Latest Gear Live Videos
Gefen HDMI Switcher
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Movies,
Gefen’s HDMI Switcher sends HD video from 4 1.3 video sources, such as DVDs players and satellite systems at 340MHz up to1080p on your TV. Control is done by the included remote and it remembers the current selection. If you add another source and that one loses power, it goes back to the previous device. It also features lip-sync pass through, XV color support, Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master support, and CEC pass through. The switcher, which is HDCP compliant, comes with a MSRP of $199.00.
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| Gefen
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AT&T testing bandwidth caps, Verizon says no plans to cap FiOS or DSL
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Broadband, Corporate News, Internet,
If you’re in Reno and you use AT&T as your broadband Internet provider, you’re now unfortunately the latest victim of this whole capped bandwidth nonsense that seems to be taking hold across the US. It started when Comcast implemented a 250GB per month cap on October 1. Now word has hit that metered billing of between 20-150GB per month is going to be tested in Reno on AT&T’s DSL network. If you are a new customer who’ll be apart of the trial, depending on the speed tier you choose, you’ll get a cap somewhere between 20 and 150 gigabytes per month. If you’re an existing customer, you’ll be chosen to be a part of the trial if your monthly bandwidth happens to exceed 150GB in a month.
The trend is something we are vehemently against, so I figured I’d ask one of the Verizon PR reps that I know on Twitter, Kevin Laverty, if we should expect a similar announcement from Verizon, after another Verizon rep said no. His answer:
That’s an affirmative - Verizon has no plans to cap bandwidth on either its FiOS or High Speed Internet/DSL services.
It doesn’t get much clearer than that. It’ll be a nice bullet-point for Verizon if they can say that FiOS is not only faster, but also is completely uncapped as far as usage goes.
Terrestrial TV Viewers to Go Online After Digital Switch
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Broadband, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Misc. Tech,
In a survey done recently by ABI Research, the results showed that when the dreaded digital change occurs in February, 70% will attach a digital converter. As for the rest of the participants, 10% say they will switch to cable or satellite service, and 20% will just let their TVs “go dark.” Analyst Steve Wilson says the the data suggests that there will be some overall terrestrial viewers who will use other venues for entertainment such as broadband video, DVD rentals, or other online alternatives.
Read More | ABI Research
Record Ratings for Clone Wars Debut
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Animation, Prime Time, Sci-Fi/Horror, Cable, Ratings,
Just weeks after leaving quietly from the theaters, The Clone Wars is being given new life on television.
This past weekend, the premiere of Stars Wars: The Clone Wars raised galactic-sized numbers for the Cartoon Network. The half-hour animated program had the best debut for any series on that channel ever.
The first two back-to-back episodes pulled in nearly 4 million viewers. That bested Ben 10: Alien Force‘s previous record by a million. The time slot also saw triple-digit increases in several key youth demos over the same period last year.
The Lucasfilm Animation series - voiced by many of the same actors in the film version - airs Fridays @ 9pm.
Futon Critic
Mad Men Gets No Post-Emmy Ratings Bump
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Drama, Prime Time, Cable, News, Ratings,
Well - at least they’ll have their statues to keep them warm.
Despite Best Drama wins this year at both the Emmys and the Golden Globes, the buzz still hasn’t paid off for Mad Men.
Although AMC’s critical darling has seen an improvement since its first season (when it averaged 915,000 viewers), the show still struggles to draw audiences to its basic cable channel. After pulling in 1.95 million for the Season 2 debut, the drama saw a 30% ratings drop in Week 2. And despite the free publicity from last month’s barely-watched Emmys, the drama saw a ratings drop (from 1.9 million to 1.6 million) the following week.
Click to continue reading Mad Men Gets No Post-Emmy Ratings Bump
The Hollywood Reporter
Verizon FiOS vs. Comcast: Feature-by-feature
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Broadband, Features, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Internet,
Ten days ago, Verizon FiOS TV officially launched here in Washington state. I was actually invited to speak at the launch event that took place that day, alongside Verizon representatives, and local government officials. I was specifically chosen as a case study of just how good FiOS is, since I literally moved specifically because Comcast was way too slow for the things we expected out of our Internet connection here at Gear Live HQ. It was an event meant to talk up the advantages of FiOS over cable (specifically, Comcast, in this area). Obviously, with FiOS looming over their territory, Comcast went into damage control mode to combat Verizon’s claims that they were the best option for Internet and television services. We were sent both the FiOS press release and the Comcast press release, and we figured we would respond to the claims of each, point-by-point.
For some background, we’ve been Comcast customers for over six years, for both Internet and television services. When we moved for FiOS 15 months ago, Comcast was still our cable television provider. As of today, I am a FiOS customer for both Internet and television, and as of 10 days ago, am no longer a Comcast customer. Now, on with the comparisons.
Click to continue reading Verizon FiOS vs. Comcast: Feature-by-feature
TV on DVD: August 19, 2008
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Action, Animation, Comedy, Drama, Food & Home, Kids, Music, Prime Time, Reality, Sci-Fi/Horror, Cable, CBS, FOX, HBO, On Demand/PPV, Showtime, House,
Here are some of the TV on DVD options available this Tuesday.
Click to continue reading TV on DVD: August 19, 2008
Amazon
Entourage Available on iTunes
After four years on air, Entourage fans will finally be getting another way to watch the cable series.
As of today, Seasons 1 and 2 of the comedy have already been available to iTunes users. The third season will hit the online market on August 18; the fourth arrives the week after that.
If you’re hoping iTunes can spare you from subscribing to HBO, you may be out of luck. If you want to watch your episodes in a timely fashion, you’ll have to cough up the dough. While Season 5 will eventually be available for download, it won’t be placed online until the DVD’s release.
Mark your calendars for the crew’s return on September 7.
Variety
Casting Announcements for The Tudors
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Drama, Cable, Showtime, News,
Look for a few celebrities to be donning their best period garb in the new season of The Tudors.
Although she is better known for her soulful voice, Joss Stone will be venturing further into the acting world on the cable series. The British singer, in her first major role, will star opposite Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Henry VIII). Stone will play Anne of Cleves, the daughter of a German nobleman whose marriage to Henry is eventually annulled. Believing she doesn’t live up to the portrait he saw of her, the king quickly has his fourth wife sent away.
Click to continue reading Casting Announcements for The Tudors
Variety
Entourage’s New Season Promo
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Comedy, Prime Time, Cable, HBO, Entourage, Video,
Entourage fans, the long wait is almost over. Although we’ve grown accustomed to seeing our Boys of Summer sometime in June, last year’s writers strike forced us to endure more reality fare than anyone should be subjected to.
Those of you - like me - who’ve been waiting to renew your HBO subscription, here’s a teaser you’ve missing.
Click to continue reading Entourage’s New Season Promo
HBO
