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Tag: TV

ProDock Brings Your Mobile Devices to the TV

Posted by Alan Buckingham at 8:46 AM on February 9, 2012

ProDock is a new way of hooking up your mobile device to your TV.  Many smartphones and tablets these days have mini HDMI ports, but ProDock goes one better with a 6 foot cable that plugs into the USB port on your device allowing you to then connect a full-size HDMI cable to the other end of the dock.  With this added 6 feet of room you no longer have keep your phone uncomfortably close to your TV.  There are a few things required though.  First the device must have MHL built-in and the technology is fairly new, so only the latest Android smartphones currently have this.  According to their literature,

“MHL is a high definition video and audio interface standard designed for connecting mobile devices to HD TVs. Supports up to 1080p HD video, 60 fps and digital audio output, Dolby 7.1 support. Technology was established by the MHL™ Consortium and is supported by multiple handset vendors.”

The current list price for the ProDock streamer kit is $49.95 and is available now from the manufacturer at ibolt.co.

Interview by Jeffrey Powers of The Geekazine.

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Peel Recommends TV Shows For You

Posted by Andrew at 12:24 AM on February 9, 2012

Peel on iOS and AndroidIn the “old days” finding enjoyable TV programmes relied on three sources – in programme advertising for another show, flicking through the channels or your friends saying, “Did you watch xxxx last night? It’s brilliant!” At CES, Andy and Courtney discover Peel, a fourth way of discovering great new TV shows.

Peel is an iPhone and Android app which offers show recommendations based on your viewing habits and the shows that your friends and family are watching.

The app offers “Top picks” based on what you watch and you can rate shows as favourites or as “guilty pleasures” – I think we all know what that means! The app also gives “Friends’ favourites”, the shows that everyone else is watching, so you can catchup with what’s hot.

It’s not clear whether Peel is US-centric or not, but it’s a free app, so there’s nothing to lose.

Interview by Andy McCaskey and Courtney Wallin of SDR News and RV News Net.

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Posted in Android, Apple, ces, Film, google, Interview, iOS, iPhone, smartphone, Social Media, Special Media, TV

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Siano Brings Broadcast TV To iPhones and iPad

Posted by Andrew at 1:15 AM on February 6, 2012

Siano Mobile Silicon LogoAlthough not present in the USA and Europe, viewing broadcast TV on mobile phones is very popular in Asian countries and parts of South America. Andy and Don talk to Guy from Siano Mobile Silicon about the technology behind this cultural phenomena.

Watching broadcast TV on mobile phones has been very popular in China, Japan and Korea, particularly with people who commute on buses and trains. Much as those of us in the US or UK listen to an MP3 player as we trundle to work, they watch TV. Siano produces the chipset which decodes the broadcast signal and they have a TV accessory that plugs into the Apple connector on an iPhone or iPod to show broadcast TV on the screen.

Phones that can show broadcast TV are expected in the US market during 2012, with coverage available in most major cities. Pricing to be announced.

Interview by Andy McCaskey of SDR News and RV News Net and Don Baine, the Gadget Professor.

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Posted in Accessory, Apple, ces, Interview, iOS, IPAD, iPhone, smartphone, Special Media, tablet, travel accessories, TV

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UPnP Forum and How Your Gadgets Stream Music

Posted by Andrew at 10:47 PM on February 4, 2012

UPnP Forum LogoIf you’ve ever wondered how your gadgets talk amongst themselves to successfully play music from your PC through a media streamer, you’ll be interested in this interview with Dr Alan Messer, President of the UPnP Forum.

Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) is the standard by which IP networked gadgets advertise their services and intercommunicate. Formed in 1999, nearly all the big vendors are signed up with over 1000 members, the notable exception being Apple who tend to do their own thing. Think Intel, Samsung, Nokia, Philips.

The most common example of UPnP (AV spec) is DLNA-certification which governs media management, discovery and control and this effectively determines how music is streamed from one device to another. Set-top boxes know how to use different router ports based on UPnP techniques. Almost any consumer device attached to the network in the home will have some element of UPnP built-in.

(No, Andy, it’s not the ISA PnP but thanks for the trip down memory lane.)

Interview by Andy McCaskey and Courtney Wallin of SDR News and RV News Net.

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Posted in ces, Interview, Set Top Box, smartphone, Special Media, Streaming, wifi

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Shodogg Unleashes Video From Your Smartphone

Posted by Andrew at 9:10 AM on February 1, 2012

Shodogg Video's Best Friend LogoShodogg is a brand new content delivery technology that takes content shown on your smartphone and passes it to any web-connected device, such as a smart TV. Launched at CES, Andy talks to David, co-founder of Shodogg, to find out more.

Frankly, it’s probably easier to watch the video than to try and explain how it works but basically Shodogg lets you find video content on your smartphone but then play the video on a smart TV, PC, Mac or anything that can view a web page.

It works by giving a unique ID to each “screen” and once you’ve plugged the screen ID into your smartphone, the phone can then pass the video to this screen. Amazingly, you can swap screens during playback, with the new screen picking up at exactly where you left off.

Shodogg is in an alpha release at the moment and will be available late spring on iOS devices, followed by Android about a month later. It’s a great idea, simple to use, and I can see it being a very popular way of finding and then viewing online content.

Fetch, Toss, Share. Shodogg.

Interview by Andy McCaskey of SDR News and RV News Net.

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Posted in Android, Apple, ces, GoogleTV, iOS, IPAD, iPhone, ipod, IPTV, smartphone, Special Media, Streaming, tablet

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LG Pentouch For a PC and TV

Posted by Alan Buckingham at 8:31 AM on January 27, 2012

The new LG Pentouch technology connects to your TV and a computer to bring touch-screen technology to your flat screen TV.  The Pentouch consists of the box for connecting a Windows PC to the Plasma TV, which comes along in the package.  It all works on WiFi so there won’t be any messy cables either.  It’s geared more towards a business than home user as it essentially turns the TV into a whiteboard, but there are a lot more features than just that.  You can also edit Office documents and there are two pens included so that two people can work on the screen at the same time.

There is no exact release date yet, although LG hopes to make it available in the early Spring.  There is also no price point as of yet, although with a plasma TV included you probably shouldn’t expect it to be too cheap.  You can find out more by visiting LG and by watching the video below.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central for the TechPodcast Network.

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Biscotti TV Phone with Google Video Chat

Posted by Andrew at 8:52 AM on January 24, 2012

Biscotti LogoBiscotti‘s TV phone is a small camera unit that sits on top of your big screen TV, connecting to the TV via HDMI and to the network via WiFi. Once connected up, owners can make high-definition video calls to other Biscotti owners and Google Video Chat users.  And you will not believe how small the camera unit is. Todd chats to Matthew Shoemake to learn more.

The TV Phone uses an HDMI pass-through technology, meaning that there’s no need to change channels when receiving a call as the Biscotti notifies users via a pop-up message on screen. By using Google Video Chat, the Biscotti TV Phone can connect to any device that has a Chat client, whether it’s Android, iPhone or a PC. Connectivity with other video clients will be forthcoming, but no details just yet.

The Biscotti TV Phone is available for $199 and no monthly fees. Watch the video to get free shipping (disclaimer – not sure how long this promotion will run after CES finishes.)

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central for the TechPodcast Network.

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Posted in Android, Apple, ces, Gadgets, google, smartphone, Special Media, tablet

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Nyxio Introduces Android-based SmartTV

Posted by Alan Buckingham at 7:33 PM on January 10, 2012

nyxio logo

Nyxio, a designer of cutting edge Smart TV and consumer electronics devices, is showing off a new Android Smart TV platform which is made for both consumer and business customers.  The new software will be available for the Nyxio Android OS Smart TV 21.5-inch, which has touch-screen capability and is perfect for business users.

The platform is compatible with screens up to 65 inches, and all versions work with the Google Android Market, meaning they are capable of running all of the apps in the Market, including the best games in the Market.  That also means that TV viewers will get access to such things as Hulu, Netflix, HBO, and more.

Other Nyxio products to be showcased at CES include the following:
–65-inch VioSphere® Smart TV, a fully integrated HD touch-screen, flat screen TV and built-in PC.
–21-inch Realm: An all-in-one PC/TV combines the latest in PC technology with HDTV in one convenient, sleek design.
–Omega: A line of tablet PCs with a state-of-the-art Windows 7 (or dual boot Windows 7 and Android™ OS)
–Venture Mobile Media Viewer (MMV) a personal, unconnected video eyewear unit

You can find out more by visiting www.nyxio.com.

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LG Releases More Info on OLED TV for CES

Posted by Alan Buckingham at 9:24 AM on January 2, 2012

You may have seen the news and pictures floating around the internet the past few days of the LG 55 inch OLED TV that they plan to show at CES.  Now some more information has been released about this ultra-thin beauty.  Before you get too excited and start pulling out your wallet, the TV is only a prototype and it will be unveiled at a private, media-only event.

This is the largest OLED TV yet produced.  In a blog post to their UK website yesterday LG claimed that, “By incorporating the company’s 4-Color Pixels and Color Refiner features with LG Display’s advanced OLED (organic light-emitting diode) panels, LG OLED TV generates the most natural colors of any TV set at a much lower price point than could have been achieved using the standard manufacturing process.”

LG claims that this TV has been produced at a significantly lower cost than past OLED TV’s.  They are also claiming an infinite contrast ratio, the utmost clarity and sharpness, and color capabilities that are “technically impossible with LED and LCD display panels”.  They also claim the display is 1,000 times faster than traditional LED and LCD displays.  The TV will be unveiled at CES on January 9th at 8pm.

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Sony TV is Splitting to Three – LCD, Outsourcing, Next Generation TV

Posted by Jeffrey Powers at 11:09 AM on October 31, 2011
Sony

Sony

Sony announced that starting tomorrow, they will be re-organizing their TV division into three parts. The LCD TV, outsourcing, and next generation TV divisions. The idea is to better define the market to make better TVs.

Sony missed their July-September results last Wednesday, and analysts outlook is going to be under 200 bn yen (2.63 billion). It’s an eighth annual loss, Reuters reports.

Sony and Samsung Joint Venture in Jeopardy?

The LCD division is a joint venture with Samsung. As Market Watch is reporting, Sony might end this alliance that they had since 2004. Since LCD is changing to LED technologies, it is unknown how this partnership will stay fruitful.

Outsourcing Project

The outsourcing division is just that – certain TV parts are outsourced to reduce production costs. Sony began outsourcing in 2009 – which was odd for the electronics giant to do.  By outsourcing, they were able to compact their factories to bring profits up.

Next generation TV division researches the current trends of the TV. From Over the Top Television standards, to screen resolutions, OLED technology and sound breakthroughs.

Sony and Google TV

Of course, earlier in the week, Google announced upgrades to Google TV (which Sony produces for televisions and Blu-Ray players). With a better interface and the additional Android market, it breathes new life into the TV. While last years launch was not heralded, Google hopes this revamp will get Google TV in the right direction. Therefore, Sony could see a good bump in the market.

Whether this split will provide stability is to be seen. The division shakeup will happen on November 1st.

 

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