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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

brite-View's CinemaTube adds 1080p streaming, YouTube XL to the mix

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Sep 1st 2009 at 11:29AM

We're not sure who decided to follow up the award-winning brite-View CinemaCube with something called the CinemaTube, but the latter certainly lives up to it's change of a single letter, adding full 1080p streaming and embedded YouTube XL to its predecessor's already potent mix of supported video and audio formats (including H.264, XviD, and MPEG1/2/4), a bit.torrent engine, and USB storage support. Shipping on September 21, it'll retail for $129.99 -- but if you pre-order now you get it for $99.99. Hit the read link for all the gory details. We're praying that the company's next device is not called the CinemaRube -- that would be just plain mean.

[Via GizmoScene]

boxee's App Box and API go live, could come to other hardware soon

by Darren Murph posted Apr 9th 2009 at 9:24AM


Not that there should be any shock surrounding the formal introduction of boxee's App Box and API -- after all, both were teased sufficiently during last month's bleeding edge alpha release -- but we're still thrilled to see things moving along nicely. This week, the open source media platform launched both an API and an application portal, both of which will act to bring all manners of third-party gems to the media browsing world. boxee doesn't plan on being any sort of gatekeeper (at least for now), which hopefully will spur innovation and get more developers interested. In related news, ArsTechnica has also found that boxee is currently in talks with a few big players in the hardware space, essentially hoping to get its 1s and 0s onto game consoles, Blu-ray players and other set-top-boxes. There's no clue as to the whens and wheres, but we suspect this means there will be no dedicated STB in the near future -- for better or worse.

[Via ArsTechnica]

Sewell's WiFi-based HD Media Extender should be more affordable

by Darren Murph posted Apr 7th 2009 at 6:32PM


You know what's most annoying about wireless HD solutions? Two things, really. First off, 95 percent of 'em only come out to play at trade shows. Secondly, the other 5 percent require you to refinance your now-worthless home to even procure 'em. Sewell, a company known for delivering unexpected treasures when it comes to adapters, has just pumped out its very own wireless HDMI media extender. The good news is that it's shipping right now and it relies on 802.11a/n technology rather than WHDI, UWB or any other less ubiquitous option. The bad news is that 15 to 30 feet of cord-free AV goodness will set you back $1,199.95. You can weigh the pros and cons yourself, but we'll be begrudgingly sticking with coat hangers cheap-o interconnects 'til it becomes just a touch more of a bargain.

Aleratec slashes prices of Blu-ray recording wares

by Darren Murph posted Mar 26th 2009 at 3:15AM


If you've been holding off on buying yourself a Blu-ray duplicator, bravo. Aleratec has just announced price drops of up to 65 percent on its 1:3 Copy Cruiser Blu LS LightScribe-enabled disc publisher and its 4x BD-R Blu-ray recording media. The former has seen a 25 percent dip down to $1,575, and for those unaware, it provides the ability to produce a trio of Blu-ray Discs at 6x each. The latter is potentially most riveting, with a 10-pack of "duplicator grade" BD-R media falling all the way down to $57.99 (MSRP). By our math, that's under six bucks a disc, and that's definitely hovering a lot closer to respectable than what we've seen in months past.

Comcast COO talks internet streaming, la carte pricing

by Darren Murph posted Mar 16th 2009 at 5:27AM

Looking for an inside view of the cable company realm? How's about a mouthful from Comcast COO Steve Burke? Said executive recently sat down for an interview with TechFlash, and we have to say, it's one of the most interesting reads we've seen in awhile. When addressing questions on internet streaming, he noted that watching video online is really just a complement to pay-TV (and not a substitute), and he also asserted that internet TV was a friend of Comcast given that over 16 million people rely on its high-speed connections to view it every single day. Still, we found this quote incredibly telling:

"We and the programmers are going to want to make sure that the cable programming that people pay for when they get basic TV service doesn't go completely on the Internet, so there is still a reason to subscribe to cable."

We'd elaborate, but really, it speaks for itself. On the topic of à la carte pricing, he simply stated that content producers wouldn't let it happen. While networks like ESPN would draw millions, lesser known channels would likely be forced to shut down if people could specifically avoid paying for them. There's far too much in the interview to cover in this space, but be sure to give it a look and report back with comments. We know you'll have a few.

Panasonic bigwig talks up Blu-ray archival potential

by Darren Murph posted Mar 13th 2009 at 10:11AM


We're chalking up the lack of Blu-ray archival talk to the ridiculous price of BD-R media, but now that prices are slowly but surely beginning to sink somewhat, it seems that Panasonic is taking advantage of the situation. Hiroyuki Hasegawa of Panasonic's AVC Networks Company recently stated that "from an environmental perspective, Blu-ray and other optical discs are promising for archival purposes." He delivered that quote while giving a seminar on the current state of digital archives, and he also made mention that Blu-ray Discs were superior to other media including HDDs and magnetic tapes in terms of "non-contact recording and playback, removability, random accessibility and long product life." Quite honestly, we have serious doubts that BDs are superior to HDDs in most situations, but Mr. Hasegawa pointed out that discs were better suited for "long-term storage of fixed data." Call us crazy, but we're totally waiting for the rebuttal here.

Video game sales surpass DVD / Blu-ray for the first time

by Darren Murph posted Jan 24th 2009 at 12:29AM


Hold on to your caps, folks -- you're about to hear some positive economic news. Baffling, we know. According to Media Control GfK International, worldwide packaged media sales managed to creep up six percent in 2008. Interestingly, it seems that video games were doing the bulk of the driving, as for the first time in recorded history, sales of games exceeded sales of DVD and Blu-ray Discs. Back in 2007, games accounted for 47 percent of the equation, while it scooted up to 53 percent in 2008; analysts are expecting that figure to rise further and hit 57 percent in 2009, though much of this shift has to do with the digital distribution of content and not the disinterest in movies overall. Remember, we're talking about packaged media here. Per usual, loads more numbers await you in the read link if you're the ones and zeros type.

[Via CDFreaks, image courtesy of OrlandoSentinel]

Ridata bringing 6x BD-R media to United States

by Darren Murph posted Dec 25th 2008 at 4:29AM

Anyone who has even looked into recording content onto a BD-R knows just how immensely expensive a single disc is. Thankfully, you'll have one more option (and thus, one more competitor to push prices downward) starting next year. Advanced Media, the parent company of Ridata, will be debuting 6x recordable Blu-ray Disc media at CES 2009, with availability in the US slated for Q2 '09. As of now, the only discs planned for release here are 25GB single-layer units, but we don't suspect the dual-layer variants will be too far behind.

Popcorn Hour caters to digital signage applications with S-210

by Darren Murph posted Dec 13th 2008 at 7:49AM


Talk about broadening one's product portfolio. Popcorn Hour, the outfit that started small with a heralded media streamer last Fall, has delved head first into the wide, wacky world of digital signage. The minuscule S-210 media streamer was built to run around the clock with little power consumption, and it packs 2GB of internal USB flash storage along with no "complicated PC architecture." Everything that goes through the device is controlled by a bundled PC app, and the included HDMI 1.1a / VGA outputs link your advertisements (or other media) to a display. Check the read link for the lengthy list of file format compatibility, and if you're into it, add one to your cart at $219.

[Thanks, elmopio]

DVD neXt COPY Ultimate burns ten DVDs to one Blu-ray Disc

by Darren Murph posted Nov 14th 2008 at 1:41PM

Not quite sure what happened to DVD neXt COPY's shift key while filling out those incorporation documents, but whatever the case, the outfit's latest piece of software is quite interesting. The bizarrely titled DVD neXt COPY Ultimate can not only transfer your DVD movies to portable devices while stripping it of unwanted material like the sizable DTS audio stream, but it also toasts those films back to a BD-R. In fact, it promises to squeeze ten whole DVDs onto a single blank Blu-ray Disc, though we're unsure how great (or terrible) it is at busting through all of those encryption schemes it's sure to run into. Those willing to take the risk can pick up a copy right now for $69.99.

Royal Digital Media trots out 100GB-per-disc Blu-ray competitor

by Darren Murph posted Oct 29th 2008 at 12:59PM

Look out HD VMD and CH-DVD -- an all new Blu-ray rival has just sashayed into town, and this one means business. By way of a random DreamStream press release, Royal Digital Media has introduced its bona fide Blu-ray rival... while casually forgetting to name it. These "high-definition discs" will be able to store up to 100GB and will boast military-grade encryption that an aimless hacker will surely destroy in a week or two. According to DreamStream's Chief Development Officer Ulf Diebel, RDM's format "will transform perceptions of high-definition," as it is able to "display the next generation of high-definition: 1920p." For whatever it's worth, this here tech is based around "inexpensive red laser technology," and RDM is hoping to "replace traditional DVD technologies with a comprehensive, next generation HD system." So, when can you buy into this sure-to-be-awesome format? Q1 2009, and for a price "equal" to that of traditional DVD players. Sold!

Imation brings first 6x Blu-ray recordable discs to US

by Darren Murph posted Sep 17th 2008 at 4:21PM


We had a dream back in June that America would one day be able to buy 6x BD-Rs for these 6x Blu-ray burners without relying on a Japanese importer, and today, that dream has been realized. Imation is bringing TDK Life on Record media to US soil, marking the first time 6x Blu-ray recordable (BD-R) and Blu-ray recordable double layer (BD-R DL) media has been available here. Unfortunately, this stuff is still absurdly expensive -- expect to hand over $13.99 for a single BD-R in October, while a BD-R DL 1-pack will ring up at a staggering $32.99.

NBC Universal to carriers: add temporary HD channels or live without Olympics streaming

by Darren Murph posted Aug 12th 2008 at 5:16PM

For a whole slew of individuals across America (particularly those with lackluster Time Warner Cable lineups), the addition of two new temporary high-def stations has been quite the treat. Just prior to the start of the Beijing Olympics, many cable carriers opted to add in an HD Soccer and HD Basketball channel, but if you thought they were just doing so to be nice, you thought wrong. After scads of CableONE subscribers in Idaho were flat shut out of live online streaming, a bit of digging revealed the problem: NBC Universal bundled online streaming into a "premium package" with the previously mentioned stations, which CableONE declined to offer. For the CableONE users, the story does end in on a high note -- they are getting three permanent HD channels instead. For everyone else loving the convenience of online streams, at least you can sleep easy knowing that minor increases in your future bill will likely be used to pay for it. Then again, what is free these days?

Delkin's 25GB Archival Gold BD-Rs will be around longer than you

by Darren Murph posted Jun 13th 2008 at 8:43PM


Archive master Delkin has stepped up to the plate once more, this time aiming to please those with way more horror films than a typical CD-R can hold. The Archival Gold Blu-ray recordable media is the first of its kind "guaranteed to preserve data safely for over 200 years." The 4x discs feature the outfit's proprietary ScratchArmor technology, which is designed to fend off the terrifying effects of UV light, heat, humidity and careless fingernails. The units are available now in 1/5/10/25 packs for an undisclosed price.




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