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Orb for Mac finally arrives, streams media from OS X to any internet-connected device

by Darren Murph posted Nov 6th 2009 at 8:43AM

Wow, where've you been, Orb? It's been a full year since we heard anything from the once-adored media streaming outfit, and while it's been streaming out content to iPhones for quite some time, those relying on Macs to do it have been left in the damp night air. Until now, that is. Orb for Macintosh has finally hit the streets, bringing with it OS X 10.5 and 10.6 compatibility that enables any and all media from iTunes to be sent out over the internet and consumed on any outside device with access to the web. We're talking laptops, UMPCs, smartphones and even that ancient PC your grandmother still uses with Windows ME. There's no mention of any DRM restrictions, and it'll even allow you to stream live TV if you can manage to connect a tuner card to your Apple. Oh, and did we mention that Orb is completely free? Hit the download link below to get your weekend started off right.

Read - Download Orb
Read - Press release

Samsung's 2009 Blu-ray player lineup officially priced

by Darren Murph posted Mar 31st 2009 at 12:42PM


When Samsung's 2009 Blu-ray player lineup was outed at CES this year, all pricing and release date information was conveniently omitted. At long last, Sammy has pushed out the details we've been waiting for at its Spring Fever event in New York City. Granted, the BD-P3600 and BD-P1600 are already on store shelves for $399.99 and $299.99, respectively, but we figured it prudent to pass along those official numbers straight from the source. Of note, we're also told that the ultrathin BD-P4600 will indeed be coming in April for $499.99, and if Best Buy's website is to be believed, it'll be April 19th if we're talking specifics.

Gallery: Samsung's 2009 Blu-ray player lineup

Sony's BRAVIA KDL-46V5100 LCD HDTV goes on sale

by Darren Murph posted Feb 11th 2009 at 2:17PM


Sony told us not to expect its newest BRAVIA V-, S-, and L-series HDTVs until this Spring, but apparently the 46-inch KDL-46V5100 is ready to roll. Available for ordering right now on the company's B2B website, the 52.6 pound set checks in with a 1080p panel, 120Hz Motionflow technology to remove judder, integrated stereo speakers, the BRAVIA Engine 2 and an NTSC / ATSC / ClearQAM TV tuner. Get yours on the way now for $1,899.99, and keep a close eye for availability on all of its siblings -- surely they aren't too far from the shipping dock, either.

Update: Whoa, Charlie! Sony pinged us to say that someone pulled the trigger a tad early, and that this set won't actually ship until early March. Hate to burst your bubble!

[Via TVLampsNBulbs]

Pioneer's LX01BD Blu-ray home cinema system now available in Europe

by Darren Murph posted Nov 9th 2008 at 3:39PM


Remember that ultra-sleek Pioneer LX01BD HTIB system that was introduced back in June? No? Well, for those in Europe, today's a great day to get caught up. The system, which bundles a Profile 1.1 BonusView Blu-ray player with a 5.1-channel amplifier and an equal amount of speakers, is finally available for sale in Europe. The player boasts two-in / one-out HDMI connections, Deep Color support, 1080p playback and internal DTS-HD Master Audio / Dolby TrueHD processing. If only the reported £2,000 ($3,154) price tag was easier to digest, we might actually be excited.

[Via ElectricPig]

Gallery: Pioneer's LX01BD Blu-ray home cinema system now available in Europe

Sharp's 108-inch LCD coming soon to an oil magnate near you

by Steven Kim posted Oct 21st 2008 at 1:11PM

Sharp LB-1085 LCD
Making your company's flagship, mega-dollar products available in markets with lots of money just makes sense, so the announcement that Sharp is putting its 108-inch LB-1085 on shelves in the Middle East isn't exactly a lightbulb moment. At least Sharp was polite enough to introduce the behemoth to USA shores before making it available to retailers in, say, UAE. The press release doesn't mention pricing info, but we've got a feeling that the $100,000 range is about right and qualifies as an impulse buy for the target demographic. Of course, you'll want to take in the glory of this 24x7, and Sharp ensures that the set is up to the task.

LG's BD300 Netflix / Blu-ray deck ships on October 10 for $349

by Darren Murph posted Oct 2nd 2008 at 10:42PM


Contrary to what LG coerced us into believing at CEDIA, its Netflix / Blu-ray-lovin' BD300 will actually be sold a full $50 cheaper than the previously quoted $399.95. Circuit City has the deck up for pre-order right this very moment for $349.99 (okay, so maybe that's not a full $50, but c'mon), and better still, the retailer is listing an October 10th release date. Now that Netflix has inked deals with CBS, ABC and Starz, there's just one question left: are you in for three fifty?

[Thanks, Joshua]

Sony's BDP-S350 Blu-ray player hitting Canada this month

by Darren Murph posted Aug 18th 2008 at 3:01PM


First came the US, then came the UK. Now, it's Canada's turn. Sony Canada has just announced that the BDP-S350 Blu-ray player will be made available "later this month" at Sony Style retail outlets, SonyStyle.ca and other authorized Sony retailers in the Great North. By this point, you should know all there is to know about this BonusView-packin', BD-Live-ready machine, and yes, the $400 price tag remains in tact.

[Via Digital Home]

Sony's XEL-1 OLED TV spotted at Sam's Club for $1,748

by Darren Murph posted Aug 5th 2008 at 1:47PM


You can order up Sony's XEL-1 OLED TV from SonyStyle.com right now for $2,499.99 and hope that it ships by tomorrow. Or, you can waltz on down to your local Sam's Club, plunk down for a membership and walk out with the previously mentioned set for just $1,748.51. We can't say for sure if these units are available at Clubs nationwide just yet, but that's a comparatively delicious price for those in the market for an ultra-small, ultrathin OLED TV. Anyone care to guess how cheap this thing will be on Black Friday?

[Thanks, Vishal]

DISH Network's DTVPal converter box goes retail at Sears

by Darren Murph posted Jul 22nd 2008 at 6:58PM


Although DISH Network's $59.99 DTVPal converter box went on sale late last month, you've had to order it via the DTVPal website or by phone... until now. The NTIA-approved (meaning you can use your $40 voucher on it) box will soon start surfacing in 511 Sears retail locations along with 194 Sears Dealer stores, meaning that you can actually get in your vehicle and pick one up should you choose to do so. For us introverts, we'd still much rather have a brown box dropped off at our doorstep, but oftentimes there's nothing like instant gratification.

DISH Network's $59.99 DTVPal now shipping

by Darren Murph posted Jun 27th 2008 at 12:45AM


Heads-up, DTV holdouts. Your digital-to-analog converter box has arrived, and it's shipping right now. DISH Network's DTVPal (known as the Sling TR-40 in a previous life) can be snapped up as we speak from the DTVPal website or by phone. Best of all, the $59.99 box qualifies for the NTIA's coupon program, meaning that you can procure one for just $19.99 -- if your voucher hasn't expired yet, that is. For those still on the fence, you can check out a review of the box here.

Samsung's 1080p SP-A800B DLP projector now available

by Darren Murph posted Jun 19th 2008 at 3:39PM


It took nearly a year to get here, but shortly after being reviewed, Samsung's upscale SP-A800B DLP projector is finally available in the USA. Co-developed with industry legend Joe Kane, this 1080p PJ features a native contrast ratio of 10,000:1, a 95% aperture ratio, 16-microsecond response time and a full 1,920 x 1,080 resolution. Additionally, it hums along quietly at 25dB and gets backed by a two-year warranty. Sammy's not bothering to tell you the price, but we've heard it'll list for just under ten grand.

Sharp's 108-inch LB-1085 LCD HDTV comes Stateside in September

by Darren Murph posted Jun 18th 2008 at 12:04PM


Sharp's biggest announcement at InfoComm isn't the plethora of new projectors and LCD monitors. No, dear friends, it's the proclamation that its 108-inch LB-1085 1080p display will soon be available right here in the US of A. Sharp's smart enough to not let out a US price just yet, but our handy Japanese currency conversion calculation puts it somewhere around $100,000. Chump change, right?

HP MediaSmart Connect brings digital media to your HDTV

by Darren Murph posted Jun 17th 2008 at 12:41AM


Yeah, you may be burning that midnight oil, but your weariness isn't the reason you're certain you've seen this thing before. Touted at CES as the MediaSmart Receiver, the re-dubbed MediaSmart Connect is finally available for pre-order. Just as we heard before, this unit takes full advantage of Extender for Windows Media Center technology, and although it possesses no internal storage space, it will pull in digital media from around your home (and a variety of online media outlets) and pipe it straight to your HDTV. The unit plays nice with other UPnP- and DLNA-compliant devices and includes 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi, an Ethernet port, HDMI / component jacks and support for MPEG2/4, DivX, XviD, WMV, MP3, WMA, AAC, JPEG and BMP files (among others). Prospective buyers can get their order in today for $349.

DirecTV's HR21 Pro gets inspected, now available

by Darren Murph posted Mar 6th 2008 at 5:01PM


Remember that gorgeous new DirecTV HD DVR that stirred the pot at CEDIA last September? Sure enough, said box is finally available to the masses. Of course, it will run you $599 to own, but that's where DBSTalk's first look comes in -- to help you decide, not help you finance it. Those lucky buggers managed to snag one of their very own and test it out, and noted that it came stocked with a 500GB Seagate drive and the same software set as the HR21-200. Also of note, the HDMI socket is v1.2 (with HDCP 1.1), and there's more ports 'round back than you can shake a stick at. Anxious for more? Head on down to the read link for a bevy of snapshots and the full blown review.

[Thanks, Earl]

Panasonic's TH-103PF9UK 103-inch plasma now shipping

by Darren Murph posted Dec 7th 2006 at 1:46PM


As if the massive billboard just before the Lincoln Tunnel wasn't drool-worthy enough, and if you've been pinching those pennies ever since this beauty became available for pre-order, your wait is at long last over. Panny's mighty expansive 103-inch plasma is ready to go, and can be shipped out to your domicile right now for the not-exactly-convenient price of $69,999.95. While none of the specs have changed, at least this thing can start finding its way onto delivery trucks after all the gazing that's been done, but you might want to rent a forklift to hoist this monster up your stairs when it arrives. Oh, and if the 70 large is a bit too steep for you at the moment, Panasonic's being all generous and offering "special finance rates" if you prefer to make payments on this thing until kingdom come.




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