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Gene Munster, Senior Analyst at US-based investment bank Piper Jaffray, has predicted that Apple will launch a branded telly with integrated DVR and support for film, music and game downloads.

The Apple-branded set – not to be confused with the existing Apple TV set-top box – would wirelessly sync with iPods, iPhones and Macs, and “command a premium among a competitive field”, Munster said in a recent note to clients. Continue reading…

Analysts, hey? You’ve got to love them and their exciting but unsubstantiated claims. The excellently named Gene Muster of Piper Jaffray says Apple is set to introduce a TV subscription service for Apple TV. 

Munster predicts that Apple TV’s subscription service will set you back between £18 and £25 for all-you-can-eat access to a Apple’s library of TV shows. 

But Munster’s predictions don’t stop there – he’s also pointing his future stick in the direction of new Apple TV hardware. He predicts the next generation of Apple TV will pack in a digital tuner and DVR. Continue reading…

Sony is set to delay its plans for a large-size OLED TV until next year at the earliest, it’s been reported. The successor to the rather lovely but pricey 11-inch XEL-1 launched in 2008, has been put on hold according to sources close to the company. Continue reading…

Aching to switch dull old DVD for beauteous Blu-ray but worried it’ll punish your pocket? Philips has snuck out a budget Blu-ray player to brighten up your Monday  – the Philips BDP3000

Slap down £169 and hook the Philips BDP3000 up to your HD TV and it’ll give you Blu-ray movies in 1080p 24fps Full HD. 

If you’re not planning on ditching your DVDs entirely, the BDP3000 will also upscale them or you. Continue reading…

Tunebite is the best solution to remove copy protection from music, audio books and films & then convert it to one of 100 file formats

Click to enlarge

Since 2004, Tunebite has been mentioned and singled out for excellence in more computer trade publications than any other legal software solution that removes DRM copy protection. Tunebite legally removes the audio DRM copy protection from music & audio books by re-recording it at up to 54x the speed. With either the playback software or Tunebite, additional copyrighted music & audio book files can be copied by using the virtual CD-burner. Continue reading…

DJing is so 1993. These days it’s all about the multi-sensual, multi-media extravaganza that is VJing- more specifically, Nano VJing.

In order to take your live audio and video sensation onto the streets, you need the most portable kit going. Tonium’s spectacular Pacemaker 60 GB forms the cornerstone of this set-up. It’s unique in moulding a pair of decks, an effects-laden mixer and up to 15,000 tracks into one pocket-friendly ingot of funk. Klipsch’s squint to-see-them Image X10 headphones provide the requisite micro monitors, while mixes are blasted out through Blaupunkt’s Velocity2Go boom box.

Sure, there are smaller speakers, but not ones that can replicate the volume levels of a miniature PA in a single, easily luggable box. No other laptop of a similar size to the Sony P-series has the power to run proper visualization software, nor the storage (up to 128GB SSD) to snaffle a bank of video clips, but its ultra-crisp 8 inch screen is nevertheless too poky to supply your burgeoning crowd with the visual kicks they crave. Hence Acer’s diddy, brick-sized K10, an LED-powered DLP projector that thrashes any pico projector on resolution (858×600) and brightness (100 lumens), but will still fit into your grab bag. It’s some kind of black magic, we tell thee.

Anonymous Internet Chat is now a thing of the past as new internet services provide live streaming video of the person on the other end of the line, gratis. Helpful for business conference calls and loved ones who live apart, but bad news for those who like to make obscene hand gestures during heated debate…..

1. Skype (www.skype.com)

Best For: Cheap Calls

The Ebay-owned Skype service was the first to bring VoIP to the masses, and it’s a dab hand at video chat (VCoIP), too. It’s simplicity itself to set up – just select a contact, then click on the green button to make a call. Video is a little grainy compared to some of the other applications, although audio through the Freetalk Wireless Stereo Headset (available on the Skype shop) was refreshingly clear. There’s also the added bonus  of really cheap calls to mobiles – or even free calls if they’re Skype -enabled.

Thumbs Up: The ease of set-up and large number of existing subscribers.

Thumbs Down: Video quality could be better. The interface is quite cluttered. Continue reading…

Super Sharp Shooters; New sensor technology, touchscreen LCDs and Full HD recording hi-def moviemaking is at your fingertips now. Here are the 6 best HD camcorders you can find:-

Budget HD Camcorders

Creative Vado HD (www.creative.com):-

HD video for cheap is the credo of this ultra-compact, featherwaight camcorder, and like the Camileo above it includes software for direct uploads to YouTube. It may not be able to compete with its bigger, more powerful rivals on quality, but it’s 1280×720, 30 fps HD resolution is a credible effort at this price, and the 8GB flash memory allows for up to two hours of recording in it’s “HD+” mode. You woudn’t expect perfect pictures from such a pocketable recorder, and you won’t get them. There’s a lot of noise and a washedout look to the footage, while the lack of controls means it’s virtually  impossible to made improvements. Still, its slim lines and clever fold-out USB connection make it suitable for quick shooting and easy sharing

Details:- Recording: 720p, 30fps, Screen: 2inch LCD, Storage: 8GB internal, Sensor: 1MP CMOS, Size: 55×100x16mm, 100g, Price: $129

Toshiba Camileo H20 (www.toshiba-multimedia.com):-

Obvious choices for the cash-strapped, casual moviemaker would be the Creative Vado HD, Flip Mino HD or Kodak Zi6. However, if shooting on something that looks like a phone doesn’t do it for you, Toshiba’s Camileo range offers a more grown-up feel for the same sort of money. This budget concious SD-card camcorder has the largest LCD at 3 inch, and a 5MP CMOS sensor for 1440×1080 resolution images. That’s not bad for its price. Unfortunately, the casing feel durable and multifunction controls are fussy for a camera that should be simple to use. The feature list is short, although there are exposure and white balance settings and a three-mode flash to help out with stills. Movies exceed expectations for the price and while there are problems with auto focusing and in low light, in bright conditions it impresses with fine detail and strong colours. Continue reading…