Recently Filed in Software

Have an older HTPC that seems to be on its last leg?  Won’t decode Blu-ray or those h.264 MKVs (that we know you obtained in a legal manner, of course)? For only $16.99 with free shipping you can upgrade your video card to an MSI Radeon 4350 video card capable of hardware-decoding pretty much anything that supports hardware-decoding, as well as shipping both audio and video out to your display or AVR via HDMI.  This is a low-profile, fanless (i.e. silent) card with 512mb of… View this story
Computer Accessories • Software • Deals • Product News

We haven’t even reached Halloween yet and Black Friday deals are already beginning to leak. BlackFriday.info has posted deals from OfficeMax, receiving word from “a few anonymous sources” that the deals are real. (via Gizmodo) The Web site says that while the final version of the ad might change slightly, most of the items listed should be on sale. After looking over the deals, some immediate highlights include a $30 Memorex portable DVD player and a $150 Acer Aspire One Netbook. Here’s the list of… View this story
AV Components • DVD Players • Computer Systems • Computer Accessories • Computers • Software • Furniture • Gaming • Games • Deals • Product News

Last week I showed you that the basics of a fully functional HTPC (home theater PC) don’t have to cost an arm and a leg, especially if you plan on the bulk of your storage being network based.  That little ditty did, however, have one item lacking for anyone looking to backup a large DVD collection ... it didn’t have a drive! My original thinking was there would likely be a PC with said drive, more encoding horsepower, somewhere on your network anyway.  For anyone… View this story
Computer Systems • Computers • Software • Deals • Product News

You’ve just invested a huge amount of time and money on having electronic systems installed into your home. Everything seems top-notch and is humming along nicely … until you press that mysterious button on that beautiful rack of audio/video equipment. Suddenly, your home theater isn’t working right. No matter how carefully your custom electronics pro design (CE pro) and install the gear, glitches are going to happen. To save homeowners the hassle of calling in a tech every time there’s a snafu, most CE pros… View this story
Cables, Wires and Tools • Software • Info and Answers

Apple released its much-awaited iPhone 3.0 software update today, overhauling the operating system (OS) with more than 100 new features. The update, which is free to all iPhone users and $10 for iPod touch users, is available through iTunes 8.2. The update is a great deal for iPhone 3G users who don’t want to shell out the money for the new iPhone 3G S, which is scheduled to be released Friday, or are still locked into their contracts. The software updates should eliminate several gripes… View this story
Networking and Communication • Cell Phones • Internet • Software • Product News

Want an easy way to save energy and money in your home? Start by shutting off your computer. It can be a huge energy suck, especially if it sits running while not being used during the day or night. It is estimated that you can save $75 a year in energy costs just by making a few easy changes in the way you use—or don’t use—your computer or laptop. Here’s how: 1. Completely turn off your computer when you know you will not be using… View this story
Computer Systems • Computer Displays • Computers • Software • Green Technology • Info and Answers

I’m addicted to iTunes. Apple’s digital music player/organizational tool to me is an ideal way to catalog my massive, and constantly growing, audio library. Only problem is, sometimes I’ve got to do a bit of legwork to keep things neat and tidy. Call me a perfectionist, but if I’m looking at my list by artist—my most-used sortable—I still don’t want a track out of place because a Jack Johnson sings one of the Curious George soundtrack songs with Ben Harper and iTunes puts it after… View this story
Digital Media Servers • Digital Media Stores • Software • Product News

My wife and I are on the fast track to becoming “helicopter parents.” You know, those parents who hover over their children. She recently dusted off the old baby monitor (wireless camera with TV monitor) so we could keep tabs on our 4-year old who moved to the bedroom on the third floor. I bought a set of Uniden two-way radios (or walkie-talkies as we call them) so we can hear his demands for another glass of water from our first floor living room. Our… View this story
Safety and Security • Cell Phones • Software • Automotive • How To • Info and Answers

Can DVDs be more environmentally friendly? Sure, says EcoDisc Technology, which touts an environmentally friendly DVD that it says uses 50 percent less polycarbonate, uses 50 less in energy production, and can be easily recycled. You may soon see 4.7GB EcoDiscs replacing single-layer DVD5s, which are used as promotional, educational, children’s, enterprise, government, IT bundling, and newspaper and magazine cover-mounts. The company says it has the same same data structure and the same data layer as a 4.7GB DVD5. EcoDiscs have been in use in… View this story
Software • Green Technology • Info and Answers

One of the biggest attractions of the music-based games “Guitar Hero” and “Rock Band” is the fact that these products allow both the young and old to live out their rock-and-roll fantasies even if they can’t play the guitar.  There are however, many people that sit home each day like the Internet sensation Susan Boyle toiling in obscurity for years without being noticed. Thankfully there are now products available to the average singing-in-the-shower Joe that allow them to make music at home without blowing out… View this story
Digital Recorders • Computer Accessories • Software • Movies and Music • Enhancements • Info and Answers

Finally, Wayne Dalton’s Houseport home-automation for the Apple Mac is nearing prime time. A limited number of upgradeable pre-production units are available today for $79, with the “real” version set to launch on June 1 for $87. Wayne Dalton previewed Houseport at CES 2008, but the product apparently was tied up in an exclusive limited distribution agreement with Fry’s. Now the unimaginably inexpensive but powerful Houseport is ready for the masses. The system, which enables the control and monitoring of products via the Z-Wave home-control… View this story
Home Control Systems • Lighting Control Systems • Software • Home Control

ZeeVee has released the Beta 3 version of its Zinc internet video browser for the living room. The browser, formerly called Zviewer, helps users navigate Web content through a single, user-friendly interface that can be operated with a remote and viewed on a TV or video screen. ZeeVee added a significant amount of content from existing providers to its on-demand library, as well as the addition of Netflix and CBS to the lineup. There are now nearly 15,000 feature length movies and tens of thousands… View this story
AV Components • Software • Home Theater • Multiroom AV • Product News