Review: Roku 2 Streaming Player

via SoldierKnowsBest on YouTube

The Roku 2 Streaming Player looks like a terrific source of Internet content to stream to your TV via a very small, compact box. SoldierKnowsBest does a great video review of the steaming player.

Google TV only half-baked

CLICK to read article on Technolog - MSNBC

"While the idea behind Google TV holds great promise, the first products to come from that vision are too impotent and hard to use. The search giant, flush from back-to-back revolutions in the Internet and mobile spaces, decided to aim a missile of change at the very broken television experience. It's noble, but it could well be just another Google idea doomed to fizzle.

After testing both the $300 Logitech Revue and the $400 Sony Internet TV Blu-ray player — which are about 90 percent identical Google TV systems — I can tell you that the platform is nowhere near ready for your viewing enjoyment.

As you can probably guess from Google's interest in the subject, Google TV is about apps and search. The Logitech and Sony devices — set-top boxes which you connect to the Internet and to your cable or satellite box — are supposed to be partly a 'relax, we got it covered' manager of content, and a 'hey, check this out' guide to discovering more. They run Android and will get a version of the Android Market, with apps made especially for Google TV, sometime early next year. Currently, though, the included apps are fixed and limited: Netflix, Picasa, Pandora ... and not a whole lot else. Most other 'apps' are just links to websites, such as Amazon Video on Demand. You click an 'app' and instead, the browser launches. At that point, you are required to do what you'd do if you were on a computer: Log in, browse your options via touchpad, select and play.

If the website is compatible, that is. Google is currently promoting, on the 'Spotlight' page, the HBO Go service. However, Comcast subscribers are blocked from the Go service, because Comcast serves up HBO content on its own online VOD service, Fancast. But when you go to Fancast, you're told that the site is not compatible with Google TV, because it only works on computers running Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Apple's Safari. So here I am, a paying HBO subscriber, teased into thinking I can see HBO on this box, then let down by technological shortcomings and Hollywood licensing roadblocks. That right there is a common theme with Google TV.

- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Technolog - Apple TV vs. Google TV: What's the difference?

CLICK to read article on Technolog

"Google TV arrives this month in the form of Logitech's Revue and the Sony Internet TV and set-top box. The fact that it comes on the heels of a major overhaul of Apple TV may not be a total coincidence. If you get the sense that Google's consumer strategy is to follow Apple around, listening to Apple customer complaints and then tweaking their own products to avoid them, well, you may not be far from the truth. With Android, Google has exploited the 'second-mover advantage' on the smart phone stage, and it appears to be ready for a repeat performance in the home theater with Google TV.

Both Apple TV and Google TV are platforms for serving up movies, TV shows, music and photos from the great beyond — and in some cases, a nearby computer or mobile device. As the name suggests, the primary purpose of both is video on demand, though they go about this in very different ways. This isn't so much a product review as it is a run-down of those differences, as well as the notable similarities.

Content is king right? Hardware can be super snazzy, but if you can't watch the three shows you actually want to watch, the hardware goes busto. Maybe that's why sorting out which content is available on each box is increasingly a challenge.

Apple TV is, predominantly, a vessel for the programs Apple already has deals for. If you want to know if they'll have your favorite shows on Apple TV, just look 'em up on iTunes. However, the new Apple TV has a very nice Netflix app built in, too, so anything available for instant viewing on Netflix is included, and 'free' with your Netflix subscription — no extra money required. Apple TV also has a YouTube app.

Google TV is even trickier, since it doesn't really have a reservoir of content at the ready, like Apple does. Though Google did announce deals with Time Warner video properties including TBS, TNT, CNN and HBO, and another deal with CNBC, the rest of NBC along with CBS, ABC and Fox still aren't on board with Google TV. (Msnbc.com is a joint venture of NBC Universal and Microsoft.)

Without major TV and movie studio support, at least at launch, the primary source of video for most Google TV watchers will be third-party apps. Movies can come from Netflix, Amazon Video on Demand, or Sony's Qriocity service, all with varying degrees of cost and picture quality. Google promises to link all of this together in a unified search, and let's be honest, they had better. The burden is on Google to make it easy to find 'Knight Rider' reruns at 2 a.m.; it sure ain't on you.

The coming content flood might not be welcome if it takes huge effort to wade through it. Already on Apple TV, there are instances where, say, a '30 Rock' episode is available for a rental fee in one place, and free (at least with a paid subscription) elsewhere. With Google TV, given the app approach, these sorts of discrepancies could eventually be a lot worse.

- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Interactive TV Program Guide for Your Apple iPad

Yahoo! Entertainment iPad App: "Get an interactive TV program guide, up-to-the-minute video, just-in news, and more—all on your Apple® iPad™.

The TV shows you want to watch

Plan your viewing with an interactive program guide that highlights your favorite TV shows. Get the lineup from your local provider; see programs by time, day, channel, content, or genre; or just find your favorites.

Video designed for your iPad

View always-current video feeds from top providers in sports, news, finance, business, entertainment, weather, and more. Watch popular Yahoo!-created content like Tech Ticker, Primetime in No Time, and Daytime in No Time—all designed for viewing on your iPad.

News you’ll want to know about

Stay on top of current news articles and photos, delivered 24-7 to your iPad, with in-depth coverage in key areas. Read fashion articles, advice columns, book reviews, odd stories, entertainment news, comics, and more.

Doritos Crash Super Bowl XLIV 2010 Commercial: House Rules (Kid slaps Man)

A man arrives at a beautiful woman's house for their "first date". He is then quickly introduced to her 4 year old son who waste no time explaining the house rules.

This is part of the 2010 Crash the Super Bowl ad campaign & can be featured in Super Bowl XLIV.

Super Bowl Commercial with David, Jay, & Oprah

This commercial was funny, unexpected...AND oh so "nerdy."

New Apple, Google gadgets expected

Courtesy of MSNBC.com

NerdBoyTV NOTE: Expect some major consumer product announcements from Apple and Google later this month. Are we finally going to see a PC "tablet" from Apple (Code Name: iSlate)?

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

5 things to hate about HDTV

By msnbc.com (CLICK to read more)

"It’s hard to say anything bad publicly about high-definition TV. Aficianados are rabid. Consumers are going ga-ga for high-def: 53 percent of households in the United States now own an HDTV, up from 23 percent in 2007, according to the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing.

Prices on sets have dropped as precipitously as the economy, and 32-inch HDTVs can be had for as little as $399 at Costco. Life is good. Can’t buy a house? Buy an HDTV.

And yes, the picture is spectacular – when you can get it. HDTV is not always easy to set up or to view. Unless you’re a home theater maven with a master’s degree in HDTV, you may find yourself lost in a sea of acronyms and acrimonious feelings toward the set at which you’re staring. That’s one thing to hate about it. Read on for more."

Today Show's Hot Trends for the Fall

See the trends for Entertainment, Technology (iPod, duh!), Food, and Fashion. Thanks Today Show!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

VIDEO: Revealing Intimate Details on the Internet

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Big screen evolves to compete with small

By Yahoo! News (CLICK to read more)

"Today, young movie-watchers look increasingly like Molly O'Connor. A junior at the University of Dallas, she still goes to the cinema occasionally, but is often just as happy to hunker down on a bed or a couch with friends to watch a downloaded movie on a laptop that's perched on a nearby desk or a chair.

'Sometimes, it's nice to have a wider screen, but I don't think I gain that much by going to a movie theater anymore,' the 20-year-old student says. 'Now, it's more about convenience.'

Or as 26-year-old Michael Brody puts it: 'I watch movies the way many people listen to music — anytime, anywhere, any way.' A freelance writer in New York who blogs about film, he used to go to the movie theater every week. Now he's there once or twice a month, partly to save money and also because he doesn't think most movies are worth the effort.

Sounds like bad news for movie theaters. But we're talking about an industry that not only survived, but ended up thriving amid the arrival of television in the 1950s, videotapes in the 1980s, and DVDs in the '90s. The reason? An ability to continually remake themselves and find new ways to generate revenue, by introducing everything from the multiplex and more elaborate concessions to lengthy pre-show advertising."

Heineken Commercial with Eva Longoria (2009)

NerdBoyTV loves this Heineken commercial — it's definitely a nerdboy's dream! ENJOY...

Diversity Dance Team wins Britain's Got Talent 2009

These guys are just freakin AWESOME! Sorry Susan, but they really DID deserve to win! Don't you agree?

How to Buy a Flat-Screen HDTV

Before you drop hundreds or thousands of dollars on the wrong flat-panel HDTV, read our comprehensive breakdown of everything you need to know. Our advice might just help you save some money.

Susan Boyles falls just short of "Talent" title

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Next Big Thing Could Be Boxee

Tech & Gadgets Blog: "More people are getting hip to Hulu, the online service that lets you watch ad-supported TV shows and movies on your computer, helped in large part by the company's hit Super Bowl ad. But in the fast-moving world of technology, the next big thing could be Boxee, software that, like Microsoft's Windows Media Center and Apple Front Row, culls content ranging from online videos and TV shows to music and movies.

But the big difference between Boxee and those applications (besides the fact that it's free and open-source software), as well as websites like Hulu and YouTube, is it adds a social networking component. Registered users can share with Boxee 'friends' what they are watching and recommend and rate content, and they can also post the info on social networks like Twitter and FriendFeed."

SHOW #62 - NerdBoyTV BROADCAST: Who will win the Oscar?

In this episode of NerdBoyTV, Ryan Yee takes a crack at trying to predict who will win the 2009 Academy Awards tonight, including Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor, and Supporting Actress. This is the first time NerdBoyTV used YouTube's "annotations" to "enhance" its video broadcast. ;-)

SHOW #059 - NerdBoyTV BROADCAST: Rocketfish A/V Composite for iPod

In this episode of NerdBoyTV, Ryan Yee talks about Rocketfish's audio/visual composite cable that let's you display videos from your iPod onto your television screen.

The best of CES 2009 : Christopher Null

The best of CES 2009 : Christopher Null : Yahoo! Tech: "As expected, CES was a quieter show this year than usual -- but that's not such a bad thing. Cab lines have been short. There's less pushing and shoving. You can get a seat in the press room (miracle!). And you can actually see stuff in the booths instead of just the backs of other people's heads.

But ask around -- or just ask me -- and some clear favorites have emerged as the 'best' of CES 2009. In fact, though there are fewer people doing the buzzing, they're buzzing louder than ever about some really impressive gear. To wit: Here are my picks for the must-see gadgets on the CES show floor 2009."

Cheap Ways to Watch TV

Cheap Ways to Watch TV - Yahoo! Shopping

"Wait! Don't toss out your beautiful flat panel display — even if there are a plethora of ways to enjoy your favorite shows without a TV. What you can kick is your $30 a month (or more) cable subscription and digital video recorders. With the tanking economy, why spend a minimum of $360 a year to access all those shows that are too bad to watch? It may not be perfect (or live), but it is now possible to survive solely off digitally delivered television. Any shows that are not available for free can be picked up piecemeal from a variety of vendors. So cozy up to your laptop or hook that old PC to your television set, because here are some ways you can access content via the Internet."