This page contains all the news items for all categories for the month of November 2009
Please select a date to view the news archive for this date:
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Myka's New Linux Based Net-Top Box
Posted by: jmet, 12:53, November 7, 2009 |
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Viewed: 89 Times |
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Myka goes beyond Hulu and Boxee allowing you to browse to any web site and play video content directly onto your TV.
Given the fact it runs on Ubuntu Linux, I wouldn't be surprised to see some sort of BitTorrent application for it soon.
The base model ION is available now for $379 (Wireless-N and Blu-ray add ons bring it to $644).
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Sony Brings HD recording to the PS3
Posted by: jmet, 12:40, November 7, 2009 |
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Viewed: 93 Times |
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Sony has updated the firmware for PlayTV to version 1.21 allowing it to record free to air HD channels.
PlayTV is a recording add on for the PS3 which will give the PS3 the ability to record and play another channel simultaneously, both in high definition.
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Funny or Die Gets YouTube Channel
Posted by: jmet, 12:35, November 7, 2009 |
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Viewed: 58 Times |
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Funnyordie.com, which was created by Will Ferrell & Adam McKay, will now have its own YouTube channel showing all of its comedy soaked hits.
“We are very excited to distribute a subset of our videos through YouTube,” said Dick Glover. “As one of the premier names in comedy, it seemed like the right time to launch a Funny or Die branded channel,”
All Funny or Die produced videos will continue to be shown first on its proprietary Web site and will soon be made available on the Funny or Die YouTube channel for a limited time.
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New Release DVDs for Just $10
Posted by: jmet, 12:42, November 6, 2009 |
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Viewed: 108 Times |
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Wal-Mart is offering its top 10 pre-order DVD movie titles at just $10 and free home delivery on DVD and Blu-ray titles in move to jump start the holiday sales.
Star Trek XI is the first movie to see a release on November 17th so I assume that’s when the offer will end, or Wal-Mart may continue to update the list.
The entire list of $10 pre-order DVD titles is available on walmart.com/movies .
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Streaming Netflix on the PS3 Available Tomorrow
Posted by: jmet, 12:28, November 6, 2009 |
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Viewed: 99 Times |
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Many PS3 owners that also have a membership to Netflix will be receiving the "Streaming installation disc" to make this all possible.
The streaming disc is merely a band-aid solution to quickly bring Netflix to PS3 users. According to Netflix, full integration with the PS3 XMB is coming next year.
The PS3 will then join the Xbox 360, the Roku, TiVo DVRs, some standalone Blu-ray players and of course the PC as devices which can access streaming video
through Netflix.
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Google Dashboard Launched
Posted by: jmet, 11:35, November 6, 2009 |
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Viewed: 115 Times |
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Google has launched the Google Dashboard, allowing for a better overview of data attached to your Google account and more control of your information.
"It's important for people to be aware of what data they have online and to be able to manage that data- Google Dashboard should help to make this a reality."
The Dashboard allows you to view all facets of your Google life like your Gmail, Google Calendar, web history, what mobile phones are syncing with your account, YouTube, and more.
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ConvertXtoDVD Updates to Version 4.0.3.313
Posted by: jmet, 08:16, November 6, 2009 |
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Viewed: 5080 Times |
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With ConvertXtoDVD, video conversion software, you can convert and burn all your videos and convert Avi to DVD! Backup and transfer your movies to DVD and enjoy watching them on any home DVD player. All in one conversion and burning software.
This award-winning divx to dvd video converter software supports most video and audio formats for video conversion (avi, mpg, mov, wmv, mkv, ogm and more) and even handles DVD to DVD copy!
Features:
- Video formats supported: avi, divx, xvid, mov, mkv, flv, mpeg-1, mpeg2-, mpeg-4, nsv, dvr-ms, tivo, ts, ifo, vob, asf, wmv, realmedia, rm, rmvb, ogm, existing files from digital camcorders, TV/Sat, capture cards, etc. No external codecs needed like avi codec download
- Create DVD menus with different templates available, possibility to add background video, image or audio, have chapter and audio/subtitle menus
- Conversion advisor wizard, control of the conversion speed vs. quality
- Fast and quality encoder, typically less than 1 hour for converting 1 movie, and supports Multi-Core processors!
- Included burning engine with burn speed control choice of SAO or packet writing methods, supports all DVD formats
- Custom and or automatic chapter creation with markers and preview window
- Advanced file merging possibilities
- Audio formats supported internal and external: AC3, DTS, PCM, OGG, MP3, WMA and more...
- Subtitles files supported internal and external: SRT, .SUB/IDX, .SSA with color and font selection, and supports tags like italic, bold
- Video output for video standard (NTSC, PAL), TV Screen (Widescreen 16:9, Fullscreen 4:3) and DVD Resolution (Full D1, Boradcast D1, Half D1, SIF), or choose automatic for all choices listed above. Also convert video from NTSC to PAL or PAL to NTSC
- Video post processing settings like video resize-pad/cropping and de-interlacing options
- Multilingual support available languages...
- Optimized for Windows 2000 / XP / Vista
The official change log for version 4.0.3.313 is as follows:
- internal key list updated
Go here to download the new version of ConvertXtoDVD.
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K-Lite Codec Pack Updates to Version 5.4.0
Posted by: jmet, 08:11, November 6, 2009 |
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Viewed: 3750 Times |
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The K-Lite Codec Pack is a collection of codecs and related tools. Codec is short for Compressor-Decompressor. Codecs are needed for encoding and decoding (playing) audio and video. The K-Lite Codec Pack is designed as a user-friendly solution for playing all your movie files. With the K-Lite Codec Pack you should be able to play all the popular movie formats and even some rare formats.
The K-Lite Codec Pack has a couple of major advantages compared to other codec packs:
* It it always very up-to-date with the latest versions of the codecs.
* It is very user-friendly and the installation is fully customizable, meaning that you can install only those components that you really want.
* It's easy to make an unattended installation.
* It has been very well tested, so that the package doesn't contain any conflicting codecs. It tries to avoid potential problems with existing codecs and even fixes some problems.
* It is a very complete package, containing everything you need to play your movies.
* There are different packages. From small to extra-large.
There are three versions of the K-Lite Codec Pack: Basic, Standard and Full.
Basic contains only the most essential things. It contains everything you need to be able to play the two most popular and widespread formats, DivX and XviD. It is small enough to fit on a single floppy. Also great for including on your movie cds.
Standard contains everything you need to play all the most commonly used formats. This package should be enough for the average user.
Full contains even more codecs. It also has encoding support for various formats. This package is for power users and people who do their own encodings.
There was also a Mega version of the codec pack with basically everything, including the Real Alternative pack.
The official change log for version 5.4.0 is as follows:
- Updated Media Player Classic Home Cinema to version 1.3.1330.0
- Added version 1.2.1008 of MPC-HC as alternative for those who have problems with the newer versions
- Updated ffdshow to revision 3126
- Added preferred filter tweaker for Windows 7
- Updated MediaInfo Lite to version 0.7.24
- Options to install secondary decoders: DivX H.264 decoder, Monogram AAC decoder, Gabest AVI splitter
- Secondary decoders are disabled by default and can be activated with the Codec Tweak Tool
- Fixed settings issue when user chose to store MPC settings in an INI file
- Moved Media Player Classic DXVA options to a separate page so that people notice it better
- The DXVA H.264 decoder is now disabled by default to prevent people with a buggy graphics driver to get playback troubles
- Minor changes
K-Lite Codec Pack
K-Lite Mega Codec Pack
K-Lite Codec Pack 64-Bit
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XBOX Live Rewards Program
Posted by: jmet, 13:38, November 4, 2009 |
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Viewed: 158 Times |
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Microsoft unveils invite-only program that lets XBL Gold subscribers get MS points for renewing subscriptions, taking surveys, buying items on XBL Marketplace.
Called the Xbox Live Rewards Squad, the program is invite-only, and participants began receiving invitations on November 2.
It will continue through the end of April 2010.
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Best Buy & Roxio Team Up
Posted by: jmet, 13:25, November 4, 2009 |
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Viewed: 133 Times |
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Best Buy today announced an on-demand movie and entertainment service that will be powered by Sonic's Roxio CinemaNow and will allow consumers to have access to buy or rent a vast library of premium content.
Best Buy intends to embed the Roxio CinemaNow technology on a wide array of devices - web-connected television sets, portable media players, PCs, Blu-ray Disc players, set-top boxes, and mobile phones
It expects to provide access to new movies, independent films, and older catalog movies, with some new titles available on the same day as the comparable DVD goes on sale.
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Wal-Mart Rumors
Posted by: jmet, 13:16, November 4, 2009 |
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Viewed: 163 Times |
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Wal-Mart is rumored to be selling the Xbox 360 Arcade edition for $199 bundled with a $100 gift card starting this Saturday.
If this rumor turns out to be true, it would be the best deal ever made for the XBOX 360.
It is also rumored that Wal-Mart will be selling a 42" TV for under $500 and a HP notebook for $298.
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What to Know Before Buying an HDTV
Posted by: jmet, 14:48, November 3, 2009 |
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Viewed: 347 Times |
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There are a few important things to consider before buying a HDTV, find out the basics you need to know to make the best decision and get the most for your money.
When you got to your local electronics store, don't be fooled by the picture quality of all the different TVs. Don't get me wrong, yes some are better than others but, most if not all of the TVs settings are modified for the low light showroom environment. What may look like a good picture there, may not look quite as good when you get it home.
Another aspect to keep in mind is the display size. The display screen size for a Wide Screen HDTV is smaller than the screen size of your CRT TV, if you still own one of those. A good rule of thumb is to buy one size larger than your current screen size (CRT = LCD/Plasma) for it to look the same.
HD looks best on a large TV, so buy the biggest set you can afford, but make sure it fits the space. A 37-inch screen may work best in a bedroom, but a 60-inch screen is ideal in a large entertainment center.
The new rave is hanging the TV's on the wall. I personally haven't done it yet, as I would need to buy an additional piece of furniture to house all of my audio & video equipment (DVD Player, DISH Receiver, Surround Sound, etc.) But, it sure does look good!
Make sure the TV you buy is a "Widescreen" TV, as all HD programming is in the widescreen aspect ratio (16X9). This really isn't a problem because most HDTVs are widescreen compatible but, just had to tell you.
You will need a HD DVR or HD TiVo to record HD programming and play it back in HD (on a HDTV of course). Standard definition programming on a HDTV looks pretty bad. At first you say its not that bad (trust me I said it) but, eventually you come to grips with reality, its bad.
If I could recommend anything, buy a HDTV that is capable of displaying a 1080p signal. They are not that much more than a 720p HDTV (I regret buying my 720p HDTV).
As far as warranties are concerned, I usually don't buy them as every time I do, its been a disaster trying to get them to fix it or they want an outrageous amount to ship it back to them and if I never need to use them, it just makes me mad I spent the extra money.
Take some notes of what you currently have (audio & video devices), and how you want to connect them (HDMI cable, Component cable, etc.) and make sure your new TV has all the inputs you need.
With a little research, you can find the best HDTV for your home that will meet all your needs!
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Kingston to Sell Paramount Movies on Flash Drives
Posted by: jmet, 12:10, November 3, 2009 |
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Viewed: 149 Times |
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Kingston and Paramount announced an unexpected deal today that will see the newly released movies also made available on SD cards and
"As more and more movies are viewed on computers and other portable devices, Kingston will become increasingly important to Paramount."
Kingston and Paramount announced an unexpected deal today that will see the newly released movies also made available on SD cards and USB flash drives.
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Nintendo Wii 2 Rumors
Posted by: jmet, 11:59, November 3, 2009 |
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Viewed: 139 Times |
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A rumor has been floating around that the new Nintendo Wii, the Wii 2, will have an internal Blu-Ray drive that supports 1080p games and movies.
The Blu-ray Wii rumor was started by a Nintendo of France marketing employee and also said that it should be out by the third quarter of 2010.
Another rumor (that I don't think is true), is that consumers will have the option to trade in old Wii's for "Wii 2" consoles.
Here is a current list of Nintendo Wii 2 rumors:
- The Wii2 system will feature a Blu-Ray drive with a secondary aim of stopping piracy
- 1080P and lower resolutions will be supported, for Blu-ray movies and games
- The release date is scheduled for third quarter of 2010
- The release will be worldwide and on the same day for all countries
- A scheme will be available in which it is possible to trade in the original Wii for a cheaper price on the new Wii 2
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$30 a Month for TV Programming
Posted by: jmet, 11:49, November 3, 2009 |
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Viewed: 167 Times |
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Apple announces a new monthly subscription service through iTunes that will rival your current cable TV for just $30 per month.
Its rumored that the key difference in this new service and cable TV, is that you only pay for the channels you want. If this is true, I can really see this becoming very popular as most TV packages contain a lot of channels you never watch.
The biggest question that comes to my mind is how the TV industry feels about this whole TV by broadband delivery.
Only time will tell...
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Windows 7 Codec Package Updates to Version 2.1.0
Posted by: jmet, 05:50, November 3, 2009 |
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Viewed: 8957 Times |
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Win7Codecs Package is a codec pack for the Windows 7 operating system.
The Win7codecs package does not change or interfere with what Microsoft has going on concerning native codec support in Windows Media Player 12 and Media Center.
DXVA accelerated H264 playback is provided by the codec package for all other capable players.
The official change log for version 2.1.0 is as follows:
Downloads
Windows 7 Codecs
Windows 7 Codecs x64 Components
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Vista Codec Package Updates to Version 5.4.8
Posted by: jmet, 05:50, November 3, 2009 |
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Viewed: 5272 Times |
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Vista Codec Package is a free codec pack (freeware) for Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 2003 and Windows NT. With Vista Codec Pack package installed, you won’t need to install any other codec or filter. The codec pack combines all the best and popular codecs available in the world. The author also tracks down the latest updates to the codecs used in the pack, and tests their functionality before been updated and included in the package, plus resolve all possible conflicts.
The official change log for version 5.4.8 is as follows:
You may download this updated version of Vista Codec Package here.
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CDBurnerXP Pro Updates to Version 4.2.7.1801
Posted by: jmet, 05:50, November 3, 2009 |
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Viewed: 1423 Times |
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Writes all kind of mediums apart from double-layer DVD (follows in next version). Burning video-DVDs is limited. Burn audio-CDs with and without gaps between tracks Burn on the fly / Burn-proof Supports most IDE, USB, Firewire and SCSI drives CDBurnerXP Pro is a free CD/DVD burning solution. With this software you can burn CD-R, CD-RW DVD+R/RW DVD-R/RW discs.
Features:
- Rip Audio-CDs to harddrive, obtain track-information (ID3-tags) from Internet
- Burn and create ISO-files
- Customizeable with many settings
- Data verification after burn, create bootable discs (will be) available in multiple languages
- 100% freeware - no adware or restrictions
- bin/nrg->ISO converter, simple cover printing and much more!
The official change log for version 4.2.7.1801 is as follows:
- ! Fixed a possible crash after burning an audio disc
- ! Fixed missing files/folders when adding a second session
- ! Fixed a crash after burning an ISO file
- ! Fixed: Wrong speed indicated when burning a second disc
You may download this updated version here.
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November 2009 News Archive