HDTV Lounge

The Unibrain iZak is a portable hard drive which is designed especially for TV’s.
The iZak acts and can be used as a normal external Hard disk drive from a PC or Mac when connected via USB 2.0, for all your files. You can also store ripped DVD’s and other video files on the drive, and when connected to an HDTV / TV, can play back these files on the TV.

The iZak supports MPEG1/2/4, DivX video, and WAV, MP3, MPEG4, WMA, and AC3 audio; it’s also certified for DivX. It also includes a Remote control so you can operate it like a media center / DVD player. Read more

The Apple iTV is the code word for their new High Definition wireless video Ssreaming set-top Box.

The Apple iTV looks like a flattened Mini Mac, at about half it’s size, and can wirelessly stream HD video and audio from your iPod or PC and has connectivity through USB 2.0 and both wired and wireless ethernet.

The iTV HD interfaces include HDMI, component RCA video and optical digital audio outputs. Apple are also launching a service to download and stream movies from it’s iTunes service at “near DVD” resolution. This sounds great as you can surf and download streaming movies, tv content, and media from your PC from this device, the iTunes video content will only be at 640×480, where as many people will only want full HD conent.

The TiVo Series3 HD Box has officially been announced today and according to the press release should be available in “mid-September”. If you would like to get your hands on one asap you can order one from tivo.com.
The TiVo Series3 HD Box has dual CableCARDs enable the recording of two different shows in HD simultaneously, while supporting THX certification. The current price is $800, but this should drop over time.
The TiVo Series3 HD box can record upto 32 hours of HD quality content and 300 hours in SD format. You can also schedule recordings direct from the internet in case your away from your house, and includes new TiVo broadband features, including digital photos, Internet radio, podcasts, and more.

The TiVo Series 3 (HD TiVo) is the new HD Digital Media Recorder. Right now there are not too mant details around but it’s now certianly official. The Series 3 is dual CableCARD compatiable, and seems to be very fast, but TiVoToGo is not on yet. It does have HME functionality including Live 365,Yahoo Web Stuff, TiVo games as well as others.

The Humax LP32-TDR1 is a 32-inch widescreen HDTV combined with a Personal Video Recorder (PVR) for around $1600.

Humax LP32-TDR1 looks like an upgraded version of their LGB-32TPVR set which has a 40Gb drive and HD but only 720p as we are aware.

The new LP32-TDR has a large 160Gb hard drive for over 100 hours of recording which can be easily added via the electronic programme guide (EPG), two tuners, allowing you to watch more than one digital programme at once via Picture in Picture. There are component, S-Video, 3 AC inputs, 2 Scarts, and a single HDMI connections.

As most of you know, the PRV allows you to record, pause, re-wind etc live tv and recordings. As this is an all in one solution its rather nice for technology wary individuals, and maybe their wives. For a 32-inch LCD with PVR the LP32-TDR’s specs and the price look very impressive.

The new ATI TV Wonder 650 and, TV Wonder 200 HDTV tuner cards come with the ATI Catalyst Media Center software.

ATI . has announced new ways to watch major sporting events for the new fall prime time TV season on your PC. The solution is called “TV Wonder 650″ and “TV Wonder 200″ which offer new easy-to-use features for Personal Video Recording (PVR) on the PC.

With TV Wonder 650 consumers can receive free over-the-air high-definition broadcasts and improved quality analog TV programs enhanced with amazing Avivo image quality. TV Wonder 650, with a manufacturers suggested retail price (MSRP) of USD$129, includes an easy-to-use High Definition PVR to record content in a variety of formats: DivX, H.264, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 and WMV9.

“More consumers are embracing the media PC evolution than ever before. With today’s announcement, these enthusiasts can enjoy new entertainment value featuring ATI’s high quality TV-on-the-PC PVR solutions,” said Paul Lypaczewski, Senior Vice President Marketing and General Manager, Desktop, ATI Technologies Inc.

“The Media PC is now a standard fixture in home theaters; extending the entertainment experience with truly innovative features. For example, with TV Wonder 650, we’re taking ATI’s cutting-edge HDTV technology, that powers popular HDTVs, to transform the PC into amazing entertainment consumer appliances.”

With a 125-channel TV tuner, TV Wonder 650 features hardware MPEG-2 encoding to offload intensive PVR functions from the main computer processor to deliver high quality capture that is easily transferred to DVD. TV Wonder 650 also features motion compensated noise reduction, edge enhancement, FM radio reception, and much more.
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Verizon now offers a digital video recorder (DVR) that allows its TV customers to watch recorded programs on multiple TVs in any room in the house.

The new multiroom DVR, made by Motorola, lets customers view recorded programs on up to three televisions at once. The media hub, called the Home Media DVR, also functions as a dual-tuner DVR, which allows customers to watch one program while recording another.

Customers using the multiroom DVR will pay $19.95 per month, plus $3.95 per month for each standard-definition set-top box that will be used to receive recorded video from the DVR.

Verizon has bundled the recording function with software it calls Media Manager, a new feature that lets customers access photos and music stored on their personal computer and play them on their televisions. For now, copyright-protected content, such as movies and music, will not be accessible through the Home Media DVR.
source: http://news.com.com/

Monolith Media Center (MonolithMC) is offering up an pre-bulit, pre-installed system with MythTV (a popular Windows Media Center alturnative). This is aimed at individuals who don’t know enoug about system building and installing Linux on your own.
Models start at $650, and include a remote, an IRBlaster, and free electronic programming guide access. Specs range from a single analog tuner to dual HDTV tuners, and you can get a 400GB HDD and DVD burner as well. The 3.2GHz P4 CPU isn’t exactly cutting edge, but all the same, the Monolith box should be fine for someone who doesn’t want to mess with setup, and isn’t afraid to spend a bit more than they would otherwise.

DirectTV’s HD DVR, the HR20-700, or as some people call it, HD-TiVo. Reports are out that the device will be out some time August, after many months of delays. The DirecTV HD DVR is basically a HD version of the very popular TiVo service, strangely enough the HD version has lost the popular TiVo tag. It will have all the same functions and more than the original Tivo with the ability to record pause, play HD Content.

High Definition TV Output (via HDMI and Component)
2 Sets of RCA (Red/White/Yellow Outputs) - 1 S-Video
1 Optical Digital Output
Dual SAT Tuners
Dual ATSC Tuners (functionality is disabled at this time, see notes later in the review)
Wired RJ-45 Ethernet Port
External SATA Connection
300gb SATA Internal Hard Drive
RF Remote Compatible with the Included RC24, and the soon to be released RC32RF

Estimated Recording Space (Not a cumulative value)
~ 30 Hours of MPEG-2 (OTA) HD
~ 50 Hours of MPEG-4 HD
~ 200 Hours of Standard Definition (SD)

The HELIOS X-Line (X3000 & X5000) of HD Network Media Player gives you the power to personalize your digital experience and the flexibility to access all your digital media from wherever it is stored and watch them in your home theater.

CONNECT your television to your PC, laptops, digital cameras, hard drives, projectors, MP3 and MP4 players, and more.

STREAM internet radio, television and broadcast news, as well as digital media from any machine on the network, onto your television.

SHARE your movies, home videos, music and photos with absolute ease via LAN, WIFI or USB port.
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