Category: Video

Whether you agree or disagree with him, Roger Ebert’s opinion matters. If it didn’t, he wouldn’t be Roger Ebert. And that’s exactly why our ears perked up and our noses began twitching when we came across his most recent Newsweek piece, in which he absolutely slams something so near and dear to our hearts: 3-D technology.

First, Ebert argues that human beings don’t actually need 3-D, since when we’re watching a film in 2-D, our minds automatically construct a third dimension anyway with our ability to understand perspective. The only thing 3-D does, in his opinion, is create distractions, and increase the chances of an audience being sent home with headaches. Ebert’s biggest gripe with 3-D, though, seems to be the profit-based motivations he sees as spurring the entire movement. Citing the surcharge that 3-D movies allow theaters to slap on ticket prices, the critic outlines his belief that studio executives have begun exerting undue influence over directors, and have gone to absurd lengths to force the technology upon viewers — at the expense of quality filmmaking. As Ebert says, “I’m not opposed to 3-D as an option. I’m opposed to it as a way of life.”

Continue reading Roger Ebert Hates 3-D, and Thinks You Should Too

Filed under: Audio/Video

Roger Ebert Hates 3-D, and Thinks You Should Too originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 30 Apr 2010 16:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

We love Windows 7 Media Center, but at the end of the day we’d never give one to our mom and expect it to just work the way an embedded DVR like a TiVo or a Moxi would. But dependability isn’t the only concern about using a PC as a DVR, there is noise and how it looks in the living room to consider as well. The compromise before us might just be a thing of the past as Microsoft has announced that Windows 7 Embedded has been released to manufactures and includes many of the great features of the regular Windows 7 family, like Windows Media Center. At this point there aren’t any announcements from manufactures leveraging these new found features, but in the press release Microsoft is certainly bolstering the broadcast TV and other media features in a set-top box. AOpen is the only manufacturer mention by name that we’re familiar with, which also makes good small-form-factor PCs, but that won’t stop us from dreaming of the best, easy to use and dependable whole house DVR ever.

Update: Video of Media Center on an embedded device in action after the jump.

Continue reading Windows 7 Media Center coming to embedded devices

Windows 7 Media Center coming to embedded devices originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Apr 2010 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Windows: HandBrake is a killer tool for ripping DVDs and converting videos to friendly formats. Its interface, though, is a bit imposing to first-time users, at least on Windows. VidCoder builds on HandBrake’s core powers and adds pared-down menus and options. More »

Forget the fact that this thing is bulletproof or that its internal battery is recharged wirelessly, just look at it. Built around an array of four microstep motors — each driving one of an interwoven quartet of time belts — the Devon Works Tread 1 creates a veritable visual symphony of precise motion to accompany the typically mundane task of checking the time. The watch was designed with the help of a Californian aerospace engineering company, which should go some way to justifying its $15,000 asking price. The rest of that justification will have to come from the “oohs” and “aahs” you incite in stupefied onlookers. Go past the break to see the promo video, it achieves rare heights of machismo that are not to be missed.

Continue reading Devon Works Tread 1 is the bulletproof Droid of wristwatches (video)

Devon Works Tread 1 is the bulletproof Droid of wristwatches (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Apr 2010 10:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Hodinkee  | Email this | Comments

Have you been looking for a way to watch your favorite viral videos from YouTube and Dailymotion from the couch? Today we take a look at an easy to use plugin which allows you to watch streaming video in Windows 7 Media Center.

Install Macrotube

The first thing we need to do is download and install the plugin called Macrotube (link below) following the defaults through the install wizard.

After it’s installed, open Windows 7 Media Center and you’ll find Macrotube in the main menu.

Currently there are three services available…YouTube, Dailymotion, and MSN Soapbox. Just select the service where you want to check out some videos.

You can browse through different subjects or categories…

Or you can search the the service by typing in what you’re looking for…with your remote or keyboard.

There is the ability to drill down you search content by date, rating, views, and relevance.

There are a few settings available such as the language beta, auto updates, and appearance.

Now just kick back and browse through the different services and watch what you want from the comfort of your couch or on your computer.

Conclusion

This neat project is still in development and the developer is continuing to add changes through updates. It only works with Windows 7 Media Player, but there is a 32 & 64-bit version. Sometimes we experiences certain videos that wouldn’t play and it did crash a few times, but that is to be expected with a work in progress. But overall, this is a cool plugin that will allow you to watch your favorite online content from WMC.

Download Macrotube and get more details and troubleshooting help fro the GreenButton forum

Similar Articles	Productive Geek Tips
Using Netflix Watchnow in Windows Vista Media Center (Gmedia) Integrate Hulu Desktop and Windows Media Center in Windows 7 Automatically Start Windows 7 Media Center in Live TV Mode Watch TV Programming Without a TV Tuner In Window 7 Media Center Automatically Mount and View ISO files in Windows 7 Media Center	TouchFreeze Alternative in AutoHotkey The Icy Undertow Desktop Windows Home Server – Backup to LAN The Clear & Clean Desktop Use This Bookmarklet to Easily Get Albums Use AutoHotkey to Assign a Hotkey to a Specific Window
Latest Software Reviews	Tinyhacker Random Tips
DVDFab 6 Revo Uninstaller Pro Registry Mechanic 9 for Windows PC Tools Internet Security Suite 2010	Whoa ! Use Printflush to Solve Printing Problems Icelandic Volcano Webcams Open Multiple Links At One Go NachoFoto Searches Images in Real-time Office 2010 Product Guides

Google expands their video search engine by adding a TV show filter that allows you to sort videos by season and episode. While YouTube and Hulu remain vastly popular, Google’s episode search yields surprisingly impressive results. More »

We just had a chance to go hands… er, rear-on with Honda's latest R&D experiment, the U3-X Personal Mobility Device, and we’ve got the say — it was a moving experience. If you’ll recall, the tiny, uni-wheeled unit is built on the same balancing principles which the company’s ASIMO uses, and utilizes the world’s first omni-directional driving wheel system. What does all that mean? Well, it means that when you sit down on the thing, it moves in whatever direction you lean in, however slightly. The experience is kind of amazing, as it requires very little effort on the rider, and though you feel like you could easily go flying off of the U3-X, you always retain a solid center of balance. As opposed to something like the company’s Walking Assist devices (which you can see us taking for a spin right here), this is a totally effortless experience. It just goes where you want it to — almost by suggestion. There’s no telling if Honda will ever bring something like this to market — they’re notorious for crazy projects that never see the light of day on store shelves — but it’s an amazing look into the potential future of transportation. If you thought the Segway was a little big for your taste, this could be the answer to your prayers. As far as we’re concerned, now that we’ve taken a ride on the U3-X, walking just feels like a chore. See for yourself what it looks and feels like in the video after the break!

Continue reading Engadget rides the Honda U3-X Personal Mobility Device! (video)

Engadget rides the Honda U3-X Personal Mobility Device! (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Apr 2010 09:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

We just had a feeling that HP wasn’t going to be able to keep quiet about the Slate while the iPad hogged the limelight this weekend, and like clockwork it’s released another rendered teaser video of its Windows 7-based tablet. Unfortunately, the clip reveals nothing about pricing or availability (though we have heard rumors of June), but there are some exciting quick demos of the Slate’s cam and video conferencing skills. Take that, iPad! We actually happen to be most interested in the brief glimpse you get at the touch UI — the icon-based interface looks similar to past TouchSmart software and seems to hide Windows 7 quite well, but it’s so obviously mocked up we can’t get a real sense of how it’ll work. It looks like you will be able to hook it up to a HDTV with some sort of dock and expand the storage space through an SD card slot, all of which makes sense given that it’s running Windows. Unfortunately, that’s really all you get, but see it all for yourself in the 30 second video after the break.

P.S.- Interestingly, the USB cable shown looks like it’s from Apple, and it’s being plugged into a Slate running iTunes, presumably to demonstrate that it can sync with iPod and iPhones. But now we’re obviously just wondering what would happen if you synced an iPad with the Slate — explosion? Confusion? Confusion explosion? We’ll find out soon enough.

Continue reading HP Slate reappears for 30 seconds, shows off camera, custom interface… and iTunes

HP Slate reappears for 30 seconds, shows off camera, custom interface… and iTunes originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Apr 2010 12:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  HP Nextbench  | Email this | Comments