After teasing us back in January with a working prototype but no plan to implement it, Toshiba have changed their tune over their graphically marvellous SpursEngine. Based on the same Cell CPU that gives the PlayStation 3 its graphical grunt, their SE1000 chip in fact contains four of those processors. Toshiba have now confirmed that the SE1000 will be included in their own high-end multimedia laptops later in 2008, presumably the Qosmio G40.
Sony’s latest cookie-tin media PCs, the VGF-HS1 and HS1S “Liblog Station”, will launch in Japan on May 17th. The compact system is intended as a home server, with gigabit ethernet, support for the DLNA media sharing standard and a choice of either 1TB (the HS1) or 1.5TB (the HS1S) of storage. Media can be either accessed on the home network or from a remote location either through a browser interface or via a pre-established “data link function” that makes a non-local device appear local.
Eyebeam are looking to bring DIY multitouch to the masses with their open-source Cubit project. Promising a touchscreen table in the style of Microsoft’s Surface, only with a far smaller $500-1,000 build cost, Eyebeam have made the hardware schematics and software source code available for anyone to download. They also sell a kit that includes the table, frosted surface and most of the electronics, with builders only needing to supply the computer, a simple projector and a webcam.
Check out the video of the Eyebeam Cubit in action after the cut
When it comes to breaking into a competitive market, you can either make your product super-niche and fit into a gap, or you can attempt to smash through rivals like a wrecking ball. Startup Sezmi appears to be taking the latter route: they’re aiming to replace customers’ satellite or cable subscriptions (and the set-top boxes that go with them) with their own, 1TB hard-drive equipped hardware. Blending high-definition digital broadcast TV and broadband-based video-on-demand, Sezmi has partnered with Harris Corp and Sun and is rolling out the system in pilot areas.
Keen A/V addict Simon Smith set out to save money by building his own component rack from scratch. However, as the install continued – complete with multiple audio zones, MythTV-powered PVR and even a fire suppression system – his hobby won him a new set of wheels. Courtesy of Intel and the ZDNet Homebrew Challenge, a brand new Toyota Prius hybrid is sitting outside Simon’s house.
The car – worth around £20k in the UK – is almost as gadget packed as Simon’s house, and of course is the ideal excuse for him to keep buying A/V kit. Next up is active ventilation and some improved lighting. If you’re interested in home automation or distributed media then it’s worth checking out his build log.
Not only does this Icy Box NAS box hold a couple of SATA HDDS, any capacity, and share it all on the network, but it does so much more. For starters, you can set up the two drives to run in RAID 0 or 1, Span, or JBOD configurations.
This is a multimedia player, but not the portable kind that you might take with you. Instead it attached to the rest of your home theater via its updates HDMI 1.3a connection and gigabit Ethernet.
New series of Tvix multimedia players has launched in Korea. The TViX HD M-6500A now featuring a sleek and stylish aluminum black face, Sigma’s latest processor SMP8635 , HDMI v1.3 output and HDD with SATA interface support.
It’s an HD network multimedia play that is also a PVR and HDTV Tuner. It can playback HD (and I assume SD is no problem either) content from its hard drive, USB ports, or from any computer connected to it via the local area network.
Back in the good old days if people wanted to remember something they tied a string around their finger to help them. I think that’s where the Multimedia Remote Watch got its inspiration. Sure, now you remember to feed the dog but do you remember where you left the TV remote when you got up to do it? Now you don’t have to remember because it’s always with you.
SlashGear Japan
