Video Hardware & Software

Akros Silicon Launches First 802.3at PoE chipset

March 17, 2008

Akros Silicon is a startup started back in 2005 that is one of the most important VoIP players you've probably never heard of. Akros Silicon develops Power over Ethernet (PoE) chipsets used in VoIP telephones, IP cameras, wireless access points (WAPs), routers, switches, thin clients, LCD displays, Tilt and Zoom (PTZ) capability, new multi-radio 802.11n Wireless Access Points, WiMax Customer Premise Equipment, SOHO Ethernet Switches, Thin Clients and more. Akros Silicon's chipsets are used in popular PoE IP telephones. You probably have or will soon have Akros Silicon's chipset in one of your network devices!

Posted in Polycom, Reviews, TMCnet, Video Hardware & Software, VoIP, Wireless

SureWest Communications Launches Combined VoIP, TV, and HD DVR

March 12, 2008

Interesting news from SureWest where they debuted VoIP service combined with a high-definition digital video recorder (DVR) product for watching recorded and live TV. I'm assuming this is a combined set-top box that does video (TV) and voice over IP. If they really want to get crazy with combining stuff, they should stick a camera in there which will add video over IP (videoconferencing) capabilities. I'll see if I can get a photo of the set-top box.

In the meantime, here's the news from the Sacramento Business Journal:

SureWest Communications has launched Digital Phone, the telecommunication company's new Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service and a high-definition digital video recorder product.

SureWest already offers VoIP for business customers, but Digital Phone extends the service to residential customers.

SureWest (Nasdaq: SURW) has been testing the high-definition DVR in region since December.

Posted in Home Entertainment, Technology and Science, Triple Play, Unified Communications, Video Hardware & Software, VoIP

Ojo Phone Lives!

March 12, 2008

After Worldgate's problems that resulted in customer's being without their cool Ojo videophones, it appears Worldgate is back! Just last night Ojo phones started working again. Worldgate proudly displays this splash screen on their home page:

They also try to make amends with their customers when they write, "In appreciation for your patience during this difficult period, we're going to provide free service to all our customers until June 1, 2008."

Rejoice my Ojo friends! Now it's time for me to hook up my other Ojo in the labs. I've got two of these bad boys. Lucky me!

Posted in Video Hardware & Software, VoIP

TeVeStream FrameSeeker Detects Video Frame Changes

February 25, 2008

Arcosoft Inc., those same rascals that built 8 simultaneous video streams only Star Trek's Data could love, today announced the release of TeVeStream FrameSeeker. According to Arcosoft, "Surveillance video, such as those captured for security, paranormal investigation, and wildlife study, often contains many frames that are essentially static. Without FrameSeeker, a reviewer must spend many tedious hours watching the video completely to find interesting events. FrameSeeker reduces the effort by scanning for changes frame by frame.

Posted in Gadgets, Home Entertainment, Technology and Science, Video Hardware & Software

HD DVD RIP, Long Live Blue-ray!

February 21, 2008

The HD DVD vs. Blue-Ray high-definition DVD format war is over. In case you missed it, Toshiba made a statement saying, "it will no longer develop, manufacture and market HD DVD players and recorders." As a result, Amazon and other online retailers have been having a fire sale trying to offload the Toshiba HD DVD players. You can pick one up for $79 or less.

In a further humiliation, according to TechRadar.com, instead of being listed as HD DVD players, they are now being displayed as upscaling DVD players.

Posted in Home Entertainment, Video Games & Gaming, Video Hardware & Software

Netflix Streaming via Vista Media Center MyNetflix plugin

February 11, 2008

Yesterday, I discussed some cool (free) video utilities for converting & downloading video on your Microsoft Media Center PC to your Microsoft Zune. Today, I just learned about another cool video application called MyNetflix for Vista Media Center. The plug-in's "Watch Now" streaming ability is perhaps the coolest feature. Simply using your Media Center remote control you can have the 10' experience of streaming Netflix movies on-demand from your sofa. I always have trouble returning my DVDs, so having the instant gratification of watching a Netflix movie on my 65" TV using my MCE remote control would be great.

Posted in Home Entertainment, Microsoft, Video Hardware & Software

DVRMSToolbox For Vista 1.2.1.1 Released

February 9, 2008

DVRMSToolbox For Vista 1.2.1.1 was just released. DVRMSToolbox is a very cool video converter utility for converting TV programs (in Microsoft DVR-MS format) on your Vista PC to .wmv for playback on the Zune video player. Even cooler it can auto-detect and strip out the commercials. With the proper profile setting it converts to a .wmv file with the proper settings such that the Zune software doesn't need to transcode the .wmv video file again (time-consuming). There's also a Windows XP version available that runs on Windows MCE 2005, the first version of Windows with Media Center Edition (MCE) built-in for capturing & playing bck TV programs, but that version is a little older.

Posted in Computer Software, Home Entertainment, Microsoft, Video Hardware & Software

FaceFon Video Phone on its way?

February 7, 2008

Mork over at Trademork informed me about LG Electronics filing a patent filing a patent for FaceFon.

On January 29, 2008, electronics behemoth LG Electronics filed to protect the trademark FaceFon in relation to “telephones; videophones; cellular telephones; wireless local loop telephones; telephone handsets; computer telephony software (enables telephone activities to be performed through a computer); computer terminals”.

I'm going to assume from the name which sounds like "face phone" that this is some sort of face-to-face video phone. Even the two letter F's face each other with one of them backwards. And lest we forget, I wrote about the LG-Nortel Microsoft OCS phones here.

Here's a photo of the LG-Nortel 8540, which already sports a nice color LCD display, so adding video wouldn't be a stretch:

So my friends, is this (FaceFon) going to be another LG-Nortel phone for the Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 (OCS) platform? Or is this going to be a SIP-compliant video phone that works on any SIP-compliant PBX?

Posted in Gadgets, TMCnet, Video Hardware & Software, VoIP

Worldgate Ojo VoIP/Videophone Service in Trouble

February 5, 2008

I've been monitoring Worldgate Communications, makers of the cool looking Ojo videophone for the past several days. I received word that their service was down for a few days and I attempted to reach them, but got a general mailbox. I didn't leave a message, but instead waited to see how this would pan out.

Well, today, I learned that Worldgate is currently in a dispute with its largest customer over the payment of significant monies which the company believes are owed to it.

A Form 8-K was filed by Worldgate Communications claiming that its largest company has refused to pay. The 8-K states that the customer's refusal to pay such monies has contributed to a shortfall in the operating cash available to the Company to continue operations.

Accordingly, on January 30, 2008, the Company shut down its operations as a first step to winding down its business, which will occur if the Company is not able to secure payment of the monies believed to be owed and/or new financing.

Posted in Gadgets, TMCnet, Video Hardware & Software, VoIP

Cool Stuff at ITEXPO

January 30, 2008

Last week TMC held our very successful ITEXPO tradeshow covering various IP communications and contact center technologies. One thing we all need to keep in mind when it comes to voice over IP is that voice over IP is simply a dumb transport. What really gets customers excited and coming to various VoIP tradeshows is to learn about how they can leverage VoIP within their business processes, whether that's screenpop of customer data, remote agents using soft or hard phones, mobile phone capabilities, etc. Customers are looking to integrate all of their various communications - email, voice, CRM, etc.

Posted in Digital Cameras, Gadgets, ITEXPO, TMCnet, Video Hardware & Software, VoIP

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