TV

Two new Irish video startups: one tasty, one viral

An almost uncoverable number of Web sites launch every day. While many come out of Northern California, several parts of the world have been cropping up as hotbeds for new developments, including Israel, Russia, Canada, and the U.K. Two new Irish startups that launched this month are iFoods.tv and Little Ireland.tv.

iFoods.tv, similar to other Web video cooking sites, is a series of semiprofessionally produced how-to videos on how to make single and multidish meals. There's also a user-submitted video contest going up in the near future that will pit user against chef, hopefully Iron … Read more

Report: Yes, Mark Cuban will be on 'Dancing with the Stars'

Gazillionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban might hate YouTube, have a feud with Donald Trump, and think that the Internet is dead and boring, but clearly Dancing with the Stars falls into his favor.

According to the Associated Press, the Dallas Mavericks owner and HDNet founder will be on this fall's season of the reality show that pairs celebrities with professional dancers and then pits the couples against each other. This rumor had been floating for a while, but now--barring a sudden change of heart on Cuban's or the network's part--it looks like it's all but confirmed.

Cuban'… Read more

Sept. 5th - Reserve the date.

The consensus bet on the Sept. 5th special event Apple announced yesterday is new iPods which are due for a refresh, and the coverflow theme certainly seems to point in that direction.

But Carl Howe speculates that a confluence of circumstantial evidence points to HD movie downloads and rentals.

Either way, the Macalope doesn't really care as long as the words "iPod Hi-Fi" do not come up at any time.

Flat-panels to kill off rear-projection TV sales by 2011

Will rear-projection TV sales plunge to near zero within the next 48 months? That's what a new study from IDC Group claims. With ever larger plasma and (especially) LCD flat-panel HDTVs becoming ever more affordable, IDC sees sales of RPTV sets--those utilizing DLP and LCoS microdisplays--dropping to under 30,000 units by 2011. That's a dramatic drop from the peak of 3.51 million sold in 2004 (according to the CEA).

None of this is shocking news, of course--the trend toward flat panels has been increasingly irreversible as large plasmas and LCD screens continue to break key price-point … Read more

New reality show lets you beat up your co-workers

This post has been corrected to provide the correct URL for Red Line Films.

If you thought Kid Nation was pushing the envelope, wait till you hear about this one. Production company Redline Films has just announced that you can now audition for its latest creative masterpiece, Office Fight. It's exactly what you think it is: it'll take co-workers who don't like each other and make them go face-to-face in a boxing ring.

Do you find this as supremely awesome as I do? Of course! To make it even awesomer, getting involved with Office Fight is easy … Read more

Friction.tv promises to spark the debate

It was awhile ago that YouTube first allowed video comments on its service, and over time responses in video form began to populate the site--including those that address the original video and those that don't. In theory, Friction.tv is a Web portal built around YouTube's video response feature. In practice, there are few, if any, response videos, though people have been active leaving text comments. (In the interest of full disclosure, Friction.tv is a sponsor for the NewTeeVee Pier Screening Series in which I have been asked to speak on a panel).

Best new music: Common, Liars, and Porter Wagoner

It's a funny thing, television: no matter how many of our friends claim they'd rather read than watch, it turns out that most really do. Watch, I mean. At least, that's how it is with our weekly Download Music video report--the one where we sit in front of the cameras and ramble on about what we've been listening to lately. OK, we don't really ramble too much--the show's pretty short--but it is a chance for us to pass along tips on songs and albums that have been grabbing us lately. Personal favorites, and … Read more

Samsung's plasma TV for movie fans

While 1080p LCDs are nothing new, "Full HD" plasmas have only started to come on to the market this year. The new PS50P96 from Samsung is designed to redress the balance and make us fall in love with that glorious gas.

Samsung has added a whole bunch of features also intended to improve the viewing experience. Firstly, it is using a technology called "Ultra FilterBright" that is designed to reduce reflection on the screen in bright viewing conditions. In the past, plasma screens have been criticized for being too reflective, so it's nice to see … Read more

A lightbulb powered by radio waves

Most lightbulbs create light with a pair electrodes. Luxim does it with radio waves.

The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based start-up has come up with a way to get rid of the parts inside of high intensity discharge (HID) lamps that are often the first to fail. As a result, Luxim's LiFi (light fidelity) lamp provides more lumens per watt and lasts longer than competing products, according to the company.

In traditional HID lamps, high voltage pulses pass between two electrodes. The energy creates plasma from the ambient gases trapped inside the bulb and you get light. The electrodes, however, degrade … Read more

CNET TV 2.0 beta launches

You may have noticed something new at www.cnettv.com over the past few weeks. We've been letting a small portion of our daily visitors test out the new CNET TV 2.0 beta and provide their feedback. Well, today the test is over, and we are opening the floodgates. All visitors will now get the new CNET TV 2.0 beta. We've been working on this for many months and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised, or, worst case, at least surprised. We've redesigned and rebuilt TV 2.0 largely based upon your feedback. I'… Read more