What a great idea, I just bought a usb tv tuner for my wife's computer and it works great. If you are thinking about buying one, check out one my new websites, the links is above. Have a great day!!!
“On the surface, it sounds like a wow idea…Truth be told, however, this is the kind of technology advance that gives me the creeps…That’s why the big thinkers at Google should go back to the drawing board and correct a big mistake, before it’s too late.”–Charles Cooper, Cnet
“I think this whole thing could be an electronic noose…The more defined you are, the more definable you are, the more you’re exposed [to possible security problems].”–analyst Roger Kay as quoted in a Washington Post article
“The interplay between the creation of an inalienable right to privacy and the application of this right to the private sector is important. It requires Google to obtain the affirmative consent of individuals before violating their privacy.”–an open letter to the California Attorney General signed by privacy advocates
What do the above three comments have in common? Nope, it’s not that they’re expressing angst over Google Buzz’s privacy issues. They all date from almost six years ago, when Gmail was brand new and plenty of intelligent people were freaked out over the idea of an e-mail service scanning messages for keywords and displaying relevant advertising. As far as I can remember, it was the biggest privacy-related furor Google had encountered until this week.
Today, I don’t know of anybody who’s terrified of Gmail. (Okay, there are probably people who still don’t like the idea, but–this may shock you–they probably solved the problem by deciding not to become Gmail users.)
In retrospect, the original Gmail kerfuffle seems silly, and Google’s response back in 2004–which was to pretty much hunker down and deploy the service without changes–feels like the right one. The company was doing something new and inventive, and it took the world a while to get its head around it.
So can Google draw any lessons from the Mother of All Gmail-Related Controversies as it figures out what to do about Buzz? Yes, but I worry that it might draw the wrong ones. The concern over Gmail and the concern over Buzz’s conversion of e-mail contacts into public lists of who Buzz users are following don’t have much in common with each other. With Buzz, the hubbub has nothing to do with fear of the unknown. It’s just that lots of people consider information about who they converse with via e-mail to be a private matter, and that a company that has access to that info should treat it gingerly.
I think that Google can make some fairly minor (additional) changes to Buzz that would instantly satisfy almost everybody. And I hope it does, rather than trying to ride this out. Because the people who are upset now are fundamentally different from the 2004 alarmists in one important way: They have a good point.
So we always hear about how hard it is to get an iPhone app approved by Apple, but here’s an interesting case; an 11-year-old boy managed to not just write an app, but get it approved, and now he’s donating some of the proceeds from the sale of that app to a children’s hospital.
This kid didn’t just teach himself how to program, but he also managed to get the app approved, something that many adults can’t seem to manage. The app is called iSketch and it’s a drawing and painting program with your choice of brushes, and colors, along with the ability to send your drawings via email. Now 11 year old Cameron has committed to donating a portion of the proceeds from the sale of his app to the Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA in Westwood and Santa Monica. That’s something you have to respect no matter how old you are. Normally we find it hard to get excited about iPhone apps (well, except for Button) but this is something worth passing on, if only to help Cameron with his donations. If you want to know more, here’s a link to his blog as well.
Here’s the letter we got today from Cameron’s father:
Hi.
My son Cameron is 11 years old and, last year, he had a medical problem that prevented him from participating in the physical activities he otherwise enjoys. (He is nearly fully recovered.) During that time, Cameron became interested in computers, and he began to read anything he could get his hands on. He watched Stanford University professors on iTunes, scoured the web for articles on programming and taught himself several different programming languages. (Neither my wife nor I have any idea how to program.) Cameron began to focus on the iPhone and iPod touch devices as the “apps” offered for sale for use on those devices seemed really cool to him. He began to work on a few different apps. After completing some summer camps on programming and continuing to read and learn, Cameron finalized an app, which he calls iSketch, and submit it to Apple. The app, which is a painting/drawing program, was approved by Apple for sale on its App Store in December. (He has since updated it several times..)
Inspired by the care he received at Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center and Orthopaedic Hospital, Cameron has dedicated a substantial portion of the proceeds from his sales to purchase entertainment and electronic items for Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA’s Child Life/Child Development programs in Westwood and Santa Monica so that pre-teens and teens will have additional age-appropriate options available to them during their Hospital stays. Cameron’s sales so far have been good, but he hopes to accelerate them so that he can donate even more to the Hospital.
Several years ago, I fell in love with specialty coffees. Some call this unique coffee experience gourmet coffee, and I suppose that is so. I have blessed it always with specialty coffee. Why? Because a taste this close to heaven deserves to be called special.
Once I found my passion, I set out to learn everything I could about the history of coffee, how to make great coffee, coffee roasting and roasters, the people who share the passion, and their businesses.
Knowing I was on a path that would last a while and that I would find information that everyone needs to know if they find themselves on a like journey, I kept notes.
One of the first interesting facts that came to my attention in the beginning was the significance of the different types of coffee grinds. A person needs to know types of grinds in order to match the right grind with the correct coffeemaker.
There are several different types of grinds, but for our purposes here we will clarify which coffeemakers work best with the following grinds.
Coarse – A coarse grind works best with French Press or Percolator
Medium – A medium grind works best with Automatic Drip
Fine – Fine works best with Espresso
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to find a good coffee grinder. A decent one can be had to less than $15.00. As I went about this excursion in the next few years, I found that plenty of people tried to make the coffee making itself much more complicated than it was.
For me, the epiphany was the taste change from commercial to specialty coffee. Fresh roasted specialty coffee. There is nothing like it in the whole world. The reason why is that commercial companies like Folgers and Maxwell House use the cheapest blends, and beans.
Specialty coffees are made from the finest beans from the finest farms. This learning experience also included finding out the differences between Arabica and Robusta coffee beans. Clearly stated, Arabica is the best. Most commercial companies don't use Arabica beans. One of the most comical aspects of coffee is the advertising. For years, commercial companies have advertised that their coffee is “mountain grown”.
The fact of the matter is that all coffee is mountain grown. So, these companies are not really a step above the rest, now are they?
I have been lucky enough to interview several coffee roasters in the past few years, and some have sent me some product. Each coffee roaster puts their own unique stamp on their coffee. My favorite at this point is Smuggler's Brew from Island Joe's Coffee in Key West, Florida. The aroma lasts for hours, smooth, deep brown, and chocolate. The Brew has a nice body, with a decided tang, and a wonderful taste, that is so far beyond bliss that there are no words. Joe's motto is “The Proof is in the Cup”. And it is, it certainly is.
Are you computer monitor and television set getting in the way of each other? Ditch the TV or the PC. You decide with one of these TV to PC or PC to TV Converters.
TV to PC
VisionTek TV Wonder 600
TV Wonder 600. This USB TV tuner is easy to connect and comes with its own remote. With this TV to PC converter you can record your favorite television shows right onto your computer. Simply plug the USB connector into your computer and twist on your cable cord right to the other end. It's Windows Vista capable and has the ability to record in HD. Never had HD capability before? This is just the item for you. If you have a cable box simply plug that in before you plug into your computer. You get all the movie channels you had in HD. This connector also includes an A/V connector, a USB extension cable, a telescopic passive antenna, a full-feature mini remote with receiver and software CD-ROM. This product decodes DVD's and has stereo sound. It can record video in over 5 different formats. All you need is a descent processor, a 512MB RAM if you have Windows XP or 1GB RAM if you have Vista, a sound card and speakers, USB Port, CD-ROM Drive and a TV signal. This has a warranty of up to 1 year and you can get this all under $80.00 available online at bestbuy.com or other online retailers.
PC to TV
Sandisk TakeTV
The Sansa Sandisk TakeTV device allows you to take any video saved on your computer and watch it on your Television set. All you have to do is plug in the USB connector into the port on your computer and load up to 8GB or 10 Hours of material on it. Then simply plug in the AV outs into the inputs on your DVD player, VCR, or Television. Unlike the VisionTek, TakeTV works with Vista, XP, Mac or Linux. This also comes with a remote control for laid back use. And has many viewing modes including 16:9 (Widescreen) aspect ratio. This does cost a bit more and seems to do a lot less at $145.00.
Although the Sandisk TakeTV device allows you to take any video from your computer and watch it on TV, it's much like any other product Sandisk sells. Allowing you to store media and transfer it to another Computer. It would seem much more logical to just burn video programs onto discs and watch them that way.
With the VisionTek TV Wonder 600 you can record anything off the TV and watch it on your computer, burn it off as a DVD, or just save it for later use on your computer. And it allows to watch TV right on your PC so you can get rid of your whole TV system saving a lot of valuable room.
The TV to PC converter seems like the much better deal and its half the price. I hope these insights have helped you.
What a great idea, I just bought a usb tv tuner for my wife's computer and it works great. If you are thinking about buying one, check out one my new websites, the links is above. Have a great day!!!
Tonight’s the night, people! Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains kicks off with a two-hour premiere on CBS at 8pm. But why wait until then to check out some of the action? We’ve got some juicy tidbits for you right here and right now! We’ve got Jeff Probst caught in a sandstorm. We’ve got a topless Sugar flipping off the entire Villains tribe. We’ve got lots of hardcore wrestling and take-downs. We’ve got a sneak peak at some of the challenges you’ll be seeing throughout the season. And we’ve got the hilarity of watching Courtney Yates trying to lift and drag a heavy object. We brought a camera all the way to Samoa to bring you some fun and fascinating behind-the-scenes clips, so get your fix with the three-part video below. And that’s not all! Make sure to also check out Jeff Probst’s Tribal Council tour as well as Jeff’s discussion on players who DIDN’T make the cut for Heroes vs. Villains, and the Survivors themselves talking about who is overrated and doesn’t deserve to be there.) And we have some other special video goodies ready for you tomorrow, so make sure to check my recap and Jeff Probst’s blog on Friday for those. Also, for Survivor scoop sent right to your virtual doorstep, don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @EWDaltonRoss. Now, enjoy watching Jeff Probst slapping me silly…
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Captain Mike @
Boat Props
Gadget and Gear Deals of the Day
Discounted laptops, HDTVs, and a pile of peripherals await inside today's Dealhacker roundup. If busting out the credit card isn't an option today, you'll still find free games, music, and samples.
Computer Gear!
- 17.3″ Toshiba Satellite L555D Laptop for $549.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $650)
- 15.6″ Compaq Presario CQ61 Laptop for $414.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $445)
- 15.6″ Acer Aspire 5517 Laptop for $369.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $470)
- 15.4″ Lenovo ThinkPad SL510 for $549 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $844)
- 21.5″ Dell E2210H 1080p LCD Monitor for $149 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $199.00 – use coupon code ?FZR1V7ZXFBLBS)
- 23″ Lenovo IdeaCentre B500 2.7GHz All-in-One Desktop for $719 with free shipping (Regular Price: $869 – use coupon code USP0114B500).
- HP Pavilion s5380t Core2 Quad Desktop for $599.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $880).
- Dell OptiPlex 380 2.93GHz Desktop + 20″ Dell LCD Monitor for $539 with $35 shipping (Regular Price: $856).
- 18.4″ Toshiba Satellite P500-ST6822 2.2GHz Laptop for $679.20 with free shipping (Regular Price: $849).
- 16.4″ Sony VAIO F1190X Core i7 Laptop for $989 with free shipping (Regular Price: $999).
- 16″ Toshiba Satellite A505-S6989 2.13GHz Intel Core 2 Duo for $540 with free shipping (Regular Price: $756).
- 15.6″ Dell Inspiron 1564 Core i5 Laptop for $769 with $12.95 shipping (Regular Price: $874).
- 15.6″ Acer Aspire AS5532 Laptop for $349.99 plus $14.99 shipping (Regular Price: $408).
- 15.5″ Sony VAIO NW Laptop for $549.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $679).
- 14″ ASUS X83 Laptop for $764.82 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $850 – use this form).
- 14″ Dell Inspiron 14 Laptop with Core 2 Duo Processor 2.2GHz for $649 plus shipping (Regular Price: $853)
- 14″ HP dv4-2170us Core i5 Laptop for $649.98 with free shipping (Regular Price: $809.98)
- 13.3″ Lenovo ThinkPad X301 1.4GHz Laptop for $959.40 with free shipping (Regular Price: $1,599 – use coupon code MSStore-PC-40%).
- 11.6″ Lenovo ThinkPad X100e Laptop for $449 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $584).
- 10″ Dell Inspiron Mini 10 Netbook w/ TV Tuner for $336.54 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $449).
- 10″ Sony VAIO W VPCW121AX Netbook (Pink) for $299 with free shipping (Regular Price: $484.99 – use coupon code MSStore-PC-40%).
- Lenovo P550 Headset for $11 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $20 – use coupon code USPCJ22065).
- 10.1″ MSI Wind U100 Intel Atom N270 Netbook (1GB/160GB/3-Cell Battery) for $259.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $329 – use coupon code: SHINE1130).
- 10.1″ Toshiba Mini NB205-N312/BL Royal Blue Netbook for $327.98 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $372.94).
- 22″ Asus VW224U WideScreen LCD Monitor for $134.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $162.99 – use coupon code LAUGH0315 and this rebate form).
- LaCie Little Disk 320GB USB External Hard Drive for $68.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $88).
- Intel Core i3-530 2.93GHz Processor + ECS H55H-M (rev. 1.0) Motherboard for $166.98 (Regular Price: $199 – use this form).
- Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (OEM) for $92.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $129 – use coupon code: WINTER10).
- Canon PIXMA iP4700 Premium Inkjet Photo Printer for $59.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $79.99).
- OCZ 1GB DDR3 Laptop Memory for $2 with free shipping (Regular Price: $27 – this form).
- Lexmark Interact S605 Wireless 3-in-1 Color Inkjet Printer for $117 with free shipping (Regular Price: $150).
Home Entertainment Gear!
- 55″ LG 55LH85 1080p Wireless LCD HDTV for $1,599.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $2,130)
- 47″ LG 47LG90 1080p LED LCD HDTV for $1,399.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $1,500)
- 42″ Toshiba REGZA 42ZV650U 1080p LED LCD HDTV for $749.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $790)
- Dell Vostro 220 Dual Core Desktop with 24″ Samsung LCD Monitor for $499 (Regular Price: $830)
- 15.6″ Acer Aspire AS5732Z-4280 Intel Dual Core Laptop for $399.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $459.99)
- 14.1″ Lenovo T400 14.1″ Laptop with Intel T8700 Processor, 4GB RAM for $811.20 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $1430 – use coupon code USPSAVE20)
- 25″ I-inc iH-252HPB Widescreen LCD Monitor for $189.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $253)
- Logitech diNovo Mac Edition Wireless Keyboard for $39.99 (Regular Price: $70)
- 55″ Samsung LN55B650 1080p 120Hz LCD TV for $1,479.00 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $1640 – use coupon code LN55B650).
- 47″ Viore LC47VXF60PB 1080p LCD HDTV for $800 shipped (Regular Price: $1020).
- 46″ Sony BRAVIA KDL-46S5100 1080p LCD HDTV for $779 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $850).
- 32″ Sony BRAVIA KDL-32L504 720P LCD TV for $360 with free shipping (Regular Price: $400).
- 32″ Sylvania LC320SLX 720p LCD HDTV for $299.99 (Regular Price: $359.99).
- 23″ VIZIO VM230XVT 1080p LED HDTV for $331.66 with free shipping (Regular Price: $349.99).
- Yamaha RX-V665 7.2ch AV Receiver + Klipsch KSW-10 10in Subwoofer for $499.00 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $599 – use coupon code: FREEGFT1118A).
- Pinnacle MB10000 Home Theater System for $548.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $2500).
- Opteka OPT15 15-Inch Digital Picture Frame with 1GB Built-In Memory for $142.77 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $179.95).
- Free Samsung 2.1-channel soundbar speaker system With the purchase of select Samsung LED-LCD HDTVs (Regular Price: $299.99).
Portable Gear!
- Hoya 77mm DMC PRO1 Digital Circular Polarizer Glass Filter for $129.99 (Regular Price $325)
- Zune HD 32GB Video MP3 Player for $259.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $280 – use coupon code EMCYZNZ45)
- Sennheiser RS 140 Wireless Balanced Headphones for $99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $119)
- DeLonghi HHP1500 Safeheat Mica Panel Radiator Heater for $69.95 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $88)
- AT&T Wireless Unlimited Calling Plan for $69.99 shipping (Regular Price: $100)
- 5dot Connect Laptop Sleeve for $7 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $22.99)
- Creative Labs Vado HD 8 GB Pocket Video Camcorder, 2nd Generation for $114.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $199.99).
- Nikon Coolpix S620 12.2MP Digital Camera for $229.95 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $269.65).
- Sony Cybershot DSC-TX1 Digital Camera for $299 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $314).
- Skullcandy INK'D Earbuds for $10.17 (Regular Price: $17.95).
- Sony MDRRF970RK 900 MHz Analog RF Wireless Headphone for $58.77 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $64.23).
- Flip Mino F360B Video Pocket Camcorder for $96.99 with free shipping (Regular Price: $119.99).
- Kodak EASYSHARE Z1485 14 Megapixel Digital Camera for $120 with free shipping (Regular Price: $180).
- Canon VIXIA HF20 HD Dual Flash Camcorder for $599 with free shipping (Regular Price: $699).
- Nikon Coolpix P90 12.1MP Digital Camera w/ Tilt LCD for $322.98 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $349).
- Invisio G5 Bluetooth Headset for $29.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $79.95).
- HP Photosmart E327 5MP Digital Camera for $29.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $115).
- Fujifilm Finepix Z37 10MP Digital Camera for $99.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $122.22).
- SteelSeries 5H v2 USB Headset with Soundcard for $89.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $120).
- JBuds J3M Micro Atomic In-Ear Earphones with Microphone Compatible with iPhone for $29.95 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $39.99).
- Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10 Noise Isolating Earphones for $198.89 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $365.49).
- Creative Labs Vado 2GB Pocket Video Camcorder for $39.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $94).
- Nokia E63 Cell Phone (Unlocked, Quad-Band GSM, 3G) for $149.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $199 – use coupon code: $NC714XVMPS9FM).
- Kodak EasyShare Z1485 14MP Digital Camera for $119.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $170).
Free Stuff!
- Sunbelt Granola Bars box, BOGO Coupon for $0 (print this PDF)
- All The Pretty Girls by fun (MP3) for $0 (download here).
- Alien Glyphs (iPhone/iPod Touch) for $0 (Regular Price: $1.99).
- Samples of Prilosec for $0 (use this form)
- Free Selena Gomez “Naturally” Music Download for $0 (use this form)
- Reign of Swords (iPhone) for $0 (Regular Price: $2.99).
- Stamps.com 4-week trial with $25 worth of postage, digital scale, supplies for $0
- We've Got A Long Way To Go by Joe Perry (MP3) for $0 (download here).
- 50 Digital Photos Printed by CVS for $0 (Regular Price: $9, use this form).
Thanks Dealzon, TechDealDigger, Slickdeals, Fatwallet, TechBargains, CheapStingyBargains, CheapCollegeGamers, and GamerHotline!
Send an email to Jason Fitzpatrick, the author of this post, at jason@lifehacker.com.
Apple iPad’s most striking feature, its gorgeous 9.7-inch touchscreen display, uses liquid crystal display technology — but with a few unusual twists — to present a vivid image and a wide viewing angle.
“The iPad’s display uses the same capacitive touchscreen technology as the iPhone and iPod Touch,” says Vinita Jakhanwal, principal analyst for iSuppli. “At the same time, it offers a better picture quality than conventional LCDs.”
After months of speculation, Apple launched its tablet, the iPad on Wednesday. The lightweight device (1.5 pounds) features a luminous touchscreen and a user interface similar to the iPhone. The iPad, which can cost $500 to $830 depending on the model, runs an expanded version of the operating system used in the iPhone.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced the iPad’s screen as a LED-backlit with In-Plane Switching (IPS). Jobs was referring to a type of LCD screen that is more often found in HDTVs than it is in mobile devices.
So-called twisted nematic LCDs have dominated consumer laptop and phone displays. The viewing angle on these screens is limited, ranging from 110 to 120 degrees. When the screen is viewed outside this optimal range, its colors can look “off” and the overall image is faded or invisible.
In-Plane Switching helps fix those problems. In IPS LCD screens, the crystal molecules are oriented so their motion is parallel to the panel, instead of perpendicular to it. For viewers, the result is a very wide viewing angle — up to 180 degrees — with brilliant color.
“TVs have always used some variation of IPS in their LCD screens but now we are seeing this move to smaller computing devices,” says Jakhanwal.
The iPad’s screen, though, doesn’t have a wide aspect ratio, which is unusual in the TV-display world, says research firm DisplaySearch. Instead of a 16:10 or 16:9 aspect ratio, the iPad screen uses a 4:3 ratio.
“Perhaps they were trying to find a middle ground between the requirements for books, magazines and newspapers and the requirements for video and gaming,” say analysts at DisplaySearch.
The iPad display has some other interesting features. It is arsenic- and mecury-free and has a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating, which Apple had introduced in the iPhone 3G S. The iPad’s 1024 x 768 display resolution, at 132 pixels per inch, has chunkier pixels than the iPhone 3G S, which has a smaller display but a resolution of 163 pixels per inch.
But that may not be a fair comparison, says Jakhanwal. “If you have a smaller form factor, you need a higher resolution to better read the information on the display,” she says. Also, she adds, “the iPad has a more vivid display than a laptop screen.”
The iPad’s display is likely sourced from LG Display and Innolux, says iSuppli.
The biggest disappointment for tech enthusiasts is the lack of an OLED screen option in the iPad. That should be no surprise, say DisplaySearch and iSuppli. Display manufacturers just don’t have the fabrication capacity to create large quantities of big OLED displays, says Jakhanwal.
“The single supplier for active-matrix OLED screen today, Samsung Mobile, current production capacity is all taken up by the mobile phone market,” she says. That means large volumes of very small screens.
“It’s unlikely they will scale back on that to produce lower volume, larger displays for Apple.”
Sony also produces OLED screens but in limited quantities, largely for its own products, like the Sony XEL-1.
Though Apple showed the iPad’s potential as an e-book reader, iSuppli and DisplaySearch remain skeptical about it. LCD screens, even in black-and-white mode, get washed out in bright sunlight. And if users turn on the backlight to improve the contrast, they are likely to draw down the device’s battery. On top of that, reading on an LCD means you’re staring into a light source, which produces more eyestrain than reading words by reflected light, as you do with printed pages or E Ink displays like those used in the Kindle, Nook and Sony Reader.
“Ultimately, reading for a few hours on a handheld LCD screen can be quite a strain,” says Jakhanwal.
See Also:
- Live Coverage: Apple’s Special Tablet Event
- Would You Buy an iPad? Wired Readers Weigh In
- With iPad, Apple Still Has a Fatal Attraction for AT&T
- Give Us Your Personal Download On the iPad
- A Closer Look at Apple’s New Tablet, the iPad
Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
Sony L Series All-In-One Touch-Enabled HD TV/PC At CES 2010
Touchscreen devices are all the rage right now and when you throw in a quad band processor, blu-ray and top notch graphics, what you end up with is a Sony All-In-One L Seriesd desktop that’s worth a closer look.
The Sony L Series All-In-One was shown off at CES 2010 and offers a blu-ray drive, while running on an Intel Core 2 Quad processor, showing off a NVIDIA graphics card and an NTSC / ATSC TV Tuner.
The screen in question is a 24 inch (16:9) Widescreen HD display that offers smooth touchscreen interfacing with quick response times and overall great output for both videos and desktop applications.
These days, buying a decent plasma is often a lot more expensive than building your own media center. If you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years, a media center is basically a PC that’s focused solely on media playback. Check out our PDF guide on how to set up your own media center, written by Stefan Neagu.
For the past year or so, I’ve been using Windows 7 on my media center. It’s quick, smooth, and the new Windows Media Center makes it an incredible improvement over Vista. It also supports most PCI TV tuners. Lately, I came to realize the stupidity of all it. Television shows haven’t been accounting to much lately, and the Windows 7 price tag isn’t worth it if you’re only using it for music and movies.
Enna
Although Boxee seemed the more obvious choice, it loses the high ground if you lack a decent internet connection. Just when I was about to give up hope, I heard about Enna – an incredible open source Linux media center, developed by the GeeXboX team, and ready for its first public release.
Enna can be installed on top of your Linux distro (e.g. Ubuntu) as a standalone app. But if you don’t want to make “the switch”, you can just use the GeeXboX live CD. You can boot Enna straight from the disk, without installing any alternative operating systems. If you want, you can even keep your default Windows installation running underneath.
Movies and Music
Keep in mind that the Enna Linux media center is a very standard app. It packs the very basic features in a most enticing and graphical user interface. If you’re looking for a surplus of widgets and online connectivity, you’re probably looking for Boxee.
That said, if you’re a standard media freak, Enna should sate your initial hunger, especially for a first public release.
Enna is great for browsing media files on your hard disk – both video and audio. You can also use Enna to pop an old-fashioned DVD. Sadly, this first release does not yet support audio CDs. This feature is promised to be included in one of the other upcoming releases, together with podcast support and VDB TV tuner functionality.
Photographs and Books
Apart from video and music, you can also use the Enna Linux media center software for photo slideshows. Next time your mother-in-law celebrates another wrinkle, surprise her and the rest of the family with a stunning slideshow. I’m not much of a picture-person myself, but I love to use slideshows to decorate a room, and create a pleasant ambience.
This last feature came as a surprise to me. In the bookstore, you can grab your favorite books and comics from the web, and read them from the couch. Enna currently supports GoComics and OneManga for content synchronisation.
Obviously, you want be able to read Shakespeare on your media center, but you can flick through a few (web)comics when you’re bored. As the names suggest, you can access both western comic panels and Japanese manga. Download Enna Media Center here.
What do you think of Enna? Or do you prefer another media center? Tell us which and why in the comments section below!
Thanks to the new and modern mobile technologies. Today we can do which were dreams in the past. We can get in touch with our friends and family due to cell phones, surf the web while in the go using Laptops (mobile computers) and also Cell phone (mobile phones). Now we can even connect to the TV to watch our favourite programme any where using different devices. Its no hurry to reach home on time just to watch our favourite drama serial. We can watch TV using our Laptop computers or mobile phones. There are loads of TV turners available in the market by connecting them to laptop/mobiles we can watch the programmes, recorded shows and also connect to the radio.
We can get lots of TV turners which are not expensive either and these turners are packed with multimedia features too.
TV turners are actually devices that receive the TV signals for the Laptop/mobile. In simple language TV turners are the same devices which are also present in the VCR and after some modification it is made compatible to work with laptops. There are different Turners now available like Internal TV tuners; PCI based TV Tuner Cards and External TV tuners.
PCI based TV Tuner Cards are useful for desktops only. External TV tuners are the ones for laptop computers. There are different models and brands available but most popular one is USB 2.0 which are USB 2.0 based TV turner. This USB 2.0 based TV turners compatible with laptop equal or more than2.0 USB port. USB 2.0 based TV turner connects with laptop via the USB cable (as the name shows).Some other options like Sling Box and MobiTV are also popular.
Sling Box is small device or a gadget for a brand-new mobile program(laptop/mobile phones).Sling box let you watch the TV programmes on the Laptop and also Mobile phone any where in the world. The installation of Sling Box is simple. Connect the Sling Box device to the TV(digital cable set top box or satellite receiver)or VCR/DVD and also to home desktop computer (connected with high speed/broadband internet connection).The Software inside the Laptop captures the transmission. There are different versions of Sling Box
Sling box AV is for normal laptop and mobile phone .Sling box SOLO is a device for HD Compatible devices. Sling box PRO is the upgraded version and covers Multiple Inputs like HD Compatible as well as Sling Player Mobile.
Sling Player Mobile is a device only for Mobile phone (smart phones, Symbian cell phones and PDAs) with Windows Pc.
The Sling box costs $29.99 (one-time fee only).A trial version of Sling Player Mobile is available for free to download from the web site www.slingmedia.com, it is right now a beta program. Some of phones which are computable to receive TV transmission are Nextel's i930, T-Mobile's SDA handset, Dell Axim X51v, T-Mobile's MDA, Treo 700w with EV, Cingular's 8125, Sprint's PPC-6700, Verizon's XV6700.
Unlike Sling Box the MobiTV has monthly charges of about $9.99 / month.MobiTV works (compatible) with any PC connected with broadband. The service is available within the states only (not all over the world) for desk top PCs and laptops. There is no need to install any hardware or soft ware. It's like a live telecast of TV channel through broadband on the laptop.
Sling box is more popular than any other option and handier. Only one time cost is involved. The picture and sound quality is very good. The ease of use is making it even more popular.