All PVR

The “mythical” Traveling Terabyte Gear

In reference to an entry published on Sept. 23 (“Hacker Sends War-Tough Marines a Befitting PVR�?), I have received a generous update about the Traveling Terabyte Project. Go to www.travelingterabyte.org for all the official information.

This is an important project that connects us to our beloved Devil Dogs (Marines). It provides them a care-package that we can all share in to show support. Hopefully it gives the soldiers a bit of home when they’re abroad, and keeps them grounded when they’re in hell (Ooo-Rah!).

They are not yet taking donations (as this is a grassroots movement stemming from the generosity of one person, Deviant Ollam), though there should be something set up soon.

And, as a big fan of this project, I will also be posting updates and hopefully finding more supporters, at Athusa.net. Let make it work.

Very, very special thanks, and American gratitude to: AST Cell. As well as to all the people involved with this project.

SpyGadgets.com is selling the world’s smallest camcorder for $195!

“The Micro-Camcorder is the smallest high resolution, real time digital camcorder ever produced. Easy to use “one touch record” button lets you discretely record any evidence instantly. For the most discrete application, the Micro Camcorder can even fit into a standard pack of chewing gum!”

It’ll record 33 hours of video on a 1 GB Micro SD Card, and records over 2 hours on a single charge. It can also be used as a USB storage device, and all videos can be downloaded to a PC via the same USB port.

Alright, normal people, the info is out about this micro-bugger. Now be vigilante, and watch out for “pervs” who are looking a little too close at their packs of chewing gum.

Get your HD-DVR’s warmed up people. Like Jay-Z, you’re going to have a busy recording schedule ahead of you. With the launch of 21 new HD channels, DirecTV promises there’s more channels to come, “,more than any other cable or satellite provider”.

They say, “By the end of October, DIRECTV will deliver over 70 HD channels. And by the end of the year, you’ll get up to 100 of the channels you really want to see in breathtaking HD” (examples: CNN HD, A&E HD, The History Channel HD, premiums like HBO HD, Showtime HD, and Starz HD).

What do you think?

In keeping up with this week’s “mini-theme”, Western Digital also offers a 500 GB DVR expander for Scientific Atlanta, models 8300 or 8300HD DVR’s. It stores 60 hours of HDTV or 300 hours of standard-def TV (SDTV). It’s plug-n-play, utilizing a SATA (eSATA) port. It’s also super quiet, designed with no fan and a quiet hard drive. The LED used is also low-light as not to be annoying when in use.

To follow up on a 22 Sep 07 entry, this was announced today from Western Digital:

My Book Studio Edition

Sorry PC-based PVR-lovers, this one’s for Mac users only. Here’s excerpts from the Western Digital press-release:
“From storage-hungry high-definition video editing to big design projects and managing photo shoots, creative professionals require high-speed performance and huge amounts of storage capacity for the rich multimedia content generated by their work.”

“Equipped with high-performance quadruple interfaces (USB 2.0, FireWire® 400/800 and eSATA)”

“,Offered in capacities from 320 GB to 1 TB (terabyte),”

“Estimated pricing for the My Book Studio Edition storage appliances ranges from $199.99 USD to $399.99 USD depending upon capacity.”

Click here to read the entire press-release. Snoogins.

“Deviant Ollam” is a New Jersey hacker/network engineer who saw fit to create the Traveling Terabyte Project (TTB). A program in which he sends hard drives, filled with popular movies, television shows and music, in Pelican cases, to Marines in the former Soviet republic of Tajikistan.

Deviant said this about his revelation, “I’ve got this extra storage and thought ‘what could I do with it?’. It didn’t really make sense to put the disks into my already hugely ridiculous raid array.�? So, why not send them to a few Leathernecks? Everyone needs a little inspiration (even tough-guys). But, shipping the drives to a war-torn country could’ve been an obstacle, “You can’t really put the drives in bubble wrap and throw them in the mail,�? So he instead packed the equipment into the olive-drab cases with international power adapters and USB cables.

Once Marines receive the cases they often add their own files customizing and personalizing their gifts (becoming a snapshot of our modern heroes lives). And, like any grassroots movement, these drives have become a small overseas urban-legend. Eventually being delivered to the American embassy in Dushanbe Tajikistan, just to prove they exist.

Hopefully the Traveling Terabyte Project will get legs. I’m still searching for a donation website. If anyone knows of one, please comment. Anything we can do to remedy some of the stress of being in a war zone, is something we should do. They’re heroes.

From one American cyber-geek to another, thank you, ‘Deviant Ollam’.

More thanks to TG Daily for getting the word out on this project.

Need an external hard drive for movie storage? Look no further, Western Digital has come to the rescue. Introducing “My Book Essential Edition 2.0″, a hard drive the size of a paperback book. Contained within it’s cover is 1 TB of disk space, and a 2.0 USB port. It’s a plug-n-store device for all your PVR needs, and it costs $349.

The Diamani DUO line of LCD’s from Viewsonic has been launched. It’s a unique hybrid of TV and computer monitor. There’s a 19″ version for $349 and a 22″ version $399. Both sporting slim, sexy HDMI inputs, as well as HD tuners. They’re also equipped with VGA inputs. And to address your analog desires, there’s component, RCA, and S-video inputs. It’s the “be all to end all” of TV’s… I mean monitors… I mean… where was I? Oh yeah, It’s fine time someone tried to invent something useful for the practical man.

Electronista

At HGTV Marketplace, they’re offering a 4 seat spa with a motorized 61″ LCD HDTV. It’s a custom order through Catalina Spas, so there is no price listed. But, I’m sure if you have a vivid imagination you could conjure up a price close enough to what they’re asking. Who says the US economy is bad?

From Replay TV comes the “Personal HD”, a USB-based system that allows you to watch and record HDTV on your PC or notebook. Everything you need to get started is included; an HD tuner, antenna, remote control, software, and a 1 year subscription (after that it’s $19.95 a year, to keep the subscription). All available in November.

Other benefits are: Pause live TV, advanced searches to find and record your favorite shows, and transfers video to your iPods, iPhone, and AppleTV.

Replay TV

Now you can watch your watch. Skymall is offering what they call the “Home Theater Watch”. For $150 clams, you can watch movies anywhere (without filling your pockets with cumbersome devices). As a matter of fact, you can listen to music or look at pictures too, all from your wrist.

Download files via USB to it’s 2 GB drive, and you’re good to go. It also comes with formatting software for movie transfers.

The future is here “tech-heads”! It’s the ultimate geek-paraphernalia (and somewhat reminiscent of the Casio Calculator Watch).

Cable Companies, like Al Capone, think they can muscle you into submission by cutting off your ability to use analog TV signals. Well, according to the FCC, 40 million Americans still use “rabbit ears” and analog TV’s, and they think those people should have choices. Elliot Ness would be proud.

Originally slated for February 2009, the FCC’s “digital transition” has been reviewed and extended to 2012. “Digital transition” means that the use of analog (over the air) broadcast signals will be eliminated, and replaced with digital broadcasts (over cable). All consumers will require a digital TV or converter box to watch their favorite programs. No more rabbit-ears. It hasn’t been decided yet whether the cable companies will have to convert a signal before it leaves the station, or whether they will need to send all relevant customers converter boxes. Either way it could be expensive for them (which, in turn, could be expensive for us). It’s really anyone’s guess what the future holds.

In 2012, the FCC will review the stats again and make another determination. If they decide that America is ready, they will only require cable companies to broadcast in Standard Definition (SD) and High Definition (HD), instead of SD, HD, and Analog signals.

Whatever… I say it’s good news for all of you “old-school technology” lovers out there (like me, you remember 8-track tapes and own AM radios). Long live VCRs and “floor TVs”!

Thanks to: arstechnica.com

According to Gizmodo, the TiVo Series 3 DVR (including TiVo HD) will have Multi-room viewing and TiVo-To-Go; available in November.

Also announced for the Series 3 DVR, is the addition of a Crestron touch-panel. Be like Captain James T. Kirk, and control all of your electronic devices from one throne.

This from Mac Rumors via Gizmodo; It seems, amidst Apple TV Update 1.1, lay a curious iTunes Store “setting”. According to Mac Rumors, it has little affect on the Apple TV functions. So… what is it for? Many computer geek detectives are weighing in. With the addition of WiFi iTunes Store on the iPod Touch (and for the iPhone in the very near future), the educated guessers are saying it’s for Apple TV to download from iTunes Store directly. Because it is currently unable to do this without the aid of a computer, it has become an issue for Apple TV owners. Time will tell if it’s a strong assessment.

Alienware has landed, and they brought with them, a hi-def media monolith (I’m renaming “Gort”). Packing 4 Terabytes of storage, their HD Media Server is ready to vaporize any and all 1080p source material that stands in it’s way. It also contains HDMI outputs, Dolby Digital 7.1 preamp output, and is rack-mountable.

The “big-brains-covered-with-veins” at Alienware say their media center will distinguish itself by keeping it’s users within it’s interface 99% of the time (even while accessing Blu-ray functions), and they also didn’t add any of those useless, commercial product bell and whistles that the competition adds. It’s all about high-end functionality.

Unfortunately, no pricing is yet available, just price speculation. So, stay aware for more Alienware HD Media Server information. I’m sure you’ll hear more about this machine again, because they won’t command “Gort! Klaatu barada nikto!”