Skip to Content

Try your hand at the Spore Creature Creator and win free stuff from Big Download!
AOL Tech

ILY Enterprise unveils "world's first" 6x SATA Blu-ray duplicator

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 3rd 2008 at 3:34PM


ILY Enterprise is totally playing word games here with its "world's first" 6x SATA Blu-ray duplicator, but we suspect it actually is a tad quicker than Vinpower Digital's comparable unit. As the company states, this unit boasts a controller that is "specifically designed and built for a SATA connection to reduce the cost and work more reliably than IDE-converted-SATA units," though we can't say if you'll actually notice the difference in speed without a stopwatch. Whatever the case, those interested in firing up their own piracy farm movie production company can acquire one now (from 1 to 11 targets) for a presumably lofty price. Oh, and judging by those logos, we reckon these drives could be used to play back some of your old HD DVDs during off-hours -- talk about a nice perk.

Silicon Image Si9251 debuts InstaPort fast HDMI switching tech

by Richard Lawler, posted Jul 3rd 2008 at 11:48AM


Silicon Image is back and its latest chips aim to offer improved video quality and innovations in connectivity. The SiI9251 and SiI9261 processors are destined for TVs and receivers, respectively, supporting up to 4 HDMI 1.3 inputs with x.v. color, as well as "InstaPort" technology that claims to enable high speed switching between HDMI jacks. Silicon Image's own Mobile High Definition Link (MHL) tech is in there too, as well as ChromaViv to ensure accurate color calibration. These chips may find themselves buried deep within your next consumer electronics purchase, and will quietly go about their business of HDMI input switching and color correcting (hopefully) without a peep.

Ovei home theater pod: not for claustrophobic, poor people

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 3rd 2008 at 6:02AM


As with quite a few things unveiled at CEDIA Expos, the Ovei is also aimed squarely at folks with wallets so fat they can hardly contain themselves. This home cinema pod made its most recent debut at the CEDIA UK show, where the creators explained that users could slip into the air-conditioned capsule and control their home theater and / or gaming experience via the built-in touchscreen. We are told that it was designed by Lee McCormack and engineered by McLaren Applied Technologies, but aside from that, pretty much everything else remains a mystery. The Ovei can be ordered up now for around £50,000 (that's 100,000 of those depreciating greenbacks), but if you get 'em to toss in some foot pedals and a steering wheel (or whatever else you dream up), count on that figure heading north in a hurry.

[Via KanYeWest Blog]

Read - Ovei pod details
Read - Ovei pod live shots, video

Roku serves up Netflix Player source code

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 2nd 2008 at 11:28PM


Hope you're not too sleepy, you hacker you, 'cause we've got a juicy one coming your way. No sooner did we find that the Netflix Player would be streaming content from other players in the industry later this year than Roku opens up the source code vault. You heard right -- the GPL code has now been posted for the world to see, meaning that there's just one link standing between you and umpteen delicious tarballs. Mmm, tarballs.

[Via Hack-A-Day]

Roku's Netflix Player to stream content from other "big name" providers

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 2nd 2008 at 7:47PM


Roku's Netflix Player got off to a hot start after launching just over a month ago, and apparently its creator has big plans for the plainly designed $99 box. According to a recent report over on Forbes, Tim Twerdahl, Roku's vice president of consumer products, has affirmed that a routine software update would be hitting later this year to enable content to be fetched and streamed from other "big name" providers. Regrettably, the conversation ended there, so there's absolutely no telling which "providers" he's referring to. Still, we're certainly intrigued by the idea of this thing becoming more versatile in the coming months, but wouldn't the name have to be tweaked at the very least?

[Via Silicon Alley Insider]

Lancerlink's DDV-1080HD HD camcorder lowers the bar

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 30th 2008 at 8:15AM


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 considering 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 ¥49,800 ($474) price tag that's attached to the July-bound DDV-1080HD, which makes it a few hundies more than most of DXG's awfully similar collection.

[Via AkihabaraNews]

Black and white home theater has no need for vividness

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 30th 2008 at 12:57AM


Oftentimes in fanciful home theaters, we can only imagine that the designers spent hours mulling over oh-so-similar hues in order to get the tone just right. As for NC homeowners Ray and Shelley, they ditched the whole stressing process and decided to stick with just two: black and white. As a matter of fact, the entire home (including the swank home theater) is doused in the two hues, with a strict policy of no grays to be found anywhere. In order to offset the immense contrast, they also own a condo in Florida which is decidedly brighter. Still, there's no denying the colors that jump from that gorgeous projection screen, more of which can be seen via the read link below.

PS3 Burnout: Paradise "Cagney" update adds 1080i support

by Richard Lawler, posted Jun 29th 2008 at 2:19PM


Gamers stuck with an older HDTV that doesn't support 720p input can cheer for the upcoming Burnout: Paradise "Cagney" update, which adds (among other things) 1080i output support for the PlayStation 3 version. Dismissively referring to such sets "almost HD", Simon Phipps of Criterion dropped the details on the free update due July 10 that also adds improved SD rendering on the PS3 and support for custom soundtracks. It'd be nicer if that slick 2.40 update added Xbox 360-style scaling for all games so developers didn't to expend the effort, but from the sounds of things it's not high on Sony's list of priorities.

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

Matrixstream MX-Drive system delivers HD IPTV to your car

by Richard Lawler, posted Jun 29th 2008 at 10:51AM

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-car 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]

Control4 announces 7-inch POE wall-mounted touch panel

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 29th 2008 at 5:44AM


If Control4's Mini Touch screen just seemed too diminutive for your fat fingers, yet the 10.5-inch edition just engulfed your wall, why not check out the happy medium? The 7-inch POE Wall Mount Touch Screen arrives right between the other two in size, yet offers up the same home controlling abilities for tweaking your lighting, temperature, volume, etc. You'll also find a built-in screen saver application that you can customize with your own photos, and if that there just pushed you over the edge, you can snag the hard-wired version next month for $1,195. Looking for WiFi? You'll have to wait until "later this year."

No other movie studios signed with Sony's PlayStation download service yet

by Richard Lawler, posted Jun 28th 2008 at 11:18AM

Ok, we know the PlayStation 3 is getting a movie download service this year - but apparently much work remains to be done. Variety checked into the situation and sees the number of movie studios signed on at present stands at exactly one: Sony Pictures. Never fear, because being late to the party could benefit Sony as it negotiates deals with other studios similar to the ones already in place for Xbox Live Video Marketplace and iTunes. Also on board is the possibility of transferring flicks to PSP, although that and any other features that expand on the functionality already seen on other services could slow down a deal. We're torn, while having another competitor in digital downloads (and another way to enjoy movies on our PS3) as soon as possible sounds good, we might be willing to wait if it means Sony's leverage can swing more features (or at least some leeway to the DRM currently in place on other services).

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

Tranquil PC introduces AVA RS3 music server

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 27th 2008 at 2:37PM


Hope you like the shiny, because Tranquil PC is bringing lots and lots of it with its latest home music server. The AVA RS3 comes in two flavors, one of which packs 2 x 500GB drives while the other includes a pair of 1TB HDDs. The unit also boasts a fanless design to keep things quiet, and just in case your music library isn't all converted to .wav files just yet, it possesses an internal optical drive to handle direct-to-HDD ripping. Expect these to ship out in around a fortnight for £549 ($1,092) / £699 ($1,390).

[Thanks, WHSuser]

Brunswick Billiards gets its own Berkline home theater chairs

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 27th 2008 at 1:02PM


Nothing chases a good flick like a few games of pool, and that's exactly why Brunswick Billiards has teamed up with Berkline to introduce a few new offerings. The famed home theater seating company has agreed to create a fresh line of Brunswick-exclusive home theater chairs which will include two contemporary models and a single traditional model. Eight different types of leather will be available, and a few subtleties include a taller back, cup holders, lighted bases and power recline options. The luxurious seats will start at $1,249 apiece and should be ready to hit game rooms / HTs in "early summer."

$179 DXG-567V HD camcorder uploads right to YouTube

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 26th 2008 at 6:42PM


Uh oh, DXG's creeping its way up into luxury territory. Earlier this year, we saw the outfit dish out a craptacular $149 HD camcorder, and just a few months back we were introduced to the $169 DXG-569V. Now, it'll take another Hamilton in order to rightfully claim its newest unit, the DXG-567V. The pocket-friendly cam is available in four different hues, ships with rechargeable AA batteries and uploads directly to YouTube and other video sharing sites without much hassle at all. DXG claims that this bugger captures video at 1,280 x 720 (30fps), but even at $179, we have our doubts about the overall quality. Better watch out though, by this time next year you'll see DXG perched up beside Sony, Panasonic and the rest of the respected gang.

NuVo Music Port integrates PCs with multi-room audio systems

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 26th 2008 at 10:10AM


If you've already dumped coin on NuVo Technologies' Grand Concerto or Essentia E6G multi-room audio system, you might as well cough up a little more to snag this puppy. The newly announced NuVo Music Port is a hardware / software package that enables "home desktop and laptop PCs to act both as sources and as controllers" in either of the aforesaid systems. Essentially, the device transforms a PC into a multi-output source for a NuVo system and enables any web-connected device on the home network to double as a media controller. The software end of the deal tosses in a swank browser interface that includes cover art and the like, and just so you know, it can be added to existing systems or installed with new ones. Hit the read link for all the gory details.





Weblogs, Inc. Network

AOL News

Other Weblogs Inc. Network blogs you might be interested in:

Joystiq
Download Squad
The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)
BloggingStocks
Xbox 360 Fanboy
Autoblog
Big Download Blog
AOL Sports Blog