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.
HD videoconferencing for the family room
Cisco recently announced the Umi high definition video conferencing system for the home. The system is composed of an HD camera, control station, and remote control. The camera is designed to mount atop a flat panel display. At almost $600, it is at the high end of the residential conferencing offerings. A close competitor is the Logitech Revue with an accessory camera, which together will cost about $150 less than the Umi. Cisco has a long history of producing great video and teleconferencing products. We will have to wait until it is released to see how the Umi stacks up to the competition.