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multimedia

AtomicView processes media quickly

If you have a lot of media to browse through, no matter what viewer you use, it's bound to take some time. Whatever the project may be--from picking the best shots from a pro photo shoot to getting the most action-packed movie clips from a birthday party--you need a good way to browse, compare, and sort through your media quickly. The obvious choices on your Mac are iPhoto or iMovie, but if you're looking for a different way to sort through several media file-types with added unique features, check out AtomicView.

AtomicView offers a sparse, but intuitive interface … Read more

Aztech's HD-ready wireless streamer

Streaming HD videos from a media server may sound like a brilliant idea, but getting the 1080p bandwidth-intensive footages across the network will almost certainly halt most wireless setups to a crawl. If you're one of the early adopters facing this problem, it might be worth considering Aztech's WL850MS wireless multimedia streamers. They come in a receiver/transmitter pair and are designed to sit between your modem/router and HDTV set-top box, console, or media player.

The WL850MS differs from most media-streaming solutions by offering three key propositions. First of all, it guarantees smooth 1080p transmission via the … Read more

A Danish chair you won't find at IKEA

There have been other multimedia loungers that hang screens precariously overhead, but usually they try to pack in as many functions as possible for entertainment or even (gasp) work. The "Surf Chair," however, keeps things simple: It just lets you lie back and immerse yourself in the Web.

That simplicity contributes to the classically clean lines of Danish design. And don't worry about all those cords tethering the peripherals in the photo; it actually won the "Internet Collection" competition of the Scandinavian Furniture Fair a few years ago, according to BornRich, so the gear should … Read more

Audioengine 2: Audiophile grade computer speakers for $199

I can't claim to be any sort of expert when it comes to computer/PC speakers, but if my recent CNET reviews of Bose, Creative, and M-Audio speakers are any indication of what's out there, the Audioengine 2 is a truly awesome design. I auditioned the Audioengine 2s at home where my desktop workspace is pretty crowded, but the speaker's tiny 4 by 5.25-inch footprint was easy to accommodate. It's 6 inches high.

Judged as a speaker, and I've reviewed well over 500, the Audioengine 2 is terrific. It's so good you don'… Read more

'Movie Cowboy' rides into Japanese market

If there's any company that's in dire need of international marketing help, it's Digital Cowboy (need we say more?). As if the Japanese manufacturer's name weren't bad enough, it instantly casts doubt over seemingly decent products like the unfortunately christened "Movie Cowboy."

Moniker aside, this portable multimedia storage device will work with any 2.5-inch hard drive, then provide a dock that can transmit the video for viewing through its USB port, according to Engadget. It claims to have all the outputs needed for the full HD experience, including stereo, coaxial digital, and … Read more

A 'pocket friendly' HD multimedia drive

The competition for multimedia HD hard drives gets more intense by the day, but few can compete with this item when it comes to portability. The Mvix MV-2500U may be the only device we've seen in its category that's touted as being "pocket-friendly."

But that's exactly what it is, according to its dimensions of 5 by 3 inches and--get this--only a half-inch thick. Even at that diminutive size it manages to cram in a 2.5-inch hard drive and compatibility with practically every video and audio format imaginable, with capacities of 80GB, 160GB, or 250GB, … Read more

For a PDF reader, Foxit is hot

Fast to load and yet possessing robust features, Foxit PDF Reader is a strong freeware alternative to the dominance of the Adobe Reader. The new features in version 2.3 include two notable improvements, a slew of minor ones, and small tweak that goes a long way to put Foxit on nearly equal footing with its better-known competitors.

Foxit now supports tabbed PDF reading, porting the feature from Web browsers into the world of documents. This is a no-brainer, and makes it much easier for having multiple PDFs open simultaneously.

The other important improvement is that Foxit now supports multimedia … Read more

Iomega unveils 500GB HD multimedia drive

Not long ago the idea of adding 500GB of storage space to a home media system was unthinkable to the average consumer, unless one was willing to pay ungodly sums of money. What a difference a couple of years make.

Iomega is releasing its "ScreenPlay HD Multimedia Drive" at that half-terabyte mark, a considerable leap from the 60GB capacity of its last generation. As storage technologies continue to drop in price--the new ScreenPlay is selling for around $200--it's positioned to compete with a growing number of products such as LaCie's "LaCinema Premier," which was … Read more

New online video options and placeshifting support coming to Archos line

The GPS accessory for the 605 WiFi was just the first of several product upgrades announced by Archos today. Also on deck are streaming Web video and audio and upgraded media support for the 605 WiFi and 705 WiFi; Slingbox-style placeshifting functionality for the Archos TV+ DVR; and a content deal with Paramount Digital Entertainment. Details are as follows: … Read more