HDBaseT 1.0 is a newly-announced hardware standard for connecting audio/visual devices like televisions, stereo receivers, Blu-ray players, computers, etc…. Similar to an HDMI cable, it is able to transmit fully uncompressed digital HD video and audio, but it does so over traditional cat5/6 ethernet cables with the usual RJ-45 connectors. It will not, however, allow you to use standard ethernet switching equipment as this functionality will be replaced with new A/V receivers. Sounds fine thus far, right? No more expensive, proprietary HDMI hubs to split signals. No more expensive cables that I’ll have to replace in a few years time. Good ol’ ethernet will carry the signals just fine.
The snag is that many consumers have just finished converting their system to HDMI cables and may be unwilling to replace their hardware for the sake of a new connection standard. And while the majority of consumers will have no need for HDBaseT, I’m sure that won’t be the line from the industry over the coming years. Alongside the recent push for HDMI v1.4 and 3D technologies, I worry that consumers may not understand this fact and will see an industry hell-bent on proprietary standards and forcing consumers to upgrade. We just finished up with Blu-ray v. HD-DVD, can these guys just take a break? Its clear the industry has realized that establishing proprietary standards is their best hope for continuously increasing profits up. I hope this post can counter some of that sentiment on consumers’ behalf. Though, let me make it clear I remain skeptical and annoyed by the whole 3D push in general.
The simple fact is, those who stand to benefit the most from HDBaseT are commercial installers of networked or “smart” homes (as well as the homeowners) and commercial applications of networked A/V systems. Continue reading What is HDBaseT? But I just bought HDMI?!?!?!
Google’s announcement at their i/o conference about Google TV is an exciting one for both A/V nerds and tech/web geeks. Turning your TV into an “open” (I use the word tentatively) platform for development is as enticing a goal as consumer electronics has presented to the larger tech community in a long time. The honest truth is that while the electronics manufacturers are laser-focused on 3D technologies, bringing the web to TV (and TV to the web) is the actual frontier with consumer demand. A poll on my most-trusted of A/V nerd sites (avsforum.com) found that a very large majority (67%) feel that the 3D push is just the industry’s latest gimmick, and they’re right. Even Sony, Google’s only consumer electronics hardware partner at launch, has staked the future of the company on 3D technologies, precisely because it is the kind of content that is currently impossible to stream via the internet (see Wired). It is a last-ditch effort to fight the tide of a world free of physical media. So, what’s the road ahead going to be like for Web TV 2.0 in Google’s hands while the device-makers are focused on 3D?
First, there is no need to compare Apple TV to Google TV. Apple TV is a device that can tune in one channel, iTunes. As it currently is designed, that is all it is. Continue reading What is Google TV good for anyways?
“School of Hard Knocks, I dean it//
I done it, as well as a celebrated alumnus//
I donate to the campus and my name’s on the arenas//
But you can’t bring it to my court//
Not even with subpoenas//
Cause you can’t play my sport//
But you can still cheer-lead us//
And you can’t sit there//
That section’s for the seniors//
And the sexy senoritas//
So just move up to the bleachers//
How you gonna school me when I grew up with your teachers//”
I followed yesterday’s iPad announcement with a good amount of excitement. Anyone who knows me will tag me as a bit of a gadget head, so maybe it has just been too long since I’ve gotten myself a new toy. Regardless, my personal expectations for the day were mixed, but I always do hold out some hope for a surprise announcement or game-changing feature from Apple. Sadly, yesterday produced neither of these things. We got roughly what was expected (a tablet modeled after a large iPod touch) and no game-changing features were announced.
There are still many positive elements to this device. For example, I am hopeful that gaming on the iPad takes a control approach totally different from the iPhone/iPod. But, this will take time and sufficient hardware saturation to make the investment in iPad-specific games worthwhile. For me, load the thing up with a solid Photoshop alternative and I’m nearly sold on the thing as an on-the-go photo editing studio! These are my two areas of interest in the device, primarily media/entertainment consumption/editing, and these will likely be the reasons that lead me to purchase one (if I do so – probably 2nd gen).
However, it is just that entertainment angle that also leaves me so, so sorely disappointed with Apple. The lack of Flash compatibility is a major roadblock to enjoying video content online ON ANY DEVICE. Continue reading Apple iPad Reaction – No Flash
In the interest of full disclosure, I suppose I have to fess up to having attended Williams. However, the many good times and incredible things I learned there are not the reason for it reaching Fave Wiki status. No, attending Williams only first brought me to this page.
Valleywag has a great writeup about an upcoming FTC public hearing aimed at what sounds like propping up newspapers. The specifics of the hearing are best summarized in their article, so I won’t repeat it here. Just know that I wholeheartedly agree with their feelings on this issue.
In my own post, I would like to draw attention to something that bothers me greatly about the current state of American regulation over media copyrights. This FTC hearing is only another piece in a much larger regulatory movement that seeks to stifle changes in how media is distributed in America. Shockingly, the paradigm shift of the internet is unique in all of American history for the way in which Congress and the courts have begun to take positions that stifle progress. No one reading this blog probably remembers these cases, but time and time again throughout American history, Congress and the courts have sided with the technological innovations of the day upon recognizing that all copyright monopolies are allowed only to “…promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts.” That’s from the Constitution. So, let’s have a little history lesson on the matter. Continue reading FTC to discuss the state of news organizations
Mel and I rented a car this weekend to go to the wedding of two of my friends from college. Happened to be up in Quechee, VT right about the peak of fall foliage. Much to our delight, the car rental company upgraded us to a Volvo C70 hard-top convertible. Pretty amazing weekend all around.
Bigs news that Pavement has reunited for a brief tour, including a 4-night stand in Central Park.
Maybe I had to hit just the right age, but I was never really into Pavement until recently. I remember giving their albums a listen early in my high school days and just wasn’t feeling it. Fast forward to 2009 and I “picked up” their albums for another go round. Now, listening to their music reminds me of a lot of the parts about new, current rock music that I love, but they just do those things better than bands of today. Elements of country and grunge co-mingle on Terror Twilight and Wowee Zowee in a way that isn’t at odds, but is just good ol’ rock ‘n roll.
HDBaseT 1.0 is a newly-announced hardware standard for connecting audio/visual devices like televisions, stereo receivers, Blu-ray players, computers, etc…. Similar to an HDMI cable, it is able to transmit fully uncompressed digital HD video and audio, but it does so over traditional cat5/6 ethernet cables with the usual RJ-45 connectors. It will not, however, allow you to use standard ethernet switching equipment as this functionality will be replaced with new A/V receivers. Sounds fine thus far, right? No more expensive, proprietary HDMI hubs to split signals. No more expensive cables that I’ll have to replace in a few years time. Good ol’ ethernet will carry the signals just fine.
