Kaleidescape joins the iPhone as a remote party

by **Ben Drawbaugh** posted Sep 10th 2009 at 10:53AM

It is only a matter of time before every single company in the world makes some kind of iPhone/iPod Touch app and if you make home theater gear that mean it is a remote. Remotescape for the Kaleidescape is the latest addition and from the looks of the Youtube video embedded after the break, it is a pretty slick mix of gestures and cover art goodness. The bad news of course is that the graphics in the interface are on par with the rest of Kaleidescape's products and the price tag is $69 -- but if you dropped the $50k on the Kaleidescape media server, then you probably think that is cheap for a iPhone app.

by **Nilay Patel** posted Jul 20th 2009 at 12:44PM

Although Apple still hasn't managed to achieve feature parity with any of its competitors by enabling Blu-ray playback in OS X, it looks like Universal's bringing the mountain to the Mac -- or at least the iPhone. At first, the upcoming special edition of Fast and Furious will feature integration with a special iPhone / iPod touch app that'll allow viewers to control 360-degree models of the cars in the "Virtual Car Garage," but later Universal releases will feature the ability to control movie playback, read annotations while watching your flick, and even download ancillary video content for later playback on the go. Sounds like pretty nifty stuff -- let's hope El Steve reconsiders his whole "bag of hurt" stance when he gets the demo.

[Via AppleInsider]

by **Darren Murph** posted Apr 13th 2009 at 12:01AM

HP's MediaSmart Server ex487 (1.5TB) and ex485 (750GB) both received copious amounts of praise when launched late last year, but considering just how many issues the original two had (the ex470 and ex475), it wouldn't take much to best 'em. Today, HP is issuing its second firmware update of the year for the series, but the first ever for the newest duo -- and make no mistake, it's a big one. The v2.5 update adds in loads of new features, far too many to cover in this space, in fact. If you're interested in hearing more, follow us past the break for all the details.

Gallery: Firmware update brings file conversion, iPhone access to HP's MediaSmart ex485 / ex487

by **Ben Drawbaugh** posted Mar 15th 2009 at 10:40PM

The latest thing from our friends at Boxee most definitely makes perfect sense to us. Take two really cool gadgets like Boxee and an iPhone (or iPod Touch) and make them work together. We spent a few minutes playing with the free app and have to say it's the best 3rd party remote app we've tried. While most remote apps on Apple's app store are examples of how crappy a remote can be, the Boxee app pulls down cover art and adds controls that aren't possible with the Apple TV's remote. But more important than anything else, the Boxee app actually makes it easier to control Boxee then with the remote itself by thinking out of the box and adding gestures into the mix. To us this is very important as touch screen remotes are inherently crippled at navigating on-screen menus unless you actually like to continuously look up and down just to select something. The gestures are implemented well and are a pleasure to use, but just in case you don't like them, you can turn them off and switch to buttons. Overall we really like the app, but the one thing you can't do is actually launch Boxee on the iPhone. This doesn't surprise us, in fact we're not sure it would even be possible, but it would still be nice.

Gallery: Boxee iPhone app

by **Ben Drawbaugh** posted Jan 20th 2009 at 11:19AM

VUDU keeps on rolling with new additions and this week it's an application for all those iPhone and iPod Touch owners. The free download allows you to browse or search the selection -- something that previously required a VUDU, or registered users could do on VUDU.com. It works pretty fast over 3G and even allows you to queue up rentals or purchases on the go -- nice. But it seems there isn't a way to add things to your wish list or to even rate titles; and worst of all, you can't use it as a remote for your VUDU -- which probably wouldn't be as useful as it is cool.

Gallery: Vudu releases iPhone/iPod Touch app

[Thanks, Rob]

by **Darren Murph** posted Dec 4th 2008 at 10:15PM

Back in February, we saw NetBlender blend in Blu-ray support to its DoStudio authoring software. Now, version 1.6 is packing even more BD-related goodness, and it's BD Touch in particular that we're intrigued by. The latest flavor of DoStudio includes expanded capabilities such as Slideshows, Dolby TrueHD support, and BD Touch integration, not to mention a number of workflow enhancements including copy / paste, enhanced asset validation, printable reports, etc. As for BD Touch, this software now gives production outfits (or just entrepreneurial individuals) the ability to bake in support for iPhone control when the disc is played back in a PlayStation 3. The application is available for a $395 monthly rental fee, $2,495 for a 1-year license or $6,995 for a permanent license.

[Thanks, Jason]

by **Darren Murph** posted Nov 16th 2008 at 6:05AM

Talk about being on a hot streak. Netflix has been the talk of the town here lately, hiring a new guy to concentrate on digital distribution, nixing HD DVD rentals for good and showing up on your iPod touch / iPhone. You heard right -- thanks to a new third-party application from i.TV, users can now manage their Netflix queue right from their handheld. In the app, users can see detailed content information, ratings, cast credits and recommendations, and you can even sign up for access or link to an existing account. Oh, and did we mention it's free to download? Because it is.

by **Ben Drawbaugh** posted Sep 26th 2008 at 1:57PM

Home automation/remote control applications for the iPhone/iTouch are a dime a dozen and most of them are pretty boring. We had the same feeling about the first version of the Intelliphone application when we saw it, but the latest version is a bit more interesting. What makes it more interesting is that not only can you use the ugly interface as a remote to control your Windows Media Center, but now you can also use it as a mouse and keyboard. More importantly this means you can take that mouse hidden in the cushions of the couch or the keyboard under the coffee table and put them back in the office where they belong. Because now, for $24, when that annoying dialog box pops up on your Vista Media Center, you can just pull out your iPod Touch and click OK.

[Via The Digital Livestyle]

by **Ben Drawbaugh** posted Jun 14th 2008 at 6:07PM

Anyone who's spent any time playing with an iPhone or a iPod Touch knows that its multi-touch interface is a hugh step forward in touch screen technology. So it's no wonder that everyone wants to control all of their electronics this way; and with the imminent release of Apple's application store, we're sure there are going to be a lot of interesting applications. The new AirRemote hits close to home for us though, as we're always looking for the next best thing in remotes. The big catch here is the price, while most universal remotes are less than $200, the AirRemote needs a little help from a home automation guru's favorite hardware, the GC-100 from Global Cache. The GC-100 is basically an Ethernet to IR and RS-232 bridge that helps the iPhone fill in a big missing feature that any HT remote needs, an IR blaster. The problem is it isn't cheap, 'cause as cool as this idea is, at $550 it's a bit expensive -- assuming $300 for an iPod Touch, $150 for the GC-100, and $100 for the software. But the price isn't even the biggest problem though, the real issue is a remote without any hard buttons isn't very useful for the usual HT duties like; fast forward, rewind, channel up, and volume. Because having to look down to hit the buttons, makes the remote impossible to use without taking your eyes off the action.

by **Richard Lawler** posted Apr 10th 2008 at 7:57PM

Ending the awful (two) days of waiting, NetBlender's officially presenting its latest innovation, BD Touch. Bringing together Apple's iPhone/iPod Touch and Blu-ray's BD-Live internet connection to potentially allow combinations like sending copies of a movie to iPhone directly from the disc menu, viewing fan created content in sync with a movie or, yes, using the iPhone as a remote control. All that geolocation, 3D motion sensitive, multitouch and predictive keyboard could be a part of our favorite movie (The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension) -- once some developer makes it happen. The disc authoring end of the tool is built into NetBlender's DoStudio software, while there are two iPhone SDKs (the Connect SDK is free, while the Premiere Blend/In SDK adds functionality but requires certification and licensing) available. Video demos are after the jump, so take a look and see what you can come up with.

by **Richard Lawler** posted Apr 8th 2008 at 9:56PM

NetBlender is preparing to reveal new technology aimed squarely at connecting Blu-ray content to Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch, called BD Touch. Designed to "leverage network capabilities of Blu-ray players" Macworld UK surmises it could lead to possible use of those devices as a remote control for Blu-ray players, but given NetBlender's history of authoring tools we see the potential for an add-on that easily helps developers implement features like Digital Copy or BD-Live enabled ringtone purchases. Remote control -- or better yet Remote Play style -- apps could be interesting however, so we'll keep an eye out for the official announcement, expected April 10.

by **Ben Drawbaugh** posted Dec 20th 2007 at 3:20PM

The dream of an automated house has never been more achievable, and thanks to DIY software like Cinemar's Mainlobby, just about anyone can roll their own at a reasonable price. Of course, the more you can control with your home automation system the better. Now, in addition to being able to control lighting, security, home theater gear, thermostats, whole house audio and manage all your movies from a wall mounted touch screen, Mainlobby owners will soon be able to use their iPod Touch or iPhone as a remote. The key to making this work is Mainlobby's built in web server and Safari's extensive AJAX support -- sorry Windows Mobile fans. Unfortunately, this is only a first look, but these examples will be included in future versions of MLServer. And considering the lead developer on the project plans to use it as his "primary handheld controller," it should mean lots of future development. More pictures after the jump.

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