Tag Archives: MediaHub

Apple TV’s new iPhone remote control app talks to Siri

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As promised, you no longer need to use the new Apple TV's standard remote control to take advantage of all the media hub's features. Apple has released a brand new Apple TV Remote app that drags its iOS interface into the modern era. You can not on...

Intel launches Media Server Reference Design to speed up set-top box creation

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Intel launches Media Server Reference Design to speed up settop box creation

It's no secret that Intel wants more of a presence in the living room, even if it's sometimes less than welcome. The chip giant's new Media Server Reference Design might be key to getting that foot in at least a few doors. The kit combines both Atom CE5300-based hardware with software tools, the combination of which should fast-track media hubs and set-top boxes for those who don't want to start from scratch. It's more than just the expected media and TV engines; Intel also bundles in Hillcrest Labs' Freespace engine to simplify motion remote control. MSRD kits should be available in April, although it's likely to be months later before we learn whether or not home theater companies want to follow where Intel takes them.

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Source: Technology@Intel

Google Play Music and Movies purchasing reaches Google TV, patches a media strategy hole

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Google Play Music and Movies reach Google TV in full, patch a hole in Google's media strategy

It's been one of the more conspicuous omissions in the media hub space: despite Google Play being the cornerstone of Google's content strategy, you couldn't truly use the company's music or movie services through Google TV without depending on content you'd already paid for elsewhere. As of a new upgrade, the ecosystem has come full circle. Viewers with Google TV boxes can at last buy or rent directly from Google Play Movies and Google Play Music, and the content will be indexed in the TV & Movies section alongside third-party video services and traditional TV. The upgrade also helps Google's TV front end play catch-up with its mobile counterpart by adding automatic app updates and subscriptions. While device owners may have to wait a few weeks as the upgrade rolls out, the addition signals a big step forward for a platform that has normally leaned heavily on others for help.

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Google Play Music and Movies purchasing reaches Google TV, patches a media strategy hole originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Oct 2012 14:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VidaBox unveils vPlayer and vStreamer Media Extenders with slicker looks, green credentials

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VidaBox unveils vPlayer and vStreamer Media Extenders with slicker looks, green credentials

Most VidaBox Media Extenders have borne a closer similarity to mini PCs than to the kind of equipment you'd stack on top of a home theater receiver. That's already been changing, but the company's new vPlayer and vStreamer are virtually invisible in the living room by comparison. Either has a newly streamlined, stackable design that feels entirely at home in the den and keeps the noisy buzzes and whines to a minimum through a new cooling system. Although VidaBox is wonderfully vague about specs -- both hubs tout a "dual core processor," for example -- its units have been modernized enough to use a thrifty 35W of typical power. The boxes lack dedicated media storage space and curiously have to be factory upgraded to get HDMI 1.4 instead of 1.3, but they'll output 7.1-channel audio and 1080p video while integrating with most common home automation systems over RS-232. We haven't been quoted prices to simplify any buying decisions; we expect the gap to be small between the two offerings, since the vPlayer and vStreamer are identical on the inside except for the vPlayer's Blu-ray drive. Dealers will have a better answer for you when VidaBox starts shipping the extender duo on September 4th.

Continue reading VidaBox unveils vPlayer and vStreamer Media Extenders with slicker looks, green credentials

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VidaBox unveils vPlayer and vStreamer Media Extenders with slicker looks, green credentials originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 02 Sep 2012 05:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vizio Co-Star teardown supplies the tech specs we never had

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Vizio CoStar teardown supplies the tech specs we never had

Vizio's Co-Star Google TV hub has been public knowledge for more than half of 2012, but it might as well have been a black box as far as its internals were concerned. It's mostly been a mystery beyond the acknowledgment of a Marvell ARM chip inside. The teardown gurus at iFixit certainly weren't content to let that riddle go unanswered. Their exploration of the box shows that Vizio is very much clinging to the initial Marvell vision of using a dual-core, 1.2GHz Armada 1500 to handle 1080p video at that $100 price -- albeit with just 4GB of flash to store everything the Android OS demands. What may interest hobbyists is simply the accessibility of the set-top box: just about every board and component comes out easily, which could lead to some cheaper DIY surgery. The full parts list is waiting at the source if knowing how your Google TV box operates is as important as catching up on Netflix.

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Vizio Co-Star teardown supplies the tech specs we never had originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Aug 2012 13:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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OUYA, XBMC sitting in a tree, media s-h-a-r-i-n-g (update: TuneIn, new pics)

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OUYA and XBMC sitting in a tree, media sharing

OUYA's slew of collaborations isn't letting up, even with less than two days to go before its fundraising round is over. The XBMC team has just pledged that its upcoming Android app will be tailored to work with the upcoming console. While the exact customizations aren't part of the initial details, the media center app developers will have early access to prototypes of the OUYA hardware. There's suggestions that there won't be much of a wait for the Android port of XBMC, whether or not you're buying the cuboid system -- XBMC's developers note that Android work should be merged into the master path once "final sign-offs" are underway. All told, though, the OUYA is quickly shaping up into as much of a go-to media hub as it is a game system.

Update: OUYA itself has also posted word that TuneIn's radio streaming is also on its way. And just to top off its efforts, the company has posted rendered images that better show the scale of the console: our Joystiq compatriots note that it's really a "baby GameCube" in size, and its gamepad looks gigantic by comparison.

Gallery: OUYA console size comparisons

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OUYA, XBMC sitting in a tree, media s-h-a-r-i-n-g (update: TuneIn, new pics) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Aug 2012 09:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nexus Q starts shipping in earnest from Google Play, social streaming reaches our doors in five days

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Nexus Q review - cables

The Nexus Q media streamer might not have generated the same kind of mania as the Nexus 7 tablet, but it's still good news that Google is now shipping its mysteriously social orb. Google Play has the Q in stock and expects new US orders to arrive on doorsteps within the next three to five days. We're not expecting the kind of runaway sales of the $299 hub that have made the more utilitarian Nexus 7 hard to find, but anyone who spends a lot of their leisure time in the Google media ecosystem might appreciate the integration. Alas, that made-in-the-USA design still isn't available outside of the USA, so those in other countries will have to make do with alternatives.

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Nexus Q starts shipping in earnest from Google Play, social streaming reaches our doors in five days originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jul 2012 18:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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