With smartphones and iPods, game consoles and PCs, e-readers and tablets, Americans now spend a truly mind-boggling number of hours each week watching TV, even more than the mega-hours they spent as couch potatoes last year. Online viewing means far fewer commercials and broadcasters have begun to fight back and eliminate free TV shows on the Web. News Corp's Fox set off a firestorm when it blocked online access to popular shows like "Glee" to 2.6 million Cablevision Systems broadband Internet subscribers last
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Western Digital's WD TV Live Hub Has 1TB HDD, Network Streaming
There's no question remaining: we're living in a media streaming world. This revolution has been coming, and the steam has been building. Western Digital themselves have created a few media streaming boxes in the past, but now that the new Apple TV and Roku boxes are out, the gloves are off. The new WD TV Live Hub is Western Digital's nicest media streamer to date, and most fully featured as well. This one has a full 1TB of storage space within, which is rare for any streamer to have. It also outputs content
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Palm Ad Shows Off WebOS 2.0 Features On Pre 2
WebOS 2.0 is being viewed by many as a major overhaul of Palm's mobile operating system, but Palm has not shown it very much to the public. But with the Pre 2 now official and on sale in France, there's no real use in keeping things undercover now. Palm, or HP really, has just revealed the first public ad for WebOS 2.0 and the Pre 2. The minute-long ad shows off a bunch of new WebOS 2.0 features, and of course, a glimpse of the phone running Angry Birds. The Pre 2 is being advertised as the fastest Palm smartphone
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RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook Makes a Live Demo Appearance
RIM has dispelled rumors that the BlackBerry tablet, or PlayBook, was vaporware, by showing it off in the flesh at the Adobe MAX show on Monday. This came on the same day that RIM made the first build of a BlackBerry PlayBook QNX OS simulator available for Windows and Mac. Last month, when RIM announced the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, the company did not demo the device and caught a lot of flak (and disbelief) about the PlayBook, because of it. Check out the demo below, or even try the simulator and tell us
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Sony Killing Walkman Cassette Player, Finally
It's the end of an era. You can shed a tear if you were a child of the 70s or 80s, as you probably grew up wishing for a Walkman cassette player from Santa. Sony's Walkman line still lives on today, with the digital versions outselling the iPod in Japan for the first time last month. So there's no question that Walkman units are still in high demand. But Walkman units that play cassette tapes…are not. Sony has decided to lay to rest their portable cassette player line, and what's incredible is that it
Read More ...
VLC Media Player Reaches iPhone, iPod touch
Applidium's VLC Media Player is now available on the iPhone and iPod touch, as well as the iPad, which it supported earlier. The new version is now 1.1.0. VLC Media Player allows you to play a variety of video formats not supported natively by iOS. Remember, though, that it takes some powerful hardware for multimedia playback, and thus this app only supports the iPad, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and the last two generations of the iPod touch. Here are the new version release notes: This new version of VLC brings
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Melinda Gates Says "No Apple" In Her House
Oh, brother. The drama! It's like a soap opera each time that anyone interviews Bill or Melinda Gates, as the obvious and inevitable questions surrounding Apple always crop up. For years, rumors have swirled about the use of Mac / Apple in the Gates household. Some have said that the Gates family uses nothing with an Apple logo on it, while others have said that Bill secretly uses a Mac notebook. Now, Bill's wife has cleared things up. In a recent interview with The New York Times, Melinda admitted that she
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Monster Meter is Perfect for the Halloween 'Willies'
It's a typical scenario: your young child is convinced there's a monster under his bed, and showing him Monsters, Inc. doesn't calm him down. That's when you whip out your iPhone and pull up the Monster Meter app. The Monster Meter app is designed to convince your child there are no monsters in his room. There are four monster detection "technologies." Radar – classic radar screen that uses the camera on your device Grid – this scanner also uses the camera on your device Green Meter – playful
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Wi-Fi Direct Testing Begins Now: A Real Bluetooth Rival
Bluetooth has been the main protocol for exchanging information in short-range scenarios for years. As long as we can remember, actually. It's hard to remember a cellphone made in recent years that lacked Bluetooth, and it hasn't had too much competition along the way. If you needed to transfer files with another device in the general area, you used Bluetooth: it was pretty simple. But now, a protocol that was actually introduced last year is finally coming around, and it's a rival in every sense of the word.
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Garmin – Asustek Partnership To End
After disappointing sales of its nuvifone, we reported back in September that Garmin was considering its options with its smartphone unit. Now, Reuters is reporting that Asus plans to end its mobile phone agreement with Garmin, thereby paving the way for Garmin to exit the smartphone business altogether. A company official for Asustek said more details will be available Tuesday. Although the smartphone market is enjoying huge growth, the Garmin Asus partnership hasn't delivered the volumes either company had
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HotHardware Video Podcast - October 25, 2010
We’re a little late this time around, but we’re back with the latest episode of the HotHardware Video Podcast. In this week’s episode, we talk about AMD’s upcoming “Fusion” Llano APU, the brand new Radeon HD 6800 series graphics cards, Samsung’s Epic 4G Android-based SmartPhone, and WD’s massive 3TB Caviar Green hard drive. In addition, we answer some reader questions and announce an awesome new contest! Show Notes: 00:17 - AMD Demos Llano Fusion-Based Processor
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HotHardware's "Name our Webcast" Sweepstakes - Win a Gaming Rig!
It's that time again! Time to give away another awesome gaming system, this time built by the man himself, Marco "BigWop" Chiappetta. If you're never seen the results of Marco's system configuration and cabling skills, you simply have not lived. This time around, we're going to make it really easy on you. As you know, Marco and I spend a little time each week with our buddy Iyaz, discussing a few highlight stories from the week in Tech and responding to reader questions. Right now
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Sprint To Get Samsung Galaxy Tab On November 14
Samsung's Galaxy Tab will be available from Sprint starting November 14. The tablet features a 1GHz processor, Android 2.2, a 7-inch screen, and connectivity to Sprint's 3G network. The device will cost $399.99 with a new line or eligible upgrade and two-year service agreement. Two monthly plan options are available: a 2GB data plan for $29.99 or a 5GB data plan for $59.99. Both plans offer unlimited messaging. The tablet can also be used as a mobile hotspot for up to five devices provided you pay the additional
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Amazon Copying Page from B&N, Will Add Lending Feature to Kindle
If it's true that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Barnes and Noble should be blushing all kinds of red. That's because Amazon has made the decision to let Kindle users lend books to other Kindle device and Kindle app users, a feature Barnes and Noble's Nook had since Day 1. "Later this year, we will be introducing lending for Kindle, a new feature that lets you loan your Kindle books to other Kindle device or Kindle app users," Amazon announced in a blog post. "Each book can be lent once for
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Fake Microsoft Security Essentials Program Making the Rounds
Security firm F-Secure is warning that a malicious program spoofing Microsoft's free Microsoft Security Essentials antivirus program is being distributed via drive-by download as either hotfix.exe or mstsc.exe. "Not only does this fake took steal Microsoft's brand, it also features a bizarre matrix display of 32 antivirus products, offering to locate you a tool that would be capable of fixing your machine as 'Microsoft Security Essentials' can't clean the malware it found," F-Secure said. "In reality, this is
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Adobe's Flash Going 3D: Is A 3D Internet In Our Future?
Oh, brother. Okay, we won't jump to conclusions and be immediately skeptical, but there's just something strange about how quickly the industry is latching onto 3D without any real proof that it'll work in more than just the cinema. Of course, when power house companies like Sony and NVIDIA get behind something, it leaves little choice for everyone else. They either follow suit or get left behind, in most cases.Now, Adobe is expected to introduce full 3D support in their next version of Flash. Yes, 3D Flash. One has to wonder if the Nexus One, which runs Flash fairly well, will ever be able to even support 3D Flash, though obviously you'd need it output to a 3D monitor to fully see the effect. At any rate, the news has come right around the time that other competing web formats have announced similar support, which honestly means that even the Internet may be going 3D.
That's something that really hasn't been talked about very much in the mainstream. "What happens if websites are converted to 3D?" It's an important question to ask. You'd need a graphics card capable of handling 3D content, a monitor capable of the same and a pair of 3D glasses everywhere that you surfed. Imagine taking those into a public library in an attempt to view a 3D website. A disaster waiting to happen. Of course, now that video games are in 3D, it's not shocking to hear that Flash wants to be as well. But there will have to be a fine line walked in order to ensure satisfying experiences for both the 3D and 2D crowds.
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HotHardware's "Name our Webcast" Sweepstakes - Win a Gaming Rig!
It's that time again! Time to give away another awesome gaming system, this time built by the man himself, Marco "BigWop" Chiappetta. If you're never seen the results of Marco's system configuration and cabling skills, you simply have not lived. This time around, we're going to make it really easy on you. As you know, Marco and I spend a little time each week with our buddy Iyaz, discussing a few highlight stories from the week in Tech and responding to reader questions. Right now we're calling it the "HotHardware Weekly Webcast."  We know, we know; boring, unimaginative and stale isn't it?  We need help (in so many ways, you have no idea) and that's where you come in... - Send your webcast name ideas to: podcast@hothardware.com (you can send as many as you like!).
- Become a fan of HotHardware’s official Facebook fan page (if you're not already).
- Subscribe to HotHardware's Feedblitz once-daily news alerts (if you're not already).
- Make sure you are regularly VISIBLE in HotHardware's news and forum community discussions.
- Post your name ideas on either (or both) this announcement thread or HotHardware's Facebook page.
- That's it, done!
- (Contest is for US residents only, sorry!)
- CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 970 Black Edition
- Cooler: Xigmatek Dark Knight
- Motherboard: Asus CrossHair IV Formula
- Graphics: Asus EAH6870
- RAM: 4GB OCZ DDR-1333
- SSD: WD Silicon Edge Blue 64GB
- HD: WD Caviar Black 2TB
- PSU: OCZ 850W Z-Series
- Optical: Asus DVD+/-RW
- Audio: Psyko 5.1 PC Gaming Headset
Thanks to our contest sponsors!
 
 
  The contest will run through November 14th, at which point we'll select the winner. That's not a lot of time, so be sure to enter quickly!
This is a great chance for to you to win a custom, powerful new system. Now go get creative and good luck!
This is a great chance for to you to win a custom, powerful new system. Now go get creative and good luck!
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Western Digital's WD TV Live Hub Has 1TB HDD, Network Streaming
There's no question remaining: we're living in a media streaming world. This revolution has been coming, and the steam has been building. Western Digital themselves have created a few media streaming boxes in the past, but now that the new Apple TV and Roku boxes are out, the gloves are off. The new WD TV Live Hub is Western Digital's nicest media streamer to date, and most fully featured as well.This one has a full 1TB of storage space within, which is rare for any streamer to have. It also outputs content in full 1080p, and if your content isn't stored on the internal hard drive, it can also connect to your networked machines/hard drives or visit the Internet in order to find more material for playback.
Furthermore, it has integration with Blockbuster On Demand and Facebook, and it can understand the most popular file formats such as .mkv, .mp4 and .mov. There are two USB ports on the device itself for transferring content directly onto its 1TB hard drive, and users can even stream videos from around the home thanks to the DLNA/UPnP server compatibility. That means that you can stream content from their WD TV Live Hub media center to iPads, iPhones or Android smartphones using third-party applications.
Last but not least, this box also connected to Netflix's streaming service, YouTube, Flickr and even Pandora radio, not to mention daily video podcasts from CNN, NBC, MTV and ESPN. Standard wired or wireless USB keyboards can be used for text input, and there are plenty of output options to handle legacy and new HDTVs.
The device is available worldwide starting today, and can be purchased in the U.S. exclusively at Best Buy and online at wdstore.com for $199.99.
WD's New HD Media Center Streams Popular Movies and the Broadest Range of Personal Content
WD TV® Live Hub™ Media Center With 1 TB Storage Allows Users to Centralize Video, Music and Photos and Play Full-HD 1080p Video on HDTVs Throughout the Home
LAKE FOREST, Calif., Oct. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Western Digital® (NYSE: WDC), the world's leader in external storage solutions and maker of the popular WD TV media player family, today introduced the WD TV® Live Hub™ media center (photo), a Full-HD 1080p media player with a 1 terabyte (TB) built-in network hard drive that gives users the freedom to play all their personal media on any screen in the home. The WD TV Live Hub media center brings new experiences to the WD TV family, including instantly renting or purchasing the newest releases through the Blockbuster On Demand® service, the same day as DVD/Blu-ray release, as well as interacting with personal Facebook® communities. In the U.S., the WD TV Live Hub media center is initially available exclusively at Best Buy online and at all 1,093 Best Buy stores nationwide.
The WD TV Live Hub media center plays a wide variety of media file types, including popular Full-HD 1080p video formats such as .mkv, .mp4 and .mov. The integrated, compact and quiet 1 TB hard drive enables users to centralize their digital media from multiple sources for smooth, glitch-free playback of even the highest resolution videos. Digital media can be easily transferred to the internal drive from shared folders on PCs and Mac®s on the network or directly from external hard drives, thumb drives, camcorders or cameras connected via one of the two USB ports. Users also can stream videos from home network drives with a DLNA/UPnP™ server such as the recently announced My Book® Live™ home network drive.
The WD TV Live Hub media center also is a media server: HD video, music and photos can be streamed from the onboard hard drive to any DLNA/UPnP-compatible TV or multimedia device, anywhere in the connected home, including the WD TV Live Plus HD media player, connected TVs, Blu-ray Disc™ players, Xbox 360®, and PlayStation® 3 game consoles. Users also can stream content from their WD TV Live Hub media center to iPads™, iPhones® or Android™ smartphones using third-party applications.
The WD TV Live Hub media center offers unique Facebook integration, which lets users upload photos and videos, share their status, view their wall and get the latest newsfeed from their network of friends – all on the big screen TV. In addition, the WD TV Live Hub media center provides viewing of Netflix® for movie streaming, YouTube™ for user-generated videos and Flickr® for photo sharing, as well as listening to Pandora®, a personalized Internet radio service. Additional content includes local and international weather forecasts from AccuWeather.com®, and MediaFly® daily video podcasts from CNN®, NBC®, MTV® and ESPN®.
The customizable WD TV Live Hub media center's user interface enables personalization of screen backgrounds and user interface themes, as well as setting of favorites and content ratings. Standard wired or wireless USB keyboards can be used for simpler text input for activities such as searches of local content and YouTube and Facebook interaction.
"The WD TV Live Hub media center lets users create a personalized media jukebox that brings your entire personal content collection and the best of Internet content to the biggest screen in the house," said Dale Pistilli, vice president of marketing for WD's branded products group. "With the WD TV Live Hub media center, consumers can take their home entertainment experience to the next level, streaming personal content to multiple rooms at the same time, so they can play a Netflix video on their HDTV screen in the family room, while sharing vacation slideshows on the computer in their home office."
"People are looking for a versatile, easy-to-use media player that gives them a smooth streaming experience regardless of where they are in the home and whether they're viewing Internet content or personal media content. That's exactly what the WD TV Live Hub media center delivers," said Frank Bedo, merchandise director in computing at Best Buy®. "We are excited to collaborate with WD on this innovative entertainment product."
"Connected media players are an exciting new category that is helping to redefine home entertainment," said Wendy Fritz, senior vice president, computing, at Best Buy. "The WD TV media player series' broad ability with personal content has made it a leading seller. Add to that the premium content services, and the new WD TV Live Hub media center is bringing a whole new dimension to home entertainment."
Other key features of the WD TV Live Hub media center include:
   * Compatibility with virtually all TV sets thanks to an HDMI 1.4, composite video and component video output;
   * Automatic sync of shared digital media folders from PCs and Macs on the network with the internal hard drive to provide easy playback of new content;
   * Customizable user interface and programmable remote;
   * Ultra-compact design that easily fits into almost any entertainment center;
   * Two USB ports that allow seamless media playback from USB drives, camcorders and digital cameras;
   * WiFi-readiness (with adapter); and,
   * A 1-year limited warranty in PanAm.
The full set of features and list of file compatibility is available on WD's website.
Capacity and Compatibility
The WD TV Live Hub media center is available in 1 TB storage capacity and supports a large variety of the most popular file formats, including HD camcorder video formats. It is also compatible with Windows® 7, including the Windows 7 Play To feature, and any DLNA/UPnP-enabled device.
Price and Availability
The WD TV Live Hub media center is available worldwide (Netflix, Blockbuster and Pandora services are available only in the U.S.) and can be purchased in the U.S. exclusively at Best Buy and online at wdstore.com. MSRP for the WD TV Live Hub media center is $199.99 USD.
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Fake Microsoft Security Essentials Program Making the Rounds
Security firm F-Secure is warning that a malicious program spoofing Microsoft's free Microsoft Security Essentials antivirus program is being distributed via drive-by download as either hotfix.exe or mstsc.exe."Not only does this fake took steal Microsoft's brand, it also features a bizarre matrix display of 32 antivirus products, offering to locate you a tool that would be capable of fixing your machine as 'Microsoft Security Essentials' can't clean the malware it found," F-Secure said. "In reality, this is all fake, and the tool has not found an infection in the fail it claims."
Seen this screen lately? If so, you have a fake AV running amok on your system.
The tricky install then tells users that the only programs able to clean out the infection are AntiSpySafeguard, Major Defense Kit, Peak Protection, Pest Detector, and Red Cross. Savvy HotHardware readers already know what these all have in common -- they're all fake AV scanners -- but for an inexperienced user, the alerts look legit. Now would be a good time to call/email your folks and offer up a reminder about safe computing habits.
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Sony Killing Walkman Cassette Player, Finally
It's the end of an era. You can shed a tear if you were a child of the 70s or 80s, as you probably grew up wishing for a Walkman cassette player from Santa. Sony's Walkman line still lives on today, with the digital versions outselling the iPod in Japan for the first time last month. So there's no question that Walkman units are still in high demand. But Walkman units that play cassette tapes…are not.Sony has decided to lay to rest their portable cassette player line, and what's incredible is that it lasted all the way until 2010. The only time we've seen a cassette used in the past few years is at a library or other institution where there's no need to make the leap to MP3. There's no set date for when the final unit will ship, but it'll be soon.
2010 also marks the year that Sony killed the sale of their floppy discs, so it's a pretty important year for burying old technology. Will anyone miss them? Probably not, but it's a milestone nonetheless.
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VLC Media Player Reaches iPhone, iPod touch
Applidium's VLC Media Player is now available on the iPhone and iPod touch, as well as the iPad, which it supported earlier. The new version is now 1.1.0.VLC Media Player allows you to play a variety of video formats not supported natively by iOS. Remember, though, that it takes some powerful hardware for multimedia playback, and thus this app only supports the iPad, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and the last two generations of the iPod touch.
This new version of VLC brings :It's free and open source and in the App Store here. You can watch a video hands-on below:
- Runs on the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, and the recent iPod touches
- You can now delete files from the application, without having to go through iTunes
- Many more extensions are being recognized.
- Much faster decoding thanks to assembly optimizations
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The GTX 580 Thread: Actually Announced or still April Fools
So... It's ironic that the rumored new hot Fermi refresh is making it's rounds on the internet. I thought it was an April Fools joke up until now. :P
http://www.overclockersclub.com/news/26376/
So. It's expected to use a smaller Fermi die, have 512 SP's and 2GB of GDDR5 memory, it's also expected to be faster then the current GTX 480.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/23/nvidia-lists-unannounced-gtx-580-graphics-card-on-its-page-quic/
Thoughts?
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Garmin – Asustek Partnership To End
After disappointing sales of its nuvifone, we reported back in September that Garmin was considering its options with its smartphone unit. Now, Reuters is reporting that Asus plans to end its mobile phone agreement with Garmin, thereby paving the way for Garmin to exit the smartphone business altogether. A company official for Asustek said more details will be available Tuesday. Although the smartphone market is enjoying huge growth, the Garmin Asus partnership hasn't delivered the volumes either company had hoped for.
By exiting the smartphone market, Garmin could improve its earnings and also free up some resources to begin competing in other markets, such as navigational apps for the iPhone and Android platforms. Garmin's rival TomTom currently offers a navigation app for the Apple iPhone.
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Melinda Gates Says "No Apple" In Her House
Oh, brother. The drama! It's like a soap opera each time that anyone interviews Bill or Melinda Gates, as the obvious and inevitable questions surrounding Apple always crop up. For years, rumors have swirled about the use of Mac / Apple in the Gates household. Some have said that the Gates family uses nothing with an Apple logo on it, while others have said that Bill secretly uses a Mac notebook. Now, Bill's wife has cleared things up. In a recent interview with The New York Times, Melinda admitted that she owns a Microsoft Zune, not an iPod. And if their child would ask for an iPod… they would be forced to use a Zune. In fact, this has happened before. Melinda confessed that at least one child has asked for an iPod before, but they were shot down. Tough parenting!
She then said "of course not" when asked if she owned an iPad, and when asked if Bill uses an Apple laptop, she said: "False. Nothing crosses the threshold of our doorstep." Those are pretty bold words, and while she did say that Microsoft makes some products for the Mac, we're guessing she doesn't use any of them. So much for being a kindhearted soul when it comes to the arch rival!
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Watch Aunsoft Full HD Halloween Videos on Samsung HDTV with WD TV
Watch Aunsoft Full HD Halloween Videos on Samsung HDTV with WD TV
One of my friends used Panasonic HDC-TM700 camcorder to shoot family videos. She once put the recorded .mts files from camcorder to Western Digital TV, which is hooked to HDTV, to show interesting videos. Right in October 2010 for the Halloween activities in Tulsa, she tried the 1080/60p recording mode to shoot videos. However, the recorded .mts files with 28Mbps could not play with WD TV.
This might be the non-AVCHD standard issue with the Panasonic proprietary files. After searching, I recommended her to use Aunsoft Video Converter. With the help of Aunsoft Video Converter, my friend could convert Panasonic TM700 60p MTS to 60p MOV for WD TV with HDTV. There is also quick option to merge AVCHD files for WD TV.
Take a look at the following steps and you will make your Halloween videos and family videos compatible and work great with Aunsoft Video Converter.
Step 1. Load Halloween videos to Aunsoft Video Converter.
After transferring AVCHD Lite files from camcorder to PC, run the fast Halloween video to WDTV converter. Click the "Add" button to import .mts videos, or drag and drop the AVCHD files from folder to program UI.
Step 2. Choose MOV format.
Click the "Format" option and navigate to HD Video > H.264 HD Video(*.mov) as output format. The Panasonic AVCHD video converter will convert MTS to MOV for WD TV.
To keep 60fps like the original AVCHD to the MOV files in high quality, just click the "Settings" button and enter 60 as the output video frame rate.
Step 3. Merge Halloween AVCHD videos.
If you would like to combine and join the video clips into one single file, just tick the checkbox for "Merge into one file".
Step 4. Convert Halloween videos to MOV for WD TV.
Click the convert button under the preview window, and the conversion from Panasonic TM700 1080/60p AVCHD videos to WD TV for HDTV will start immediately.
Tips:
For watching other Halloween movies in BD/DVD, you may be interested in Aunsoft Blu-ray Video Converter Ultimate. With the Aunsoft Halloween discount, you may get the Halloween video converter at discounted price or even for free. The Halloween promotion is available at http://www.aunsoft.com/halloween/
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HP Intros Envy 17 3D, Pavilion dm3 And Beats Envy 14 Notebooks
Don't ever accuse HP of not being on top of things. The computer company has just revealed quite a few new machines tonight, with a couple of them being firsts of their kind. Of course, a new line of notebooks wouldn't be a new line of notebooks without a bit of 3D mixed in, and the HP Envy 17 3D offers just that. It's the first 17" notebook to support 1080p 3D and Blu-ray, and that's just the beginning. Internally, this one features a Core i7 CPU, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5850 graphics and up to 2TB of storage.The HP Envy 14 Beats Edition is the same HP Envy 14 the world knows and loves, but with a special audio tweak by Dr. Dre and friends that supposedly makes the sound quality Beatalicious. It also ships with a pair of Beats by Dr. Dre Solo headphones, for what it's worth, and it offers up to 13 hours of battery life with the optional Slim Fit Extended battery. If you're in need of something a bit less wild, the tamer 13.3" Pavilion dm3 features a smaller footprint and a new HP-developed intelligent cooling system to minimize heat and provide consumers with advanced comfort. Our question is why don't all HP notebooks have this cooling technology? One of the most frustrating things about using a full-size notebook these days is just how hot they become with even moderate use, so we're anxiously hoping that HP brings this new cooling tech to the rest of their lineup as soon as possible.
And we all know new notebooks just wouldn't be complete without an accessory or two, so HP's also introducing the Wireless TV Connect, which when paired with a compatible notebook, allows users to stream 1080p HD Blu-ray content from their machine to their TV. Full details on all of the machines (and the accessory) are below.
HP Unveils Stylish New Consumer Notebook PCs Featuring Advanced 3-D and Cooling Technologies
PALO ALTO, Calif. -- HP today revealed new consumer notebook PCs that fuse advanced technologies with stylish designs to deliver a superior computing experience.
   * For maximum sensory appeal, HP delivers the thrill of 3-D entertainment to the HP ENVY 17 3D – the first 17-inch notebook PC to support 1080p 3-D and Blu-ray – and superb audio to the HP ENVY 14 Beats™ Edition.
   * The HP Pavilion dm3 notebook PC features an HP-developed intelligent cooling system to minimize heat and provide consumers with advanced comfort.
   * HP Wireless TV Connect allows customers to wirelessly experience 1080p high-definition (HD) Blu-ray multimedia content.
“With these new technology and design enhancements, we are offering customers visually stunning entertainment and an overall better computing experience,†said Kevin Frost, vice president and general manager, Consumer Notebooks, Personal Systems Group, HP. “These new HP notebooks and accessories deliver breakthrough technology, power and advanced styling to satisfy the most discerning user.â€
HP ENVY 17 3D
With advanced 3-D technology as well as Beats Audio and an HP Triple Bass Reflex subwoofer, the HP ENVY 17 3D has the power and performance to deliver an unbelievable entertainment experience – just like in movie theaters.
Offering the best stereoscopic 3-D(1) visual experience without compromising 2-D content, the 17.3-inch HP 3D Ultra BrightView Display provides crisp, 1080p full HD(2) viewing and an ideal visual experience for 3-D Blu-ray content.
HP 3D Active Shutter Glasses provide a seamless viewing experience by wirelessly synchronizing each frame of the 3-D content between the display and the glasses, enabling a higher quality image.
Included content allows customers to experience instant 3-D gratification. As part of HP’s ongoing partnership with the National Basketball Association (NBA), select models include sizzling 3-D action from the 2010 NBA All-Star Game. Additionally a 3-D movie trailer for the upcoming animated film “MEGAMIND†from DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. is included.
Crafted in precision-etched brushed aluminum, the HP ENVY 17 3D offers a sleek and stylish exterior to match its powerful interior.
With up to 2 terabytes(3) of storage capacity, powerful quad-core Intel® Core™ i7 processors(4) and ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 5850 discrete graphics, the HP ENVY 17 3D has the horsepower and flexibility to handle the most demanding tasks simultaneously.
The HP ENVY 17 3D also offers an immersive visual experience with ATI Eyefinity Technology for multiple external display support.
HP ENVY 14 Beats Edition
HP ENVY 14 Beats Edition is designed and engineered to offer power and performance along with state-of-the-art audio technology and an overall superior PC experience.
This Beats Edition notebook includes Beats Audio, a unique, high-performance technology developed by HP and Beats by Dr. Dre™ to provide the optimal sound experience – the way the artist intended it – when playing music or audio through headphones or external speakers.
In a sleek and soft-touch, precision-crafted aluminum design, the HP ENVY 14 Beats Edition maintains the signature Beats Audio black and red design style and includes a red backlit keyboard and three custom Beats-themed wallpapers.
To take advantage of its powerful performance and entertainment capabilities, the HP ENVY 14 Beats Edition – as well as the HP ENVY 17 – includes Adobe Photoshop® Elements 8 and Adobe® Premiere Elements 8 software for photo and video editing on select models.
Offering up to 6.5 hours of battery life with the standard battery, and up to 13 hours with the optional HP Slim Fit Extended-Life battery,(5) the HP ENVY 14 Beats Edition includes powerful Intel Core processors and ATI Mobility Radeon HD(2) 5650 graphics for demanding tasks.
Each HP ENVY 14 Beats Edition comes with Beats by Dr. Dre Soloâ„¢ Headphones from Monster with ControlTalkâ„¢, and additional headphones may be purchased. Beats Solos have an advanced driver design for precise audio clarity.
Beats Audio was developed in collaboration with legendary artist and producer Dr. Dre and chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M Records and Beats co-founder Jimmy Iovine. Unveiled last October in the first Beats Edition notebook, Beats Audio also is available on all HP ENVY premium notebooks as well as the HP Pavilion dv7 and HP TouchSmart 600.
HP Pavilion dm3
Thin and light, the HP Pavilion dm3 notebook PC is literally a cool notebook. Innovative HP CoolSense Technology combines advanced hardware and intelligent cooling software to pioneer a notebook that feels noticeably cooler and automatically adjusts cooling levels according to a customer’s personal preferences.
Advanced materials – metal alloys, soft-touch paint and non-conductive surfaces – plus strategically placed vents minimize heat and channel it away from the bottom of the PC for optimal comfort.
HP Thermal Assistant software detects how the PC is being used – for example, around the house or on a desk – and an accelerometer automatically shifts into either a maximum cooling mode or maximum performance mode based on the customer’s choice.
With HP Fences, users can effortlessly organize desktop multimedia content, such as photos, music and videos, by categories, then access them quickly, keeping the desktop uncluttered.
The HP Pavilion dm3 includes a 13.3-inch diagonal HD(2) display, an island-style keyboard with optional backlit feature and a stylish and durable metal finish with soft-touch surfaces in matte black.
Offering up to 7.5 hours of battery life(5) and measuring less than 1-inch thin, the HP Pavilion dm3 gives consumers the ideal balance of mobility and performance in an affordable, slim and light notebook PC.
HP Wireless TV Connect
Complementing HP’s PC portfolio, HP Wireless TV Connect allows customers to wirelessly stream 1080p HD multimedia content, such as Blu-ray movies, videos and photos, from the notebook PC to a TV or home entertainment center without the clutter of audio or video cables.
By simply connecting the PC adapter to the notebook PC and connecting the TV adapter to the HDTV via HDMI, users have the freedom to experience 1080p HD content without a timelag between the notebook PC and the display and without installing software. HP Wireless TV Connect fully supports protected content such as Blu-ray and DVD movies.
Additionally, the notebook adapter is powered off the USB port, freeing up the user to sit anywhere in the room. The Wireless TV Connect functions with almost any notebook PC with an HDMI port.
Pricing and availability(6)
The HP ENVY 14 Beats Edition and HP Pavilion dm3 are currently available in the United States with the following starting prices:
   * HP ENVY 14 Beats Edition: $1,249
   * HP Pavilion dm3: $549
The HP ENVY 17 3D is expected to be available this holiday season with pricing to be determined. Additional information about the HP ENVY 17 3D is available at www.hp.com/go/ENVY.
The HP Wireless TV Connect accessory is expected to be available in the United States next month with a starting price of $199.
Starting today, customers can reserve an HP ENVY 17 3D or an HP Wireless TV Connect by calling +1 800 230 5752.
Additional information is available at www.hp.com/personal.
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Wi-Fi Direct Testing Begins Now: A Real Bluetooth Rival
Bluetooth has been the main protocol for exchanging information in short-range scenarios for years. As long as we can remember, actually. It's hard to remember a cellphone made in recent years that lacked Bluetooth, and it hasn't had too much competition along the way. If you needed to transfer files with another device in the general area, you used Bluetooth: it was pretty simple.But now, a protocol that was actually introduced last year is finally coming around, and it's a rival in every sense of the word. The Wi-Fi Alliance has announced that a Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Wi-Fi Direct program has officially started, enabling chipsets and products to get on their way to retail shelves.
So, what is Wi-Fi Direct? It's a protocol that enables point to point communication between two Wi-Fi devices, but the kicker is that no router is necessary to facilitate the communication. In other words, if a device is Wi-Fi Direct certified, it can then communicate directly with another Wi-Fi device nearby without a router in between. The Alliance sees device-to-device (laptop to TV, laptop to printer, tablet to laptop, etc.) access exploding once this standard takes off, and only one of the two Wi-Fi devices has to be Direct Certified for communication to take place.
It's also mostly backwards compatible, working with 802.11a/g/n products and requiring no new hardware. It's essentially a new software stack that enables the communications. In a best case scenario, Wi-Fi Direct products could hit shelves in Q4 2010 or Q1 2011, but there is no mention of what kind of products will appear first.
Wi-Fi® Gets Personal: Groundbreaking Wi-Fi Direct™ Launches Today
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Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Wi-Fi Direct devices make connections that don't require a traditional network
AUSTIN, TX, Oct. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Wi-Fi has made an important leap in connecting devices anywhere, anytime - with or without a traditional network available. The Wi-Fi Alliance® today announced that it has begun certifying products capable of making device-to-device connections, designating those products Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Wi-Fi Direct.
With portable content like photos, videos and music taking center stage in the digital consumer experience, Wi-Fi Direct devices meet an important consumer need: directly connecting devices for applications such as content sharing, synching, printing, and gaming anywhere with ease. Current trends demonstrating how people use digital devices highlight the need for this compelling solution:
   * Content is portable. In 2010, young Americans carry an average of about 1,100 songs, 50 videos, and 1,200 photos with them on digital devices.(1)
   * Wi-Fi connects it all. With 82 million Wi-Fi-enabled portable consumer electronics and 216 million Wi-Fi enabled handsets set to ship this year, and growing at annual rates of 26 percent through 2014, consumers will be able to use Wi-Fi Direct to connect a huge range of digital devices.(2)
   * Apps are at the forefront. New applications for portable devices emerge every day, offering compelling new ways to use connected devices. Adoption of apps on portable devices is growing at a 50 percent annual rate.(3)
   * Technology is social. In the United States, 64 percent of young people report that Wi-Fi connectivity helps them maintain relationships with their friends. Moreover, young Americans also report they often gather around devices for entertainment, with about 90 percent of people reporting they have gathered around a portable device to look at pictures, videos, or video games.(4)
"We designed Wi-Fi Direct to unleash a wide variety of applications which require device connections, but do not need the Internet or even a traditional network," said Edgar Figueroa, CEO of the Wi-Fi Alliance. "Wi-Fi Direct empowers users to connect devices – when, where and how they want to, and our certification program delivers products that work well together, regardless of the brand."
Wi-Fi Direct-certified devices can connect with older Wi-Fi CERTIFIED devices, enabling a vast range of devices already in use to connect with products implementing Wi-Fi Direct from the certification program's inception. Wi-Fi Direct devices include a push-button set up mechanism, employ the latest WPA2™ security protections, and bring typical Wi-Fi throughput and range. Wi-Fi Direct-certified devices can support Wi-Fi CERTIFIED n technology as well as older forms of Wi-Fi.
"Wi-Fi Direct is a game-changing advance for Wi-Fi technology," said Victoria Fodale, Senior Analyst at ABI Research. "As people continue to increase the number of devices and the amount of content they carry, Wi-Fi Direct extends an already-compelling technology into an even more useful, convenient solution for all the things people want to do with their devices."
The first products to be designated Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Wi-Fi Direct, and which form the test suite for the certification program are:
   * Atheros XSPAN® Dual-band 802.11n PCIe Mini Card (AR928x)
   * Broadcom BCM43224 Dual-Band 802.11n 2x2 MIMO PCIe Half Mini Card
   * Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6200
   * Ralink MIMObility 802.11n 2x2 PCIe Half Mini Card
   * Realtek RTL8192CE-VA4 HM92C00 PCIe mini card
In addition, the Cisco 2106 Wireless LAN Controller and Cisco Aironet 1240 Series Access Points are used in the certification test suite.
More information, including information for consumers and retailers, a list of Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Wi-Fi Direct products, the technical specification, white papers, and more, is available at www.wi-fi.org/Wi-Fi_Direct.php.
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HotHardware Video Podcast - October 25, 2010
We’re a little late this time around, but we’re back with the latest episode of the HotHardware Video Podcast. In this week’s episode, we talk about AMD’s upcoming “Fusion†Llano APU, the brand new Radeon HD 6800 series graphics cards, Samsung’s Epic 4G Android-based SmartPhone, and WD’s massive 3TB Caviar Green hard drive. In addition, we answer some reader questions and announce an awesome new contest!Show Notes:
00:17 - AMDÂ Demos Llano Fusion-Based Processor
03:32 - AMD Radeon HD 6870 & 6850 Graphics Cards Debut
05:40 - Samsung Epic 4G Android Smartphone Review
07:49 - WD Launches Largest Ever 3TB Drive, HH Tested
09:42 - Reader Question: How'd HotHardware Start?
12:52 - The HotHardware "Name Our Webcast" Sweepstakes!
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Amazon Copying Page from B&N, Will Add Lending Feature to Kindle
If it's true that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Barnes and Noble should be blushing all kinds of red. That's because Amazon has made the decision to let Kindle users lend books to other Kindle device and Kindle app users, a feature Barnes and Noble's Nook had since Day 1."Later this year, we will be introducing lending for Kindle, a new feature that lets you loan your Kindle books to other Kindle device or Kindle app users," Amazon announced in a blog post. "Each book can be lent once for a loan period of 14-days and the lender cannot read the book during the loan period. Additionally, not all e-books will be lendable - this is solely up to the publisher or rights holder, who determines which titles are enabled for lending."
So what does this mean for the Nook? That remains to be seen, but for Amazon, matching the Nook's lending feature with identical terms takes away one of the rival eBook reader's key differentiating bullet points. All that's really left in the Nook's corner is the second touchscreen, otherwise the two units share the same overall feature-set and similar price points.
Does the ability to lend books make the Kindle any more appealing to you, or could you care less either way?
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Monster Meter is Perfect for the Halloween 'Willies'
It's a typical scenario: your young child is convinced there's a monster under his bed, and showing him Monsters, Inc. doesn't calm him down. That's when you whip out your iPhone and pull up the Monster Meter app. The Monster Meter app is designed to convince your child there are no monsters in his room. There are four monster detection "technologies." - Radar – classic radar screen that uses the camera on your device
- Grid – this scanner also uses the camera on your device
- Green Meter – playful yet serious meter
- Metal Meter – more serious looking meter for serious monster finding
There is no iPad specific version (as yet), and obviously 1) and 2) above are not going to work on the first generation iPad. It wouldn't be too fun around Halloween if you couldn't detect just a few monsters. Make sure you do it outside your child's room, so he won't be afraid of the dark, after you leave the room. That option, to show a few monsters, is described as:
There may be times, such as at Halloween, when a parent feels that it's okay for Monster Meter to detect an old monster or two, just for fun. For that reason, Appdicted designed the app's setting to be adjustable, allowing for the showing of monsters, if desired. All in all, Monster Meter may be the perfect application for a kid's fear of the dark. Parents can use it to provide concrete evidence that a child's room is monster-free and safe to sleep in.This app may be the cure to your child's fear of things that go bump in the night. As such, we assume the $0.99 price won't make you blanch (it's your child, after all).
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RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook Makes a Live Demo Appearance
RIM has dispelled rumors that the BlackBerry tablet, or PlayBook, was vaporware, by showing it off in the flesh at the Adobe MAX show on Monday. This came on the same day that RIM made the first build of a BlackBerry PlayBook QNX OS simulator available for Windows and Mac.Last month, when RIM announced the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, the company did not demo the device and caught a lot of flak (and disbelief) about the PlayBook, because of it.
Check out the demo below, or even try the simulator and tell us what you think. Can it compete with the iPad or Galaxy Tab?
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Broadcasters Fight America's New Love Of Online Viewing
With smartphones and iPods, game consoles and PCs, e-readers and tablets, Americans now spend a truly mind-boggling number of hours each week watching TV, even more than the mega-hours they spent as couch potatoes last year. Online viewing means far fewer commercials and broadcasters have begun to fight back and eliminate free TV shows on the Web. News Corp's Fox set off a firestorm when it blocked online access to popular shows like "Glee" to 2.6 million Cablevision Systems broadband Internet subscribers last weekend. This was part of a fee dispute over how much Cablevision pays Fox for the rights to carry Fox-owned television channels. The blockade only lasted about 12 hours, because viewers of other television services were inadvertently affected. That snafu lead lawmakers to tell Fox to knock it off. Meanwhile, ABC, NBC and CBS also turned off access to full episodes when accessed from the new Google TV, which became available this month.
Are broadcasters being greedy? Or are Americans' new online viewing habits making it more difficult for them to pay for the shows we are consuming? A slew of new research has quantified just how much online, commercial-avoiding hours of television we watch.
Turns out, we have three secrets for achieving high volume vegetative states while reducing exposure to advertising:
1) American's are double dipping during TV time by also using a smartphone or a PC, according to uber-TV habit researcher the Nielsen Company.
2) We watch our TV while standing in line and other moments that used to be squandered on quiet thinking time, or fidgeting impatiently. The mobile video audience grew 51% year-over-year, surpassing 20 million users in Q1 2010 for the first time, Nielsen says.
3) We use on-demand and DVRs to ditch the commercials and we use the time saved on commercials to watch more free TV, finds a new study by SAY Media.
Not surprisingly, The number of people who are viewing television through "time shifting means" like the DVR and on-demand devices has also grown by 20% according to Nielsen's first quarter research, to 94 million.
Two studies released Monday quantify commercial-free viewing even further. Turns out that about 56 million are regular consumers of online/on-demand television, though most also watch live TV. Of the online viewers, 90 per cent own a TV, but they also own a total of 5.4 devices equipped for watching video, including their TV and PCs, says the research published by SAY Media. About half subscribe to Netflix.
The group that watches both live and on-demand video watches a mind boggling total of 30 hours a week, compared to 25 hours a week for those that are not giant consumers of online. When I do the math, I come up with about half of their free time is spent with eyes glued to screen. (168 hours in a week, minus 56 hours spent sleeping, minus 40 hours spent at a job = 72 free hours of which 30 is spent watching video.) Interestingly, those who don't watch live TV at all watch slightly less. 13 percent get their TV exclusively over the Internet or other on-demand means. These are mostly in the 18-24 demographic and they watch a comparatively mere 21 hours of video a week, half of which comes from the Internet, and half from an on-demand source.
New research from Radius Global Market Research explains why they watch less ... the quality of online video sucks peanut butter and it's not all free. Half of Radius' survey audience said lack of smoothness in the streaming or buffering of content drove them to frustration. Another roughly two-fifths said that the cost of content kept them from downloading more. I take that to mean that if it wasn't (mostly) free, they (mostly) weren't downloading.
All this leads the an obvious conclusion. Broadcasters have little incentive to make their content available on the Web even though consumers have so many more ways to watch it.
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Palm Ad Shows Off WebOS 2.0 Features On Pre 2
WebOS 2.0 is being viewed by many as a major overhaul of Palm's mobile operating system, but Palm has not shown it very much to the public. But with the Pre 2 now official and on sale in France, there's no real use in keeping things undercover now. Palm, or HP really, has just revealed the first public ad for WebOS 2.0 and the Pre 2. The minute-long ad shows off a bunch of new WebOS 2.0 features, and of course, a glimpse of the phone running Angry Birds.
The Pre 2 is being advertised as the fastest Palm smartphone yet, with a revamped card/bunching system and plenty of speed to go along with it. We know things can be sped up for the sake of the commercial, but it all looks buttery smooth. Have a look yourself; the Pre 2 may not have a significantly different design, but the OS might just get Palm back into the game.
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