Set Top boxes have a big limitation in that you get Pigeon Holed into one device such as AppleTV or the forthcoming NetFlix unit, but the Myka could change the landscape forever. The Myka is a BitTorrent device which will work with anything the web has to offer and can download/play MPEG2, H.264, WMV and DivX media.
As Wired reports, the Myka is userfriendly because it takes the nerd out of the BitTorrent process. The Myka is intelligent enough to provide content (legal or otherwise) from a Peer2Peer network without all the advanced skills often required to pull off a BitTorrent download. The Linux based box is a simple connection to the TV via HDMI, composite (ouch), S-Video or SPDIF and connects to the internet via eithernet or WiFi. The Myka comes with a variety of internal hard drive configurations (80, 160 or 500GB) and includes an external USB port for additional storage or future connectivity / peripheral options.
“There’s no way the content providers will allow this pirate box on the market, right? Wrong. Myka already has the official BitTorrent service on board, which means it will carry legitimate content from 20th Century Fox, MTV, Warner and Playboy, amongst others.”
Wired posted a full interview with Myka’s president Dan Lovy, so if you’d like to learn more about the Myka set top box which will rule them all, jump.
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Luigi had some of his clan review the BFG 9800 GTX Video Card over at i4u gadgets and I wanted to pass along their findings:
The BFG 9800 GTX runs on the NVIDIA 9800 GTX GPU. The core clock of the card runs at 675 MHz, the shader clock is 1688 MHz and the memory clock is 2200 MHz. the card has a 256-bit memory interface and a memory bandwidth of 70.4GB/sec. the BFG 9800 GTX has 128 stream processors. The card features 512MB of GDDR3 RAM and the card is PCI Express 2.0 compliant. Other features include HDMI capable with adapter and HDCP capable for protected HD content. Read the entire review:
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AVerTV Hybrid Volar MAX is a long name to describe the multitude of functions the USB TV tuner does. The USB based TV tuner stick has the ability to receive HDTV, Analog TV and FM radio on any Windows XP or Vista computer or laptop.
Unless you need specific subscription channels, you no longer have to put up with cable or satellite costs to get the High Definition TV everyone is craving for. The AverTV Hybrid Volar MAX does it all. For video quality, playback and speed consider this:
“The AVer MeidaCenter provides users more joy from Clear QAM digital cable TV. Advanced real-time H.264 recording compression significantly reduces CPU loading and the amount of hard disk space needed for recording. The optional 320×240 resolution enables users to save and playback video on an iPod.”
Don’t hold doubt either, the AVerTV Hybrid Volar MAX can truly present the details of HDTV in 720p/1080i resolution. With an exclusive Vista MCE Video Gaming Plug-in, the AverTV Hybrid Volar MAX resolves the
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 Is that a PMP in your pocket or are you just happy to see me? Sorry, that’s all I could think of for this super mini video player that sports a 2.4″ or 2.8″ full-size bright high-res LCD display. The device can be expanded with a memory card (T-Flash or MicroSD) but comes with 2GB built-in. The battery life will let you play video for 3-4 hours and audio for 6-8 hours.
The device is so simple but really combines many features people look for in a PMP including simplicity of transferring video to the device (supports USB mass-storage mode for easy transfer of video on any OS), expandability memory, charging via USB (when traveling I hate bring extra chargers) and can play FM Radio, Text, Pictures, Games and Videos.
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So many have asked the question: How do you make DVD rentals easier than running down to the video store. Well, we’ve seen NetFlix with their rapid shipping and quick turn times and Blockbuster on their heels. These big-boys are now turning to on-line download and “content on demand.” It all sounds nice, but even with great bandwidth and streaming video you still have a fundamental problem. You must watch those vidoe’s on your TV.
PortoMedia of Ireland has a different take on DVD rentals. How about rent movies on flash memory?
May seem a little crazy, but think about it. Once you have that content on flash, the ability to watch video on any portable device, be it a laptop, PDA or other device makes enjoyement of that DVD when and where you want it …well…ideal.
So what is the process?
“PortoMedia is setting up kiosks that will let consumers download movies to a flash memory key or portable hard drive. The kiosks will be packed with hard drives that can hold 350 to 5,000 titles. Users then plug in a memory device from the company, enter a PIN code, and buy or rent a movie. When consumers get home, they simply slide the memory device into a dock their viewing device and enjoy.”
If you are not on board with the idea of PortoMedia, don’t worry – you are not alone. Others, like Ziff-Davis, have doubts, but consider this:
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Not that a Mr Burns USB webcam should make anyone’s short list for Valentine’s Day, I did find this on Amazon while shopping for my better half. For a whopping $44 you can enjoy this mediocre 640 x 480 plastic webcam which coincidentally shows off your love for prime-time cartoon shows. Not to pass judgment on those types.
For those of you who caught interest because of the geeky phrase “USB webcam” you might want to try this for a more rewarding purchase.
Our good friends at GizmosForGeeks cruised through CES’08 this year and one of their highly recommend products was the Pinnacle Video Transfer unit from Pinnacle Systems. The point of this device is making the record, copy and transfer of your favorite video (TV, DVD etc) to your iPod [or other hand held device] quick and easy.
As seen here, USB is the answer for plug-n-play connection and the Video Transfer box gives three settings for video quality. Your setting choice will dictate the file size and resolution quality. The video input options include S-video or Composite video.
The Gizmo guys had a moment to demo the unit and reported the unit was easy to use, compact and simple in operation.
The Pinnacle Video Transfer box will be available later this month for just $129.
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No, I’m not a “player” but the iPlayer is a nice piece of technology for cocktail conversations. The iPlayer is a standalone video player which can run content from a number of different flash media cards or USB drives. In addition, the iPlayer may be connected to either your TV or monitor.
The iPlayer has the ability to quickly and easily share photos, music and movies on your TV or monitor.
Sure, for the home user this might not be the ideal USB gadget for viewing your favorite content, BUT if you are running a business and doing trade shows the iPlayer is clearly worth a second look. The iPlayer makes it easy to set up a video displays without needing a PC or TV. With the combination of the iPlayer and monitor (flat screen I’d assume) you could have a slick looking trade show presentation in little time.
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Capture the everyday moments that happen anywhere, and share them with family and friends everywhere. That’s the idea behind the new Flip video camcorder. It’s portable, simple to use, and amazingly affordable. Shoot anything. Share everything.
Never Miss Another Moment
Flip Video’s simple, one-touch recording feature and compact size make it the ideal choice for capturing videos on the go. No bulky gear, charger, or memory card needed.
Flip camcorder functions
View, Share, and Save Videos With Built-In Software
Flip Video makes sharing videos incredibly simple. Watch your movies instantly on TV using the included cable. Or, connect Flip Video directly to your computer through the built-in USB arm. The simple on-board software makes it easy to view, edit, and share your favorite videos.
Email videos and greeting cards with ease
Publish directly to YouTube and Grouper
Organize and archive your videos
Capture Still Photos and Make Custom Movies
With Flip Video’s on-board software, you can easily edit video clips, capture still photos from your videos, or create custom movies set to music.
Product Description
Simple to use, pocket-sized camcorder with one-touch recording and digital zoom. Holds up to 60 Minutes of TV-Quality video on 1 GB of built-in memory; no tapes or additional memory cards required. Flip Video is equipped with a convenient USB arm that plugs directly into your computer for easy sharing and archiving. Flip’s built-in software lets you easily email videos, share them on YouTube and Grouper, edit your footage, and capture still photos from video. System Requirements: Windows: PC with USB port and Windows 2000 / XP/ Vista. Mac: Macintosh with USB port and Mac OS X.
Looking for other USB video camera items?
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Cleverly disguised in a stick of DoubleMint gum this micro camcorder is one of the smallest spy camera’s we’ve seen.
Specifically designed to sit inside a gum pack the camcorder can record up to 33 hours of low-res video. At 15fps the device records directly to a microSD card and my record for about two hours on a single charge. When the juice runs out, recharge via USB.Here is a video clip of footage used from the Spy Camera
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ReplayTV is not the first to introduce a USB dongle for DVR use, however, they are the first to integrate a format easily playable on Apple hand-held devices like iPhone and iPod touch.
The Personal HD system bundles both digital ATSC and analog NTSC technology and play over-the-air HDTV signals or old school analog TV source. So now you TV junkies can overload on adictively pathetic reality TV shows (well, except Survivor).
The real joy of the USB tuner is the software. The Personal HD specifically supports transfer of video to a format playable on widescreen hand-held devices made by Apple. Not to leave anyone out in the cold, the software can preserve multiple shows at once and even support USB devices from rival companies, such as ATI (AMD) and Pinnacle.
The ReplayTV goodie bag for the Personal HD system include direct encoding in a 4:3 ratio, intelligent keyword filter system to find shows by cast member names, show IDs or genre. Although the reply system isn’t out just yet, it will be later this fall at the tune of $100.
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Kensington eases the pain of laptop life with their all new re-designed notebook USB docking station. The SD200V is a tower update to it’s predecessor, the SD100, a wedge shaped design.
The SD200V allows dual view of monitors with it’s beefed up “DualView” boost feature. Max support is 1280×1024 pixels. The notebook dock station connects to your laptop via a single USB port. From there, you can sync up a VGA monitor, keyboard and mouse along with connection for stereo-out and microphone-in port.
The Kensington dock station includes front USB port for easy connection (although we’d like to see more) and ability to hot swap USB devices and other peripherals without the need to reboot your notebook.
Price set at $139 and pre-orders are being taken at Kensington.
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