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February 12, 2004 |
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Whether you have TiVo or not, the news about TiVo users rewinding Janet Jackson's Super Bowl "wardrobe malfunction" definitely got your attention. But TiVo users were also shocked by the fact that TiVo was tracking how many of them had rewound the clip. |
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TiVo
I cannot tell a lie, CNET readers; your actual first choice of search terms this week was "Janet Jackson." But I know what you really meant to search for was "TiVo," since TiVo reported last week that the most-rewound clip from the Super Bowl was Janet's "wardrobe malfunction." But aside from curiosity about the momentary nudity, you were also curious to know how TiVo knew that you were all watching that clip. Is our beloved, magical recording machine watching our every viewing move? Well, yes. A TiVo spokesman said the company operates well within established privacy standards. And he added that TiVo strips out any information that could be traced back to an individual viewer. The company was quick to point out that users can choose to opt out of random samplings taken to measure user behavior. All this is of special concern as TiVo enters into a deal with Nielsen Media Research, which tracks TV viewers' and Net surfers' habits. Of course, plenty of TiVo users could care less whether TiVo knows that they record every episode of Sex and the City and Space Ghost. |
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Digital cameras
Digital cameras have always been a hot property on CNET, but this week we saw a little spike in interest. Perhaps you were looking for info on the largest U.S.-held digital-photo and digital-imaging trade show of the Photo Marketing Association (PMA). As always, this year's show is the place where newcomers and enthusiasts alike can get the scoop on what all the leading digital camera, camcorder, and digital-imaging accessory and software makers plan to release during the upcoming year. You could say it's the CES of digital imaging. And our digital doyennes, senior editors Aimee Baldridge and Lori Grunin, are in Las Vegas now covering the show and filing reports on what all the makers are showing off. Look for full lineups from big hitters such as Canon, Fujifilm, and Sony. Plus, get our editors' impressions of the newest trends across the digital-imaging spectrum. Check back daily through this weekend for more updates. |
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DLP
Have you heard a lot about DLP TVs but feel lost in a sea of home-video acronyms? Perhaps that's why so many of our readers are searching for this hot-button term--just to figure out what it means. The best place to start sorting it out is at CNET's quick guide to TV types, the feature that explains rear-projection, DLP, and LCD TV tech. In a nutshell, DLP (digital-light-processing) TVs contain a lamp that shines light through a fast-spinning color wheel, and that colored light is projected onto the Texas Instruments DMD chip, which holds close to a million tiny mirrors. The mirrors tilt to project light of a certain color and tilt away to shut off. When the right light hits the right mirror, it's projected onto the screen to create a pixel. With all those mirrors delivering pixels of light, a DLP TV can piece together a gorgeous high-res picture. Sound crazy? I think so, too; there are so many moving parts, you'd think it would all just go wrong. And who ever thought a chip with lots of mirrors reflecting light was a smart way to get a high-definition projected image? Regardless, it's revolutionary stuff, and these TVs are getting more affordable. So start keeping track of the latest DLP releases here. |
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AIM
When I investigated why there was a big pickup in the number of readers searching for AIM, I found that AOL had released a seemingly snazzy new version of its popular Instant Messenger, version 5.5, at the end of last week. So, what's new? According to AOL, AIM 5.5 now includes the capability for AIM members to use one Buddy List window for all AIM Identities, Video IM (even with buddies using Apple iChat AV 2.1), and live online gaming via AIM Games. Of course, I've always been a fan of Trillian because I have AIM, Yahoo IM, ICQ, and MSN Messenger logins that I tie together. But I can't take advantage of some of the features that AIM offers in its standalone products. Once again, readers, the choice is yours. |
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Morpheus
The clamor for Morpheus from last week has grown as word has spread about the latest version, which attempts to span a multitude of peer-to-peer networks. Morpheus 4.0 provides access to its own network as well as to those of Kazaa, iMesh, eDonkey, Overnet, Grokster, Gnutella, LimeWire, and G2. On top of universal P2P searching, this version allows for online chatting between users, is said to shut out spyware, and offers privacy and antivirus options. But one word of warning: CNET's Download.com crew found that while Morpheus 4.0 doesn't load you up with spyware, it will install some adware that you should try to keep off of your system. So is Streamcast lying about the other claims? That remains to be seen, but as thousands of users download it and try it out, we'll start hearing more about how well it works, especially across networks. |
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Check out the Canon EOS 5D Mark III
