Crave: The gadget blog - Category: Home video
Wed, 23 Jul 2008 19:55:00 GMT

Hands-on testing: Pioneer's new 'Kuro' doles out streaming media

Pioneer's media navigator

(Credit: CNET)

Pioneer has followed the current trend of TV media streaming, introducing an Ethernet jack on the back of its latest line of Kuro televisions, the PDP-6020FD and PDP-5020FD; the latter of which we gave high marks. The set is one of a few HDTVs on the market that are certified as DLNA clients, delivering an interoperability framework that promises to allow you to painlessly stream movies, music, and photos over your home network to your attached television, using Windows Media Player 11, TVersity, or some other media streaming software. If you're not interested in using your computer as a media-hub, it might be worthwhile to check out some of these products, which offer similar streaming functionality without the clunky PC tower. ...
Wed, 23 Jul 2008 19:55:00 GMT

Inching closer to wireless hi-def video

The backers of Wireless Home Digital Interface plan to announce they are officially banding together Wednesday. But we're still months, or even a year from true, interoperable devices that can send high-definition video between themselves.

Wireless Home Digital Interface, or WHDI, sends uncompressed, high-definition video signals over the unlicensed ...

The eSATA Mercury is equipped with a Hitachi internal hard drive that spins at 7200rpm.

(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET Networks)

I asked for it a few blogs ago and now I've got it: the first pocket-size external hard drive that features an eSATA connection, the eSATA OWC Mercury On-The-Go. ...

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 23:36:00 GMT

Warner to offer cheaper Blu-ray movies later this year

300 is one of the movies that will feature a lower price tag in the fall.

(Credit: Amazon)

As much as we complain about the high prices of standalone Blu-ray players, in some ways the high prices of Blu-ray movies are even more frustrating. Today, Warner Home Video has taken ...

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 20:26:00 GMT

Microsoft opens up E3 with loud, energetic press conference

The line to get into the Microsoft E3 press conference snaked back and forth throughout the West Hall at the Los Angeles Convention Center Monday morning.

(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET News)

Updated at 12:35 p.m. PDT to correct the news about "Final Fantasy XIII." It is coming to ...

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 17:30:00 GMT

Kodak's answer to Apple TV: The Theatre HD Player

Kodak's new little black media player.

(Credit: Kodak)

I'm not sure whether I should call the new Theatre HD Player Kodak's answer to Apple TV, but that's the best analogy I can come up with on short notice. Whether it is or not, Kodak is

...
Thu, 10 Jul 2008 16:23:00 GMT

Belkin doubles down on wireless HDMI

The FlyWire transmitter can send up to six AV sources an HDMI-equipped TV or projector.

(Credit: Belkin)

Belkin today announced the pricing and planned availability for its FlyWire wireless HDMI accessory. The unit will eventually be available in two separate versions: a $1,000 multi-room unit set to hit in October, and a stepdown $700 model dubbed the R1, which is intended for single-room installations.

TheFlyWire wireless HDMI kit garnered a nomination for the Best of CES Awards back in January, where it successfully demonstrated the ability to wirelessly transmit uncompressed high-definition video and audio. (See a CNET TV video of the FlyWire in action after the break.)...
Thu, 10 Jul 2008 07:01:00 GMT

Epson's 'complete' home theater in a box

(Credit: Epson)

Except for its lack of Blu-ray, the Epson Ensemble HD Home Cinema System may be the closest thing to a complete packaged solution that covers just about every nut and bolt for big-screen home entertainment. It comprises a full-HD or 720p projector, motorized 100-inch screen, 5.1-channel surround

It's software like Nero that makes copying optical media content so easy.

(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET Networks)

Yeah, I know, it hit me as a surprise too. However, that's one of the findings found in a recent Consumer Home Piracy market research study carried out by Futuresource Consulting ...

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:18:00 GMT

Flashlight DVR brings us closer to living out our 007 fantasies

The FlashlightDVR awaiting upload to The Matrix

(Credit: Swann)

Well, maybe not quite 007. I mean, for one thing, could you imagine James Bond walking around with a huge flashlight sticking out of his back pocket? Well, maybe the Timothy Dalton 007, but he was never that cool to begin ...

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 20:42:00 GMT