Filed under: Industry, Set-top boxes, Cable, OTA, Satellite, Advertising

We have to admit that in the current ad-happy climate we didn’t think it would take some six months for an enterprising company to market TiVo’s rich data mine. TRA will be licensing and marketing the info coming from TiVo customers, and the combination of viewing, demographic and purchasing data seems like a marketer’s dream come true. Add in the growing trend towards targeted content, and you can guess what advertisers have in mind — making accurate correlations between ad exposure and buying behavior. Sure, it sounds really creepy, but rest assured that the data is anonymous, so marketers will know how someone exactly like you behaves without knowing it’s explicitly you. If you’re still uneasy, we’d suggest getting off the grid entirely, because this sort of advertisement looks like it’s here to stay.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Filed under: Speakers, Others

Yamaha cranked out its high-priced YSP-600 sound bar just a few months back, but the company’s already looking to put the past behind and move forward with the YSP-3050. The latest in the outfit’s long-standing line of Digital Sound Projectors offers up 21 beam drivers, two woofers, 23 corresponding digital amplifiers, three Cinema DSP programs (movie, music and sports), analog-to-HDMI video upconversion, HD upscaling to 1080i / 720p and a 1080p (24Hz and 60Hz) compatible HDMI interface with two inputs and one output. Aside from engulfing you in audio with just a single bar, the unit is also XM Radio / iPod-ready (via the $99.95 YDS-11), and the integrated FM tuner and bundled remote make it even easier to see in your den. You’ll also find the firm’s propriety automated system calibration (IntelliBeam) along with TV Equal Volume to keep those sudden bursts at bay when it comes time for commercials. ‘Tis a shame this piece costs $1,399.95, but if you’re tight on space, it just might be worth it. Full release after the break.

Continue reading Yamaha intros YSP-3050 Digital Sound Projector

Popularity: 2% [?]

Filed under: Other hardware, Others

Watch out DXG, you’ve got a new rival in town, and it goes by the name Lancerlink. Just when we thought you had the cheap-o HD camcorder market all locked up, in comes this firm with a rather chintzy looking camcorder capable of logging clips at 1,440 x 1,080 (30fps) or 1,280 x 720 (60fps) in H.264 format. The 5-megapixel sensor can also snag stills, but taking into account that there’s just 90MB of free memory within, you should probably keep an SD / MMC / SDHC card nearby. You’ll also find a 3-inch LCD monitor, HDTV (component) output, USB connectivity and a rechargeable battery good for around four hours of use. The worst part, however, is the

Popularity: 1% [?]

Popularity: 2% [?]

Filed under: Other hardware, Set-top boxes, Others, Internet

Matrixstream’s been pushing its high definition IPTV box for the last couple of years, and now its show is going on the road. The MX-Drive system is a touchscreen platform that uses the company’s MatrixCast technology to stream either video on-demand or live TV in standard or high definition, using h.264 compression, even over a low bandwidth connection. Unfortunately no manufacturers to use the tech have been named yet, and we’ve no idea if their content partnerships have improved over the sparse offering available last time we checked. With more ways to get HD hitting the home every day, in-automobile systems (even on tiny screens) is inevitable, but we’ll wait and see if this system is the first to make a major impact.

[Via TVOver.net]

Popularity: 3% [?]

Filed under: Misc, Displays

The VMAX Plus3 might be just the thing for home theater builders looking to set it and forget it, but what about projectionists on the run? Elite Screens’ $2,199 Kestrel should be just the thing, as it comes in a highly portable package that enables users to erect a screen from the floor up with the press of a remote. Available in both 84- / 100-inch versions in either 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratios, these screens boast a “mechanized cross-rising apparatus is driven by a tubular motor,” and the built-in 5-12V projector trigger should come in handy as well. So much for taking the top-down approach, huh?

Popularity: 3% [?]

Filed under: Blu-ray, Media Personal computers

With Blu-ray drives for Personal computers selling for less than $150 — and only getting cheaper — many HTPC fans are left wondering, what’s the ideal HTPC Blu-ray software? While the old favorites were the first on the scene with PowerDVD and WinDVD, ArcSoft has recently been bragging how popular its TotalMedia Theater is with high end HTPC vendors like NiveusMedia and Vidabox. We assume the reason is because these companies are keen on Vista Media Center and ArcSoft works harder on integrating with Media Center than the rest. But Media Center integration isn’t the end all be all for Blu-ray playback, and it isn’t that difficult to integrate the other players yourself. So this left us wondering, which is the best Blu-ray player software for Windows?

View Poll

Popularity: 3% [?]

Filed under: Blu-ray, Other formats

Never mind those fancy BD-R critters, how’s about a 42GB DVD? Researchers with a good deal more intelligence than us over at Tohoku University have reportedly figured out a way to “multiply the amount of data that can be stored on a DVD or CD by 9.” Based on our ideal guess at translating a foreign language (we kid… sort of), the accomplishment was realized by shaping the pits on a DVD’s surface like Vs, essentially making the disc more capacious in the process. Unfortunately, said project will probably never see any mainstream attention, as existing DVD / CD players won’t recognize the malformed media, and worse still, the process can’t be applied to Blu-ray Discs.

[Via CrunchGear]

Popularity: 2% [?]

Filed under: Media Personal computers, Other hardware, Tuners, Others, OTA

And you thought Microsoft bringing back the SideWinder was gnarly. Announced this day, AMD is resurrecting the long-standing AIW line with its first-ever high-definition variant: the $199 ATI All-in-Wonder HD. The PCI Express 2.0 card attempts to handle both Personal computer gaming and HDTV duties by boasting specs like DirectX 10.1 support, a 725MHz engine clock, 600MHz memory clock and MPEG2 / VC-1 / H.264 video decoder acceleration. You’ll also find Vista and AMD LIVE! certification badges to go along with the dual-link DVI port, HDMI jack (which supports 5.1 Dolby Digital transmission) and optional component video connectivity. As expected, users can capture live programs (as well as pause / rewind) in SD or HD over-the-air, and there’s even support for ClearQAM. For those looking to take their clips elsewhere, the bundled Avivo software converts it for viewing on some of today’s most popular handhelds (yes, including the iPod). Look for models from Diamond Multimedia and VisionTek to hit retailers in North America late next month. Full release after the jump.

Continue reading AMD smells a comeback with ATI All-in-Wonder HD

Popularity: 3% [?]

Filed under: Displays, Others, DLP, Projector

Although InfoComm 2008 has drawn to a close, there’s still a few releases surfacing from the show. For whatever reason, Christie’s introductions into the projector realm weren’t noticed among all the others last week, but they’re still worth mentioning. Up first is the pictured WXGA (1,280 x 800) LW400, which features a 3LCD light engine, 4,000 ANSI lumens and a lamp life of 3,000 hours. Next up is the DS+655, a single-chip DLP beamer that packs a 7,500:1 contrast ratio, SXGA+ resolution and 10-bit image processing technology. Lastly, we see the pricey new M Series, which includes a three-chip DLP engine, upwards of 5,000 ANSI lumens and resolutions up to 1080p. Browse around in the read links below for more specifics on each.

[Via AboutProjectors]

- LW400
- M Series
- DS+655

Popularity: 1% [?]

Popularity: 3% [?]

Filed under: Media Personal computers, Media streamers, Other hardware, Others

It’s been a hot minute since we’ve seen any new kit from CodexNovus, but just recently the firm upped its DML offers and introduced the all new DMS-6000, all of which are worth taking a look at. Picking up where the 400GB DML-400 and 1TB DML-1000 left off, the 1.6TB DML-1600 enables owners to store loads of data, send out multiple streams of media to other HDcodex Players and Player / Servers and view / listen to networked media in surround sound / 1080p. If you’re desperately in need of a place to actually house all of that media you don’t own just yet, the rack-mountable 6TB DMS-6000 (pictured) should hold plenty. We haven’t heard any pricing details yet, but judging by history, we don’t reckon they’ll be cheap.

- DML expansion
- DMS-6000 introduction

Popularity: 1% [?]

Popularity: 3% [?]