Playlist

Hands on: Roku's updated Player software and new Channel Store

Dan Frakes — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:00:00 -0800

Roku has updated the software for the company's lineup of streaming-media players, and introduced a new Channel Store that offers additional streaming content.

Google adds captions to YouTube search

Jacqueline Emigh — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:53:00 -0800

In a step to make YouTube videos more accessible to deaf people as well as to anyone else searching for videos online, Google has launched an automatic video captioning service.

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Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:53:00 -0800

Cloud Engines updates Pogoplug media sharing device

Jonathan Seff — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0800

On Friday, Cloud Engines introduced the second generation of its Pogoplug multimedia sharing device. The Pogoplug is designed to plug into your home or small office network and let you access and share content of USB hard drives over the Internet using a standard Web browser.

California Energy Commission rule to impact HDTV industry

Melissa J. Perenson — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:05:00 -0800

For the California Energy Commission, the voluntary guidelines of the Federal Energy Star program aren't enough to curb energy guzzling by HDTVs.

Incase debuts new chargers for iPod and iPhone

Dan Frakes — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:31:00 -0800

Incase has debuted two new chargers for iPods and iPhones: one for the car, and one that works both in the car and with standard wall outlets.

Macworld's complete iPod buying guide

Christopher Breen — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:08:00 -0800

This holiday season, which iPod is the right one for you and for your loved ones? Our expert Christopher Breen helps sort out Apple's offerings so you can make the best choice.

Copy music off your iPod

Kirk McElhearn — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:19:00 -0800

There's nothing worse than losing your iTunes library to a hard drive crash. If you have music on your iPod, you can at least get it back with the right tools.

Review: Roth Audio Alfie

Andy Penfold — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:02:00 -0800

The Alfie looks pretty, but its high price tag is more a function of its multi-purpose nature than its sound quality.

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Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:02:00 -0800

HDTVs for the holidays

Macworld Staff — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 04:51:00 -0800

Our lab has been hard at work testing HDTVs ranging in size from 40 inches to 52 inches for image quality, usability, audio quality, and features. Here are the test results of 16 HDTVs.

Headfunk offers Sidekick Speaker Bags for iPod

Nick Spence — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 04:32:00 -0800

Headfunk has announced the launch of the Sidekick Speaker Bags for iPod.

Review: Vizio SV420M HDTV

Yardena Arar — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:16:00 -0800

The Vizio SV420M 42-inch HDTV offers lots of customization options and average video quality, at a midrange price.

Review: Panasonic Viera TC-P42X1 HDTV

Lincoln Spector — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:15:00 -0800

A 720p plasma HDTV, the low-cost 42-inch Panasonic TC-P42X1 provides problematic images and underpowered sound.

Review: Samsung LN40B650 HDTV

Lincoln Spector — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:14:00 -0800

Thanks to its very good picture quality, Internet and home-network entertainment features, and general user-friendliness, the Samsung LN40B650 ranks as one of the best HDTV we've tested this year.

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Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:14:00 -0800

Review: LG Electronics 42LH55 HDTV

Lincoln Spector — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:13:00 -0800

The LG 42LH50 42-inch HDTV provides great connected features, above-average image quality, and good looks for a moderate price.

Review: Vizio SV471XVT HDTV

Lincoln Spector — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:12:00 -0800

This 47-inch HDTV with multimedia capabilities has an estimated street price of $1200, which sounds good. But there are major compromises to be made with image quality.

Review: Panasonic Viera TC-P46S1 HDTV

Yardena Arar — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:11:00 -0800

The Panasonic TC-P46S1 would be a bargain 46-inch plasma HDTV if its image quality weren't so disappointing.

Review: Vizio SV421XVT HDTV

Lincoln Spector — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:10:00 -0800

Vizio’s SV421XVT HDTV has a 42-inch screen, a 240Hz refresh rate, and multimedia playback from USB drives. But poorly rendered detail and color, plus problems with digital artifacts, mar the viewing experience.

Review: Sony Bravia KDL-40W5100 HTDV

Lincoln Spector — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:09:00 -0800

Sony's Bravia KDL-40W5100 is a very good 40-inch HDTV and an excellent Internet viewing device.

Review: Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ850U HDTV

Lincoln Spector — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:08:00 -0800

The Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ850U has fantastic extras, but only average picture quality for a 50-inch plasma HDTV.

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Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:08:00 -0800

Review: Insignia NS-LCD52HD-09 HDTV

Lincoln Spector — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:07:00 -0800

If you’re on a tight budget but want a larger-than-50-inch TV, consider the Insignia NS-LCD52HD-09.

Review: Toshiba 47ZV650U HDTV

Lincoln Spector — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:06:00 -0800

Toshiba’s 47ZV650U is a pleasant-looking 47-inch HDTV that delivers a more than acceptable viewing experience, but its rough edges need smoothing, and it’s short on extras.

Review: Vizio VO420E HDTV

Yardena Arar — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:05:00 -0800

The no-frills Vizio VO420E 42-inch HDTV is attractively priced, but you'll have to settle for subpar image quality and mediocre audio.

Review: Samsung LN46B750 HDTV

Lincoln Spector — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:04:00 -0800

Samsung’s 46-inch LN46B750 packages very good picture quality, excellent sound, YouTube viewing, Yahoo Widgets, and the ability to play media files from USB storage, all in one HDTV.

Review: JVC LT-46J300 HDTV

Lincoln Spector — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:03:00 -0800

At this bargain price, the LT-46J300 will look very attractive. But there are other HDTVs that produce better image quality at a similar price.

Review: Insignia NS-L42X-10A HDTV

Yardena Arar — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:02:00 -0800

The Insignia NS-L42X-10A 42-inch HDTV has lots of features and a temptingly low price, but also poor image and audio quality.

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Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:02:00 -0800

Review: LG Electronics 42LH50 HDTV

Yardena Arar — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:01:00 -0800

The LG 42LH50 42-inch HDTV provides great connected features, above-average image quality, and good looks for a moderate price.

Fifth-generation iPod nano gets a firmware fix

Philip Michaels — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:36:00 -0800

iPod nano 1.0.2, released Friday, features several bug fixes for the latest generation of miniature MP3 players introduced in September.

YouTube adds 1080p HD

Ramu Nagappan — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:56:00 -0800

YouTube announced that it will allow users to upload and view video in full HD. The company plans to re-encode previously uploaded 1080p material so that viewers will be able to take advantage of its original resolution.

Review: Crystal Audio Video SSB-1 surround sound bar

Cliff Joseph — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:03:00 -0800

The Crystal Audio Video SSB-1 surround sound bar is a good-sounding speaker set, but its virtual surround-sound feature doesn't live up to its promise.

Apple launches iTunes Preview

Nicholas Bonsack — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:10:00 -0800

Apple has just quietly launched a service that makes links to the iTunes Store a little more informative by displaying information about the product in a Web browser.

B&W announces headphones, computer speakers

Dan Frakes — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:56:00 -0800

High-end audio vendor B&W has announced the company's first forays into the headphone and computer-speaker markets.

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Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:56:00 -0800

Lyrics licensed but with limitations

Christopher Breen — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:21:00 -0800

Reports of the demise of free lyrics were premature. Unlicensed lyrics may be gone, but more-limited licensed versions are taking their place.

iTunes Store adds a ton of HD films

David Chartier — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:15:00 -0800

Without much fanfare from Apple, iTunes Store now stocks nearly 300 HD films, possibly more.

Nook e-reader demand delays shipments

Tony Bradley — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:02:00 -0800

Barnes and Noble's Nook e-reader is in such hot demand that the company is already announcing production delays.

Review: Cygnett Maestro iPod speaker dock

Nick Spence — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 02:14:00 -0800

Average looks aside, the Maestro produces decent audio reproduction from a speaker dock that won’t offend the ears, or for that matter the eyes.

Apple TV 3.0.1 update addresses disappearing content issue

Philip Michaels — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:49:00 -0800

Apple says users who've upgraded to the recently released Apple TV 3.0 software should download this update to prevent a problem where content temporarily disappears from the set-top box until it's resynced.

Beatles ban takes effect at BlueBeat

Jacqueline Emigh — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:38:00 -0800

The owner of online retailer BlueBeat has begun complying with a new court order to stop selling Beatles music online, after offering a quirky defense that he owns the copyright to the songs at issue.

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Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:38:00 -0800

BlueBeat says Beatles songs are its own creations

Jonathan Seff — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:25:00 -0800

The man behind BlueBeat Website, which is accused of illegally selling MP3 of Beatles tunes (among other artists) says that he's only providing original creations and not infringing on copyright.

Orb for Mac lets you stream your media anywhere

Lex Friedman — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:20:00 -0800

A new Mac version of the popular Orb software streams music, photos, and videos to any Internet device, including iPhone

Review: Sonos ZonePlayer S5

Christopher Breen — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:15:00 -0800

Sonos delivers a good-sounding all-in-one wireless audio player.

The Beatles releasing full catalog digitally... via USB

Lex Friedman — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:52:00 -0800

The Beatles' digitally remastered catalog will be released on a limited edition Apple-shaped USB stick.

Klipsch releases wireless ProMedia 2.1

Dan Frakes — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:03:00 -0800

Klipsch has released a wireless version of the company's well-regarded ProMedia 2.1 speaker system.

Barnes and Noble sued over Nook intellectual property

Aulia Masna — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 07:37:00 -0800

Book-seller Barnes & Noble has been sued by a company called Spring Design, which alleges that the recently announced Nook e-book reader infringes on its intellectual property.

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Tue, 03 Nov 2009 07:37:00 -0800

Is Spotify the future of music listening?

Kirk McElhearn — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:03:00 -0800

Spotify, hoping to make its way to the U.S. soon, lets you stream music to your computer or iPhone/iPod touch. Will it be worth the wait?

Report: Apple pitching TV subscription service to networks

Dan Moren — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:12:00 -0800

According to reports, Apple is flogging a $30 per month television service to content providers—but will the networks bite?

Report: Hulu will not go pay-only

Dan Moren — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:50:00 -0800

A report in Entertainment Weekly claims that video-streaming site Hulu will not go pay-only, contradicting previous statements by one of the company's corporate owners.

Review: Cygnett GroovePlatinum earphones

Nick Spence — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 02:14:00 -0800

Good but not exceptional budget-priced earphones.

BlueBeat sells Beatles MP3s, permission be damned

Jonathan Seff — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:40:00 -0700

A new Website called BlueBeat has begun selling Beatles MP3 albums. The only problem? The Fab Four haven't licensed their music for download to anyone yet.

Verizon Media Manager streams photos, music to your FiOS DVR

Nicholas Bonsack — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:02:00 -0700

Verizon has released a Mac version of its Media Manager software, allowing FiOS TV customers to stream music and photos to their DVR set-top boxes.

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Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:02:00 -0700

Pirate Bay founders threatened with fine if site stays open

Mikael Ricknäs — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:20:00 -0700

File-sharing site The Pirate Bay should be closed, and if it isn't two of the founders have to pay a 500,000 Swedish kronor ($71,500) fine each.