I said at the time I would totally switch to Dish to get that feature, but I figured the future would be short-lived because television studios would sue. As expected, the Studios are now suing Dish over the feature. Fox, CBS, and NBC have all individually sued Dish Network for deleting their commercials. The only major network not suing Dish at this time is ABC.

Additionally, Dish Network has filed suit against all four major television studios seeking a declaration judgment by the courts of whether or not the feature is legal. I hope the courts say it’s legal, I would love to see this feature on all DVRs. Television studios need to understand that the vast majority of us no longer watch commercials and they’ll have to be more creative with their revenue streams. It’s not like there isn’t plenty of product placement and blatant advertising during the shows themselves these days anyway.

[via Hollywood Reporter]

The new feature allows you to skip every commercial on recorded programs starting at 1 AM the night after you record. I’m sure television studio executives are having full-on seizures right about now. This is much more than simply being able to push a button and automatically fast-forward through commercial. What Auto Hop does is completely delete commercial and connect the ends of the program for nonstop play.

How awesome is that? This means that you don’t have to pick up the remote to fast-forward; all you need to do is hit play and sit back. If Dish Network is able to weather the inevitable legal storm that this feature will raise from TV studios, I might switch from DirecTV to get this feature alone. However, there is a catch – at this point, Auto Hop only works for ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC, and only with select “PrimeTime” programming, and only the day after initial broadcast. It’s too bad that they don’t let it work with all commercial programming.

[via Engadget]

Instead of just a single camera that captures traffic in front of you, this portable device has a pair of swiveling digital cameras which can capture images in front and behind you. Or to your left and to your right, or just about any other combination of angles. Each camera can rotate a full 180 degrees.

If you do chose to use it in your car, it has a handy “SOS” button, which automatically makes sure that video from 10 seconds before and after an accident will be saved to memory. A G-force sensor also does the same in the event that it detects a crash.

Video resolution is 720p (1280×720), and it captures H.264 video from each camera lens at up to 30fps. In adddition, it can grab 1600×1200 stills (appx. 2 megapixels). Also built into the camera is a 2.7-inch widescreen LCD, which lets you view one, two or both cameras at the same time.

One other nifty feature is a set of four infrared LEDs around each lens, so you can use it to capture in the dark too. It’s even got a mini-HDMI output so you can view content on a big screen too. At least they’re nice enough to include the mini-HDMI to HDMI adapter in the box.

Content is stored onto an SDHC card (not included), and can also be output to your computer via the USB port. The Dual Camera DVR also comes with a suction cup mount for use on your windshield or other smooth surface. While it’s designed to run using you car’s 12V cigarette charger, it has a built-in rechargeable battery. It also comes with a remote control, so you can activate recording remotely.

One thing to keep in mind if you are planning on using this thing for more artistic endeavors. One camera captures a 120 degree wide angle field, while the other captures a more telephoto image, as is shown in the video sample below:

If it wasn’t obvious enough from the watermarks on the images, the Dual Camera DVR is available from Brando, where it sells for $116 (USD).

These glasses look like the old 80′s shades that were popular when I was a kid. The little sensor is right in front of the right earpiece on the front of the glasses. That sensor records in 720p HD resolution.

The glasses also have a hidden microphone and will offer WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity as well. The recorded video is saved to 8GB of internal storage.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The battery is good for three hours of recording, which is actually pretty good. There is a microUSB port hidden on one of the side logos for sharing and shooting video over to your computer. The only downside (other than the questionable looks of the glasses) is that the things cost $199.99 (USD). If you pre-order though, you’ll get them for $149.99.

[via ZDNet]

These new Hot Wheels from Mattel will come with a playback option and you can just download them onto a computer. They come with easy-to-use software, which allows you to edit these short clips. That’s kind of cool, in my book.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

These Video Racer cars will be available next fall for $60 (USD), so they don’t come cheap, but they are quite unique. I’m sure that little boys (and girls who like cars) everywhere will find plenty of uses for these little cars.

[via Pocket-Lint via DVice]

Built into Goscam’s GD2716 Light Force flashlight is a video camera and DVR. The flashlight features multiple extra-bright 1-watt LEDs, and the camera can capture VGA (640×480) video onto the flashlight’s internal memory. Up to 32GB storage is available, and the whole thing runs on a built-in rechargeable battery that’ll give you 3.5 hours of run time on a 4 hour charge. Once you’ve shot your video, you can download the captured AVI files to your computer via a USB 2.0 connection.

While I’m sure this is really designed for use by law enforcement so they can record video of suspects at the end of the flashlight, it can also be used for building inspectors and construction workers, and anyone else who needs to capture video in the dark. Sure, you can’t go unnoticed like you could with a nightvision camera, but this will probably capture much better video. Of course, you could always just strap one of those GoPro cameras to a flashlight with some duct tape and achieve a similar result.

Just to be clear, the image above is by yours truly; surely you know by now that not even the best of LG’s designers could match my photomagicking skills. The TV has a USB port, so you can save more shows and presumably watch them on another media device (although the profile didn’t describe the format that this conceptual TV uses to save video) . For someone who’s never used a DVR before, I think it’s a neat concept, although if this TV ever sees the light of day I’ll probably never be able to afford it. Check out the link below for more info.

[via AIDA]

Luckily, I have her convinced that the DVR randomly deletes stuff when it needs more space and she hasn’t caught on that it’s always her stuff that is deleted. I have wished on more than one occasion that I could play recorded shows from my DirecTV DVR on other TVs in the home, allowing me to escape such un-macho programs. Today DirecTV announced Whole Home DVR and answered my wishes.

The Whole Home DVR service adds $3 per month to the bill and you need one of their HD DVRs to use it. If you lack the DVR it will set you back $199 (USD). You can watch recorded shows in up to 15 other rooms and each room can control and manage recordings. The system even supports multiple DVRs. If I could get a DVR in each room allowing me to record 10 shows at once I’d never leave the house again. Thanks, DirecTV!

The ever-industrious console hacking gods at XCM have come up with this new gadget which lets you take any console with a component video output and connect it to your PC via the computer’s USB port. The Vbox2 Advanced can handle signals from the Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, PS3, PS2, Xbox, GameCube or even the PSP 2000/3000 series. As an added bonus, the box lets you actually capture video or screenshots from your games.

Since the device supports USB 2.0 “plug-and-play”, you don’t even need to do any configuration to get it up and running. While the Vbox2 does support Windows 7, Vista and XP, it doesn’t work with Mac OS or Linux. Oh well, there’s always something.

At this point, XCM hasn’t announced pricing or a release date, but you can probably pre-order one over at Extreme Mods or TotalConsole or ConsoleSource.

The inappropriately named COOL GTW18 features a 3.2-inch 240 x 400 touchscreen display, and touts a built in LED mini-projector for playing back digital video files in MP4 format. On the inside, the camera projector (camjector?) has dual SIM slots and a pair of MicroSD memory card slots for storing your media files as well.

And while the device is clearly labeled “HD 1080P”, the guys at M8Cool say they couldn’t get the GTW18 to play back files at higher resolutions than 640×480. And it’s clear from this projected image, that the resolution is way less than 1080p anyhow. Maybe it’s VGA? But even that could be a stretch from the looks of it.

At least the image looks a little bit better when the phone is turned on its side (duh), and viewed up close. But the fact that you really need a dark room to view projected images, and they’re not much bigger than the screen itself sorta defeats the purpose. And battery life is only about 30 to 40 minutes with the projector turned on and playing back video.

In addition to the projector, the GTW18 has Wi-Fi connectivity, and a no-name web browser built in. Oh yeah, and it can tune in television stations and has a DVR. Analog TV, that is, not digital. So get ready to stare at lots and lots of static. At least you can record it for later, right?

If you’ve got any inkling to send off your hard earned money to China to order one of these things, you owe it to yourself to at least check out the video clip below to see the GTW18 showing off its postage-stamp sized projection capability, while listening to some completely inappropriate elevator music in the background.

If this is really what they mean when they say “device convergence,” please keep my gadgets separate.

[via M8Cool]

Since this is the first post in the series, I thought I’d take a minute to walk you through the TouchSmart 600′s hardware. The particular configuration I had my hands on was the 600-1055. The system features a beautiful 23-inch widescreen display, powered by NextWindow’s optical multitouch technology. Since the display uses an infrared touch technology, it can only handle two points of input, but that’s enough for manipulating simple media interfaces and handling gestures like flicks, pinch and zoom with aplomb. The system also has a high quality sound system built in, and the audio is certainly as good as anything you’d find built into a good television these days. It’s no substitute for a full surround rig, but it’s fine for a small room. And of course, there is an SPDIF optical output if you really do want to hook the TouchSmart to a proper surround system.

Under the hood, there’s a serviceable Core 2 Duo P7450, running a 2.13GHz, and the system has 4GB of RAM and a speedy 7200RPM 750GB SATA hard drive, perfect for recording television programs and handling other media utility work – right in the sweet spot for this machine. The system ships with Windows 7 Home Premium, 64-bit edition, so they didn’t skimp on the OS, either.

My first objective with the TouchSmart was to see how well it would work as a TV/DVR. The timing for this couldn’t have been better, as my brand new 58-inch Samsung plasma died and we had no TV in our living room for the last month (eeegads!) So while I wouldn’t normally recommend using a 23-inch display as your primary television, it worked for us in a pinch. The TouchSmart’s display size is definitely better suited to a bedroom, or maybe an office or den. It’s just a little large for most kitchens, but they do offer a 20-inch model as well.

So, back to the TV/DVR thing. There are a few ways to slice and dice this on the TouchSmart, and that’s part of the beauty of this thing. You can watch live television using the computer’s built in Digital ATSC tuner, and using either the included TouchSmart software or Windows Media Center, you can view live programs, and record them for later playback. I personally preferred the Windows Media software for this, as it works with the bundled remote control, and was a bit zippier than the TouchSmart interface. That said, the TouchSmart version does work well if you plan on primarily the touch screen for input, so maybe it would be good in a small room where you will be right by the screen all the time.

I recorded several programs in both the foreground and background, and didn’t run into any problems with playback quality, even for 720p and 1080i HD broadcasts. Oddly enough, I did run into some stutter on HD content in the TouchSmart app during live TV though, but it’s possible some sort of background task (maybe anti-virus or system updates) was hogging resources. This only occurred once or twice in my experience. The recording worked fine, even in the background while other tasks were going on, although since there’s only a single tuner, you won’t be able to record two programs at the same time like you can with some DVRs. However, I couldn’t figure out a way to pause or scrub that program while the program was recording using the TouchSmart software. It works fine with a live program that you’re not currently recording, though, so go figure.

That all said, I felt that the program guide interface for the Windows Media side of the house was much easier to read from a distance and found more APG program data than the TouchSmart version managed to muster. That said, the system includes both interfaces, so its your choice. Here’s the TouchSmart running Windows Media Center Live TV for comparison:

In addition to over-the-air television, the TouchSmart software includes apps for Netflix and Hulu, both of which performed admirably, and featured touch-enhanced interfaces with bigger buttons, and nice scrub bars for jumping through content. I’ll be covering the DVD/Blu-Ray and streaming video capabilities in more detail in my next post.

But what if you’ve got a satellite or fiber-optic receiver? With most desktop PCs, you’d be out of luck. There’s an S-Video input and an IR blaster output if you want to use a set-top tuner with Windows Media Center. And while you can’t use the built-in media or touchscreen software to watch from one of these devices in high-def, the TouchSmart has a handy HDMI input on the side, which lets you flip out of computer mode, and use it just like a regular HDTV.

I tried it with both my DirecTV HD DVR and my Sony PlayStation 3, and it worked great with both. My only issue with this input is that there’s no decent cable management for it, whereas all the other ports on the computer are neatly tucked behind a cover, this cable ends up sticking out of the side of the display. That said, It’s a minor complaint. More computers need to include this feature. There’s also a component RCA and stereo audio input there too, but I’m not really looking forward to watching crappy old video signals on a beautiful 1920 x 1080 LCD, are you? On the other hand, God of War III looks mighty nice.

Overall, I’d say the TouchSmart 600 is a fine performer for watching and recording television programs, and there are numerous choices for how you get your digital content into the system. I wouldn’t say it’s an ideal living room system because of the relatively small screen size, for a bedroom or office, it’s perfect. And while the TouchSmart software itself may not be as refined as Windows Media Center for TV viewing, the hardware is quite capable, and it’s your choice which interface to use.

Over the next few days, I’ll be talking about my experiences with movies and streamed content, as well as music and audio on the system. Be sure to swing by again for more details. And if you’re really attentive, you’ve got a chance to win a TouchSmart 600 for yourself.

TiVo has now been granted a patent that may mean the death of one of the most important features on any DVR. The TiVo patent covers the company’s Season Pass software that resides on its DVRs. What the patent really covers is any system that allows the DVR to resolve conflicts when scheduled recordings overlap.

Without that software, the DVR would not know what shows to record and what show to skip. TiVo is a big fan of suing anyone who treads close to one of its patents so expect wide scale suits to be filed any day now since every DVR on the globe has this feature. A reported workaround may be to put the scheduling software on a remote server somewhere since the patent is for client side software only.

[via DavisFreeberg.com]

The Torne connects to your PS3 via a USB cable. It’s got an easy to use interface and the possibility to record shows with a timer function. Shows are recorded to the PS3′s hard drive, or can also be stored on an external hard drive if you don’t have enough space on the internal drive.

It’s too bad that we aren’t getting any of these stateside, since it’s a pretty sweet deal. DVRs are pretty handy, especially if you already have a PS3 and don’t want to add another device to your game room setup.

If you happen to live in Japan, the Torne will cost you ¥9,980 ($109 USD) and will go on sale this March. There will also be a bundle available which includes a 250GB PS3 and the Torne for ¥42,800 ($467 USD).

[via Kotaku]

These Coke can spy cams each have a tiny little video camera and DVR built inside. And while the Coke Zero can looks just like The Real Thing, I’m not quite as convinced by this can of “Caco-Cola Clossic”:

Each camera conceals a pinhole camera that can capture VGA (640×480) resolution video images in AVI format. Data is stored in the can’s internal 4GB memory, so it’s completely self-contained. Just pop off the hidden panel to reveal a USB connector, and jack the can into your computer’s USB port to pull down any captured video. While plugged in, the can’s internal rechargeable battery will juice up at the same time.

Both the Coke Zero and Caco-Cola Clossic spy cams are available over at ChinaGrabber, and will set you back between $53 and $62 bucks a can. Have a Coke and a smile and say “cheese”!

That’s right, this ordinary looking Casio LCD desktop calculator has been retrofitted to conceal a tiny little video camera, perfect for snooping on your unsuspecting office buddies in between math equations.

From the product description, it sounds like its got a built in digital video and audio recorder, and runs on a 9-volt battery, so it’s completely self-contained. Although I am confused by the part where it says that it’s also a wireless camera with a built in transmitter and a remote video receiver. Maybe it can send an analog feed in real-time, and then store video on the internal memory. Each one comes with 8GB of storage and can record videos at up to 628×582 pixels (what a strange resolution). Plus it doesn’t need much light to operate – just 3 Lux. Plus, it’s still a fully-functional calculator, which should make it look even less suspicious to casual observers.

The calculator spy cam is available over at ChinaGrabber for $78.99 (USD). But there’s also a guy over on eBay with what appear to be exactly the same calcucameras for a few bucks less. But in this case, the resolutions listed seem to make more sense, they mention no wireless connectivity and a built-in rechargeable battery instead of a 9-volt. Who knows which product listing is more accurate? I’m laying odds on the eBay option. That said, as is always the case with these odd little gadgets from China, caveat emptor, YMMV and all that jazz.

All of the requisite electronics are crammed into a sphere that’s just a hair smaller than a ping pong ball.

The Camball can record 320×240 or 640×480 resolution video using MPEG-4 encoding. Since it stores everything on a tiny SD memory card, you can save up to 8GB of video with the appropriate card.

Alas and alack, this nifty little gadget is only available in Korea at this time, and there aren’t any plans to offer them stateside at this point. For the time being, you’ll just have to admire them from afar over at Korea’s Funshop.

Prices for the Camball range from 189,000 to 229,000 Korean Won (appx. $185 to $225 USD), depending on if you want the optional MP3 player capability.

For starters, the Archos comes with double the storage for less cost than Apple’s set top boxes. The TV+ also supports recording of content from analog video devices (note the component, S-video and composite inputs on the back panel), and acts as a full DVR, complete with a TV program guide. Just like it’s competition, the device only handles standard-def content, meaning that you’ll be able to store a whopping 700 hours of video on on the larger model.

In addition to its media recording an playback capabilities, the Archos TV+ can surf the web using an optional Opera browser with Flash capability. It can even read PDF files if the mood strikes you. There’s also access to the Archos Content Portal which allows for digital downloads and streaming of new content to the box. Network connectivity is provided via built-in 802.11g Wi-Fi or a wired Ethernet port. I particularly like the provided QWERTY remote control, which should make web surfing and navigation a breeze compared to normal remotes.

The 80GB version of the TV+ will retail for $249, while the 250GB model will run $349. Expect to see the Archos TV+ hit stores sometime this later this year. You can check out the detailed product specs here.

[via Ubergizmo]

The Magnetox V120 features the same white and aluminum accented case design as Apple’s popular compact computer. But the Magnetox V120 is a dedicated media recorder/player designed for use in your living room, so it has more in common with the AppleTV than the Mac Mini.

The little box features hardware MPEG4 playback and recording, and can automatically convert recorded video for playback on your TV, PC, iPod, PSP, GameBoy Micro or mobile phone. To keep its svelte profile, there’s no storage device built-in. Instead you can either record to an SDHC card or to an add-on IDE hard drive if you pick up the matching B200 USB hard drive enclosure.

Similar to the AppleTV, the device can only handle standard definition content, but unlike Apple’s device, the V120 can actually record television programs thanks to a built-in tuner. It’s not clear to me if this is a traditional UHF/VHF/CATV or a digital tuner though. I’d gamble that it’s of the analog ilk. There’s some date and time based scheduling capabilities, but no program guide, which is unfortunate.

Since the V120 is a full-fledged media player it can handle audio playback in MP3, WAV, WMA and AAC formats. There’s also a photo album viewer for JPG, PNG or GIF images.

You can find the Magnetox V120 from Hong Kong exporter GoldenShop for just $179 USD. Be sure to specify whether you want the NTSC or PAL version.

The upcoming DirecTV HR21 PRO looks like a whopper of a high-definition DVR, capable of recording up to 100 hours of HD programming. The recorder is clearly aimed at the high end of the market, with a black, rack-mountable case that’s perfect for serious home theater installations.

According to the flyer (from the upcoming CEDIA show), the recorder will also feature a newfangled “Optical HDMI” port (aka “DLI“), which will allow for digital signals to be sent via fiber optic cable, allowing for longer runs than regular HDMI. From the front panel, it also looks like it’s the first DirecTV DVR to support 1080p output. While I’m excited about the prospects of this DVR, I’m a little concerned that I don’t see any over-the-air antenna input on the back panel, which could be a deal-killer for some.

Not much else is known about the HR21 PRO at this point (it’s rumored to be coming this November, price unknown), but this is definitely one to watch for if you’re a DirecTV subscriber.

[Hi-res Image Here]

The device and software bundle, called PlayTV will provide high-definition reception of television signals and scheduled recording of shows. At this point, the PlayTV has only been announced for European markets, as its tuner relies on the over-the-air DVB-T digital standard. The PlayTV will include dual tuners, and will record programs in full 1080p resolution (although DVB-T source signals likely to be at lower resolutions.)

You’ll be able to control the program guide using either the PS3 SIXAXIS or Blu-ray remote control. PlayTV will also include the ability to watch recorded programs on your PSP via a Wi-fi connection, or download via a USB connection for later playback. The system is expected to hit shelves in much of Europe in early 2008, but there are no current plans to release the system in other parts of the world.

[via Joystiq]