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Searchles, the social network that launched last June, has rolled out a new feature called Searchles TV, which lets you combine multiple clips from multiple services to share elsewhere in an embeddable player. Similar to SplashCast (see previous coverage), you can jog back and forth between clips without leaving the player. Searchles works with videos from YouTube, MySpace, Google Video, Grouper and Blip.tv, and plans to add more partners in the future.

What's neat about Searchles TV is that embedded players will reflect any changes you make to the master feed. SplashCast does this too, and it works … Read more

The SciFi network has a little gift for Battlestar Galactica fans. It's posted downloadable audio and video clips from the show and is running a contest for the best 4-minute, fan-made, BSG knockoff video. Amateur BSG directors are encouraged to mash up the SciFi clips with their own footage. Hopefully, hilarity will ensue.

SciFi isn't providing any online video-editing option (maybe a deal with Adobe, for Remix, or with Yahoo, for JumpCut, would have been a good idea). But there's an upside to that: the BSG files are free and clear to download, not locked into a … Read more

Couchville is a new Web service from the folks at SnapStream Media that provides simple, no frills TV listings. Just give Couchville your ZIP code, and a few seconds later you've got the day's programming right in front of you.

What sets Couchville apart from its competitors is a really easy to use interface, which feels a lot like Google Maps. To go in any direction, just click on the guide and drag it. This feels totally natural when you want to see what's happening later in the day, but a little unwieldy for scrolling down the … Read more

When Evesham came out with its Sound Stage TV stand with its built-in speakers, we thought it might be a good sign that furniture makers would come up with some innovative ways to display the new generation of flat TVs. So far, that's proven to be overly optimistic.

Newlaunches says Yamaha, for example, has come out with its own TV rack that includes a full Dolby system of speakers, sub-woofer and amplifier, with an optional DVD player, for the Japanese market. It's more expensive than Evesham's stand system ($780 vs. $600), but our quibble has more to … Read more

Apparently, attraction to the opposite sex isn't nearly as important as it used to be. That's the only explanation we can fathom for the continuing trend of new Star Trek items on the market.

The latest date repellant is a $70 "Phaser Universal Remote Control," which claims to feature sound effects from the original series provided by Paramount. Alas, Red Ferret notes that it's already sold out. (What a surprise.)

But don't despair, Sparky. If you play your cards right, you might still be able to score a "Lightsaber Umbrella."

This would be laughable if it weren't so sad, but apparently the "Plasma TV Fireplace" is here to stay. Picture House Cabinets has come up with a new version of its fully functional hearth that conceals a pop-up flat screen, according to Shiny Shiny, this one complete with marble finish (so classy).

We understand that furniture makers are struggling to adjust to the era of plasmas and LCDs, but this is nothing more than an exercise in poor taste. It's also an example of technological perversion at its worst, as described in the company's product … Read more

Sure, everyone knew this was coming but Verizon Wireless formally switched on its new V Cast TV network today in 20 markets. As we told you earlier this week, the lucky locales for the Media Flo-powered service are concentrated mostly in the Midwest and West with Jacksonville, Fla., and Norfolk/Richmond, Va., being the sole outposts on the East Coast. The full list includes Tucson, Ariz.; Palm Springs, Calif.; Denver/Boulder and Colorado Springs, Colo.; Chicago, Ill.; Wichita, Kan.; New Orleans, La.; Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn.; St. Louis and Kansas City, Mo.; Omaha/Lincoln Neb.; Albuquerque/Santa Fe, N.M.; … Read more

This one definitely falls under the category of What Took Them So Long? Universal remotes have claimed (dubiously) to do everything under the sun, but they've gotten increasingly difficult to use by cramming in more keys and buttons, not to mention indecipherable commands.

Sharp has responded to that frustration with "the world's first remote controller with a touchpad," according to Gearfuse, for its updated line of Aquos TV-PCs. The design overhaul means 40 percent fewer buttons and computer-like navigation on the remote.

The new products appear to be available only in Japan for now, but we'… Read more

We highlighted the Evesham Sound Stage X1 earlier this month, but truth be told, Sony and Onkyo were already offering similar TV stands with integrated speakers at least as early as last year. Sony must really like the concept, too, because the company has gone back to the well yet again.

While the RHT-G800 doesn't look that different from the company's past "home theater stands," it's the first one to be HDMI enabled (two 1080p-capable HDMI inputs and one output). And just because its speakers, subwoofer, and electronics happen to be crammed into a TV … Read more