So far, BD-Live seems like an answer to a question no one particularly cares about, but we're still holding out hope that the technology will be put to good use by someone. The devil's in the details (read - please make it pleasant to use), but putting Profile 2.0 into service as a streaming service like Videocity is promising sounds like a step in the right direction. Lest we forget Dreamer's efforts along the same lines, the company is showing off its Java-based BIDDLE API to developers in hopes of gaining some traction for "BluTube" type of applications. Yeah, we need another way of accessing YouTube about as much as we need more dust bunnies behind the TV, but we see way more potential on this front than, say, Yakuza Fighter redux. With wireless networking, more codecs and increased persistent storage showing up in Blu-ray decks, APIs like BIDDLE just might make the line between STBs and Blu-ray players really blurry -- and if it means we can eBay away some of those STBs, we're all for it.

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.

Another month, another upscaling technology. Tapping into NVIDIA's versatile CUDA architecture, ArcSoft has just announced its SimHD upscaling tech, which scales SD and DVD content to "near high-definition quality." The app integrates with the company's heralded TotalMedia Theater, though you'll need an NVIDIA GPU in order to really take advantage. We're told that it's compatible with millions of NVIDIA GPUs from the GeForce 8 Series onwards, including GeForce and Quadro lines. The pain for better looking pixels? $19.95 and a 5MB download, which may or may not end up costing more than the code itself if you use Time Warner Cable.

ArcSoft's TotalMedia Theatre is generally perceived as a fairly respectable piece of software for playing back Blu-ray Discs on BD-equipped PCs, and if you're looking for a great time to give it a go, now would be it. The company has just unleashed the third installment of said application, bringing with it BD support and compatibility with the undoubtedly awesome Xonar HDAV series audio card to bring true, lossless 7.1 channel output to the home. Other new features include enhanced video display results, robust Blu-ray interactive features support, DTS Surround Sensation Ultra PC capability, MKV, FLV and HE-AAC audio support and direct playback from camcorders. If interested, you can snag it right now via ArcSoft's website for $89.99 (full version) or $39.99 and up for the upgrade.

It's been nearly a year since DVD Jon made some noise about doubleTwist by promising to "liberate" iTunes purchases from their DRM, and while that's no longer particularly relevant in light of Apple's decision to go DRM-free, we're actually really digging this newly refocused public beta of the doubleTwist app, which promises to seamlessly manage all your devices from a single interface. Think of it as iTunes meets Windows 7 Device Stage with a dash of social network integration and you'll get it: you just tell DT where you want your media to go -- your phone, Facebook, your PSP -- and it'll handle all the encoding, conversion, and uploading steps for you. Sadly, the iPod, iPhone, Zune and Windows Mobile aren't supported yet, but the rest of the device list is pretty decent: it includes the BlackBerry Pearl, Storm, and Curve, the G1, Sony Ericsson Cybershot and Walkman phones, the Kindle, Nokia N and E-series phones, and most digital cameras and flash-based camcorders. Of course, iTunes video is still wrapped in DRM, so we'll see if DVD Jon has any tricks left up his sleeve to make it play nice with non-Apple devices, but for a first shot out of the gate it looks like extremely promising -- too bad it's Mac-only for now.

[Via Daring Fireball]

Read - doubleTwist website
Read - Supported device list

LG just gifted its multifaceted BD300 with HD Netflix support in December, and today it's blessing owners with one more goodie: YouTube access. The latest update brings the deck to version BD.8.16.537, and as mentioned, the most notable inclusion is YouTube streaming. Sure, it may not change your life, but it just might make your day. Give it a go and let us know how things look.

[Thanks, Kurt]

Sony already gifted its BDP-S350 Blu-ray player with BD-Live functionality last September, but apparently that firmware just isn't good enough any longer. The outfit has just released a newer version that elevates the machine from 010 to 015, and with the update comes "improved BD-Java compatibility to enhance interactivity with some BD-ROMs and improved BD-Live performance." The file weighs in at a rather hefty 49.42MB, so hit up the read link if you're interested in getting it started.

[Thanks, Brendan]

There stands a good chance that you've never heard of Zodiac Interactive nor Alticast, but if a Cisco / Scientific-Atlanta tru2way set-top box ends up in your abode in the near future, there's an even better chance that those two firms will play a crucial role. The duo has just announced plans to plant its embedded software within tru2way STBs, with the combined solution enabling cable providers to "deliver interactive services and applications including next-generation interactive user interfaces, guides, messaging and advanced VOD." Additionally, MSOs will be able to more easily offer subscribers "advanced services such as TV widgets," though there's currently no timetable for when a completed box will be made available. Did we mention that the widget race was officially on?

We've already seen boxee for Windows previewed, but if you've been toying with the idea of integrating it into your Vista Media Center setup, you'll probably want to give the read link a look. In short, the step-by-step guide walks you gently through the integration procedure in order to provide easy access to built-in Windows functions (recorded shows, for instance) as well as boxee's portal to the best content the web has to offer. Have a look at the results video just after the break.

DivX Connected v1.4 brought us the highly anticipated addition of Hulu support last September, and now v1.5 is bringing a few extras that are also quite delicious. The v1.5 Beta, which is out this very moment, adds in support for Matroska (MKV) and H.264, though you'll need the newly unleashed DivX 7 installed in order to experience the magic. The entire changelog is surprisingly lengthy, so we'll point you to the read link for those details as well as a download URL. A demonstration vid is just past the break.

[Thanks, Karolis]

If Panasonic's BD70V had a Blu-ray burner in it, this here software would be a lot less relevant. As it stands, however, you'll still need a middleman of some sort if you plan on getting that grainy VHS footage onto those newfangled BD-Rs. To that end, Honestech is providing a new version of its VHS to DVD Deluxe software (v4.0), which provides the means for transferring VHS, HDV, C-VHS and Beta (seriously!) content to DVDs or Blu-ray Discs. $79.99 gets you the program, the VIDBOX interface hardware, a USB cable and the ability to get your mother and her decade-old home movies off of your back.

Imagine this -- utilizing your Blu-ray player for playing back BDs, DVDs and practically anything else available via the internet. A marvelous idea, right? Dreamer has every intention of making that web-to-TV STB you've got totally obsolete with its BIDDLE thin-client, which will theoretically enable any internet-connected Profile 2.0 BD deck to tap into the limitless world of online content. Here at CES, the outfit has announced a partnership with Technicolor that sadly doesn't pinpoint any specific players, though the concept is more than intriguing. Essentially, it would add a whole new world of functionality to BD-Live-enabled Blu-ray players, which is just about exactly what the doctor ordered for the flagging format. Only time will tell if this stuff has a shot at catching on, but we certainly dig the sound of it. [Warning: PDF read link]

Merely weeks after Samsung rolled out its v2.1 firmware update to enable HD Netflix streaming on the BD-P2500 / BD-P2550 Blu-ray players, in flies an update just before the dawn of 2009. As of right now, users can surf on over (courtesy of the read links provided below) in order to download version 2.3, which officially acts to "improve playback compatibility of some movie titles." Fire up the download and give it a go, and feel free to report back with any other, unnamed changes that you discover.

[Thanks, Vivek]

Read - BD-P2500 download
Read - BD-P2550 download

Now this is what what we like to see, a company keeping promises. Sling Media promised that we'd see a public beta release of its SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry on December 30th, and sure enough, we're seeing a public beta release of its SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry on December 30th. As of now, select BB owners -- Pearl 8120, Pearl Flip 8220, Curve 8320, 8820, Curve 8900 and Bold 9000, officially -- can point their browsers here in order to get the OTA install going. At least for now, this is the only method of procuring the software (should cut down on support issues, we hear), but it's not like you can't handle that. Give it a go and report back, won't you? Full note is after the break.

For Bell TV subscribers looking for hints of anything new, we've finally something to share with you. OpenTV, an interactive TV middleware provider, has just launched a "movie portal application" that will deliver content from programming partner Super Channel. As expected, it provides viewers with a "themed search option, as well as a scheduling option that lets viewers set up recordings and reminders several weeks in advance of a movie's broadcast." Underneath, this seems to be just another attempt to highlight certain programs and get non-subscribers to subscribe, but when new material is this hard to come by, it's tough to complain.