Although it seems like every TV shipping recently comes with USB ports and DivX compatibility packed in, if all you want is the ability to plug in a drive and play, the Iomega ScreenPlay TV Link may be right for you. Equipped with the same HDMI / component / composite outputs plus WAV, WMA, MPEG-1/2/4, MP3, OGG, AC3, AVI, DivX, XviD and JPEG file formats as the ScreenPlay HD, this unit forgoes the 500GB hard drive -- a far cry from the old ScreenPlay days when it was just a HDD -- in favor of a sleek 3.26 x 3.07 x .78-inch profile weighing less than 4 oz. Plug in your USB flash drive or FAT32 or NTFS formatted HDD and play or upconvert SD content up to 1080i with no problem. Granted it doesn't have the power of a full-fledged media streamer but as a $99.95 take-anywhere box (available now in the U.S., Europe later this month) it's probably worth a look.

There are HD junkies, and then there are HD junkies. You know, those folks who can't leave on a business trip without packing in a USB HD tuner to catch some OTA goodness once they arrive. Here's to you, latter guy / gal:

"I travel quite frequently on business, and while some hotels I end up in have HD programming, many still do not. I'm considering picking up an OTA TV tuner that I can just plug into my laptop's USB port, but there are just so many options. Any help out there on which performs the best and which comes with the nicest PVR software?"

We're going to assume this fellow is in search of a TV tuner that works here in the US (ATSC), but feel free to chime in with DVB-T, etc. options as well. Oh, and be sure to signify whether your recommendation only works on Mac or PC if that is indeed the case.

Got a burning question that you'd love to toss out for Engadget HD (or its readers) to take a look at? Tired of Google's blank stares when you ask for real-world experiences? Hit us up at ask at engadgethd dawt com and keep an eye on this space -- your inquiry could be next.

DisplayLink monitors are fine and dandy, but what if you're looking to get that PowerPoint presentation even bigger? Enter InFocus' IN3100 / IN1100 series of multimedia projectors, both of which claim to be the first of their kind with DisplayLink embedded. With a simple USB-to-PC connection, the beamers blast whatever totally boring and equally insignificant chart you're being forced to speak on upside the wall. As for specs, we're left in the dark with regard to resolution (hint: don't set your expectations too high), but the IN3100 series boasts 3,000 to 3,500 lumens and a 2,000:1 contrast ratio while the IN1100 series offers up 2,000 lumens and an 1,800:1 contrast ratio. You can slap the former (starting at $1,499) on your corporate card later this month, but you'll be waiting until early August before nabbing the $1,099 and up IN1100.

With the 2008 Olympic Games right around the corner, Intel is tag-teaming it with Legend Silicon in order to promote HDTV viewing on portable devices -- laptops, most notably. The pair has seemingly convinced Lenovo, HP, ASUS, Sony, Samsung and Toshiba (among others) to offer up their machines with a DTTB USB dongle in the coming days, enabling Chinese citizens to watch HD on-the-go right out of the box. If you couldn't surmise, DTTB is yet another Chinese broadcast standard, and while we wouldn't bet the farm on it, the nation's government is hoping to offer up multiple high-def programs via DTTB by 2010. Who would've guessed -- the Olympics catapulting HD programming in China?

This one's been around the block a time or two, but for you Europeans out there trying to hunt down a new OTA TV tuner that won't bog down your knapsack when traveling, Pinnacle's latest looks to be just the thing. Apparently launching across the pond, the PCTV Nano Stick handles DVB-T signals and enables users to save material in MPEG1, MPEG2 or DivX format. Interestingly, we're only told of its compatibility with Windows Media Center, so we 'spose OS X users would be pushing their luck with this one. No concrete deets on pricing, either, but word on the street pegs it at £39.99 ($78).

[Via PC Advisor]

Sure, the DisplayMate USB won't do your standalone display much good so long as it remains disconnected from a PC, but for HTPC owners the world over, calibrating your display just got a whole lot simpler. The aforementioned USB stick simply plugs into one's PC, launches automatically (and without storing any data on the host computer) and provides users with a smorgasbord of "test patterns and expert advice" for setting up your projector, monitor or HDTV. More specifically, you can expect a whole slew of test patterns and tips, and considering that it runs at the true native resolution of your display, there's no worrying over compatibility. Intrigued? It's available now in a trio of flavors, and can secured for $79, $99 or $495, depending on model.

Ugh, is DRM coming to shackle USB too? You betcha. The USB Implementer's Forum is planning to rollout a variant of tethered USB in 2008 to carry compressed high-def video between TVs and mobile devices. It appears unrelated to USB 3.0 and targets both laptops and personal media players -- however you might choose to define that. A spokesman for the organization said that developers "could layer HDMI's HDCP encryption on top." So it's not definite. But with the studios fighting hard to "protect" their content, well, it's a given that some form of DRM will be there. The new USB linkage is meant to complement HDMI which primarily carries uncompressed video between living room A/V equipment... and an increasing number of media-centric laptops. Thing is, DisplayPort, expected to make a big showing at CES in January, already comes with a slathering of HDCP and is the purported VESA standard for moving HDTV from your laptop to a digital television. To confuse matters more, Kleer Corp is also working on a mid-2008 wireless and wired technology for carrying SD video based on its existing wireless audio technology. Proof that the best part about having standards is that there are so many to choose from.

Regrettably, Panasonic's SC-PTX5 won't play either high-definition disc format, but for those still basking in the glory of plain ole DVD, it's not a half bad setup. The system consists of an upscaling DVD player that takes your DVDs to 1080p over HDMI as well as a 2.1 sound system with 140-watts of total power. The DVD player also plays nice with WMA, MP3, JPEG, MPEG4, and DivX files, touts a built-in DTS decoder and VIERA Link, and boasts a slew of ports including component, optical digital audio in / out, optional iPod connectivity, and a USB socket to boot. Per usual, there's no official deets on pricing, availability, or whether we Americans will ever see this package make its way to our side of the drink, but word on the street has it at €649.99 ($888).

[Via Pocket-Lint]

Nah, Buffalo isn't manufacturing the HD DVD / Blu-ray drive that sits comfortably within its new external enclosure, but those parked in Japan can reportedly get ahold of this peace maker for just ¥51,000 ($440). Apparently, Buffalo chose the GGC-H20N optical drive to read both high-definition formats in its BHC-6316U2, and CyberLink's PowerDVD7.3 Ultra will also be thrown in for good measure. Next month, Buffalo will be loosing the BRHC-6316U2, which will utilize the GGW-H20N Blu-ray burner / HD DVD reader and will run customers a respectable ¥74,800 ($644).

[Via EverythingUSB]

Philips fans eager for a taste of Perfect Pixel HD can now look forward to a 32-incher that sports the technology -- if you live in Europe, that is. For now, it seems that the recently introduced 32PFL9632D LCD will be holding it down exclusively across the pond, as that integrated DVB-T tuner won't do us American lads much good. Regardless, the panel also boasts a WXGA resolution, 100Hz Clear LCD technology, three-millisecond response time, two-channel active Ambilight, a USB port for photo slideshows, a trio of HDMI inputs, 550 cd/m2 brightness, and four built-in speakers to boot. Best of all, this one's available as we speak for £999 ($1,977).

[Via Messe-Berlin]

Among many other things, Samsung has unveiled its F8 series of oh-so-sexy LCDs at IFA in Berlin. Focusing on the LE46F86BD in particular, this display touts 100MHz Motion Plus technology to sharpen up those images, 1080p support, a baffling 25,000:1 contrast ratio, and a superCLEAR panel coating to boot. Furthermore, you'll find a USB 2.0 port, a trio of HDMI 1.3 sockets, an eight-millisecond response time, and CCFL backlighting. Notably, this set looks awfully similar to the 71 / 81-series that Sammy loosed last month, so the possibility of a name change to suit different markets could be the case here -- nevertheless, we'll keep an eye out for pricing and availability details.

[Via PRAD, thanks Tony C.]

These days, it's not often that a CD player makes you take a second glance, but Opera Audio's Forbidden City Ping is just one of those devices. The interestingly-styled box consists of a Linear Concept CD player meshed with a 100-watt Class A amplifier, AM / FM tuner, and a USB port for streaming tunes in from your PC. The "three-in-one" audio system also sports a 16-bit TDA1543 DAC and the ability to recover the current time from the USB port to display on the front-panel LCD. The Ping comes in black with your choice of red or silver accent plates, and while we're not sure of the asking price just yet, we'll go ahead and assume that this thing is more suited for the affluent set judging by the company's reputation.

[Via AudioJunkies]

It's taking a bit longer than expected, but sure enough, manufacturers are coming out of the woodwork to give the iPod / iPhone-to-be customers an easy way to convert videos to H.264. Following ADS Tech's lead, Elgato is on the scene with a Mac-compatible USB stick that acts as a hardware encoder to get your clips and flicks from whatever format they're currently in (within reason, we presume) into a format widely recognized by Apple-branded paraphernalia. Reportedly, the device speeds up the encoding process "by two to four times," and partially relieves your Mac's CPU of the transcoding duties by handling most of the dirty work (shown after the break) within itself. So if you're more interested in forking over your hard-earned cash for an easy solution to your file conversion needs, Elgato's Turbo 264 should be landing around the April timeframe for €99 ($132).

[Via iPhone-Scene]

Hyundai has announced a Korean 46-inch LCD with 1080p support that consumes 7% less power than a comparable LCD, and uses S-PVA technology for a wider 178-degree viewing angle. From scrutinizing the images at AVING it has a two pairs of HDMI and component connects. The Vuon E465D also supports the capability to use an image from the built-in USB port as a placeholder during the boot sequence, so you can replace the standard boot logo with whatever you like -- say, the Engadget logo?

Sure, there's more than a few ways to get HDTV and PVR technology over on the Mac side of life, but Miglia is giving us one more alternative by updating its MiniHD to deliver tuning / PVR functions to your Mac over USB 2.0. Apparently the company isn't worried about the ole Apple TV stealing all the thunder, and most notably due to its missing tuner, we don't think it will either. The MiniHD+ doesn't seem to outdo its predecessor in most areas, as it still tunes into ATSC, ClearQAM, and OTA broadcasts, and pumps the data to your Mac via USB 2.0. This portable gizmo provides the usual pause, rewind, and scheduling functions you'd expect on a PVR, but it also reportedly allows you to "consult an integrated electronic programming guide to locate shows and edit recorded clips to remove advertisements." Aside from supporting DVD burning, it also features "exclusive 10-bit video and stereo sound," a wireless remote, composite / S-Video outputs, stereo inputs, EyeTV 2 software. So if you're more interested in watching television than downloaded content and movie trailers, you can pick this up for your Mac next month for a currently undisclosed price.