Bleeding Edge TV 319: Apple TV 3.0 walkthrough

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Full Episodes, Gizmatic, Apple, Features, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Movies, Music, Podcasts, Software, Videocasts, Videos

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Yesterday, Apple released Apple TV 3.0, the first “major” release for the device in about two years. The company has often referred to the Apple TV as a hobby, as opposed to a real business. That said, there are a few nice additions that can be found in the Apple TV 3.0 update, so we give you a full walkthrough of the device, giving you a sampling of some of the new hotness.

Some of the standout features are the obviously redesigned home screen. Instead of the centered grid, you get a full screen menu that makes it easier to navigate right to the content that you want. I mean, it’s nice, but it seems to be the biggest visual upgrade to the device, which we think is in need of a hardware refresh. You also score Genius DJ playlist abilities, nice for parties and such, but I rock a Sonos system, so it doesn’t really appeal to me personally. Same goes for Internet radio, but it is there as a feature, and it’s nice. The one we like is the addition of iTunes Extras and iTunes LP content. We are fans of the iTunes LP, so being able to see it on an HDTV, which is where we think it shines, is also “nice.”

If you are picking up on a trend, you win. This whole 3.0 business is, in a word, “nice.” It isn’t anything more than that. It brings the Apple TV in line with other Apple products, allowing it to do things that other devices can do, and it gets a UI refresh, and the Helvetica font. All well and good, but let’s hope that next time around we get some decent new hardware. In any event, hit the play button for the full tour.

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Bleeding Edge TV 280: E3 2008 Xbox Media Briefing

Posted by Nate True Categories: Full Episodes, Announcements, Home Entertainment, Microsoft, Movies, Video Games, Videocasts

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In this episode, coming to you straight from E3 2008, we chat with Xbox’s Heather Snavely about all the news that Microsoft announced during their Xbox Media Briefing. We have keynote clips here as well, in case you missed it and want to see all that went down, while Heather gives us a bit more detail and answers a few questions we had about some of the specific announcements.

Specifically, Heather tells us a bit more about the new Xbox 360 Experience dashboard, answers a few questions we had about the Lips game and the motion-based microphone controller, as well as Xbox avatars and questions we had about the future of Gamer Pictures on Xbox Live. All in all, a nice look at all the new details uncovered at E3 in relation to Xbox 360.

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Bleeding Edge TV 270: Computex 2008 - A look at the Promise SmartStor NAS Media Server

Posted by Nate True Categories: Gizmatic, Announcements, Home Entertainment, Internet, Movies, Music, PC / Laptop, Storage, Videocasts, Videos

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Drobo is meeting some fierce competition from Promise this year.  The SmartStor is an all-in-one RAID5 controller with hot-swappable drives just like the Drobo, but it also includes a built-in NAS to share files over the network, and a BitTorrent client to boot.  It’s compatible with dlna, UPnP, and AMD Live! systems so sharing media is a breeze as well.

We talk with Alex Ling from Promise at Computex 2008 and he walks us through the SmartStor’s many features.

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Bleeding Edge TV 265: A look at our HP HDX Dragon giveaway

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Gizmatic, Short Bytes, Announcements, Features, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Hot Deals, Movies, PC / Laptop, Podcasts, Software, Videocasts

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You should all know by now that we are going to be giving away a sleek, slick, awesome HP HDX Dragon computer prize package as part of the 31 Days of the Dragon contest. It amounts to just about $5,200 worth of prizes if you were to go out and buy everything on your own. Pretty sick, right?

Well, we wanted to give you a look at exactly what you would be walking away with if you won. In this episode, we show off everything. The HDX Dragon computer, all the software, all the games, and all the Blu-ray movies. We run down the computer specs as well, and we clue you in on what we will be doing to pick a winner.

We will be posting more about the contest and our method for choosing a winner in a bit more detail tomorrow. It’s late, and I’ve been moving all day…but at the very least, we had to get this video up for you guys at midnight, because we know that some of you are hardcores. We couldn’t leave you hanging.

A big thank you goes out to HP for sponsoring this contest, and this episode.

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CES 2008 Video: All about Blu-ray

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Gizmatic, Short Bytes, Broadband, CES, CES 2008, Features, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Movies, Podcasts, Videocasts

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Sony showed up in force for CES 2008 with a bevy of Blu-ray players in tow. Check the video above for a good run down of the Blu-ray technology. Some of the new interactive features are sure to impress, although many of the features have been available within HD DVD for some time.

Take note of the awkward cut that occurs when we ask them about the whole format war thing and the fact that studios are jumping over to Blu-ray left and right. That is when they stopped and told us they didn’t want to talk about that subject. We pushed the issue a bit, but they wouldn’t budge, so we just cut that portion out. Not sure what the big deal was though, I mean, it seems victory may be at hand for the Blu-ray side of things.

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CES 2008 Video: Sandisk’s Sansa View and Sansa Clip

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Gizmatic, Short Bytes, CES, CES 2008, Features, Movies, Music, Podcasts, Videocasts

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Sandisk never fails to impress with their MP3 players. At CES they were showing off the Sansa View and the Sansa Clip. These new players show up Apple’s current lineup not only in features, but as well as in price. The view’s new hotness: available in capacities up to 32GB (flash based, not hard drive). The clip trounces the iPod shuffle by offering not only 4GB for the price of 1, but also throwing in a screen, FM tuner/recorder, voice recorder, and an equalizer. Both players are available now for half the price (and twice the features) that their Apple made counterparts command - perfect for the thrifty music lover in your life.

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CES 2008 Video: A Look at Toshiba’s CES SNB HDTV Regza line

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Gizmatic, Short Bytes, CES, CES 2008, Features, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Movies, Podcasts, Videocasts

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Toshiba launched a bunch of new Regza LCD HDTV‘s, including the Regza Super Narrow Bezel (SNB) line. We give you a peek at their booth, as well as some of their HD DVD offerings as well.

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Bleeding Edge TV 194: SanDisk Sansa TakeTV Demonstration

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Gizmatic, Short Bytes, Features, Home Entertainment, Movies, Podcasts, Portable Audio / Video, Videocasts

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When it comes to the SanDisk Sansa TakeTV device, we’ve done an unboxing video and even show you how to set up the TakeTV in your home. In our latest video, we show you how the darn thing works. We have it hooked up already, so now it’s time to put some content on it and fire it up. Do note, the Sansa TakeTV does ship with a couple of sample video clips already on it in case you just want to test your setup.

Once we put some video files on it, we were able to watch some of them on the device - we forgot that the TakeTV doesn’t support high definition video, so those clips failed to play. Other than that, this is really a no brainer. There isn’t even a complicated menu system. You plug the device in to your TV, and you get a list of videos to play. Easy. Check it out, and let us know if there are any other questions we can answer for you guys.

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Bleeding Edge TV 165: AMD LIVE! Digital Home Cinema

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Gizmatic, Short Bytes, Features, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Movies, Music, PC / Laptop, Videocasts

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We were able to get a first-hand look at the new AMD LIVE! Digital Home Cinema concept while hanging out with the AMD crew. For those who may have missed it at CES, the AMD LIVE! Home Cinema is pretty much a specialized HTPC that aims to replace just about everything in your entertainment center, save for game consoles. It can run Linux or Windows Media Center, and is even a digital cable tuner that is CableCARD compatible. Powered by an AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processor, it aims to provide an immersive theater-quality media experience with high-definition video, integrated 100 watt per channel surround sound audio and Internet capability, all in a device fit for your entertainment center. Check the video for a full walk-through.

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Bleeding Edge TV 156: Samsung K5, K3, T9, and BD-P1200 Details

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Gizmatic, Short Bytes, CES, CES 2007, Features, Home Entertainment, Movies, Portable Audio / Video, Videocasts

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We talk to Samsung about their K5, T9, and K3 MP3 players, all of which have a couple of unique features for those looking to get away from the whole iPod thing. We also get a look at their newly updated Blu-Ray player, the BD-P1200. The BD-P1200 will retail for $799. Lastly, we take a look at the new 65 Series LCD, which will probably retail for $2999. It has three HDMI inputs, and much improved image capabilities.

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