, it will need to be approved, which could happen early next year.

FCC proposes rules for NBC-Comcast deal originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 25 Dec 2010 06:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Ars Technica  |  Wall Street Journal  | Email this | Comments

We heard it was in development just two days ago and now we’ve got a first glimpse at Apple’s AirPlay media streamer working a Windows PC. The hack comes courtesy of the free AirMediaPlayer client for Windows client (currently at version 1.0.5) that leverages the Microsoft .NET framework 3.5 SP1, Quicktime, and Bonjour for Windows to enable AirPlay media streaming from any iOS device back a XP, Vista, or Windows 7 PC. Possibly good to news for those of you with PC-based media centers. Catch all the hot Apple on Microsoft video action after the break.

Continue reading AirMediaPlayer gives Windows users a whiff of Apple AirPlay (video)

AirMediaPlayer gives Windows users a whiff of Apple AirPlay (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Dec 2010 04:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Boy Genius Report  |  Technology and Science  | Email this | Comments

Say hello to the future of DVRs, at least from Comcast, as its as-yet unannounced Xfinity Spectrum box passed through the FCC’s database shortly after having its existence revealed by the Wall Street Journal. A quick peek at the production-ready manual reveals there’s plenty of new features here, including a new guide design including IMDB-style cast & crew info as well as access to internet services. While it’s hardware makes this Pace RNG-210n a 500GB HD DVR with four tuners, MoCA and IP access, one of the biggest changes is a software makeover means it pops up notifications prompted by your Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

Configurable at Xfinity.com/Spectrum, it looks like it will only pull in information when people you follow share pictures, video, or link to info about TV shows and movies, with “most” viewable right on the box itself, plus the option to share what you’re watching on those services. There’s less details available about that “apps” section of the menu but weather, traffic, music and games are promised, take a quick peek at the most interesting sections including a look at the guide, remote and box in our gallery or check out the FCC filings yourself for more details — it’s hard to tell if the changes will make all our issues with cable provided set tops go away, but pretty much any new guide has to be better than what’s there now, right?

[Thanks, cypherstream]

Comcast’s quad-tuner Xfinity Spectrum DVR with internet access revealed by the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Dec 2010 16:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink WirelessGoodness  |  DSLReports Forum, FCC  | Email this | Comments