Blogs3,510 Entries

Popcorn Hour C-200 Media Tank

March 5, 2010

The prize for bizarrest product title around this week goes to AdvancedMP3Players which has started selling a network media player known as the Popcorn Hour C-200 Media Tank.

The device connects to your PC, home network and digital devices with a USB port, and allows users to stream music, image and video files to a TV.

Carrie-Ann Skinner | Read more...


Philips 9000 series Full HD 3D Ready TV

February 24, 2010

Philips is gearing up for this year's Fifa World Cup with the launch of a range of LCD TVs that are 3D Ready.

For the first time, the football world cup will be broadcast in 3D and a range of television makers aims to capitalise on the new broadcast technology by offering consumers TVs that can decode 3D.

Rosemary Hattersley | Read more...


Guinness World Records 2010 Gamers' Edition

January 21, 2010

Guinness World Records 2010 Gamers' EditionJames May seems to have been breaking an inordinate number of world records of late with his Toy Stories TV series. But it's not just overpaid TV presenters who get to claim the glory: hundreds of volunteers made his Meccano, Scalextric and Hornby dreams come true.

In fact, Guinness World Records are really the domain of give-it-a-go heroes and heroines, as the entries in the Gamers' Edition of the popular annual proves.

Rosemary Hattersley | Read more...


Aiptek Mobile Cinema DVD Projector

January 15, 2010

Aiptek Mobile Cinema DVD ProjectorMini projectors have become quite the thing now that portable gadgets are able to store and play complete TV shows and even feature films. But you don't want to watch a 90-minute docudrama on a cramped 3.5in screen - not when you can project it on to the nearest wall, anyway.

The Mobile Cinema DVD Projector applies the same logic for DVDs. DVDs are light and compact and therefore convenient to take with you; projectors and TV screens are less portable, but it would be good to be able to slot a DVD film into a small gadget and enjoy its contents whenever the urge takes you. The LED light of the Mobile Cinema displays an image up to 50in in diameter. Video is displayed in standard 4:3 ratio, rather than the 16:9 of widescreen Hollywood movies, but most DVDs are designed for the more traditional, squarer output.

Rosemary Hattersley | Read more...


Avatar: Good News for 3D TV and Blu-ray?

December 24, 2009

Blu-ray videoThere's little doubt that James Cameron's heavily marketed sci-fi release Avatar will make a lot of money at the box office. But what impact will the film have on 3D entertainment in the home?

Avatar, which cost more than £180m to make, uses state-of-the-art 3D filmmaking techniques to create a visually stunning alien world. The spectacle, rather than the story, is the selling point here, and you can bet that Hollywood will churn out similar fare to capitalise on the 3D craze.

Jeff Bertolucci | Read more...


Conceptronic Full HD Media Player

December 9, 2009

Conceptronic has launched a Full HD Media Player that allows user to stream digital videos, photos and music files to enjoy them on a high-definition TV display.

The Full HD Media Player can be placed both horizontally or vertically. Its design is intended to resemble that of a space rocket.

Carrie-Ann Skinner | Read more...


Elonex iGame Console

November 30, 2009

Elonex iGame ConsoleElonex, originally a purveyor of desktop PCs and laptops, is branching out into home electronics and has launched its own games console.

The Elonex iGame uses an iPhone or iPod screen and comes with a Nintendo Wii-like white wireless controller that tracks the user's movement.

Rosemary Hattersley | Read more...


Epson EH-DM3 home cinema projector

November 19, 2009

Epson has announced that the EH-DM3 home cinema projector it unveiled at IFA in September is now onsale in the UK. Epson is pitching the EH-DM3 as a three-in-one device offering projector, DVD player and audio playback.

The EH-DM3's built-in DVD player is able to accept DivX video as well as shop-bought DVDs. The device has an HDMI port so it can be connected to a high-definition video source such as a Blu-ray player. It can also be used with laptops and PCs, games consoles and set-top boxes. A USB port allows photos and video to played direct from flash memory.

PC Advisor staff | Read more...


The Beatles on Apple! (But not how you think)

November 5, 2009

AppleNo, you can't get Beatles tunes on iTunes or elsewhere (legally) online. But you will be able to get them on an apple-shaped USB drive.

This is... odd. The Beatles are finally releasing their remastered catalogue in digital form - both high-quality FLAC files and 320-Kbps MP3s. But they're not selling it on iTunes or any other online music merchant. They're releasing it as a limited edition of 30,000 16GB USB drives that fit into an "exquisitely crafted" commemorative apple.

Harry McCracken | Read more...


GlideTV Navigator remote control

October 21, 2009

GlideTV Navigator remote controlIt's no secret that you can enjoy far more programmes on your TV screen by hooking it up to your home network and beaming catch-up programmes, video, music and photos to it.

However, the idea of a Media Center PC at the heart of your home entertainment setup is made rarely less appealing by the need to control it using a computer keyboard or a hulking great remote control.

Rosemary Hattersley | Read more...


Five requests for YouTube film rentals

September 4, 2009

Internet & BroadbandRumour has it that Google is working on a possible deal with Hollywood studios that would give YouTube a streaming rental store.

The idea is makes sense, as YouTube has, far and away, the biggest audience for online video, and Google needs to monetise in other ways besides advertising. But, if a YouTube rental system is going to work, it has to be done right.

Jareb Newman | Read more...


Sony PlayStation 3 'Slim'

August 19, 2009

Sony PlayStation 3 'Slim' games consoleTo no one's huge surprise, Sony has launched a thinner version of its PlayStation 3 games console. The Playstation One and Playstation 2 both had thinner versions, so the long-rumoured 'PS3 Slim' was always a good bet.

Sony officially unveiled the new model at Gamescon in Germany yesterday. Sony's Playstation website describes Gamescon as the most important gaming event in Europe.

Rosemary Hattersley | Read more...


Rumour: Toshiba to launch Blu-ray player?

July 20, 2009

Blu-ray driveMassive HD-DVD backer Toshiba, one of the biggest losers in the nascent high-definition disc format wars, will produce and launch a Blu-ray player this year, according to reports in Japan.

After spending a fortune trying (and failing) to prop up HD-DVD as the high-definition disc choice du jour, Toshiba initially said it would concentrate its resources on existing DVD technology.

Matt Egan | Read more...


Open-source media player VLC hits big time

July 10, 2009

Video playbackFor several years, the free, third-party media player of choice for many video connoisseurs was the open-source VLC media player. It worked on multiple operating systems, it worked on a bare install of Windows without any special codecs, and it was light and fast. Now VLC is ready for the big time.

Hitting the important milestone of version 1.0.0 (given the James Bond-referencing nickname of Goldeneye), the latest edition of VLC comes a pile of useful new features.

Steve Horton | Read more...


Wyplay Wyplayer HD streaming box

June 17, 2009

Wyplay Wyplayer HD streaming boxWyplay has launched a high-definition media streaming box that can manage your multimedia and create playlists on the fly. The Wyplayer comes in capacities from 500GB to 1TB and has two TV tuners.

Playback is controlled via a slim remote control with a dial near the top that makes it easy to get to the item you want. We also liked the fact that you can add tracks or albums to the Wyplayer's playlist (and name them for future use) and then export them to a USB key you've plugged in or to another attached or networked device.

Rosemary Hattersley | Read more...


Panasonic DMP-B15 portable Blu-ray player

June 2, 2009

Panasonic DMP-B15 portable Blu-ray playerPanasonic has launched what it claims is the world's first portable 1080p Blu-ray player. The DMP-B15 has an 8.5in widescreen display and enjoys a battery life of around 2.5 hours.

The device can be hooked up to a home entertainment setup via its HDMI output. It can also be mounted to the back of a car seat using an optional headrest mounting bracket.

Rosemary Hattersley | Read more...


DVD copying case: why you should care

April 27, 2009

RealNetworks and the major movie studios gathered in San Francisco's US District Court on Friday to (possibly) determine the fate of DVD copying.

RealNetworks would like to sell its $30 RealDVD application - an application that allows consumers to back up commercial DVDs to their computers' hard drive for archival purposes. (These backup copies are still protected and can't be burned to DVD.) The movie industry wants to maintain control of its content and argues that RealNetworks has breached a license to use CSS encryption (the form of copy-protection found on commercial DVDs) and is in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) won a temporary injunction in October that prevents RealNetworks from selling RealDVD.)

Christopher Breen | Read more...


Freecom Media Player II external multimedia player

April 16, 2009

Freecom has unveiled the Media Player II - an external hard drive that can be connected to your home entertainment system, allowing you to enjoy music, movies and images without being tied to your PC.

The drive comes in 500GB and 1TB capacities and connects to a PC or home network via a USB 2.0 connection. Files can be drag and dropped on to the drive for playback and viewing on a TV screen or Hi-Fi. Composite and component connections are included, along with an HDMI output.

Carrie-Ann Skinner | Read more...


Seagate FreeAgent Theatre media player

March 31, 2009

Seagate has unveiled the FreeAgent Theatre - a media player that is compatible with any USB external hard drive and allows users to play music, video and image files stored on the drive, though their home entertainment system.

The FreeAgent Theatre connects to any TV using either the Scart or Composite connection on the device. Users then simply slide their external hard drive into the USB dock and use the bundled remote control to navigate through the files stored on the hard drive.

Carrie-Ann Skinner | Read more...


CeBIT: is homeplug the future of home entertainment?

March 6, 2009

I've long had a slightly cranky regard for the benefits of homeplug. For the uninitiated, that's bouncing a data signal along electric wires, creating a network by the simple method of slapping in a plug next to your router, and another near your PC.

Why is it so good? It's a simple solution to a tricky problem. It just works, and the concept is startingly simple. (And when I spent a Saturday afternoon trying and failing to 'go wireless', homeplug saved the day.) See also: Powerline: last refuge of the inept networker.

Matt Egan | Read more...


top | older >>

Google

Search blogs


Recent reviews

Reviews index


Top news

News index


Blogs available...

New Products
PC Advisor Blog

You can have the latest blog entries delivered to your desktop via RSS. Use the links below to get access to a specific blog feed or click on RSS previously to get more information on RSS.

 New Products
 PC Advisor Blog

Sponsored Content

  • Take the internet to new places with the Nokia N800
    Communicate how you want to, where you want to with instant messaging, email and internet calling. View movies, browse the internet wirelessly and watch TV on the high-resolution screen and listen through high-quality stereo speakers with headphone jack.
    Buy now