Home video

The release of Apple TV a few weeks ago has opened up an intriguing new possibility: streaming music from iTunes on your home computer to your cell phone.

No, Apple TV does not stream over the Internet or across a cellular phone network, but the SlingBox does. And Sling Media, the makers of the SlingBox, confirmed to CNET News.com on Monday that the company is working on making the Slingbox compatible with Apple TV. The most likely--and compelling--scenario would be to allow the streaming of Apple TV content (which is synched with a PC) to a mobile device.

"… Read more

Back in November of last year, our U.K. sister blog reported that JVC would be releasing a new line of sleek, flat-panel-friendly, virtual surround home-theater systems that also featured streaming media capabilities in a couple of the models. Well, word is that one of those systems, the Sophisti DD-3 is actually shipping--or about to ship--in the U.S. It carries a list price of $999.95 and seems semi-intriguing on paper.

JVC calls the 3.1-speaker system, "A new type of home theater system, featuring a Network Media Player that serves as the nerve center of the home … Read more

Earlier today, we noticed a small item that was little bit buried on Engadget HD. The post referred to a report from Hi-Def Digest that said that Universal Studios Home Entertainment was "lessening its support for the controversial HD DVD/DVD combo format," and had "reconfigured the planned April combo releases of The Jerk and The Nutty Professor to be HD DVD-only." The article went on to say that the "latest move by the Universal comes on the heels of news late last week that the studio is discontinuing two of its most popular combo … Read more

Kudos to Laptop magazine for getting the scoop, with the one of the first hands-on reviews we've seen of the Netgear EVA8000 Digital Entertainer HD. There's just one problem: they got one big detail of the product dead wrong. The Netgear product does play songs purchased from the iTunes Store, as confirmed by hands-on tests in the CNET Labs.

We purchased and played two songs from the store, and were surprised to see that the Netgear was able to stream them to the TV/stereo system in the next room just as easily as it could with DRM-free … Read more

The PalmOS version of the SlingPlayer Mobile software is now available as a public beta at Sling Media's Web site. The initial version of the Palm software is designed to run only on the Palm Treo 700p. The new software adds Palm to the list of supported platforms to which Slingbox products can stream home TV programming. To date, SlingPlayer viewing software has already been released for Windows (2000, XP, and Vista) and Mac OS X (Intel and PowerPC) computers and Windows Mobile handhelds and smartphones. Additionally, a Symbian version of the SlingPlayer is preinstalled on some phones available … Read more

The rumors were true: an upgraded Xbox 360 will be hitting stores later this spring. As reported at Gamespot, the Xbox 360 Elite will feature a black finish, a 120GB hard drive, and an HDMI output. The new unit will be available in North America on April 29 at a cost of $479. The Xbox 360 Elite will include a wireless controller, a wired Xbox Live headset (both in matching black), along with all manner of relevant cables: HDMI, Ethernet, and the combination composite/component A/V cable for connecting to standard and high-def TVs that lack an HDMI jack. … Read more

Is Best Buy selling Apple TV now? Well, that seems to depend on where you shop.

If you'll recall, last week Best Buy told us that Apple TV would be available starting Tuesday in all of its 800-plus stores a full two weeks before any other retail chain (excluding, of course, Apple's own stores, which have had it for sale since the end of last week).

Then, Best Buy took back its claim of an exclusive the next day.

Then Best Buy customer Chad Stutz of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, told Crave that he went to his local Best … Read more

Starting today, people can starting TiVoing you.

TiVo announced that it will let users send content, such as video montages and photos, over the TiVo network.

Anyone can go to OneTrueMedia.com, create an account, upload a video, add a soundtrack, use One True Media's basic editing tools and create a personal TiVo channel. The video creator can invite any TiVo Series2 or Series3 owners to subscribe to that particular channel. Subscribers can add the new channel to their Season Pass; all videos uploaded to that channel will be delivered to each user's Now Playing list.

Of course, … Read more

With HDMI and optical digital output, Apple TV should eventually be able to pass DVD-like surround sound just as soon as Apple adds surround-encoded movies and TV shows to its iTunes Store--right?

Wrong.

According to the specs on Apple's Web site, the Apple TV's maximum audio track bandwidth for video files is 160Kbps (that doubles to 320Kbps for audio-only files such as MP3s and AACs). That is far below the 640Kbps and 768Kbps surround Dolby and DTS soundtracks you'll find on any old DVD. And that doesn't even begin to account for the next-gen Dolby Digital … Read more