Jan 24
A lost remote control is an annoyance. A house fire is a tragedy. A 19-year-old near Cleveland turned the former into the latter when he used a lighter to search under his bed for a missing remote. More »
Jan 21
With news of an impending Angry Birds animated series, it seemed like an appropriate time to ask the PCMag staff what they considered the geekiest animated series of all time. We got plenty of answers–and even more nostalgia–but somehow managed to cut the list down to 10 shows (well, 10 shows and a lengthy honorable mention list).
Check out the winners after the jump–and let us know what we left off in the comments section.
Jan 17
Pac-Man reality TV show coming, and not a moment too soon
Posted in: gaming, Television, Today's Chili, TV, video
Not since Hollywood Reporter told us about a possible Asteroids bio-pic have we been excited about a film or TV show: Deadline Hollywood is reporting that Merv Griffin Entertainment has hammered out a deal with Namco Bandai to develop a reality TV show based on Pac-Man. Envisioned by Merv Griffin Entertainment’s president of TV Roy Bank as something “big” and “crazy” like Wipeout or Fear Factor, the company wants “to take what Pac-Man is and bring it to life, to bring what is essentially the world’s biggest game of tag to television.” If this doesn’t sound like the definition of a mid-season replacement, we don’t know what is.
Continue reading Pac-Man reality TV show coming, and not a moment too soon
Pac-Man reality TV show coming, and not a moment too soon originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Jan 2011 16:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink 
New York Press | 
Deadline Hollywood | Email this | Comments
Jan 17
Japan loves its 3D: more than half of all Blu-ray recorders sold last month had 3D, 3DTVs popular too
Posted in: 3d tv, hdtv, Japan, japanese, sales, stats, Television, Today's Chili, TV
Finally, we find a market that is truly enthusiastic about 3D. Tokyo-based researchers BCN, cited by CrunchGear, report that a cool 57 percent of all Blu-ray recorders sold in Japan last month had 3D playback functionality built in, while 23 percent of all 40-inch-plus TVs sold had the ability to relay stereoscopic imagery. Both those numbers are major leaps in popularity within the nation itself and also easily dwarf penetration rates for 3D hardware in other parts of the world. 3D has apparently grown a lot more affordable in Japan, but lest you think these data are just a symptom of people upgrading their equipment without regard to its third-dimension skills, word is that there’s still a chunky 30 percent premium associated with adding 3D to your BR recorder purchase. So, it would seem the trendsetting Japanese are leading from the front on this one — awkward, unstylish glasses be damned!
Japan loves its 3D: more than half of all Blu-ray recorders sold last month had 3D, 3DTVs popular too originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Jan 2011 06:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Jan 16
Italy’s Mediaset sends 3D content over terrestrial connection, isn’t actually broadcasting 3D TV
Posted in: 3d tv, content, ota, Television, Today's Chili, TV
While Mediaset appears to be (one of) the first to convey 3D content over a terrestrial connection, it isn’t actually serving up any 3D television — it is “datacasting” or ever-so-slowly downloading 3D movies to a set-top box, which you may later consume directly from the hard disk that received them. The innovation here is in the utilization of spare airwaves to basically trickle a movie into your Motive Bestv STB — we know, it’s an irrelevancy to most of you cable- and internet-connected media mavens, but it’s one way to deliver 3D content to less technologically developed nations. Motive is already in talks with companies in Latin America, Eastern Europe and Turkey about doing the same, but Italy gets the honor of being first with a choice of 50 3D titles on Mediaset’s 3VOD service. Let’s see what the Azzurri think of it, eh?
Italy’s Mediaset sends 3D content over terrestrial connection, isn’t actually broadcasting 3D TV originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 16 Jan 2011 23:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Jan 14
Time Warner, Disney and News Corp. bigwigs speak up against FCC stipulations in Comcast-NBC deal
Posted in: content, hulu, problem, stream, streaming, Today's Chili, TV
Hello, inevitable. It simply had to happen, and now, it is. As Comcast, NBC and the FCC attempt to work out stipulations over Comcast’s proposed 51 percent buyout of NBC Universal, a smattering of major media companies are paying close attention to the play-by-play. Naturally, the precedents that are set from this deal will affect future agreements of this caliber, and lobbyists for both Disney and News Corp. (as well as Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes) aren’t standing over on the sidelines any longer. All three outfits have reportedly been “voicing their concerns this week with the FCC, worried that such conditions could undermine their own efforts to profit from the nascent online video industry.”
We’re told that the media mega-corps are worried that the rules — if hammered down — could interfere with ongoing negotiations with online video providers, and in turn, give them less leverage to monetize and control their content on the world wide web. In other words, if NBC Universal is forced to provide content fluidly to all ISPs (and not just Comcast), what’s to say other content makers and internet providers wouldn’t also be forced into similar deals, regardless of whether or not they’re involved in takeover negotiations? Needless to say, we’re nowhere near the end of this journey, and while the nuts and bolts are pretty dry to think about, the outcomes could have a serious impact on our future viewing habits.
Time Warner, Disney and News Corp. bigwigs speak up against FCC stipulations in Comcast-NBC deal originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Jan 2011 17:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Jan 08
NetTalk TV to deliver à la carte HD television programming?
Posted in: content, hdtv, Television, Today's Chili, TV, VoIP, wifi
NetTalk hasn’t exactly made it easy for the world to believe in all of its claims, but things are just getting loco at this point. The NetTalk TV has been introduced here at CES, touted as a companion device to the Duo that provides ultra-low cost digital TV service. Reportedly, the bantam box offers HDMI / S-Video / composite outputs, Ethernet and WiFi, and it’ll enable consumers to receive only the standard- and high-definition content that they want. According to the company, this allows individuals to detach themselves from the high-priced cable packages that force you to pay for 50 channels (when you only need three), but here’s the kicker: there are no details whatsoever provided in the press release after the break. Not even a price. We’re told to expect shipments in Q3 of this year, followed by undoubted disappointment as you begin to understand that it won’t be NetTalk to finally convert the à la carte dream into reality.
Continue reading NetTalk TV to deliver à la carte HD television programming?
NetTalk TV to deliver à la carte HD television programming? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 09 Jan 2011 00:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Jan 08
A few weeks ago, we named TV Hat our “Worst Product of the Year.” I want to apologize to the company for that. Thing is, I never really what the device is really intended for–after all, the now infamous TV spots don’t really let on why someone might want the privacy of a TV Hat.
And then I saw the company’s booth at the AVN show this year and it all clicked. A representative for the company strapped a TV Hat to my head, and sure enough, the iPod inside was playing hardcore pornography. You know, it all makes sense now.
She said that the thing is also great for kids. I’d recommend swapping out the iPod first, and maybe washing the thing.
Jan 07
Orb Disc Brings Hulu, Netflix to Your Blu-Ray Player
Posted in: blu-ray, Home Audio and Video, Today's Chili, TV
LAS VEGAS — Orb, maker of the little $100 set-top box that brings web content to your TV, will now do the same for your Blu-ray player in the form of a Blu-ray disc, called Orb BR.
Pop the disc into your PlayStation 3 or other Blu-ray player, fire up the companion smartphone app and you’re good to go. You can now stream Netflix, Hulu, Comedy Central, and Amazon video, amongst others, and watch it on your big-screen TV. With server software installed on your computer, you can also send content from there.
In fact, in some ways this magic disc is actually better than the actual Orb set-top box. The hardware only supports standard-def video. This $20 disc, on the other hand, will do 720p and 1080p.
Orb BR will be available late February.
See Also:
- Orb Brings Hulu and Network TV Streaming to Your Living Room …
- Review: Orb Audio Home Theater System Brings Well Rounded Sound …
Jan 06
Dish Network remote access app extends its long arm to Android tablets
Posted in: Android, android tablet, AndroidApps, AndroidTablet, app, apps, dvr, network, remote control, RemoteControl, Today's Chili, TV
Dish Network is still on a mission to make sure that you get your TV Everywhere, and as of today, that means your Android tablet. We reported in November that the provider was bringing its Dish remote access app to Android, opening up the world of paid-for TV to even more smartphones. As with the smartphone app, Android tablet users will have to have a Sling-enabled device, like a Sling Adapter, to access their hard earned programming, and as with the smartphone, the tablet app is free. The Dish Network app’s got all the same functionality as its predecessor: browse and search options, DVR scheduling/management, and a remote control function. So it’s basically the same beast, but we’re definitely still impressed.
Dish Network remote access app extends its long arm to Android tablets originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 01:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Who's in charge here?
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.