Tech Blog

Belkin returned to the show floor at CES for the first time in a few years, and showcased some interesting products that might help you watch TV wirelessly. The Screencast line looks to be the company’s foray into wireless projection from one device to another, be it to a TV or from a TV.

“OLED” is one of the popular buzz words tossed repeatedly at the Consumer Electronics Show 2012 (CES). What does organic light-emitting diode mean? A familiar face I’ve been working with at CES for three years in a row now (wow, time flies), Jeffrey Ingram from Samsung Canada shares OLED offer individual pixels having their own sub-pixel, and each sub-pixel has its own colour.

Apparently size continues to matter when it comes to TVs, as one of the underlying themes at CES 2012 is that bigger is better. Sharp’s new 80-inch AQUOS 3D LED TV is basically a step up from the existing 60 and 70-inch models, only the extra 10 inches is actually more screen space than you might think.

Roku is known for making very compelling and affordable set-top boxes and has now redefined the genre by squeezing everything into a convenient device the size of a USB stick.

It's strange, I know. How could famous South American competitor to KFC, Uruguayan Fried Chicken, becoming to Xbox Live? How would they deliver it through... Xbox Live? But then someone informed me that UFC is in fact something called "Ultimate Fighting Championship" which is supposedly really popular. But, I thought... more popular than Uruguayan Fried Chicken? I guess!

I just spent the weekend cleaning out my home theater room. Would you believe I discovered more than a dozen remotes hidden away in drawers and cabinets? I haven't used some of them in years mind you, but the point is as more and more technology enters our living room so do the number of remotes.

For years Harmony has tried to reduce the number of remotes in our living rooms by creating high end universal remote controls. Now the company is taking simplicity a step further by getting rid of the remote all together, replacing it with your smartphone or tablet.

3D. It has gotten a bit of a bad rap this year. After the huge success of Avatar in theatres, everyone thought the 3D revolution would really take-off, but it didn’t. In the theatres part of the problem was the rush by Hollywood to convert any and every movie, even if it wasn’t designed for it, into 3D, which lead to some pretty poor viewing experiences. On the home-theatre side, I think one of the reasons why 3D TV adoption rates haven’t been that high is to do with some of the limitations of the technology that the first generation of 3D TV’s use. 

Yesterday was the last day for analog broadcast in Canada - most broadcasters are switching to digital broadcasts for over the air broadcast

While most of us have switched to flat panel tvs and have high definition boxes, pvrs and gadgetry for our cable subscription, 10% of Canadians were still getting local tv over the air - for free.

TV for free?  I totally forgot you could do that. 

I mentioned in my post on the PlayStation 3 price-cut that I felt that the Move wasn't as central to Sony's strategy as 3D, and here is a perfect example of that: Sony went as far as revealing a PlayStation-branded 3D TV at E3 this year, and it's going to be available for pre-order soon, so let's take a look at it, eh?

I had the fantastic fortune of checking out Sling Media’s Slingbox Pro-HD recently, and boy, was I impressed. The Slingbox Pro-HD allows you to do is stream your favourite TV programs from your PVR at home to a connected device like a smartphone, tablet or laptop anywhere you are. 

One of the things I've heard most people excited about with Kinect is not so much its potential for games--which I suppose is surprising in a way--but its potential as a human computer interface. References to Minority Report are a bit cliché (and let's be honest: that film blew) but I suppose we're a bit closer as Netflix for Xbox 360 now allows users with a Kinect to select and control movies and TV using motion controls.

My how technology has changed in 50 years. Earlier today I noticed the Google Doodle pointing to resources about Yuri Gagarin's (and mankind's) first orbit of the Earth.

And then a few moments ago a friend,  @mynameiskate, pointed me at the YouTube logo -- modified too -- and links to First Orbit a free feature-length movie about Gagarin's flight...

Wireless is freedom.

The ability to take my laptop or iPad from room to room in my house and curl up on a couch or in a chair and get some work done, read some content or play a game is eternally liberating.

 Wireless headphones are a luxury that every constant traveler needs to grab.

Both Sony and Panasonic were holding dealer shows in the Toronto area over the last couple of days, and prominent in both of them were 3D technologies and Internet-connected platforms that were initially unveiled at CES in January. Now they’re ready for primetime, and Canadians interested in a Sony or Panasonic HDTV will have them included.

If you are a Facebook user and if you have Telus Optik TV at home, here's a neat little announcement from Telus. Telus Optik TV users can now view Facebook from their TVs! So now you can get your Facebook crave while watching TV, you can Like or Dislike shows that you're watching and more.