Hasta La Gadget!

Video files take a lot of space. Instead of cramming all your HD content into the relatively puny confines of your iPhone or iPad, why not stream it from your PC?

Indeed, it’s easy to fill up a 16GB iPad in no time at all. Our own Brian X Chen Tweeted this last week: “Just synced 3G iPad for the first time and it’s almost filled to capacity (16GB). Oy.” You can get around these size limits by cleverly tweaking iTunes’ smart playlists to give you only the latest unwatched movies in your collection, but there’s an easier way.

Air Video is an app which lets you stream any movie stored on your Mac or Windows PC to the iPhone and iPad. It will do this both over your home Wi-Fi network and 3G. As long as your computer is on at home, you have access to a limitless number of movies and TV shows, and they take up no space on your portable device.

Air Video isn’t the only app that streams video like this, but it is the easiest and most reliable I have tried. And the addition of an iPad version makes it even more useful, especially for those who, say, watch movies in bed.

It works like this. You install server software on your computer, and grab the app from the iTunes Store. If your devices are on the same Wi-Fi network, Air Video will see the computer and display it onscreen. When you tap it, it shows the list of folders you have chosen to share (you can add iTunes playlists, too).

From there, you can choose a movie and press play. It will stream direct to your miniature screen as a Quicktime stream, and you can treat it as if it were a local file: Play, pause and scrubbing are all supported. You can even use an external subtitle file or switch languages, should the movie have more than one. And you can stream video from any hard drive on your network. An HD hooked up to a Time Capsule works fine, for example.

But wait, you say: What about all my ripped AVI files, and my BitTorrented DIVX movies? This is where the magic comes in. Air Video will convert these files on the fly so they’re playable on the iPad and iPhone. Just tap “Play with Live Conversion” and your computer will start to convert the movie and — after a few seconds — send out a compatible stream. This killer feature means that you don’t need to do any tedious, lengthy ripping of your files just to play them on the iPad. If you already started watching the move, Air Video even remembers and lets you choose whether to play from where you left off, or to start over. The only files it can’t work with are videos with DRM.

I don’t have an iPad yet for 3G testing, but I do have a new MiFi with a 3G card inside, so when I left the house last night I left my MacBook running. You need to configure the server to allow connections from the outside world (for home network use, no configuration is required). If you have a UPnP-enabled router, this involves setting an optional password. If not, you’ll need to punch a hole in your firewall first.

To connect when outside, you need to enter a PIN and the app will take care of the rest. The lag is a little longer before the movie begins, but in under 20 seconds, I was watching a glitch-free movie, streamed from my home. The app automatically adapts the video stream’s quality to the available bandwidth. Poor connections may be more noticeable on the iPad’s bigger screen.

Do I sound impressed? I am. Air Video costs just $3, and there is a full-featured free version that shows only a subsection of the movies in each folder. The internet streaming in a neat gimmick, but the real magic is in the live conversion. I have a 64GB 3G iPad on order from the US, but even with all that space there’s no way I want to convert the TV shows [my friend] downloads daily. With Air Video, I can keep them on my Mac and stream them to my bed. Sweet.

Air Video Free [iTunes]

Air Video [In Method]

Continue reading Grace Digital Audio announces Solo WiFi internet radio tuner

Grace Digital Audio announces Solo WiFi internet radio tuner originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 May 2010 12:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Remember InstantAction? You know, that startup that debuted at GDC in an effort to take on OnLive and catch the world ablaze with browser-based embedded gaming? If you’ve forgotten the dirty-dirty on this here company, be sure and give our prior hands-on a look; once you’re up to speed, you may be interested in knowing that the company’s first weekend in business (in the consumer’s eye, anyway) is this one you’re living in right now. The new “direct-to-consumer online video game distribution service” has gone live with LucasArts’ The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition, enabling gamers to embed full titles into blogs, Facebook profiles and pretty much any other site that’ll handle an HTML embed string. The magic involves a delicate mix of in-browser, thin-client, and progressive downloading technologies, and while this title may not float your boat, the concept could be gold for indie developers looking to reach directly to potential clients. Head on past the break for the full release, not to mention a play-by-play of how to try this thing out.

Continue reading InstantAction goes live with browser-based gaming model

InstantAction goes live with browser-based gaming model originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 02 May 2010 09:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Can’t say we’re too surprised — after all, it does somewhat compete with new management — but still, we’re quite sad to see that as of May 31st, Lala is closing its music-streaming doors to the world, and no new users will be accepted. Existing users, however, can take solace in some pretty nice parting gifts. According to the site, all money spent purchasing web songs — soon to be rendered null and void by a loss of service — will convert to iTunes credit. Ditto for wallet balances and unredeemed gift cards, although with those you can get a refund via check, if you choose to. As for the future of its staff, well, we’re still waiting to see all the fruits of Apple’s acquisition. In the meantime, crank your speakers, raise them high over your head, and let’s make this month count.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Lala closing on May 31st, web songs and unused credit will head to iTunes originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Apr 2010 03:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Took you long enough, eh TiVo? Just under five months after the AN0100 802.11n WiFi adapter splashed down in the FCC’s database, the company responsible for the Premiere has finally decided to ship this here dongle. The newly christened TiVo Wireless N Network Adapter is designed to function with all dual-tuner TiVo boxes (though it won’t play nice with the DirecTV DVR with TiVo), enabling those who’d rather not run a 50 foot Ethernet drop to still access web features. Fortunately, it’s available now for those who’ve waited; unfortunately, it’ll cost you a staggering $89.99. Check it out now from TiVo’s website or pick it up later this week at your local Best Buy.

Continue reading TiVo’s $90 Wireless N Network Adapter now available

TiVo’s $90 Wireless N Network Adapter now available originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Apr 2010 10:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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