media

Get a Ceton InfiniTV 4 tuner for $169.99 shipped

This is an update of a deal I posted about a year ago.

Much as I love my TiVo, I despise the monthly subscription fees that go along with it. It can literally cost you a couple hundred bucks per year. As Dr. Smith would say, "Oh, the pain!" (Don't get the reference? Ask your parents. If they watched cheesy 60s sci-fi, that is.)

A much cheaper option over the long haul: Ceton's InfiniTV 4 products, which can turn a Windows PC into a pretty sweet DVR.

For a limited time, Newegg has Ceton InfiniTV 4 USB for $169.99 shipped. … Read more

Twitter's Windows Phone app joins the 21st century

Twitter today updated its Windows Phone app, adding a slew of new discovery features that had been included in the social network's iOS and Android apps for some time.

In a blog post, Twitter said that it had fundamentally redesigned the Windows Phone version of its app to be "in line with other Twitter apps," in part by adding an all-new navigation structure for those on Microsoft's mobile OS.

That structure is built around the Home, Connect, Discovery, and Me tabs that have been used for Twitter's iOS and Android apps for a while. The … Read more

Carry the sounds of your online videos with you offline through MediaHuman YouTube to MP3 Converter for Mac

Often, songs or remixes are produced on YouTube but are not available anywhere for download. For people who want to listen to the audio in their favorite YouTube videos while offline, MediaHuman YouTube to MP3 Converter for Mac turns these videos into portable MP3 files, but with mixed results.

Available as freeware, the program supports multiple audio formats and allows you to select the desired sound quality, although this is ultimately limited by the nature of the original YouTube video selected. YouTube to MP3 Converter's download and installation are smooth, with minimal load time and space required. Simplistic at … Read more

DoubleTwist and Qualcomm to bring AirPlay-like streaming to Android

DoubleTwist, maker of the popular eponymous music player software, has teamed up with chip maker Qualcomm in an attempt to make wireless streaming easier for Android users. The fruit of their collaboration is dubbed MagicPlay, a new open-source wireless streaming platform that the two companies hope OEMs will integrate into present and future devices.

Built atop Qualcomm's already existing AllJoyn platform, DoubleTwist's MagicPlay can stream to wireless speakers, headphones, televisions, and other devices. Since MagicPlay is open-source, any number of devices or apps could potentially integrate its code and stream to hardware that has a Qualcomm chip and … Read more

The Onion deletes offensive tweet about child Oscar nominee

The Onion has deleted a tweet that called 9-year-old Best Actress Oscar nominee Quvenzhane Wallis an extremely offensive name.

In its original tweet, the parody publication -- which is known for its dark humor and for regularly skewering public figures and institutions -- wrote that, "Everyone else seems afraid to say it, but that Quvenzhane Wallis is kind of a c---, right?"

Normally, The Onion is known by its many fans to be joking about almost everything it publishes -- even though its satire is often seen as legitimate commentary on a wide range of issues. But in … Read more

Turn your YouTube videos into movies viewable offline with 4Media YouTube Converter for Mac

Despite the wealth of content available on YouTube, it still can't be enjoyed offline. 4Media YouTube Video Converter for Mac converts YouTube videos into watchable files, but at a relatively high price for its features.

While the full program requires a payment of $30.99, the free trial version allows a user to test its features, but with a three-minute limit on converted videos. 4Media YouTube Video Converter for Mac downloaded and installed quickly despite a size of over 100MB. After a brief loading time, the program revealed an interface that was slightly cluttered but functional. Instructions existed for … Read more

Work with your video files with ease with 4Media Video Editor for Mac

When creating YouTube videos or compiling those taken during a vacation, the need for editing software arises. 4Media Video Editor for Mac functions capably, but with a high price tag.

With a full price of $49.99 for the complete version, the program's free trial only allows five uses before requiring the upgrade. The native installation finished quickly and without any problems. With large buttons containing easy-to-understand graphics, 4Media Video Editor for Mac's main functions were easy to distinguish, even for a novice Mac user. Working with actual video files was also simple, with a basic drag-and-drop setup. … Read more

Convert Flash video files to other formats with 4Media FLV to MP4 Converter for Mac

With FLV in use as a popular format for streaming videos, not having a player capable of working with these files is problematic for many Mac users. 4Media FLV to MP4 Converter for Mac allows users to convert these files into more common types, albeit with a fairly high price tag for its limited functionality.

We tested the free trial version of 4Media FLV to MP4 Converter; those who want to convert more than three minutes of video will need to pay $29.99. 4Media FLV to MP4 Converter for Mac downloads quickly and installs well. It also has good … Read more

Sony PS4 event skewered in animated parody

Taiwanese animator Next Media Animation is taking yesterday's Sony PlayStation 4 event to task.

Sony announced its next-generation video game console at a press event in New York, but the PS4 itself was a no-show.

Sony says the PS4 features a PC-like body architecture, x86 CPU, enhanced PS GPU, 8GB of unified memory, a local storage hard drive, and an updated DualShock 4 controller.

The animation group created a video mocking the PS4 at yesterday's press event. Sony treated members of the press to experience what using the next-generation console might feel like with live demonstrations, but did … Read more

Twitter aiming to slash phishing e-mails sent from 'Twitter.com'

If you get an e-mail saying it's from Twitter, the social-networking company wants to assure you that it's really from Twitter and that there's no need to worry that someone's out to steal your password.

At least, it's almost certain that the e-mail you just got from a Twitter.com address is not a phishing attack, the company said in a blog post today.

Twitter said it has adopted a new security protocol known as DMARC that was designed by a consortium in order to cut way down on phishing attempts.

DMARC solves a couple … Read more