equinux has released The Tube 2.7, a free update to its Mac TV software that adds live-streaming of content via iChat.

Place-shifting, allows users to share what they are watching with friends using iChat Theater allowing the receiving person to even record the show.

Continue reading Tube 2.7 Brings Placeshifting via iChat to the Mac…

Apple announced that several movie studios will now be releasing digital versions of their movies for sale on the same day as the DVD. Now Apple TV users have the option of buying movies directly from the Apple TV, under a new section called “Top Sellers.” Before today you could only rent movies from Apple TV.

Apple has released 2.0.2 update for Apple TV today, but since I am at NAB I will not get to check it out until I am back at home.

Blackmagic Design has introduced new Video Recorder device that retails for $119, When I saw it, I said yes I need to buy this,

Continue reading NAB: Blackmagic Intros Video Recorder…

WSJ Tech Guy, Walt Mossberg’s take on the state of broadband. I found this interesting, especially the points of the Apple TV and what he says about a 3G iPhone going 3G in 60 days (around 6:53 in). I could not to agree more.

This made my day. Apple has released version 2.0.1 of the Apple TV software. All I could say when a saw this was thank god! The Apple TV 2.0 update known as Take 2, launched in February was fantastic as it completely transformed Apple’ set top box adding substantially new functionality to the Apple TV including Movie rentals in HD with surround sound. The 2.0 update was not all good however as been subject to random lockups and a very slow menu system and scrolling was sometimes terrible.

Apple TV version 2.0.1 hopefully can provide the needed bug fixes. The update is available as a free download from the device’s General settings menu under Update Software. I have immediately updated both of our Apple TVs and in the short time I have used it, I already see improvements. Updates takes about 2 minutes to download and another 5 minutes or so to install. Well worth it. Thank you Apple.

The iPhone SDK (software development kit) is taking up a lot of space on websites all over the blogosphere and rightfully so. This fantastically successful device is on the verge of being truly “insanely great” to take another more famous Steve’s quote. In all the news on the iPhone SDK that will open up the iPhone to thousands of third-party apps, I have to wonder if Apple will even bring an SDK for the Apple TV? Where is the Apple TV’s App Store?

Imagine the apps we could have running on an “open” Apple TV. DVR, SlingPlayer, TiVo, sms, chat, RSS, social networking, games, home automation, alarm clocks, remote desktop, security, video conferencing… Bluetooth add-ons like keyboards and mice.

Maybe this would be the right approach to bringing what Jobs called a “hobby” into yet another “insanely great” and very successful product for Apple. There are no really open set top boxes on the market. With Apple TV running OS X the developers would flock to it. If Apple wanted to get into the living room further what better way? None of this gets in the way of Movie rentals and gives loads of people another reason to buy an “open” Apple TV with all these added capabilities. What are your thoughts? Take our poll on the left.

ComputerWorld’s Seth Weintraub has compiled some notes from today’s Apple shareholder meeting that are quite interesting.

Continue reading Apple Shareholder Meeting 2008…

Rogue Amoeba has released Airfoil 3.1 adds support for transmitting audio to the Apple TV utilizing its new AirTunes feature. This updates contains improvements to Airfoil Speaker, enhanced DVD support in the Airfoil Video Player, full compatibility with Front Row, and many other minor fixes and improvements.

Handbrake 0.92 is a new version of the great open source DVD ripper and convertor. HandBrake 0.9.2 incorporates many major and exciting changes—including full support for the AppleTV Take 2 and the latest iPhone/iPod Touch firmware. This release is only compatible with Mac OS X Leopard, 10.5 that supports Dolby Digital 5.1 (AC3) sound in MP4 files, for a true DVD experience on the Apple TV and in Perian.

I have owned two Apple TVs since they first became available. Sometimes it is hard being an early adopter of any device os technology. Many times you end up being the “beta” tester for a device or gadget that never gets to version two. The Apple TV has been useful to our household since we adopted them. But the Apple TV was not totally living up to its potential.

I thought when Apple gets around to updating this device, it might mean buying a new one. Well that has turned out not to be the case. The recent update for the Apple TV coined “Take Two” was worth the wait (see my complete review). After an update which took about 12 minutes, it was getting a whole new unit.

Continue reading My Apple TV Wish List…

VisualHub $23.32, one of my favorite Mac compression apps, has an update 1.3.1 that adds support for 5.1 Surround Sound on the just-released Apple TV “Take 2.” The release notes also claim some speed improvements. VisualHub 1.31 is a free upgrade for registered users.

Apple TV has now received a major software update that Apple is calling Apple TV Take 2. I updated two Apple TVs last night. One in our Family Room that is connected to a Sony 50 inch 1080P Rear Projection HDTV and the other in our Master Bedroom that is connected to a Sony 40 inch 1080P LCD flat screen HDTV.

Continue reading Review: Apple TV Take 2 Update…

Apple has enhanced .Mac Web Gallery with some new features. Many require that you running the latest version of iPhoto ’08 and iMovie ’08.

Web Gallery is now integrated with the latest update of the Apple TV that now allows viewing any .Mac member’s public photos and movies right on your widescreen television. You can also view Flickr accounts.

Other new features are:

• Full-size JPEG downloads. Using iPhoto ’08 7.1.2, you can now choose to let visitors download your full-size JPEGs (highest resolution), or images optimized for 16-by-20-inch prints (smaller file size).
• Standalone photo albums. Also using iPhoto ’08 7.1.2, you can publish standalone albums that do not appear on your Web Gallery home page. These are ideal for sharing photos intended for a select audience.
• Password-protected movies. Using iMovie ’08 7.1.1, you can now require visitors to enter a password to view or download specific movies from your Web Gallery.
• Web Gallery subscriptions. Visitors can now subscribe to your entire Web Gallery with a single RSS feed. The feed is updated any time new photos or movies are added, so subscribers can stay up to date automatically.
• Aperture support. Aperture 2.0 users can now publish directly to .Mac Web Gallery. You get all the publishing features of iPhoto ’08, plus an option to allow visitors to download your original RAW files.

Several websites are reporting that the update for Apple TV that is coined “Take 2″ is now available. Apple TV Take 2 makes the Apple TV more like a stand-alone set top box that features an updated UI as well as:

• HD and Standard Definition movie rentals
• Direct purchases from the iTunes Store
• Flickr/.Mac Photo Viewing
• View iTunes Podcasts directly

This update is free to all Apple TV owners. I hope to get this going on my two Apple TVs at home later today.