Netflix has provided over the top (OTT) video streaming via its “Watch Instantly” service for quite sometime, but until yesterday there was little to fundamentally differentiate that service (besides convenience, and the need for high-speed Internet) from a trip to the video store or the mailbox. Introducing original programming changed that – moving the company in a more interesting, welcome, […]
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The first generation Google TVs were Intel-powered, and if those original Google TV devices had been the runaway successes that Google had hoped, then Intel today would have a pretty big foot in the door of the smart TV market. Instead, the general consensus is that Google TV v1.0 flopped, sending Google back to the drawing board for v2.0, and […]
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Samsung is one of the world’s largest cell phone manufacturers and Corning’s exceedingly strong and scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass has been extremely popular for cell phone displays. The two companies have found success working together before, and now the two companies are working together on a new type of glass called Lotus Glass. Lotus Glass is intended to be used in […]
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Over the last few years the major NAS vendors have settled into some routines when it comes to product categories. Some NAS poduct lines are targeted at home and SMB users while others are geared more toward medium-sized businesses. Each product line typically delivers some 2-bay and some 4-bay devices, with the occasional single drive and 6-bay system thrown in for variety. […]
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Today was an exciting day for Netflix. They launched their first original series, Lillyhammer, and got to watch Redbox unload on them with both barrels. Redbox has risen rapidly in the last few years to become Netflix’s biggest competitor in the DVD and Blu-ray rental market, and today Redbox made two major announcements that signal their intention to be even […]
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Kaleidescape has made its mark with its high-end DVD and Blu-ray distribution systems and media servers. While many DIYers have built their own solutions for serving movies across their home networks, Kaleidescape’s systems are intended to deliver the same experience to any user in a sleek, albeit expensive, turnkey package. At the heart of a Kaleidescape system is the Kaleidescape Server for storing […]
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Logitech’s Harmony remotes can control just about any device because they are programmed by communicating with the Harmony servers via MyHarmony.com, synching the remote and its functions to the gigantic database of devices and IR codes that the company has compiled. The Harmony Link takes the concept of the Harmony remote a step further by ditching the physical remote in […]
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Google TV has received a major update that brings the platform up to Android 3.2. The update is rolling out to Sony devices first, but is eventually expected to be made available for the Logitech Revue as well. The move to Honeycomb brings with it a few big changes for Google TV, including hardware acceleration for apps, an improved Chrome […]
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I recently wrote about my experiences installing MythTV on my Windows laptop. While it’s been working great, I recently ran into a problem and wanted to share the solution. While playing with some settings in the various menus – sometimes I just can’t help myself – I got myself into a pickle that I just couldn’t fix. As it turns […]
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For many of us, a home network is not complete without some storage attached. NAS devices and home servers are the ideal way to serve up media throughout a home, and for folks who like to roll their own systems, FreeNAS has long been a popular OS option. Certainly it is a popular topic here in our forums and a […]
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