Media Players that can connect to your TV or PC via HDMI are usually not exactly what most would consider tiny. If you are looking for a media player that is tiny Cirago has launched a new device called the CiragoTV Mini that claims to be the smallest media player to come with both HDMI and HD video capability.
Yamaha have been quietly plugging away at their soundbar technology for a while now, and their latest model looks to be the most alluring yet. As ever, the concept is straightforward: why have a room stuffed full of speakers when a single row of them – together with some clever digital processing – can reproduce the same effect. Targeted at TVs up to 50-inches (as well as projector setups), the Yamaha YSP-5100 packs 120W and five HDMI ports.
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Roku has announced that its new open platform for delivering content to the TV is now available. The launch of the open platform also brings with it the first ten channels for the open platform service. The first ten channels are free for Roku users to view.
One of Qualcomm’s more low-key demonstrations from today is actually the one thing you can try most readily yourself. Skifta aims to make media shifting more straightforward, using a single client PC or Mac that can then be accessed by any DLNA and UPnP client in your home or remotely. The system works using a simple web-based interface which will work on your desktop or cellphone browser (the Skifta team had an HTC Hero on hand to do just that), and then that content from pretty much any DLNA device gets funnelled around.
Video demo after the cut
Spotify is great, particularly when you’re having one of those parties where people keep asking “oh, have you heard that new track by…”, but the current computer-bound UI isn’t exactly conducive to being passed around. If you’re lucky enough to have a touchscreen Crestron home entertainment system, however, Custom Controls may have the app for you: they’ve whipped up a new UI that will allow for fingertip control of Spotify through Creston panels.
Video demo after the cut
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The BBC has announced that it will be "relaunching" the iPlayer streaming TV system on the Nintendo Wii, with the system now present as a dedicated Wii channel. While iPlayer access on the Wii has been possible since April 2008, the new iPlayer channel will apparently offer a "faster, high quality and improved viewing experience" according to Erik Huggers, direct of Future Media and Technology at the BBC.
Boxee has long been the darling of the homebrew DVR crowd, turning the Apple TV into a far more capable – and less iTunes-centric – media system and brightening DIY HTPCs no end. Now the company has announced its plans for an off-the-shelf Boxee Box, which will deliver the same sort of experience but without the need to build it youself.
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Sonos' latest ZonePlayer, the all-in-one S5, has gone on sale in the US today. Packing a wireless receiver and an amplified 5-driver speaker array into a single, bedroom and kitchen friendly unit, the S5 automatically integrates into an existing Sonos setup, or alternatively could be used by those not wanting the extraneous mess and hassle of separate speakers demanded by the company's previous ZonePlayers.
The FCC has kindly outed Cisco’s latest device, the FlipShareTV, seemingly a companion media streamer for the company’s Flip range of point-and-shoot camcorders. The three-part FlipShareTV consists of a remote control, USB dongle for your computer, and a set-top box, with a basic folder-based browsing structure that can be used to view recorded video that has been transferred from the camcorders.
As predicted earlier today, Apple have pushed out their latest firmware for the Apple TV. Version 3.0 brings with it a newly redesigned GUI, along with compatibility with iTunes Extras and iTunes LP as introduced in iTunes 9. There’s also support for Genius Mixes and internet radio playback, and the whole set-top box experience is apparently smoother and quicker.
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