Xbox One digital TV tuner accessory launched

Xbox One Digital TV Tuner

Xbox One Digital TV TunerSince the Xbox One launch back in November 2013 Microsoft have been bombarded with feedback about the under TV powerhouse.. People wanted expansion to the Xboxes already mammoth feature list! Well Microsoft listened, and this week announced the very latest addition to the accessory list.

The Xbox One digital TV tuner is a £24.99 accessory which promises to bring live TC and OneGuide to the much-loved console.

The accessory is due to be released in UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain in October this year. It connects to the Xbox using a standard USB cable and provides digital terrestrial TV via a standard aerial coax connection. The tuner will support the common digital TV standards; DVB-T, DVB-T2 and DVB-C.

Whats more, if you already own the massively popular Xbox kinenct accessory the Xbox One Digital TV Tuner will support voice activation and commands!

 

  • Watch HD TV on Xbox One: With the Xbox One Digital TV Tuner, you can watch free-to-air DVB-T, DVB-T2 and DVB-C television channels without changing TV inputs. You can receive game invitations and notifications while watching TV and even watch TV while you wait for a multiplayer match to start.
  • TV Viewing in Snap Mode: You can watch TV using the Snap mode, watching TV on the side and leaving the main screen for games, Skype, or other applications.
  • Pause Live TV: Pause your favorite show when you get up to take a break.
  • TV Listings in the OneGuide: TV listings will be available in the OneGuide. From anywhere, say “Xbox show guide, what’s on BBC One?” to quickly navigate directly to that channel’s listings*.
  • Favorite Channels in the OneGuide: Create your own personal Favorites in the OneGuide so you can easily choose what you want to watch.
  • Channel Tuning by Voice: The OneGuide allows you to call out your favorite TV channel by name and start watching it instantly*.
  • The OneGuide on Xbox SmartGlass: Now you have access to the full OneGuide on the new Xbox SmartGlass app with the ability to tune channels on your TV.
  • TV On Demand: TV listings in the OneGuide will indicate which shows are available on demand from video apps.

 

Source

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Sony unveil Playstation TV at 2014 E3 conference

Sony Playstation TV

Sony unveil Playstation TVOn the E3 open day this year, Sony announced the up and coming release of the nearly named ‘Smart’ media streaming device Sony Playstation TV. Shawn Layden took full advantage of the E3 conference footfall and media coverage to unveil the new hardware to the world.

The unit was originally launched last year in Japan as the Sony PS Vita TV.

The “Playstation TV” is expected to retail at around $99, although no sign of localised pricing has yet been announced. Sony are working hard to have the units on retailers shelves in both the US and Canada for autumn this year, with a wider launch expected shortly afterwards.

You can watch Shawn from Sony unveil Playstation TV here:

Despite Sony being a flagship brand in the home user entertainment market, this unit is going to have to bring something pretty special to the table considering it’s taking on manufactures such as:

Apple – Now in it’s “Third Generation”, Apple have sold over 20 million units since the initial release of the very first Apple TV on the market.

Roku – Roku have a vast array of media streaming options, and statistics suggest they have sold 8 million units to date.

Google – Fairly new to the media streaming world, the Chromecast is already flying off the shelves.

Amazon – Another new contender in the already crowded steaming media market.

The device will follow the suit of earlier market share winners, and allow for content from a variety of devices to be wirelessly steamed to owners TV’s with minimal setup. Where the Playstation TV differs, is it will also allow to games from your PS4 on a second TV, Also you’ll be able to play games from the PS Vita platform – as long as you a Sony controller.

It’s expected to also integrate tightly with the up and coming Sony Now service, which will give hardcore gamers access to old Sony titles of days gone by.

The introduction of such a flurry of ‘budget’ smart boxes, allow owners of older TV’s to gain ‘smart’ functionality with little outlay. Most of the above boxes can be purchased for approximately $99/£99.

Although the market seems fairly saturated with devices, Sony’s appeal to the gaming market will probably put it in good stead. I feel confident in saying those who have previously owned Sony tech will sway more towards their TV unit compared to the others on the market.

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SPB TV Comes to Desktop

January 13th, 2011 – SPB Software, a leading mobile software developer has announced that its major solution SPB TV is now also available for desktop. As the best in class TV for mobile devices SPB TV has already gained popularity among the smartphone owners. The numbers confirm this: this month SPB TV has reached the 3 million users milestone, and it doesn’t include the subscribers of 4 mobile operators worldwide that have already deployed SPB TV based mobile TV solutions. With the launch of the desktop version, it becomes possible to have the same user experience on desktop, tablets and smartphones. And the users may choose which way of watching SPB TV is the most convenient for them.

SPB TV for desktop is available in several modes. It’s enough to type http://tv.spb.com in the address bar to start watching it online. SPB TV can be accessed in all major browsers: Firefox, IE, Chrome, Opera and Safari. The browser mode allows to switch between channels, browse the integrated TV guide to see the current and upcoming TV programs, switch to the full-screen mode and control the volume level. It also shows the channels of the user’s previous choice. It is possible to install SPB TV on Windows PC or Mac and enjoy the convenient and easy-to-use interface launching it on the desktop in the out-of-browser mode.

Out-of-browser mode allows the user to switch to the compact mode and to the full screen mode. The compact mode is an on-screen window that can be chosen to stay always on top of the windows so that the user could combine watching the favorite TV shows with browsing in the Internet or working. The full screen mode is on the contrary for those who want to be fully engaged in the TV-watching process and have a real TV experience. Video-on-demand channels are another option in addition to the live streaming.

Mobile Operators will now have an opportunity to provide the full-service solution including not only SPB TV for mobile devices on Android, iPhone/iPad, Symbian, Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, bada, Maemo and WebOS platforms but also SPB TV for tablets, Macs, Windows PCs and netbooks

Main Features:

  • TV Everywhere: desktop, mobile, tablet
  • Windows and Mac compatible
  • In and Out of Browser modes
  • Updates automatically
  • Compact view

Pricing and Availability

The SPB TV Desktop requires Silverlight 4 and is compatible with Mac OS X and Windows. SPB TV Desktop is free of charge and can be watched in most popular browsers or installed on the desktop.

Further Information

Watch SPB TV Desktop
SPB TV product page
SPB TV Desktop description page

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IPTV Viewer for Windows Phones

St. Petersburg, May 6th, 2009 – Spb Software, a leading maker of mobile applications, today announces the amendment of Spb TV channels catalogue with over 40 new mobile TV channels. The majority of the newly added channels were suggested by Spb TV users. Today, approximately one hundred of international mobile TV channels are available via Spb TV.

Spb TV is a subscription-free mobile IPTV viewer, designed for tuning in to publicly available digital TV channels from all over the world. A downloadable software client, Spb TV makes a wide range of international live TV channels available for viewing directly on Windows Mobile phones. Spb TV does not only provide users with access to a world of live TV streaming on the go, but it offers exclusive on-screen controls and an integrated TV guide. Spb TV supports fast channels switching, use of intelligent stream correction, picture-in-picture mode, and export of show reminders into Outlook, brining the genuine TV watching experience onto mobile. Spb TV requires a high speed mobile data connection which may be available via 3G, Wi-Fi, or WiMax networks.

Spb TV Windows Mobile Solution

Among the recently added channels are Comedy Time, Chick Comedy, and Comedy Time Latino. According to Comedy Time, it is the number one viewed comedy channel on a mobile platform.

New channels to be added to the Spb TV catalogue can be suggested here:
http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/pocketpc-software/tv/suggest-channel.html

Pricing and Availability

Spb TV 1.0 is compatible with Windows Phones running on Windows Mobile 5 and later Professional and Standard platforms, qVGA, VGA, Square QVGA, and WVGA screen resolutions are supported. Spb TV 1.0 has a full and a freeware versions, with the freeware version limited in features and number of channels available. Spb TV requires a reliable 3G, WiMax or WiFi network connection for proper streaming. Full version of Spb TV is available for 14.95 USD at www.SpbSoftwareHouse.com.

Further Information and Downloads

Spb TV web page (Pocket PC)
Spb TV web page (Smartphones)

Spb TV screenshots page (Pocket PC)
Spb TV screenshots page (Smartphones)

Spb TV evaluation copy downloading page (Pocket PC)
Spb TV evaluation copy downloading page (Smartphones)

About Spb Software (www.spbsoftwarehouse.com)

Spb is a leading brand in mobile software, standing for a unique line of popular consumer products and partnerships with the world’s most innovative handset makers and wireless carriers. The popularity of Spb’s solutions rests on profound usability research, relevance to valid subscriber needs and smartphone use cases, as well as superior technical implementation, stability, and quality graphic design.

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Want Singstar on your PC?

If you followed my other (tiny) tutorial on creating a mediacenter then you should now have your PC linked to your TV.

If youre a fan of Singstar and similar games for the consoles, then you may like this… An open source (free) karaoke game for your pc!

[QUOTE]A free and open source karaoke game inspired by the Singstar™ game available on the Playstation®. It allows up to six players to sing along with music using microphones in order to score points, depending on the pitch of the voice and the rhythm of singing[/QUOTE]

Download

Windows

UltraStar Deluxe Installer (10 MB) (If you´re not sure, use this one):
With possibility to download 40 songs and some additional themes

UltraStar Deluxe ZIP (22MB) – With three songs and additional themes
UltraStar Deluxe ZIP Lite (13,6MB) – without songs and extra themes

Linux / Mac OS X

There is no pre build package available yet, but this version is known to work well in Wine – a tutorial can be found in the USDX Wiki here.

Links of interest

Linux getting started guide – Forum thread
Linux compiling guide – Wiki

Mac OS X Snapshot version – Forum thread with dmg file
Mac OS X the actual progress
– Forum thread
Mac OS X working UltraStar – Eddie (the author) has joined our team, this his old project (NonDeluxe!)

Additional Content

Themes – More Eyecandy :)

Plug ins – For more game modes in the party mode

Songs – Different songs either released under Creative Commons licenses or where the project obtained the permission to distribute them


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