Digital video recorders (DVRs) are presently the norm. Many people are able to pause live TV and watch shows hours and even days after the original broadcast date. The problem now is how to extract the programs from proprietary DVRs like the ones from Comcast, AT&T U-Verse, DirecTV and others and view them on the many portable devices now available. The El Gato EyeTV HD can easily accomplish this. The kit contains the award winning EyeTV 3 software and a box with analog component audio and video inputs. These can be connected to any modern DVR and allow for the recording of videos in HD. Component video is mostly limited to 1080i, but this good enough for most portable devices, specially since most HD broadcasts are in 720p. The software can be configured to automatically convert video to a format compatible with an Apple iPad, iPod, and many other mobile devices.
Watch TV in a new way with GoogleTV
It seems that Google might again revolutionize another area of life, watching TV. The Logitech Revue will be one of the first devices to come to market with the innovative GoogleTV technology. The device connects between your TV and video source. The video source will typically be a CableTV or satellite receiver or digital video recorder. To accomplish this, the Revue has two HDMI connectors. This allows for the display of a video overlay with menus and other GoogleTV options. For example, you could be watching a football game and need to check scores of some other games. You would simply bring up Google Chrome on the Revue and go to Yahoo while still watching the game on a picture-in-picture window on the screen.
Several other content providers also signed up. Services like Netflix, Amazon, CNBC, and Pandora Radio are some of them. Users will also be available to use the Revue to access digital media locally stored like family pictures, music, and movies.
The device goes head to head with the AppleTV, with the main difference that the Revue provides seamless TV integration. Google is also working with other manufacturers like Sony to embed the software within TVs and Blu-ray players.
View digital media on your TV using a Boxee Box
The Boxee application has been available since 2008. It can be used to conveniently access widely available audio, video, and other digital media on the Internet. One of the great features of Boxee is that it can be operated with a simple remote control. The software can run on MacOS, Windows, Ubuntu Linux, and on an AppleTV. Most recently, a dedicated Boxee appliance has been announced and will be manufactured by D-Link. For about $230 users can play almost any media available on the Internet as well as on the local network in a Boxee Box. The Boxee RF remote is also very innovative because it includes a QWERTY keyboard in the back side. This makes navigating and entering text very easy. The Boxee appliance contains an HDMI, optical audio, RCA, Ethernet, USB, WIFI, and an SD card slot. It will be available for shipping in November of 2010.
Stream Netflix on the iPhone and iPad
The popular video rental website Neflix recently announced the availability of their application for the iPhone and iPod touch. The application was previously available for only the iPad. In the case of the iPad and iPhone, streaming is available through 3G as well as Wi-Fi. Netflix subscribers can now stream any title directly from their instant queue. It is also possible to add new titles to your movie queue. The application also keeps track of the titles watched and remembers where you left off. In other words, you could start watching an episode of 24, stop halfway, and continue watching it where you left off in your home TV or computer.
The application is the latest addition to the multiple ways to watch Neflix. Streaming is available from a Sony PS3, a Nintendo Wii, and Microsoft’s XBox 360. It is also available from Roku’s video player as well as from many of the latest TVs which use widgets. A Netflix subscription starts at $8.99 per month.