PopBox Delayed and Downgraded

I wrote previously about a new set top box device that I was looking forward to, the PopBox from Syabas. Upon it initial announcement this little box sounded like it was going to be the great new end-all device for the home theater. Well as we get closer to its imminent release, Syabas has announced [...]

Tags: home theater, htpc, netflix, popbox
Posted July 1, 2010 by vidkun under Hardware

New Shows and Services

I’ve been caught up with a few mini-projects the last week or so, as well as a new show. As I mentioned before, I am researching and picking the specs for my new HTPC build. For pricing reasons, I’m now considering reusing an old Athlon X2 CPU, mobo, and ram to drastically cut down on [...]

Tags: amd, ati, htpc, hulu, netflix, onkyo, tv
Posted February 9, 2010 by vidkun under General, Projects, Services

Netflix Takes a Bow and Delays WB Releases a Month

Engadget has a story noting that Netflix has just agreed to delay new releases from Warner Brothers for 28 days after they are released for sale before offering them up to subscribers. Netflix is expected to settle for similar agreements with additional studios soon as well. Now the rumor is that these agreements are in [...]

Tags: blockbuster, netflix
Posted January 6, 2010 by vidkun under General

PopBox Takes on Roku and Boxee Box

Syabas Technology has said today that it will be shipping a new set-top box in March and is rumoured to be offered around the $130 price point. Targeting the internet streaming media arena, Syabas’ set top box, dubbed the “PopBox,” is aimed at competing with Roku’s offering and the recently announced Boxee Box by D-Link. [...]

Tags: 1080p, Boxee, home theater, Linux, media server, netflix, Roku
Posted January 4, 2010 by vidkun under Hardware

Netflix Review

It has been a few weeks since I first mentioned my plans to review the Netflix and Blockbuster rental services. As promised, here is the first of those reviews detailing my experience with Netflix’s free two week trial. So let’s see how things went… Netflix quotes an average 3 day turnaround on their shipping, but [...]

Tags: 1080p, blu-ray, hd, home cinema, home theater, Linux, movie, netflix, streaming
Posted December 16, 2009 by vidkun under Services

Blu-Ray: Obstacles and Advantages

A few years back when blu-ray was just starting to come about, Richard Weber wrote in an article entitled “The Age of Blu-Ray” detailing some of the main benefits of blu-ray technology: “Do you remember how awesome it was when you upgraded from you old VHS tapes to DVDs? The picture was way clearer and [...]

Tags: 1080i, 1080p, blu-ray, hd, high definition, home theater, media, movie, netflix
Posted December 13, 2009 by vidkun under General, Hardware, Movies, Software