Smart Home Blog

Apple hit the media community releasing the next generation of its Apple TV. It’s incredibly small and stylish as all Apple’s products. And it supports HD video and costs just $99! But many of us would like to compare it with a few others devices available on the market. At least briefly. Thanks to Engadget, we can do it. Competitors of Apple TV in that comparison are Roku HD-XR, Popbox, LG Blu-ray player BD550, PS3, Xbox 360 and WDTV Live. As you may see at there are at least two big disadvantages of new Apple TV – lack of 1080p support and impossibility to watch media from local non-Mac storage. Sure if you’re living in US and happy with online services such Netflix or iTunes the Apple TV might be a perfect choice for you. But even though think about Roku which offers for the same money FullHD support and more online services.

Sometimes we want to show photos stored on the laptop directly to TV or watch some Youtube video on the big screen together with friends. Sure it’s possible to connect the laptop and TV using either HDMI ot VGA cable but you have to be near it and again that wires. But there is a much more elegant way to stream media from your laptop to the TV. To do that you can use HP Wireless TV Connect or ASUS WiCast EW2000. Both sets include two parts – USB-powered transmitter connected to the laptop or PC via HDMI and receiver, connected to TV via HDMI and allow to transmit even FullHD video without lags!

At the first glance ASUS WiCast EW2000 seems more attractive. It’s more compact and looks better. But its price is not known while HP Wireless TV Connect is tagged at $199. So, will see how much will be ASUS product.

There is a more compact wireless solutions to stream media from PC to TV. For example, Imation Link Wireless A/V Extender. But it supports resolution only 720p for video and 1080p for photos. And if you choose it you’ll save $50.

Hillcrest Labs together with Sony and LG will show the next generation of TV remote control. The idea is to utilize motion instead of hard buttons and provide more convenient way then mouse and keyboard to access to online content directly from TV.

Sure there are already some remotes which use gyroscope – Gyration or Kymera Magic Wand, for example. But they can be used with HTPC and cannot control TV directly. Also Hillcrest Labs’ Freespace technology is more complicated then just simple motion processor. In any case, we’ll see soon it in the action with release LG’s first 3D, Internet-connected, LED LCD HDTVs which already available in the US.

A new 50-inch 3D-ready HD plasma TV from Samsung will be available in US for less then $1K! The TV has resolution 720p (it isn’t FullHD actually) and sports three HDMI v1.4 inputs, a single USB port, two component video inputs with left/right analog audio and a shared composite/PC (RGB) and PC audio/RF input.

If you like that Samsung TV and are going to buy it remember that additionally you’ll need active-shutter glasses – $150 per set and, of course, Blu-ray player of satellite receiver with 3D support. But in any case, the price $989 for 50″ 3D HD TV is unbelievable! And this is just a beginning. Let’s see what Samsung’s competitors will do next.

As you may know the release of DLink Boxee Box is delayed till October or November 2010. But now you can see the live demo of the prototype that device (thanks to Engadget!). Even prototype looks nice. The Boxee Box is compact and stylish. It doesn’t looks like the rest media players of HTPC offered on the market.

The Boxee remote control with QWERTY keyboard on the back is really cool! This is what I’m waiting long time. It uses radio frequency but it’d be possible to control IR equipment as well by adding USB IR transmitter. Hope Boxee team will add that feature some day.