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27. May 2009

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Welcome to itechlife, a blog dedicated to all things Apple, Digi cameras, Gadgets, Handhelds, HD and Entertainment. If that's not enough we have some great articles on Mobiles, News and Videos together with Networking, Media and Laptops. Check it out and thanks for visiting.

Research Before Investing On A Home Theatre

3. March 2009

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The prime concern while installing a home theatre design is budget. Home theatres are really expensive and care must be taken choosing the right one as it involves a considerable amount of investment. Henceforth a proper research regarding prices, budget, and designs needs to be made. One might buy a home theatre in different instalementary phases since the investment is huge. However, care must also be taken to check that the present model should complement the purchases to be made in future. Home theatre budget should cover a good universal DVD player that supports high definition audio sound, a surround sound audio amplifier/receiver and matching speakers. These should ideally be purchased together to ensure that the various home theatre sound components provide a perfect match. Include at least a 37" wide screen TV along with your home theatre. Do not forget to budget for a suitable projector screen if you will be making use of a video projector as a big screen TV solution for your home theatre. Similarly, budget also for good quality audio/video cabling. Both issues are often overlooked by many. Another greatly overlooked aspect in any home theatre design is equipment power protection. The shopping list moves forward to match room lighting, furnishing, and ambience.

TZero closes up shop, UWB all but dead

13. February 2009

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Filed under: Industry, Other formats, Others It's been a slow, painful death, but it's about time to just pull the white sheet over ultra-wideband and let the wireless standard rest in peace. After Intel pulled its support for UWB and proponent WiQuest shut down late last year, all that the format really had left was TZero. After successfully surviving some legal issues, we thought the company was good to go in fighting a hopeless battle against wireless HD upstart AMIMON. Now, it seems that WHDI (that's AMIMON's magic) is free to take the market by storm, but only time will tell if wireless HD is even remotely close to mainstream. In one sense, we're sad to see competition die, but on the other hand, it's always good to see fruitless format wars fade away. Don't be too down on yourself, TZero -- it's not like anyone really had high expectations for you or anything.TZero closes up shop, UWB all but dead originally appeared on Engadget HD on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 22:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read

President Obama signs DTV delay bill into law

13. February 2009

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Filed under: Industry, Regulatory, Tuners, ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, OTA No way Obama was going to veto this after driving it all the way through Congress, but technically, the digital TV delay wasn't actually official until now. Late today, America's President signed his name onto the bill which will delay the digital TV transition from February 17th to June 12th, though a provision allows stations to switch over beforehand should they choose. In fact, hundreds of stations still plan to kill analog later this month, as they've been planning towards that date for years now. Honestly, we can't figure out what the purpose of this is. Unless there's more cash for the currently dry voucher program tucked away somewhere in that mind-bogglingly large "stimulus package," delaying the pain won't solve a thing. Though it will confuse the hell out of people, so there's that.President Obama signs DTV delay bill into law originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 11 Feb 2009 19:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read

HBO, Netflix wave off streaming rumors

8. February 2009

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Filed under: Media streamers, HBO-HD, Internet Slow down, Watch Instantly fans, both HBO and Netflix are at least claiming there have been no talks about setting up a "premium tier" resembling a question posed in a recent survey. Multichannel News confirmed with Netflix the survey was real so we'll keep a seat open next to Starz just in case, so hey, if Showtime or epix is looking for a partner we've got a great idea for you.HBO, Netflix wave off streaming rumors originally appeared on Engadget HD on Thu, 05 Feb 2009 19:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read

Live At Last Blu-ray finally brings Stevie Wonder home with lossless audio

8. February 2009

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Filed under: Blu-rayThe first ever live concert DVD from Stevie Wonder will be worth the wait, as his O2 Arena performance from last fall comes home in high quality. Featuring some of his biggest hits, a performance by his daughter can covers of Beatles and Rolling Stones songs, it's all captured on a 50GB Blu-ray disc in 1080i, with a lossless DTS-HD MA soundtrack. It makes sense that such a release should have the highest quality audio, fans can check it out March 10.Live At Last Blu-ray finally brings Stevie Wonder home with lossless audio originally appeared on Engadget HD on Fri, 06 Feb 2009 20:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read

Xbox Live tallies 1 million Netflix Watch Instantly activations, 1.5 billion minutes served

7. February 2009

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Filed under: Media streamers, Other hardware, Internet Bad news first: there might be a bit more competition than you expected for that home theater giveaway. Good luck bringing down Netflix's shooting star though, as if last week's good news train wasn't enough comes news that over a million Xbox Live Gold members have already downloaded and activated the Watch Instantly app since its NXE debut last November. That's more than 10% of Netflix's just announced 9.4 million subscribers who've already watched over 1.5 billion minutes of TV and movies through their consoles. They're not the only ones happy, while streaming may be eating into DVD rentals, Xbox Live Marketplace rentals are up 174 percent year over year. The streaming library is up to 12,000 titles, with a "growing percentage" in high definition, for the rest of the celebratory details check the full PR after the break. Nothing left for us to say but congratulations and hey, if you get a minute, could you fix Nilay's HD streaming on the Xbox? Thanks.Continue reading Xbox Live tallies 1 million Netflix Watch Instantly activations, 1.5 billion minutes served Xbox Live tallies 1 million Netflix Watch Instantly activations, 1.5 billion minutes served originally appeared on Engadget HD on Thu, 05 Feb 2009 03:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink

HDTV Listings for February 6, 2009

7. February 2009

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Filed under: CBS, The CW, Discovery-HD, ESPN-HD, MyNetworkTV, NBC, ListingsWhat we're watching tonight: CBS (1080i) lines up Ghost Whisperer at 8 p.m. and Numb3rs at 10 p.m. MyNetworkTV (720p) airs WWE Smackdown at 8 p.m. CW (1080i) has Everybody Hates Chris at 8 p.m. and The Game at 8:30 p.m. USA (1080i) has Monk at 9 p.m. and Psych at 10 p.m. Sci Fi (1080i) brings Battlestar Galactica at 10 p.m. Discovery (1080i) tosses in Adrenaline Rush Hour at 9 p.m. Cartoon Network (1080i) has Batman: The Brave and the Bold at 8 p.m. and Star Wars: The Clone Wars at 9 p.m. TLC (1080i) has What Not to Wear at 9 p.m. NBC (1080i) continues Friday Night Lights at 9 p.m. ESPN (720p) has Nuggets/Wizards at 8 p.m. and Warriors/Suns at 10:30 p.m. HDTV Listings for February 6, 2009 originally appeared on Engadget HD on Fri, 06 Feb 2009 16:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink

Popcorn Hour A-110 Hands-on

6. February 2009

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Filed under: Features, Media streamers We've been on a media streamer kick lately and decided to check the Popcorn Hour A-110 to see what all the fuss is about. Our first impressions are positive, but we'll hold out sharing too much until we've had more time to play. We're willing to share a few details though like the fact that the remote feels really good considering the price point ($179), the thumbscrews on the top give easy access to the drive bay (drive not included). And on top of all that, we have to admit we appreciate it it when an HDMI is included. Stay tuned for more... Gallery: Popcorn Hour A-110 Hands-onPopcorn Hour A-110 Hands-on originally appeared on Engadget HD on Tue, 03 Feb 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink

International HD news roundup

2. February 2009

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Filed under: DVRs, Set-top boxes, New content We're not quite sure what kind of high-def party went down overseas this past week, but boy, was it a big one. We've got more HD news bits from the international scene than we can even count this week, but we'll mention a few of the highlights before passing you on to the absurdly long list of read links below. In no particular order, BSkyB is celebrating its 20th anniversary by pledging to invest heavily in "new technologies," the German Blu-ray player market exhibited "dynamic growth" in Q4 2008, VOOM HD has zoomed down to Latin America and the Sky+HD box saw its price drop to just

Charter launching 60Mbps broadband, asks “FiOS what?”

31. January 2009

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Filed under: Cable, Internet Still waiting for Verizon's FiOS to come and light up your neighborhood with blistering download speeds? Now you have something even faster to wait for, with Charter Communications announcing it is launching a 60Mbps broadband service, utilizing DOCSIS 3.0 to fit more bits in the same pipes -- not quite the 160Mbps Comcast predicted, but we'll take it. What the company isn't announcing is when people will be able to tap into this or how much they'll pay for the privilege, but hopefully it'll be a little less than the $140 Verizon is charging.Charter launching 60Mbps broadband, asks "FiOS what?" originally appeared on Engadget HD on Thu, 29 Jan 2009 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read

Spendor breaks out its statement ST speaker

29. January 2009

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Filed under: Speakers, Others Audiophiles who love the typically "dry" sound of British speakers will be familiar with the Spendor name. The company's BC1 and SP1 models are old-school audiophile classics, but Spendor has rolled out a new flagship ST model that at least looks great next to those bland-looking (but great sounding) boxes. The front inlay on the ported cabinet looks indulgent, no matter whether you opt for the ebony, zebrano or aluminum look and then the 7-inch Kevlar woofer, 7-inch polymer mid-bass and 1.1-inch tweeter finish off the package. The 58Hz - 20kHz response on the $8,995 per pair speaker isn't much to crow about, but then again, it really doesn't tell you how the speaker sounds in real life, either. Chances are if you're shopping this speaker, you've already formed a short list based on things that aren't on spec sheets.Spendor breaks out its statement ST speaker originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read

HDTV Listings for January 29, 2009

29. January 2009

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Filed under: ABC, CBS, The CW, Discovery-HD, ESPN-HD, Fox, TNT-HD, ListingsWhat we're watching tonight: Fox (720p) has American Idol at 8 p.m. CW (1080i) kicks in Smallville at 8 p.m. and Supernatural at 9 p.m. CBS (1080i) has CSI at 9 p.m. and Eleventh Hour at 10 p.m. Discovery (1080i) has How Stuff Works at 8 p.m. and Treasure Quest at 10 p.m. A&E (720p) has The Beast at 10 p.m. TLC (1080i) airs Saw for Hire season finale at 9 & 9:30 p.m. USA (1080i) has Burn Notice at 10 p.m. MTV (1080i) airs America's Best Dance Crew at 10 p.m. ABC (720p) brings Private Practice at 10:01 p.m. TNT (1080i) has Cavliers/Magic at 8 p.m. and Spurs/Suns at 10:30 p.m. ESPN (720p) has Clemson/Virginia Tech college basketball at 7 p.m. Tennis Channel airs 2009 Australian Open women's doubles finals at 11 p.m. ESPN2 (720p) airs 2009 Australian Open men's doubles finals at 3:30 a.m. HDTV Listings for January 29, 2009 originally appeared on Engadget HD on Thu, 29 Jan 2009 17:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink

TiVo uncorks movie downloads via CinemaNow and Jaman

28. January 2009

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Filed under: Industry, DVRs, Set-top boxes, Internet Earlier this summer, we heard that TiVo and CinemaNow were getting into some sort of relationship that also involved ABC and Disney, and now the details on that affair are beginning to flow. Starting this week, broadband-connected TiVo users will be able to suck down Disney rentals via CinemaNow, and in case you're looking for something a bit less mainstream, you'll likely find something to suit you via Jaman. The aforementioned service will give TiVo users access to a slew of independent and international film titles, and prices for those start at $1.99 (though some shorts and full-length films are available gratis). All of a sudden, your TiVo is looking like a pretty good secondary movie streamer -- now, if only if could natively agree with SDV...[Via ZatzNotFunny]Read - CinemaNow dealRead - Jaman deal TiVo uncorks movie downloads via CinemaNow and Jaman originally appeared on Engadget HD on Sun, 26 Oct 2008 14:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink

ELAN ships $3,350 XP-8.4 WiFi touch panel

28. January 2009

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Filed under: Displays, Other hardware If Embedded Automation's mPanel is the exception to high priced touch panels, ELAN's XP-8.4 is the rule. Granted, it does feature an 8.4-inch touch screen and it doesn't have to be mounted in your wall, but $3,350 is a lot of scratch no matter how you spin it. The WiFi-enabled device is now shipping (months ahead of schedule, mind you) to dealers, and aside from controlling just about every aspect of your digital home, users can also browse the web (Flash support included!) on the unit itself. It comes bundled with a tabletop docking / recharging cradle with Ethernet / USB ports and a built-in rechargeable battery pack, but it's too bad that the picture above is about as close as we'll ever get to owning one.ELAN ships $3,350 XP-8.4 WiFi touch panel originally appeared on Engadget HD on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 05:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read

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Hi

Research Before Investing On A Home Theatre

TZero closes up shop, UWB all but dead

President Obama signs DTV delay bill into law

HBO, Netflix wave off streaming rumors

Live At Last Blu-ray finally brings Stevie Wonder home with lossless audio

Xbox Live tallies 1 million Netflix Watch Instantly activations, 1.5 billion minutes served

HDTV Listings for February 6, 2009

Popcorn Hour A-110 Hands-on

International HD news roundup

Charter launching 60Mbps broadband, asks “FiOS what?”

Spendor breaks out its statement ST speaker

HDTV Listings for January 29, 2009

TiVo uncorks movie downloads via CinemaNow and Jaman

ELAN ships $3,350 XP-8.4 WiFi touch panel

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