Audio/Video, Home Theater

ezGear ezVision HMD Review by I4U NEWS

Audio/Video, Home Theater, Portable / By Doug Felteau / December 5, 2007

The i-Theater is a completely mobile video system that delivers a crisp, vivid-color, QVGA resolution (320 x 240) video image which is equivalent to a 50 inch video screen viewed from a distance of 8.5 feet. The full-screen image is compressed into two of the industry’s smallest light-transmitting LCDs (liquid crystal displays), by means of award-winning technology, protected by more than 200 global patents. Why settle for a tiny 2 inch iPod Video screen? When you interface your iPod Video with the portable and lightweight i-Theater glasses, you’ll experience an incredible 50 inch virtual video image from the i-Theater’s internal LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) screens.

So, does it work? I4U News recently review a set and here’s a snippet:

Today we are looking at the ezVision Video Glasses from ezGear. These glasses simulate a 50-inch image from 8.5 feet away. I found that for playing on the Wii where you are standing most of the time the cord from the glasses to the battery was too short. It could have used a few more feet of length. However, when sitting the cable is plenty long.

Source: I4U News

Gimmie!

iHome Shower Station and Dock for IPod

Audio/Video, Home Theater, Gizmo of the Day / By Doug Felteau / December 3, 2007

iPods and portable audio devices have created a new and thriving industry of gadget accessories. There are gadgets ranging from dancing flowers to waterproof cases for iPods and now you can bring your iPod into the shower with you… without destroying it! iHome, maker of countless iPod accessories created the iHome Shower Station and Dock for iPod so you can start (or finish) your day with your favorite music while you wash your worries away. The Shower Station provides a water-resistant case to protect your iPod from water as it plays music in stereo.

Buy Now!

Suggested Price: $69.95
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

New Bounty to Synchronize TiVo and the Neuros OSD

Audio/Video, Home Theater, Software / By Doug Felteau / December 2, 2007

Our friends at DVR Upgrade have teamed up with our friends at Neuros Technology to create a couple bounties worth $3500 for the development of software for the Neuros OSD (Open Source Device). The winner of the bounty will have developed an application that allows a OSD user to record TV to both their TiVo device and a portable device such as a laptop, iPod or iPhone in MPEG-4 format which is perfect for the person on-the-go that wants to bring their favorite TV shows with them.

From DVR Upgrade:

People love TiVo for its robust program guide and related features, and people love the OSD for the portability of its recordings. So, we’ve come up with a bounty for a project that combines the best of both devices. Namely for the OSD to piggyback on the TiVo’s recording schedule and make portable MPEG-4 recordings of those shows that you choose. It’s essentially like having TiVo simultaneously record onto a portable device at the same time that its recording to its hard drive. With no file transfer or conversion, you could have all your favorite shows automatically on your laptop, iPod, iPhone, Blackberry or whatever portable device you prefer. Ultimately, this functionality would be perfect for commuters, road-warriors or anyone that spends their days on the go.

Zune 80 GB Digital Media Player

2 Comments / Audio/Video, Home Theater, Gizmo of the Day, Portable / By Doug Felteau / November 29, 2007

The elusive Zune 80GB Digital Media Player is the last item featured in the portable audio category of our “12 Gizmos of Chrismas“. The Zune allows you to connect easily with your music, videos and pictures wherever and whenever you want and even has a built-in FM tuner allowing you to listen to local news and sports. The Zune also gives you the power to wirelessly share full-length tracks, playlists, pictures and podcasts with other Zuners.

When you receive songs that you just can’t get out of your head, you can easily tag the songs and buy them the next time you sync up. Whether you’re listening to music, radio, or rocking out to the latest music videos on the bright, roomy screen, the Zune allows you to tailor your entertainment, right in the palm of your hand.

Gimmie!

Suggested Price: $249.99

SanDisk Sansa M240 1 GB MP3 Player

Audio/Video, Home Theater, Gizmo of the Day, Portable / By Doug Felteau / November 29, 2007

The second product featured in the Portable Audio category is SanDisk’s Sansa m240. What’s so special about this portable audio player? Well for starters it does not weigh much more than it’s own power source which is a single AAA battery. The m240 includes an FM radio and voice recording, a backlit LCD screen that displays ID3 tag information, support for multiple file formats and full compatibility with most subscription services.

The Sansa m240 is a 1GB flash memory digital audio player and is a full-featured ultra-portable MP3 player which is available at the right price to be the perfect stocking stuffer.

Gimmie!

Suggested Price: $29.99

Apple 8 GB iPod nano AAC/MP3 Player

Audio/Video, Home Theater, Gizmo of the Day, Portable / By Doug Felteau / November 29, 2007

We’ve reached the halfway point for the “12 Gizmos of Christmas” countdown with Portable Audio being the sixth most wished for category this Christmas season. Obviously, we could not feature the Portable Audio category without an entry from Apple so we started off with this top seller from Amazon. The Apple 8GB iPod nano allows you to play up to 5 hours of video or 24 hours of audio on a single charge.

The iPod nano includes a larger and brighter display with the most pixels per inch of any Apple display and the case is an anodized aluminum on the top and a polished steel back all put together in a wafer-thin 6.5mm profile.

Gimme!

Suggested Price: $199.00

Sling Media Slingbox PRO

1 Comment / Audio/Video, Home Theater, Gizmo of the Day / By Doug Felteau / November 28, 2007

Continuing with the high definition category, the Geeks must include Sling Media’s Slingbox Pro for hi-def on the go. The Slingbox Pro ensures that you can watch all of your favorite home theater entertainment anywhere you go, with the ability to watch and control up to three standard definition and one high definition video (via component connection) devices. Using an Internet connected computer or compatible mobile phone, you can watch and control your home TV, DVR, basic cable, digital cable box, or satellite receiver anywhere around your home or around the globe. With a Slingbox Pro you will never be separated from your high definition TV shows, sports broadcasts, breaking news stories, digital video recordings, or video on demand.

Gimmie!

Suggested Price: $229.99

Sharp Aquos LC65D64U 65″ 1080p LCD HDTV

2 Comments / Audio/Video, Home Theater, Gizmo of the Day / By Doug Felteau / November 28, 2007

The Sharp Aquos 65″ 1080p LCD HDTV is the Geek’s second choice for the high definition category as this new LCD HDTV raises the bar by fitting a large screen size into a smaller footprint. By reducing the number of parts and modifying the circuit layout, Sharp has developed the Slim-line design which reduces the required depth by 25%.

Even though the depth of the unit is less due to a reduced number of parts, this Sharp LCD HDTV still has all the right stuff. The LC-65D64U utilizes Sharp’s proprietary Advanced Super View / Black TFT Panel with multi-pixel technology, providing 10,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio with Enhanced Picture Contrast Technology and 4ms response time. The LC-65D64U features built-in ATSC/QAM/NTSC tuners and includes 3 HDMIâ„¢ (version 1.3) inputs, compatible with 1080p signals, X.V. Color, a PC input and 2 HD component video inputs. Side terminals are included for wall-mounting convenience as well as RS-232C input for control.

Gimmie!

Suggested Price: $7999.99

LG BH100 High-definition HD DVD/Blu-ray Disc player

1 Comment / Audio/Video, Home Theater, Gizmo of the Day / By Doug Felteau / November 28, 2007

Number seven on the “12 Gizmos of Christmas” countdown are high definition products. With only one year left before the feared transition from analog to digital, consumers everywhere across America are making the change to high definition TVs. Ok, maybe people aren’t worried about the digital transition in January ’09 but with prices of 1080p sets coming down and more channels being added to cable and satellite packages, high definition has become more attractive for consumers.

The first product in the Geeks high definition category is a hybrid high definition HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc player from LG. If you don’t want to make a commitment one way or another between HD DVD and Blu-ray, LG’s hybrid allows you to play both HD DVDs and Blu-ray Discs as well as being able to upconvert regular DVDs to 720p or 1080i. You can’t make the wrong decision in the HD DVD vs Blu-ray war with this gem!

Gimmie!

Suggested Price: $799.99

Archos 605 Wi-Fi Portable Media Player

Audio/Video, Home Theater, Gizmo of the Day, Portable / By Doug Felteau / November 27, 2007

The last item in the portable video gadget category is the Archos 605 Generation 5 Portable Media Player. The Archos include a WiFi feature that allows users to access and start downloading digital content from Archos’ content portal. With the Archos in hand, for the first time you can download favorite movies, TV shows, and music wherever you are, without being tied to the PC or Mac. Other great features include a full-color 4.3-inch touchscreen that crams in an amazing 800 x 480 picture resolution for superior picture quality, 160 GB of built-in memory, and multiple options for additional storage (the player accepts SD mini and SD micro memory cards).

With full Internet access, the player’s Opera browser plug-in offers Adobe Flash support, which lets you access and enjoy YouTube and other Web video sites on your Archos device. By using the player, you can view and post YouTube videos wherever you are with an active wireless connection. In addition to downloading media straight from the Archos content portal, you can stream and watch videos from your home PC or laptop. For added video playback versatility, the player is compatible with MPEG4, AVI, and WMV video files. The player features robust music playback features, too. On-board music file playback capabilities support MP3, CBR, VBR, WMA, protected WMA, and WAV files.

To help round out the player’s multimedia superiority, the Archos even comes with photo viewing capabilities. JPEG, BMP, and PNG files are 100 percent compatible with the player, and the player can pull up PDFs for portable review — an ideal means to take bigger documents or e-books in PDF format on the road with you.

Gimmie!

Suggested Price: $399.99