casting

Panasonic rolls out two new Blu-ray players

Panasonic had a stand-out 2008 on the Blu-ray front, with the DMP-BD35 earning the first Editor's Choice award for a standalone Blu-ray player. After mastering most of the basic Blu-ray functions, like BD-Live and high-resolution audio decoding, it looks like the two new players, the DMP-BD60 and DMP-BD80, are mostly incremental updates to the existing Blu-ray players, with the biggest new feature being Viera Cast support.

Key features of the Panasonic DMP-BD60:

Profile 2.0 compatible Onboard Dolby TrueHD and DTS-Master Audio Essential decoding SD card slot and USB input Access to Viera Cast Internet content, including Amazon Video … Read more

Always-on screen capture

The straightforward, sunny Jing Project is one of the easiest ways to grab and share screenshots and videos straight from your PC. The interface, half a lemon yellow sphere, sits at the top of your screen, waiting for you to hover over it to begin capturing the image or screencast in a crosshair.

You'll be able to annotating images and review videos, but copying, saving, and sharing them is what Jing is really about. Version 2.0 adds a useful Help Center and lets you configure new buttons that will upload your creations to Flickr, an FTP account, or … Read more

Sounds like the Storm isn't much of a music phone

The reviews are in on the Storm, the new touch-screen phone from Research In Motion, and nobody loves it. Check out takes from CNET, Engadget, Gizmodo, and Time for a sample.

In particular, the mechanics of the touch screen--you have to press areas on the screen with some force, as if they're actually keys--have been greeted with almost universal frustration.

But for a would-be iPhone killer, the reviews are remarkably light on the Storm's music features. It's true that BlackBerry users are traditionally e-mail junkies, and the phone's communications features (apart from the touchscreen weirdness) are … Read more

GridNetworks brings streaming video to your TV

Video delivery platform provider GridNetworks on Monday announced that it has launched its GridCast TV service, which allows content distributors to stream online video to a viewer's TV.

GridCast TV is currently capable of reaching 35 million homes across the United States, thanks to the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Internet-enabled high-definition TVs.

According to GridNetworks, the service doesn't require the use of a set-top box or any other additional hardware, but it is a CDN overlay technology that requires to two main components: software embedded into set-top boxes, as well as the installation of the Grid Network Control … Read more

The 404 227: Where we're constantly waiting for MTI

Mark the Intern joins us for a hilarious show; this time around, we tackle stories breaking in mainstream media including the Mad TV cancellation, Journey greatest song of all time, the Arrested Development movie, and Stan Lee's cutting edge take on the classic superhero story.

There's a lot of music and television show news to report today, so we invite Mark the (former) Intern onto the show to help us discuss what's happening. First off, we get into the one song that can always brighten a dark day: Journey's "Don't Stop Believin." Whether it's in a crowded Karaoke Bar, in a Family Guy episode, or in a solo performance in the pajamas in privacy of my room, that song gets my juices flowing right when I hear that familiar falsetto. So a big congratulations to Journey for hitting the double platinum digital sales mark on iTunes!

Unfortunately, good news always comes with the bad kind too, and we're sad to report that Mad TV is shutting its doors after a 14 year stint on air. I personally loved Mad TV more than SNL all throughout middle school; don't you remember Ms. Swan? UBS Guy? Funky Walker, Dirty Talker? And Stewart! Look what I can do! We'll miss you Mad TV, but at least you're taking down Lipstick Jungle and My Own Worst Enemy with you. Seriously, Jeff says those shows suck.

EPISODE 227 Download today's podcast … Read more

Apple rejects update to CastCatcher iPhone app

Updated 5:15pm with comment from Return7.

The fourth time was definitely not the charm for the developers behind the CastCatcher streaming radio application for the iPhone.

Apple rejected CastCatcher 1.3 from the App Store on Monday, according to Return7 developer Amro Mousa. The reason? "CastCatcher Internet Radio cannot be posted to the App Store because it is transferring excessive volumes of data over the cellular network, which as outlined in the iPhone SDK Agreement section 3.3.15, is prohibited."

If that's Apple's policy regarding streaming radio applications, Mousa is a little puzzled, because … Read more

Toaster proves they do make 'em like they used to

Toasters have always been a focus of attention in the kitchen. In fact, they seem to symbolize it more than any other appliance. Sure, the refrigerator or oven might seem like more obvious choices, but in the end it's the toaster that best represents the warmth of the kitchen.

But don't take my word for it. Toasters come in endless shapes and sizes. From a toaster with a built-in egg poacher, to a toaster stuck on the side of a microwave, there really doesn't seem to be any end to toaster combinations (or apparently, movie tie-ins; I'… Read more

Take your TV to-go with AT&T CruiseCast

At 2008's SEMA Show, I took a spin in a Toyota Sienna with a rather unique feature designed and installed by AT&T: CruiseCast Satellite TV. I have to say after seeing the system, I'm impressed.

We here at CNET Car Tech have test driven vehicles equipped with satellite TV, such as the 2009 Dodge Ram and Durango Hybrid vehicles with their Sirius Backseat TV systems. These systems have two fatal flaws. First, the signal is poor even at its best. At its worst, it's unwatchable because of spotty reception. Secondly, the selection of channels is … Read more

FlyCast hopes to lure BlackBerry users this November

If you happen to be scouting new music on your BlackBerry two Saturdays from now, you could be one of the first to try out the free FlyCast entertainment app.

Launching November 1, FlyCast, which is already available for iPhone, will offer its radio, video, and podcast channels for BlackBerry Curve, Bold, and Storm phones. In addition, FlyCast's programming includes news, sports, weather, and traffic stations. The media can freely run in the background, which lets you listen to music while you do other things on the phone.

You'll be able to download FlyCast when the time is … Read more