Blog Torrent - Simplified bittorrent by Downhill Battle

http://www.blogtorrent.com/

'Blog Torrent is software that makes it much easier to share and download files using the bittorrent protocol. Blog Torrent is easy to install on your website: we don't use MySQL so installation is as easy as uploading a folder to your web host, and all administration happens in the web interface."

Hot television

http://www.macleans.ca/topstories/technology/article.jsp?content=20041129_93836_93836

Macleans.ca
MICHAEL SNIDER
November 29, 2004

"Why is a TV executive so agitated about online pirates? Because he, like most media honchos, has seen the scary numbers indicating that the next big craze in illegal file-sharing is not music, not movies, but television. High-quality digital copies of popular shows such as Desperate Housewives, The West Wing and, well, pretty much anything else on the tube are available online a few hours after they air, many in high definition. Pirates with HD-ready TV sets can enjoy these shows in widescreen format and in better picture quality than what regular cable provides -- no need to spring for satellite feeds or specialty channels. All they need is a high-speed Internet connection, a modicum of computer know-how, a little patience -- and a willingness to risk a lawsuit."

Hush E2-MCE - Silent Media Center PC

http://www.trustedreviews.com/article.aspx?art=874

Fanless
2.8GHz Pentium 4
ATI Radeon 9600
512MB DDR
200GB SATA
DVD+-R/RW writer
WiFi

Front:
two USB 2.0 ports, two FireWire ports, headphone and speakers jacks, IR receiver

Back:
two PS/2 ports, two serial ports, a parallel port, four USB 2.0 ports, a network socket, line-in, line-out and microphone ports
optical and coaxial S/PDIF ports, two more audio outputs for 5.1
DVI, D-SUB, S-Video

Spare PCI slot

Is 'Fair Use' in Peril?

Technology Review: Is 'Fair Use' in Peril?

Technology Review
By Eric Hellweg
November 19, 2004

"Do you like fast-forwarding through commercials on a television program you’ve recorded? How much do you like it? Enough to go to jail if you’re caught doing it? If a new copyright and intellectual property omnibus bill sitting on Congress’s desk passes, that may be the choice you'll face."

Sigmatek X-Bay

http://www.sigmatekcomputer.com/products.php?p=xbay

"Caractéristiques générales :

• Disque Dur 2.5'' de 20, 40, 60 ou 80 GB
• Interface USB 2.0 compatible USB 1.1 (PC & MAC)
• Télécommande InfraRouge

• Formats Vidéo compatibles : MPEG 1, 2 & 4 : DivX 3.xx, 4.xx, 5.xx, Xvid
• Formats Audio compatibles : MP3 de 32 à 320Kbps CBR & VBR.
• Formats d'images compatibles : JPEG (jusqu'à 4 Mo)
• Compatible sous-titres de DivX

• Stockage de données sur Disque Dur USB (Compatible PC et Mac)
• Firmware évolutif, mises à jour téléchargeables sur ce site
• Affichage Multi langages
• Compatible fichiers SMI (Synchronized Multimedia Interface)"

"Connectique :
Sortie Stéréo Jack et SPDIF
Sortie Vidéo
Port USB 2.0"

Music rebels seek to tame P2P

http://news.com.com/2100-1025_3-5453788.html

Published: November 16, 2004, 4:00 AM PST
By John Borland
CNET News.com

"[...] Napster creator Shawn Fanning, whose new company, Snocap, has spent the last year building technology designed to identify music on file-swapping networks and turn free song trades into purchases. The company plans to emerge from stealth mode by the end of the year and has already secured licenses to the song catalog of the Universal Music Group."

"Fanning's apparent conversion offers more than a hint of historical irony. As a young renegade, he was ordered by courts in 2000 to begin blocking trades of copyrighted songs on the original Napster service, which ultimately shut down a year later, after the company's filters proved unwieldy.

The Snocap system, which identifies songs in order to extract payment, carries at least the mark of that original court order--and might arguably be seen as its fruition."

Former Microsoft exec joins open-source project

"http://news.com.com/2100-1046_3-5453259.html?part=rss&tag=5453259&subj=news.1046.20

Published: November 15, 2004, 12:48 PM PST
By David Becker
CNET News.com

"CAC Media, a New York-based company that sells software and services for set-top boxes and other media devices, told CNET News.com that it has hired Nat Brown as its chief technical officer."

"The first device to run on the company's software, the MediaReady 4000 receiver from Video Without Boundaries, is set to ship early next year and combines video recording, music playback and other living-room functions."

Dual Wi-Fi, 3G phone ships in Japan And DoCOMo's handset uses Linux

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=19683

The Inquirer
By Tony Dennis: Monday 15 November 2004, 11:00

"Using its Passage Duple system N900iL users will be able to make VoIP calls over the corporate wireless network or switch over to 3G when they have left their offices. Since the N900iL's browser can be used both inside and outside the office, users always have access to Interent mail and documents saved on intranet servers. Instant messaging between N900iL handsets on a wireless LAN is also possible.

Thanks to the use of SIP, when calling internally across the wireless LAN, a caller can see status information (ie confirm if the called party is available, off-line, in a meeting, on a business trip, etc). The handset's battery last longer for VoIP calls – 160 minutes versus 140 minutes on 3G."

Review of Akimbo Internet Media Digital Video Recorder

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0%2C1558%2C1725189%2C00.asp

"Now comes a new kid, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, with a new idea: deliver paid, premium video services over Internet broadband connections. Akimbo, a startup headquartered in San Mateo, California, wants to take advantage of the rapid increase in broadband households to deliver premium television content to the home. This isn't something you do with your PC--though the Akimbo is eyeing the PC as a future platform. Rather, it's in the form of a player that's connected to your home entertainment rack. Think of it as a DVR (digital video recorders) that's connected to the Internet, rather than to cable TV or a satellite service."

"Pros:
Content delivery over the Internet; easy offline control of your subscriptions; fascinating specialty content.

Cons:
Limited content overall, even when the currently advertised content comes on line; modest visual quality.
Summary:

Akimbo is cool, more for its promise than its current offerings. But it's a fine adjunct to your existing entertainment system, particularly if you want some of the specialty content.

Price:
$229; $9.95 basic subscription; some content pay-per-view."

Photos: Pocket-size PCs

http://news.com.com/Photos%3A Sony%27s pocket-size PC/2009-1044_3-5446449.html?part=rss&tag=5446449&subj=news.1044.20

"The 1.2 pound Sony Vaio U is powered by a 1.1GHz Intel Pentium M 733 processor, 512MB of RAM, a 20GB, 1.8-inch hard drive, Wi-Fi and Microsoft's Windows XP Professional operating system."

TiVo hacks flourish

http://news.com.com/TiVo hacks flourish/2100-1041_3-5447461.html?part=rss&tag=5447461&subj=news.1041.20

""TiVo is missing some tremendous opportunities," said Riley Cassel, a programmer who last year released a popular, unauthorized extension called MFS_FTP. "There's no technical reason you couldn't watch TV across the Net...Of course, the problem is that the same software can be used to broadcast HBO or Discovery HD, so Hollywood would go nuts.""

Media Center 2005 initial impressions

"http://blog.giantchoad.com/blogtonia/2004/11/media_center_20.html

Sparktoblog!
Friday, November 05, 2004 at 11:02 PM

"The front has several fold down panels to hide the various ports and sockets (two USB 2.0, CF, SD, Memory Stick, RCA inputs, S-Video in, and a 1394 port)"

"The back of the unit is really the impressive part if you ask me. It's the first PC to offer the number of output options that the HP z545 Digital Entertainment Center offers. The z545 offers full 7.1 out (both RCA pre-amps as well as an optical port for hooking up to powered receivers), S/PDIF, composite video out, S-video out, Component video out, DVI video out, a VGA port, four USB 2.0 ports, and another FireWire port."

"One neat gimmick that HP added was the “Personal Media” drive. It's basically a USB 2.0 portable hard drive with a docking station inside the front of the z545. It lets me put 160gb of my data on a drive that's contained within the unit, but then take it out easily and bring it over to a friends house to show him my media."

ZyXEL Prestige 2000W

http://www.zyxel.fr/products.cfm?action=detail&lang=f&area=6&art=ZY%2DP2000W

Téléphone mobile LAN sans fil 802.11b (11 Mbps)
Version SIP 2 (RFC 3261)

Will the Networks Promote TiVo "Permalinks"?

http://www.corante.com/importance/archives/2004/11/08/will_the_networks_promote_tivo_permalinks.php

Corante
The Importance of...
November 08, 2004

"Let's say I want to recommend that you watch Meet the Press tomorrow (which is what Rick Klau is doing). I can post a reference to the show and the time, but now I can also create a hyperlink that allows TIVO owners to click on the link and immediately be brought to a screen where they can program their TIVO (via the Internet) to record that show."

e-Lets Bare Bone Desktop PC Slated for mid-November Release

http://www.akibalive.com/archives/000576.html

AkibaLive
November 08, 2004

"e-Lets (Japan), will start sales of its new Be Silent Mt6600 bare bone desktop PC with Transmeta Efficeon TM8600 processor in mid-November. The size of this amazingly small desktop computer is 204x197x75mm with a weight of only 2.6kg. The memory is expandable to a maximum of 1GB, using a single 200 pin DDR-SO-DIMM slot. The computer has one slot for a standard 2.5 inch hard drive. The price is currently listed as open price, however most retail managers expect the computer to sell for around ¥92,400. The Be Silent Mt6600 comes with a built-in Gigabit Ethernet port, two USB 2.0 slots, a D-Sub 15 pin port, a serial port, a parallel port and two PS/2 ports."

Grouper

http://www.grouper.com/

"Grouper is a new Windows based application that allows users to share their personal media within private groups. Grouper uses P2P technology connecting you directly to your friends’ hard drives where you can share large files in a safe, encrypted environment. Grouper is a simple install and requires no firewall reconfiguration."

Review: BuffaloTech Fully Customizable NAS shell (Kuro Box)

http://www.tomsnetworking.com/Reviews-171-ProdID-KUROBOX.php

"The Kuro Box (KB) from Buffalo Technology (actually a new division called Revolution by Buffalo) is being marketed as a 100% open source based Network Storage Appliance that can be easily extended. The Kuro Box ("Kuro" is Japanese for "expert" or "specialist") is the the first in a line of products aimed at VARs, resellers and just plain folks who like to customize their own computer gear."

Web TV Start-Ups Show Programs Outside the Box

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/washpost/20041028/tc_washpost/a2165_2004oct27

"Akimbo has raised more than $12 million in venture capital for a service it hopes will do for Internet movies what Apple's iTunes did for digital music. Trouble is, the service requires you to buy a $230 box and doesn't offer much video yet -- only about 300 programs out of the more than 2,000 it plans to put online by the end of the year. It's not exactly on-demand, either; you have to download each show from the Internet to the Akimbo box before you can watch it.

The box contains an 80-gigabyte hard drive for storing up to 200 hours of programs. It plugs into your Internet broadband connection (via cable or DSL) and TV. Shows are copy-protected, so you can't move them to portable devices or share them online. Akimbo does make downloading painless, though, with a well-designed programming guide that appears on the TV screen and lets you select shows with a remote.

Akimbo has signed deals with 60 content providers so far. Not everything is included in its $10 monthly fee; some channels carry a premium and others are pay-per-view.

Many of Akimbo's content providers also are signing up with rivals, such as Dave Networks Inc., an Atlanta firm that plans to release a new service on Nov. 15. DaveTV is among several firms trying to use peer-to-peer technology to accelerate downloads and reduce transmission costs."

Come to Daddy

http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/pulpit20041028.html

October 28, 2004
Come to Daddy
How Ken Schaffer's ME2TV (or Something Just Like It, But Cheaper) Will Change Television Forever
By Robert X. Cringely

"But what blew me away this week when I saw a demo of TV2ME in Schaffer's cluttered New York apartment was the quality of the image. Sending live TV over the Internet is a very difficult thing to do, especially over distances like that from Moscow to New York. There are live TV feeds from Moscow available today, and they look terrible no matter how much bandwidth you have. But Schaffer's feed, running at an average of 384 kilobits-per-second, looks like TV. When you change channels to any of the 60 or so on the Moscow cable system, it takes about 10 seconds to rebuffer, and then you have TV. Amazing!

To put this achievement in perspective, I have running in my home in Charleston both Windows and Linux-based PVRs that play through Hauppauge Media MVP set top boxes. This is a Hauppauge WinTV250 PVR capture board running on a fast AMD system with half a gig of DDR RAM and a 125 gig 7200-rpm disk drive. All components are matched and from the same manufacturer, all video encoding and decoding is done in hardware, network connections are all Ethernet, AND I CAN'T WATCH LIVE TV OVER THIS NETWORK. I can easily access my vast collection of pre-recorded Dragon Tales, Caillou, and Arthur episodes, but live TV bombs out even though I'm capturing and sending at two megabits-per-second over a two-hop network no more than 60 feet long.

Ken Schaffer, on the other hand, is capturing at 384 kilobits-per-second using hardware encoding only on the sending end (the receiver is software-only) and he can watch perfectly viewable television that has run through 20+ hops from Moscow or Bangkok or any of a number of other cities where he has friends and customers.

Given that he has no way of guaranteeing Quality of Service, I think this performance is amazing. But given his track record, I can't discount the demonstration. Like his wireless mikes, Schaffer attributes the quality to how he preprocesses the video signal before it enters the MPEG-4 encoder chip. I don't know what he does, but it seems to work."

BareBook 1556-G portable presque en kit

http://www.pcinpact.com/actu/news/Un_ordinateur_portable_vendu_presque_nu.htm

"Sa particularité est d'être vendu presque nu, celui-ci n'étant accompagné que d'une carte mère Intel 855GME. Les autres composants sont donc à rajouter, à savoir le processeur (Pentium M), la mémoire, le disque dur et le périphérique optique."