Phone Lines Deliver Next-Gen TV

http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,65105,00.html

Wired via Reuters
03:44 PM Sep. 27, 2004 PT

"Video on demand essentially works as a pre-loaded digital video recorder, like TiVo or Sky+, with the content stored on a central server. For example, HomeChoice's music channels function as a customized MTV or VH1, letting subscribers choose which videos they want to watch.

It seems incredible that the company could squeeze so many channels, plus a high-speed internet connection, through the same copper phone wire that has been used for decades. But unlike cable and satellite, which typically have to broadcast all of their channels at once, HomeChoice sends out only one channel of video at a time, customizing it for each subscriber.

Its network, which piggybacks onto the much larger network of BT Group, is within reach of about 1.25 million homes in London, and will be extended to other U.K. cities in 2005. The company recently signed a deal with Britain's dominant pay-TV firm, BSkyB, to offer the Sky Movies and Sky Sports channels.

HomeChoice and other TVIP operators face a number of obstacles, including limited availability -- TVIP requires an internet connection of at least 2 Mbps -- and the difficult task of describing their services to an audience of non-techies. But delivering TV over phone lines has the potential to transform staid telecommunications companies, and to give cable and satellite a run for their customers.

"The telcos' agenda with TV and video is different from the one they had 10 years ago," the analyst and consulting firm Ovum wrote in a research note this week. "Back then, the question was: 'Can we afford to do this?' Now, the question is: 'Can we afford not to do this?'" "

Concord DVx 6-in-1 Digital Video Camera.

http://www.livingroom.org.au/photolog/reviews/miscellaneous/concord_dvx_6in1_digital_video_camera.php

"Concord Press Release
COLOGNE, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 27, 2004 - “Swiss Army Knife of Digital Cameras” Offers Unsurpassed Functionality Including: Digital Video, Digital Still, Digital Voice Recorder, Stereo MP3 Player, SD Card Reader & Flashlight"

Virus-free, spam-free, secure email a step closer

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/09/27/secure_email/

By John Oates
The Register
Published Monday 27th September 2004 15:11 GMT

"The service uses Peer-to-Peer technology like Napster. The software allows users to create online communities which are ring-fenced to avoid hack and virus threats. Subscribers get secure access to their existing email addresses as well as a .safe address.

Robert Barr, head of development at Jeftel, told The Reg: "All the vulnerabilities in the SMTP email system are at the storage points. We send encrypted mail directly from machine to machine avoiding this problem." He believes that existing email encryption products are too complicated for many senior executives to use.

Both sender and recipient must have installed Jeftel software to use the service. Once set up emails can be sent directly from one machine to another, avoiding ISP servers."

e2800+ Linux smartphone does video

http://www.infosyncworld.com/news/n/5357.html

"video recorder capable of recording up to 10 hours of video (space and battery permitting) in MPEG4, H.263, 3GP, or MP4 formats"

"Photo Direct Print offers PictBridge support to print directly to many photo printers. It also includes an audio player that supports MP3, Midi, and AMR audio formats, although surprisingly not Ogg Vorbis. A built-in voice recorder with 30 minute capacity rounds out the multimedia features.

To store all of that multimedia the phone includes an SD/MMC card slot, while to display it the e2800+ sports a 65 thousand color (dithered) QVGA 240 x 320 TFT display measuring 2.4 inches. Not surprisingly for such a smartphone, it also includes photo caller ID and offers Java MIDP 1.0 support. Other bundled software includes an HTML 3.2 and Javascript capable web browser, a WAP 2.0 browser, SMS/MMS/EMS client, and a POP3-capable e-mail client with support for up to four accounts. It also includes an e-book reader that supports the industry-backed but not widely used OEB format as well as the open and widely supported but basic PalmDoc format. There is also the usual assortment of PIM applications."

OQO présente son ultra portable

http://www.presence-pc.com/news/OQO-presente-son-ultra-portable-n5084.html

Rédigé à 16:28:54 par Jimmy R - Source : Présence PC

"[...] la bête embarque un processeur cadencé à 1GHz, couplé à 256Mo de mémoire vive, un disque dur 20Go, et un chipset graphique 3D 8Mo, le tout dans un boitier épais de 2.5 centimètres, long de 12 centimètres, et pesant 400 grammes seulement.

Le côté connectique n'est pas en reste, puisqu'en sus des habituels ports USB et Firewire, on trouve le support du Wifi et du Bluetooth. De plus, sa station d'accueil permettra, bien sûr, le rechargement de la batterie intégrée (d'une autonomie de 3 heures) ainsi que d'un port RJ45 pour le réseau filaire."

Recordings Match the Show, With a Key Drawback (washingtonpost.com)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A40782-2004Aug28.html

"The digital video recorders -- we tried models offered by Comcast, DirecTV and Dish Network -- have the advantage of including their own cable or satellite tuners, greatly simplifying setup and operation."

"All three recorders display upcoming shows on an onscreen grid that makes scheduling a recording or starting one a matter of pressing a few buttons on the remote. They all also allow you to pause, rewind and replay live TV and to fast-forward through commercials on recorded shows."

"For all their finer points, these three recorders leave out one must-have capability: a way to take recordings elsewhere or archive them for permanent storage at their original quality. Even newer DVD recorders will still have to convert an HD signal to a lower resolution."

Hitachi TVs to pick up Gemstar technology

http://news.com.com/2100-1041_3-5378350.html?part=rss&tag=5378350&subj=news.1041.20

By Richard Shim
Staff Writer, CNET News.com

"The companies announced a multiyear licensing deal for North America. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, nor was a launch date. Gemstar will receive licensing fees based on the number of sets sold that include its technology. The guide allows television owners to view an electronic version of a show guide. Consumers won't have to subscribe to a service to view the guide.

The guide is meant to be used with cable card-ready digital televisions, which eliminate set top boxes. The inclusion of the guide in cable card-ready televisions is another carrot for consumers to encourage them to buy digital televisions."

Icebox Flipscreen Review

http://www.digitalhomemag.com/reviews/default.asp?pagetypeid=2&articleid=27580&subsectionid=1305&subsubsectionid=949

Ashley Norris
Digital Home Magazine - Reviews

"Worst of all is the rubbish 64MB of flash memory. Icebox insists that this is plenty, but it’s sure to fill up pretty quickly. Besides, hard disks hardly cost a great deal these days.

So,would you want an Icebox in your kitchen? Well,the answer would have to be yes – provided you have the dosh. Its range of entertainment features is impressive. At the moment, though, it’s too expensive to appeal beyond the high-end custom installation market. Even then, you’d want to see a few additions – such as streaming audio and video – to convince you to consign your portable TV and CD player to the loft."

Beyond Connected Home: iCEBOX

http://www.beyondconnectedhome.com/products/icebox/index.html

"Television • Internet • DVD/CD • FM Radio • Home Video Monitoring • Touch Screen • Remote & Keyboard"

Countertop $1,799.99
Flipscreen $2,299.00

TV aims for prime time in digital home

http://news.com.com/2100-1041_3-5374975.html?part=rss&tag=5374975&subj=news.1041.20

"The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) trade group on Monday said it is publishing a user interface standard that uses Web browser-based communications to provide access to and control of networked components--such as a personal computer or digital video recorder--through the main TV screen from a single remote control.

The technology, dubbed CEA-2027, is unlike most previous home networking standards, CEA said, because it supports full control of any networked device, including all of its unique functions defined by the device manufacturer."

The Almost HD-DVD

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1645245,00.asp?kc=PCRSS02129TX1K0000530

"The V Bravo D2 DVD Player comes with a DVI output port and the circuitry to scale DVDs to HDTV resolutions. The DVI port keeps the DVD content entirely in the digital domain, avoiding the degradation that normally occurs during the digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital conversion (normally inherent in DVD watching)."

Philips DVDR80 - Test du Philips DVDR80 par ZDNet.fr

http://www.zdnet.fr/produits/materiels/hifi_et_video/test/0,39022150,39127984,00.htm

"Plus : Guide électronique de programmation Guide Plus; entrée vidéo; bonne qualité d'enregistrement; design; simple d'utilisation.

Moins : Un peu cher ; trop de boutons sur la télécommande ; il se peut que Guide Plus ne fonctionne pas avec tous les systèmes de câblage.

Verdict : Fort de sa multitude de fonctionnalités et de sa qualité vidéo exceptionnelle, ce Philips est l'enregistreur sur DVD à battre."

Mobiles track down wi-fi hotspots

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3665382.stm

"Users find out where a nearby wi-fi hotspot is simply by sending a text message to a short code. Users find out where a nearby wi-fi hotspot is simply by sending a text message to a short code."

Témoignage sur le Sigmatek PVR-800 : premier lecteur DivX avec enregistreur sur disque dur

http://www.planete-numerique.com/article.php3?id_article=166

"Après plus de 6 mois d’attente de sa livraison, Jean-Pierre Aigron nous livre ses premières impression sur le Sigmatek PVR-800, un appareil hybride lecteur DivX et enregistreur vidéo disque dur."

SIPShare: P2P SIP-based filesharing from Earthlink

http://www.corante.com/many/archives/2004/09/15/sipshare_p2p_sipbased_filesharing_from_earthlink.php

"Earthlink has released SIPShare, a proof-of-concept P2P filesharing network that uses Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), a tool originally designed for voice and video communications, to set up file sharing networks."

Building a Linux PVR, Part 2: Microsoft's MCE 2004

http://anandtech.com/linux/showdoc.aspx?i=2208

"A few weeks ago, we introduced the first of a series of articles on building a home made PVR, "Building a Linux PVR Part I - MythTV Setup and Install". Today, we bring you the second part of the series, which focuses on Microsoft's Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004 and how it compares to the Linux-based MythTV."

RIM BlackBerry 7100t review by PC Magazine

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1643776,00.asp?kc=PCRSS02129TX1K0000530

"Price:
$199 list

Spec Data:
4MB SRAM, 32 MB user-accessible flash memory; 2.1-inch (240 x 260) 65,000-color screen, Bluetooth, 9-day estimated standby time, 4-hour estimated talk time, speakerphone, GSM 850/900/1800/1900."

Démodulateur satellite NEOTION BOX 3000

http://www.planete-numerique.com/article.php3?id_article=159

"La NEOTION Box est un récepteur satellite de télévision numérique intégrant la technologie NEOTION Video Link. Commercialisée au prix de 249 € TTC, la NEOTION Box 3000 se positionne comme un récepteur satellite haut de gamme, intégrant des fonctionnalités d’enregistrements et de lecture inégalées dans le monde de la télévision numérique."

So Your Roomba Vacuums ... Does It Also Take Pictures?

http://online.wsj.com/article_email/0,,SB109450637020310492-IFjg4NklaB3m5upa3mGaqyAm4,00.html

"Phillip Torrone and his wife share their Seattle house with five Sony Aibo dog robots, two Segway motorized scooters, a suitcase-size robot whose brain is a laptop computer, and dozens of other gadgets. With the help of small digital video cameras, Mr. Torrone is modifying the Segway to automatically follow a pink ball. The laptop robot is trained to follow the Segway. When the robot gets close enough, it chirps out "ma-ma." Mr. Torrone has also modified his Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner to putter around the house and take pictures, periodically sending a Web log snapshots of electrical outlets and a dog bed."

Vodafone launches Wi-Fi Pocket PC

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/09/10/vodafone_vpa_iii/

By Tony Smith
Published Friday 10th September 2004 08:43 GMT
The Register

"Sporting a 2.5in 65,000-colour 240 x 320 display, the [...] VPA III also features a VGA digicam. Powered by a 400MHz Intel XScale PXA263 processor, the device contains 128MB of RAM and 64MB of Flash ROM - on which is stored Windows Mobile 2003 Phone Edition. An MMC/SD IO card slot is provided for expansion."