Recording TV in HD

In the past few years TiVo has become a household name and I noticed that I no longer have to explain what it is when I’m talking about it to people. It’s definitely one of the greatest inventions to cross my path. Since I’m so busy all the time, I love the fact that I can watch my favorite television shows at my own convenience and not deal with all the commercials. You may remember me making mention of the TiVo Series3 premiered in January at the Consumer Electronics Show, now it’s here and ready to add to your home entertainment system.

What sets the Series3 apart from the previous TiVo models is the fact that it can record in high-definition (HD), and it is THX certified to give you an advanced home theater experience. Plus, I thought having 80, then 180 hours of recording time with the previous TiVos was awesome, but this one has 300 hours of space for you to put all your favorite shows on (but if you’re recording all HD, the record time significantly drops to a maximum of 32 hours). “TiVo continues to be the best way to watch television and we are very proud to extend the TiVo experience into the world of high definition with the release of the TiVo Series3 HD box,” says Tom Rogers, President and CEO of TiVo.

With the Series3’s dual tuners you can record two HD programs simultaneously while you’re watching TV or playing back a third previously recorded show. The OLED front-panel display shows you what is recording, even if your TV is off. The Series3 is compatible with digital cable, analog cable and is the first TiVo to support over-the-air digital (ATSC). Later on this year it will also support the newly released TiVoCast service feature, which allows you to access content directly through your broadband Internet connection. Future software releases will enable advanced MPEG-4 based downloading. Features include Season Pass recordings (record every episode of all your favorite shows with no repeats), WishList searches (type in key words and your TiVo acts as a search engine to find programs that has anything to do with those words), TiVo Online Scheduling, Home Media Features (access Internet radio, podcasts, movie times/tickets or share digital photos) or Product Watch.

In addition, the Series3 features a new, sleek, backlit user-friendly remote control. The built-in Ethernet and USB ports provide you with advanced connectivity and easy networking capability. The advanced chipset included with the Series3 box also lays the groundwork for support for additional download features in the future.

As good as it sounds so far, a major drawback of the Series3 is that it does not have any TiVo To Go features. That basically means you cannot transfer your recorded programs to your computer or portable device (i.e. external hard drive) as you could with the Series2 models. The only way to get around this is good old-fashioned real-time recording to your video recorder or VCR (if you even still have one). If you want HD you will sort of have to downgrade and sacrifice this cool trait off your old TiVo.
Keep in mind you can also record in HD with Oceanic’s Digital Video Recorder (DVR) as well. I currently pay $9.95 per month for Oceanic’s DVR service. I actually cancelled my TiVo plan when Oceanic came out with this a couple of years ago because of the HD capability. As with the Series3, Oceanic’s DVR can record two programs simultaneously, but you cannot transfer your programs to your computer, and you’ll have a tendency to catch repeats. Call 643-2337 for more information or to subscribe to this from Oceanic.

The TiVo Series HD will burn a hole in your wallet with its $799.99 price, and cost an additional $12.95 per month for the TiVo service plan. You can find the Series3 at Best Buy (www.bestbuy.com), Circuit City (www.circuitcity.com) or from TiVo directly (www.tivo.com).

Zune – Microsoft’s iPod Fighter

If you’ve been keeping up with my columns or know me fairly well, you are very much aware that I am the biggest iPod hog around. I have every type there is – from the shuffle to the nano to the regular iPod – I have them all. What do I do with them? Well, everything. On top of that, after Apple just came out with its new line of iPods about a month ago, I “had” to go and buy myself the 80GB so I could load my favorite TV shows movies, and of course music, on it. My point is that nothing can separate me from my beloved iPods.

With that in mind, I’ve been hearing about a Microsoft competitor to the iPod, for quite some time now, and it’s finally been officially announced as the Zune. I haven’t been able to wrap my grubby little hands around one yet, but I’ll tell you what I know so far. . .

The Zune is a 30GB digital media player that is equipped with wireless functionality for Zune-to-Zune sharing of music, pictures and home recordings. It was designed by Microsoft and manufactured by Toshiba. Its three-inch LCD video screen works in a portrait or landscape mode for best viewing of your pictures and videos. As for physical appearance, it will be available in your color choice of black, brown or white.

The Zune-to-Zune sharing brings a new level to digital media players since it will allow you to spontaneously share selected full-length sample tracks of your favorite songs, homemade recordings, playlists or pictures with your friends wirelessly, directly from your Zune to your friend’s Zune (using ad-hoc Wi-Fi for local communication to talk to other Zunes). The 30GB capacity built-in hard drive will give you the ability to store up to 7,500 songs, 25,000 pictures or 100 hours of video. In addition, as the Zune evolves, yours will evolve too when you download the latest updates through the Zune software on your PC.

Your Zune will come preloaded with an array of songs, music videos and short films. It will have the capability to playback MP3, unprotected AAC and WMA audio files. I haven’t heard anything if will play other formats such as lossless, WAV or Audible will work as well, however, music purchased from the Zune Marketplace (similar to iTunes) will be 192 Kbps and will not playback on another device. Additionally, the Zune will support WMV, H.264 and MPEG-4 formats. It will probably be about $0.99 per download (or 79 Microsoft point), as iTunes is, but If you don’t want to pay per download, $14.99 a month will grant you unlimited access to Zune Marketplace’s library.

What really sets the Zune apart from the iPod is the fact that you can listen to the radio off it. The FM tuner allows you to tune into local FM radio stations or customized programming when you’re at the gym to watch television there. Advanced tuning will allow you to see the name of the song that you’re currently playing to selected frequencies.

Accessories available will be the Zune Car Pack, Zune Home A/V Pack and the Zune Travel Pack. The Car Pack will include everything you need to hit the road – an FM transmitter so you can listen to it over the radio and a Zune Car Charger ($79.99). The Home A/V Pack ($99.99) is a set of five products that integrates your Zune with your big-screen TV and your favorite speakers – A/V output cable, dock, wireless remote w/lithium battery, sync cable and AC adapter. The Zune Travel Pack ($99.99) includes a dual connect remote, earphones, gear bag, sync cable and an AC adapter. These components can also be sold separately (prices range from $19.99 to $69.99).

I’m not sure if this Zune will be enough to pry me away from my iPods, but to each his own. You can check it out for yourself after November 14. So far it looks like Best Buy (www.bestbuy.com) or OfficeMax (www.officemax.com) will have The Zune. Stay tuned to www.microsoft.com for more information.

Samurai Warriors 2

If you are a huge fan of samurai movies, Japan’s history, or are a follower of any of KOEI’s Warriors games, Samurai Warriors 2 is a game is for you. It came out last month and follows Samurai Warriors and Samurai Warriors: Xtreme. Set after the collapse of Japan’s Ashikaga Shogunate, this game chronicles the civil wars that consumed feudal Japan and the events that lead to the country’s unification.

There are 10 added characters you can play, including Ieyasu Tokugawa, the unifier of Japan or the enigmatic ninja Kotaro Fuma. This brings the total amount of playable characters to 26 so you have more options to face off against legions of enemy soldiers and complete missions critical to your victory. Most of these characters are actually locked when you start off, but you unlock them by playing through the storylines the ones available to you. Each character has its own progression that lasts a few chapters along with history lessons explaining your scenarios.

Samurai Warriors 2 takes you on a powerful journey through all new tales with the Story, Free and Survival modes. This new version blends in castle warfare with field combat. You can move in and out of castles on the battlefield to complete missions and gain an advantage. The techniques that were once forbidden are revealed in this game make it interesting. Among those are setting traps, summoning horses or manifesting ninja decoys. Throughout the game you can also unlock over 70 cinematic sequences that are by Shinsuke Sato, director of the popular cult hit The Princess Blade.

The combos you perform are very simple, while you have a ton of enemies coming at you. It’s easy to move to different sections of your map and fight, and they seem to be similar, no matter what character you’re using. As you collect gold you can buy new skills and upgrade yourself. They vary from your mounted-horse skills or increasing attack-strength or upgrade your bodyguard guy who follows you around to protect you.

In order to sincerely appreciate this game, you should be a samurai fan, enjoy this type of game genre, or are a Japanese history buff. Otherwise, for those not used to it may find it confusing and the battle scenes possibly monotonous, since they sort of all start to feel the same after awhile. To break the monotony you can play the included party game Sugoroku (up to four players). It’s somewhat similar to the familiar board game we all know – Monopoly.

The goal of Sugoroku is to move about the board and acquire three flags. When you return to your home base with the flags, you will be rewarded with gold and a promotion. If you land on a square that is not owned, you can purchase that square. If you land on an occupied square, then you have to pay a toll. Thereafter, you can fight for ownership of the square.

Gadgets For The Cure

Within the last few years I’ve seen cancer of different types strike people all around me, including a couple of MidWeek / Honolulu Star-Bulletin employees. Keeping that in mind, I know there are multiple ways to contribute to the fight against cancer, but here are a few gadgets that you won’t feel guilty about purchasing and directly benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation:

Absolute Pink Kodak Easyshare V705 Dual Lens Digital Camera
This little digital camera is the perfect purse size, and it has an ultra-wide-angle zoom with the KODAK RETINA Dual Lens Technology. It gives you a 5X optical zoom range along with a 7.1 megapixels capability to create high quality prints up to 20 x 30 inches big.

The Absolute Pink V705 is available at www.kodak.com and sells for $349.95 ($25 goes to the Komen Foundation). Free two-day shipping will be offered through October 31.

Seagate Pink Pocket Hard Drive
This is a good and practical addition to your purse with its 6GB capacity to store music, pictures, videos or your other files on. It only weighs about two ounces and its sleek look and pink color make it attractive to any digital woman. No additional power supply is required, and it has a built-in retractable USB 2.0 cable. You’ll see a data transfer rate of up to 480 Mbps.

You can buy the special-edition Pink Pocket Hard drive for $109 at pinkpocket.seagatestorage.com. Additionally, it comes pre-loaded with a different songs – “The Word” by Joan Jett, “Better” by Stefy (with video) and “Sunshine” by Andrea Rosario, to name a few. Ten percent of your purchase will benefit the foundation.

Pioneer XM2go inno Portable XM Radio / MP3 Player
The Electric Pink inno is the first device to offer MP3 playback combined with XM Satellite Radio programming. It’s another good addition to your purse since it features a fully portable satellite receiver with a built-in antenna – then you too can say, “I have a satellite receiver in my purse!” It also has 1GB of flash memory to store up to 50 hours of your files and XM programming. Also note that this little beauty won CNET’s “Best of CES (Consumer Electronics Show) 2006, People’s Voice Award” because of its revolutionary portable, handheld features that combine MP3 music and satellite radio.

The Special Edition Pink Pioneer inno will cost you about $300, and it needs to be purchased from either Circuit City (www.circuitcity.com) or XM Radio (www.xmradio.com) to make a difference. Together, Pioneer, Circuit City and XM, will contribute $30 per radio to the Komen Foundation for the first 5,000 radios sold and activated. Free shipping will be offered for a limited time.

The Komen Collection By Mobile Edge
Carry your laptop computer in style with one of Mobile Edge’s stylish totes. Prices range from $130 - $280 for each. Visit www.mobileedge.com to see the entire selection. Ten percent of the retail price from each tote will benefit the Komen Foundation.

The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation was founded on a promise made between two sisters – Susan Goodman Komen and Nancy Goodman Brinker. Suzy was diagnosed with breast cancer, and before she died at the age of 36, she asked her sister Nancy to do everything possible to bring an end to breast cancer. Nancy kept her promise and established the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation in 1982. Visit www.komen.org for more information.

First Xbox 360 Steering Wheel

You may remember me recently reviewing Test Drive Unlimited, the Xbox 360 driving game that takes place on Oahu. I find myself still playing that game frequently, but I’ve been using the regular Xbox 360 controller. Although I thoroughly enjoy the game anyway, I always thought it would be a little better with an actual steering wheel along with real gas and brake pedals. With that in mind, I was able to test out Logitech’s DriveFX Wheel, designed specially for the Xbox 360.

The DriveFX is making my Test Drive Unlimited gameplay much easier and realistic as I drive around on Oahu’s virtual roads. Setting up the device is as easy as taking it out of the box, removing all the plastic bags and ties, then plug it into the electrical outlet and into your Xbox 360. At first I tried to play it with the wheel on my lap and the gas/break pedals on the floor, but that didn’t work. That made me crash into everything and other cars since there was no stability. It was the wheel, I promise! No really, once I secured it to the desk with its built-in clamps, my driving was much better. As long as your tabletop is less than three inches thick, the clamps will work. If your surface is more than that, sorry, you’re out of luck.

The wheel features Logitech’s axial-feedback technology that features motors built into the base of the steering column. The feedback translates the commands of the game into axial forces that make the steering wheel respond realistically to your car’s dynamics. The built-in motors distribute the vibration throughout the entire wheel and casing to give you a sensory feel similar to an actual car. The feedback takes some getting used to, but felt natural after awhile. Though to slightly offset this, I set the wheel’s controller settings to the maximum. This also gave me the best control of the wheel.

Additionally, the DriveFX was innovatively designed with a gas-assisted injection molding process so the wheel was created in one single durable piece with no seams during manufacturing. This makes the wheel rigid and sturdy. The all-black wheel features a 10-inch diameter with rubber grips to make to give you a secure grip and your virtual driving experience more natural and comfortable. The responsive brake and gas pedals (mounted on a weighted surface) make the whole drive well rounded.

The Logitech DriveFX Wheel is Logitech’s first licensed wheel for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. You can find it for about $100 at your nearest CompUSA (www.compusa.com), Best Buy (www.bestbuy.com) or GameStop (www.gamestop.com). It comes with a one year limited warranty.

Watching TV On Your Cell Phone

If you follow mobile phone trends you probably already know that certain service providers offer TV for your cell phone. It is nothing new since it’s been around for a few years now, but when I talk about cell phone television to some people, I still hear many busy signals.

Watching TV on your cell phone is made possible by GoTV Networks. It’s an on-the-go television network for your mobile phone to fit your lifestyle, especially if you’re always busy like I am. GoTV provides news, sports, music, entertainment and other content customized specifically for you mobile users. You can watch some of your favorite TV shows, breaking news, sports news (including commentary and real-time scores), the latest music videos and more. It’s updated 24-7, so you’ll always get the latest. It is the first made-for-mobile television network and studio group, and produces the mobile television industry’s widest range of original programming for an on-demand delivery direct your mobile phone with a family of subscription-based channels.

The convenient thing is if you only have a couple minutes between meetings or a few minutes to waste while you’re waiting on other people, you can go ahead and check the headline news or catch a short music video to sooth your mind and collect your thoughts. The GoTV Networks team of Emmy Award-winning producers experienced studio executives and mobile technology innovators create constantly updated programming optimized for both low-bandwidth and 3G handsets, and other mobile devices. GoTV’s partners include traditional media companies such as ABC Entertainment, ABC news, Associated Press, The Weather Channel, Sony Music, Fox Sports and Variety.

Some of GoTV’s programs include GoTV (the premium video package – breaking news w/text alerts), 1KTV (latest stats / scores from Fox Sports and weather forecasts), Fantasy Sports Edge (in-depth reporting / commentary with an edge), The Hip Hop Official (source for everything hip-hop), GoTV Diva (everything for today’s modern woman), Front Row by Sony BMG Music (latest music news – all genres), Boost TV (exclusive access to edgy entertainment for Boost Mobile customers), and the newly announced Laugh Riot (GOTV’s mobile comedy warehouse).

Sprint is the first carrier to offer Laugh Riot. It features exclusive mobile content from the world famous The Improv (stand-up comedy), highlights from Jimmy Kimmel Live and exclusive mobile rights to Ask A Ninja (the mobile version of the popular advice-giving Internet site www.askaninja.com). Laugh Riot will also include other wisecracking satires such as Evan And Gareth (offering hysterical Axe Effect dating advice), the tongue-in-cheek news show Why Today Sucked and Carmen’s World (a self-proclaimed smartest girl in her high school out to prove how stupid the rest of us are). Sprint customers can subscribe to Laugh Riot for an additional $5.99 a month.

Unfortunately it’s not available on all carriers, but if you have the right cell phone it could be an option. It should work on virtually all Java or BREW-enabled handsets with a color screen. The participating carriers include Boost, Cingular, Sprint Nextel or Sprint PCS. Check out www.gotvnetworks.com or ask your service provider for more information.

Next Gen iPod Recorders

I’m the type of person that uses an audio recorder in every day life, whether it’s sitting in traffic talking to myself or recording one of my story interviews, I’m constantly using it and almost always have it with me. Way back when I was very much younger, and also known as the young Alison Young (my maiden name), I had a big hunking cassette recorder to catch myself and my friends singing pointless, yet humorous songs. Or a more practical use was taping my piano and viola lessons so I could perfect my music. Then into the college years I was a little more hip with the “tiny” microcassette recorder for the lectures. Then after that, and it wasn’t too long ago, the digital recorder came along. These days you can find those just about everywhere, and easily export the files to your computer. But, since I’m a big iPod hog, what a more perfect way to record all my interviews and whatever I need to one device that already plays my music, TV shows and movies.

Recently hitting the market, and catching my attention, are two iPod recording devices for the fifth generation iPods: Belkin’s TuneTalk Stereo and XtremeMac’s MicroMemo High-Fidelity Digital Audio Recorder. Both draw power from your iPod using the dock connector so you don’t have to worry about batteries as you record your lectures, interviews, meetings, podcasts, or whatever you choose.

The Belkin TuneTalk Stereo offers you two high-quality omnidirectional microphones to record in full stereo. You have the option of plugging in an external microphone into its 3.5mm stereo-input jack. Either way, you’re all set to listen to your CD-quality audio recordings through your headphones or blast it out loud on your computer’s speakers. An adjustable Gain Control Switch provides you instant control over your recording quality in different environments and the changing noise levels around you. The package includes a nifty stand that’s about the size of a credit card so you can easily point your iPod towards the sound source for efficient hands-free recording. It is so tiny that you can slip it right into your wallet. The extended dock connector allows you to keep your case on your iPod while it is still connected to your TuneTalk. Belkin’s TuneTalk comes in white or black, and no software is necessary to install - the support is already built into your iPod.

The XtremeMac’s MicroMemo High-Fidelity Digital Audio Recorder is similar to the TuneTalk, however instead of having to playback the recordings on your headphones or computer, you can do it right then and there with its built-in speaker. The sound that comes out of the speaker isn’t anything that would win an award, but it does a good job for on-the-spot audio. It also comes with a removable 4.25-inch microphone, and you can use any 3.5mm-sized microphone if you’re not happy with the one included. As with the TuneTalk, the MicroMemo comes in your choice of white or black. Additionally, you can choose to record in a low quality or high quality (16-bit audio) format with the touch of a button.

Note that although there are older iPod recorders on the market, they will not work with the new fifth generation iPods. The old ones typically plug into a tab located near the headphone jack, whereas these new ones use the dock connector only. Whichever one you choose, they are both available at the Apple Store in Ala Moana Center (or online at www.apple.com - free shipping on both). Belkin’s TuneTalk retails for $69.95 and Xtreme’s MicroMemo is $59.95.

Watching Your Computer From The Television

In case you haven’t already guessed, I’m the type of person that will download television shows, music videos or movies from the Internet often (usually via iTunes). I end up watching these on my laptop or video iPod, but it would be really cool if I could watch these on our new Widescreen Plasma High Definition TV we just “had” to purchase for our bare living room wall. My easy solution is here with Netgear’s latest EVA700 NETGEAR Digital Entertainer. I’ll never forget its name since it’s sort of named one of my dearest friends, Eva.

EVA700 connects your computer world to your TV world. In other words, it brings the digital content on your PC and what you stream from the Internet to your TV. Using Intel’s new Viiv technology, it allows you to enjoy your digital videos, photos and music on your TV. Intel Viiv is Intel’s new brand for in-home entertainment PCs designed to transform how you, manage, share and enjoy the ever-growing assortment of movies, TV shows, music and games out there. The EVA700 allows you to seamlessly access all your digital media files from your computer to view and listen to on your TV while you’re nice and relaxed, lounging on your couch, instead of sitting stiff in front of your computer.

You can use the wired Ethernet port on the EVA700 to connect to your home’s network, or go wireless. NETGEAR recommends using their Powerline HD Ethernet Adapter Kit (HDXB101) for maximum streaming speeds across your house - you may remember me writing about that back in July. The device’s content can be accessed on a Microsoft Windows Media Center PC through Windows Media Connect, and other universal plug-and-play media servers, such as TwonkyVision. The EVA700 also works flawlessly with the NETGEAR Storage Central (SC101) device to further your storage capability as network storage. Furthermore, you can play files saved on just about any USB device, including your iPod, thumb drive, digital camera or USB disk by connecting it to the front USB of your EVA700. My favorite of these is of course the iPod since I have so many videos and TV shows already stored on there.

You don’t have to feel limited anymore with the EVA700, it gives you so much flexibility with your media. “Where people store their files and access the Internet shouldn’t limit where, when or how they enjoy their digital entertainment,” says Vivek Pathela, NETGEAR’s vice president of product marketing. “Previously you used your PC, but now you can also enjoy the same videos, photos and music on your TV, in the comfort of your family room. We’ve dedicated considerable effort to ensure options for high-quality video streaming for hours of uninterrupted video playback, so digital media and services can be delivered from the PC to home theaters across multiple rooms.”

I’ve heard some buzzings that Apple might release something similar to this soon, but in the meantime, the EVA700 NETGEAR Digital Entertainer comes with a one-year warranty, 24/7 technical support, and the MSRP is $269. The package includes the device, an Infrared (IR) remote control (two AA batteries included), power cable, Ethernet cable, RCA stereo-audio/composite-video cable, the resource CD and the installation guide. Sorry to you Mac folks without a Mac Pro or MacBook Pro . . . it will only work with Windows XP. Find your own EVA700 at the nearest CompUSA (www.compusa.com) or Best Buy (www.bestbuy.com).