Digital Technology for Digital Living.
August 11, 2004
Ultra Wideband By Christmas.
eWeek reports that Freescale Semiconductor Inc. has announced that they have approval from the FCC in the U.S. to manufacture Ultra Wideband chips, and will have them in devices by the end of the year. Given that the Australian Communications Authority self professes to watch and follow their U.S. counterpart, I’m sure they’ll allow the chips into Australia as quickly as they are made and shipped.
Ultra Wideband transmits data over a wide spectrum, but at low power rates, and hence only short distances of about 10 meters. Technologists are bleating that this will allow consumer electronics to transmit wirelessly, like Bluetooth, but at a much greater rate . 110 Mbps initially and up to 1 Gbps in the future, because of the larger bandwidth afforded by the wider spectrum, so transmitting video becomes an option. UWB will no doubt be used in set top boxes, DVD players, TVs, laptops, PDAs, Mobile Phones, etc. making Bluetooth obsolete. MacSlash speculate that this could be the hold up with the new iMacs, and may lead to wireless iPods next year.
Gadgets boy | Comments (0) | Mobile Phone, PDA, PVR, Video, Wirelessgadgets,gadget,gadgets shop, latest gadgets, new gadgets
August 06, 2004
Microsoft’s Media Center Set For October Release.
According to Digital Connect News, Microsoft will release Media Centre in October this year, with a program guide. It’s been fairly obvious for some time that Microsoft have been in talks with providers of TV guide data in Australia. With the recent OzTiVo debacle and a few discussions that Gadget Lounge has had with content providers it is certain that the negotiations have been happening thick and fast. DCN’s article mainly discusses the support of the hardware vendors, which there is no doubt about. Who isn’t going to want to be a part of the the convergence. It remains to be seen though if Microsoft’s program guide will include all of Australia’s networks, and how that will integrate or compete with Foxtel’s new set top box come PVR from NDS, when released next year. In the mean time we can all ogle Amazon’s info or Microsoft details.
Gadgets boy | Comments (1) | PVR, Softwaregadgets,gadget,gadgets shop, latest gadgets, new gadgets
July 29, 2004
TV Networks React To PVRs.
Yesterday we mentioned Ice, a possible new PVR and service available in Australia. Today news.com.au has a follow up article that discusses the reaction from the TV networks, who in general seem to be putting on a brave face. One issue a Seven spokesman mentioned, and could suggest an underlying message, was their copyright ownership of the TV guides and that they “licensed him or any other set-top box manufacturer to use our information for this purpose”. Them’s be brave words, especially when Ice works around this issue by creating their own guide and using human operators to send signals via a digital radio signal, which prompts the set-top box when there are adverts or a change in programing.
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Gadgets boy | Comments (0) | Digital TV, PVR, Videogadgets,gadget,gadgets shop, latest gadgets, new gadgets
July 28, 2004
The ICE Age Comes To Australia.
CNet and Slashdot, with an old article from June at Sydney Morning Herald, are reporting that Australia is about to get its very first Tivo like service known as Ice, Intelligent Content Engine. Although the products depend on raising $AU6 million in capital, the article suggests we’ll see them in November. It sounds compelling, but it will only be available in Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong, and only for free to air digital TV. The rest of the country would have to wait up to another 18 months.
According to their website there would be three different hardware options, each with varying degrees of functionality. Screenpeace, their set top box will provide digital widescreen TV, an IceGuide which is an onscreen TV guide, IceHush for reducing the volume during commercials, IceAd for blanking the screen during commercials, a censoring mode to stop unsuitable programs and it can automatically change channels when adverts start. More compelling though is Quoll, a personal video recorder with a hard disk so you can record shows, time shift and automatically remove adverts. QuollDVD is a product still further down the line that will incorporate a DVD-R drive. The service will also attract a weekly fee of $AU2 or $AU3.
The most amazing part of the concept, and unlike Tivo, is the network it uses. Ordinarily Tivo-like services dial in to a server that provides updates and program guides. With ICE the network is wireless via a private digital radio network.
Time will tell us if it is just vapourware, or a true product.
Gadgets boy | Comments (0) | Digital TV, PVR, Videogadgets,gadget,gadgets shop, latest gadgets, new gadgets
July 23, 2004
Qosmio Laptop Converges With Embedded Linux.
ARN mentions that the new Toshiba Qosmio laptop will be available outside of Japan “between August and October”. These new laptops are touted as laptops for the lounge room, mainly because the design also includes an analogue TV tuner which does not require the system to be booted for viewing, TruBrite 15″ LCD for a better quality display, and SRS TruSurround XT (virtual surround sound) through 30 millimeter Harman/Kardon inbuilt speakers. It also comes with a QosmioPlayer remote control.
If recording or timeshifting TV is required then the system does need to boot up the included Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004, but it appears that the Toshiba software, QosmioEngine and QosmioPlayer, allows the unit to use the DVD and TV Tuner to display movies or free to air TV to the LCD. This software is said to run on Linux, and as such takes 10 seconds to boot, which I guess means that it’s transparent to the user. LinuxDevices.com speculates that that it could be InterVideo InstantON.
The rest of the specifications match other laptops on the market. Intel Pentium M Processor 735, Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG LAN (802.11b/g), Bluetooth, 80GB Hard Disk Drive, DVD SuperMulti Drive, NVIDIA GeForce FX Go5200 Graphics, TV out (S-Video and Component Y/Pb/Pr), TV in (S-Video and Composite), Composite Monitor in and Antenna input, S/PDIF Optical Audio Output with Dolby Digital, Firewire, Four USB 2.0 Ports, V.92 Modem and 10/100 Ethernet.
Richard | Comments (1) | PVR, Portable, Videogadgets,gadget,gadgets shop, latest gadgets, new gadgets
July 09, 2004
LG’s HDTV Personal Video Recorder.
Is LG about to announce the Australian version of it’s HDTV PVR, similar to the U.S. version, the LST-3410A? We’re guessing there will be an announcement soon. Australian Personal Video Recorders are few and far between, and those that are available aren’t from well known brands (Strong SRT 5390, Topfield TF5000PVRt) or focus their attention on DVD-R/RAM (Panasonic DMR-E100H, Samsung DVD-H40A). What the Australian market needs is a HDTV capable PVR from a major brand name. If LG announces their model soon we’ll see a few other big brands follow.
A review of the U.S. version is available at Sound & Vision Online.
Richard | Comments (2) | PVR, Videogadgets,gadget,gadgets shop, latest gadgets, new gadgets
