Cablevision Wins Network DVR Appeal

In March, 2007, Cablevision was sued by "several Hollywood studios and TV networks" when the company tried to introduce a networked DVR service. A New York court ruled against Cablevision when the judge came to the conclusion that the service would have been infringing to the plaintiff's copyright. After the defeat in court, Cablevision appealed to the federal court.

Surely enough, earlier today the U.S. Court of Appeals for the State of New York ruled against the earlier decision, believing that the company's proposed networked-DVR service could only hold the same concerns as a local DVR, even if the content is located on Cablevision's servers.

The technology would provide the ability for customers to have a DVR-like service without having to upgrade to new hardware. In the future, this could mean that customers wouldn't have to rent a set-top box at all, with the availability of cable card compatible televisions and a subscription to Cablevision's service.

On Monday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York, ruled that Cablevision's proposed new service that allows movies and TV shows to be recorded on remote storage servers in Cablevision's network "would not directly infringe plaintiffs' exclusive rights to reproduce and publicly perform their copyrighted works." The appeals court overturned a lower court's decision that was issued in March 2007.

Source: CNET

MSI Launches GX620 and GX720 Gaming Notebooks

MSI's Wind sub-notebook has been doing a fantastic job of hogging the limelight of their product line-up lately, but their new gaming notebook releases might help pull some eyes away from the proposed Eee PC-killer. The GX620 and GX720 notebooks come in at 15.4" and 17" sizes, respectively, and are designed exclusively for the media-hungry gamer who's often on the go.

Each one of these new models features a beefy 320GB mobile drive, and though the brand/speeds are not listed, we can be sure it's a 5400RPM offering. The 'media' part comes in with the help of the Blu-ray drive, allowing gorgeous playback of your high-definition content. Granted, it won't be at a full 1080p (the displays are 1680x1050), but it should still look mighty sharp as it is.

On the gaming front, the notebooks each include a 9600M GT from NVIDIA. I've not had the pleasure to test out such a card, but if it's anywhere close to the desktop variant, then it's certainly a perfect fit here. The larger of the two notebooks also features an advanced audio setup, offering 4 speakers and 1 sub. Both notebooks look very sharp though, and it's good to finally see the lesser-known notebook manufacturers finally focusing on the gaming side of things. Not surprisingly, no pricing information has yet been revealed, but should be shortly.

MSI Computer, a leading manufacturer of computer hardware products and solutions, is pleased to announce the release of the new GX620/GX720 Gaming Notebook. Winner of a Best Choice Award at COMPUTEX 2008, the GX620's Blu-Ray player, MSI's VIVID Image Enhancement Technology, the NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT 3D graphics card and Dolby 7.1 digital surround sound capabilities guarantee the ultimate gaming or movie watching experience.

EFF Releases 'Switzerland' Network-Testing Tool

No one likes it when ISPs take it upon themselves to shape how our traffic is used, but up to now, it's been incredibly difficult to prove that any of these ISPs were doing such a thing. Luckily, the infamous Comcast case was one of the few instances where they couldn't continue to deny their shady means, and thanks to a new application from the EFF, you yourself can now see whether or not your own ISP filters your traffic.

The tool is called 'Switzerland' and currently runs on many different OS', including Windows, OS X and Linux. Right now, it's all command-lined-based, so it's not the most accessible tool in the shed, however with a little determination, you could surely become a master rather fast. I was unable to get it to function on my 64-bit Linux box, and for now, I'm going to assume that being 64-bit is the problem. Maybe your experiences will vary.

How the test functions is that it connects to one of their servers (or another server that's running the server version of the client), and you can send certain packet-types back and forth. The Switzerland software will notify you if any of the packets have been altered during their travel and even show you the actual filtered result. Essentially, it's a simple way to see what kind of traffic your ISP is filtering, if any. The tool is still in its alpha stage, but if you are feeling brave and are curious, definitely give it a shot.

Switzerland is designed to detect the modification or injection of packets of data traveling over IP networks, including those introduced by anti-P2P tools from Sandvine (widely believed to be used by Comcast to interfere with BitTorrent uploads) and AudibleMagic, advertising injection systems like FairEagle, censorship systems like the Great Firewall of China, and other systems that we don't know about yet.

Source: Switzerland Official Site

The Eee Box Gets Reviewed

When I first laid eyes upon the Eee Box at Computex, I couldn't help but have an intense desire to pick it up and run off, but I figured swimming across an ocean to get back home wouldn't be much fun. Luckily though, our friends at HotHardware have been able to give the new PC from ASUS a thorough testing.

Given the price point ($349) and overall size (8.5" x 7" x 1"), this is one PC that many people would crave to have beside their display. It's roughly the same size as a Nintendo Wii, yet offers a fully-functional Windows XP rig, and as Dave found out, it plays 720p content just fine. It also includes an 80GB hard drive, 1GB of RAM along with a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270.

What also impresses me is that during the video review, a Dell 24" display is used at its full 1920x1200 resolution. This is contrary to what ASUS has told me in the past, that the Eee Box tops out at 1600x1200. I'm glad they were incorrect, because it certainly adds a lot to the rigs capabilities. Seems like one heck of an impressive rig for $349, to say the least.

Credit: HotHardware

In terms of its general performance profile, the Asus Eee Box delivered more than we expected for its size, power consumption and price tag. The machine provided a fluid experience in all but our full 1080p digital video playback test but held up to 720p playback with good quality. System boot time was easily as fast as a standard entry-level desktop or notebook system, with application load times that felt snappy and responsive throughout testing.

Source: HotHardware

HeadRoom Announces The Audiophile Desktop

Last week, HeadRoom, a popular virtual retailer which specializes in audiophile gear, released what seems to be one of the most insanely expensive and probably one of the best sounding setups ever. The "Audiophile System," which is said to provide "exquisite aural experience" while maintaining a practical and accessible workspace.

Separating you from your money gets you a pair of speakers, headphones, an AMP, cables and stands, which doesn't sound like a lot until you realize that the base configuration starts at $3,631.50 along with shipping. The produces included have been available from HeadRoom and other manufacturers for some time now, but if you're in the need for a setup that will surely provide you with audio bliss, look no further.

The package may be expensive, but as any plastic-holding audiophile will tell you, high-end gear will cost you, but those with golden ears will surely hear the difference. HeadRoom also gives you the freedom to pick and choose parts on an individual basis, so you can remove things you may not need, such as the $500 speaker stands.

Audio enthusiasts who sit in front of a computer all day and yearn for a high quality listening experience should turn off their computer speakers and listen to this. HeadRoom Corporation (a Bozeman Montana based firm) has recently redefined high-end computer workstation listening with the introduction of their Audiophile Desktop System which delivers what can only be described as a miniature high-end listening room experience on your desk.

Source: HeadRoom Press Release, Via: Head-Fi

Dell Announces Vostro 2510 Business Notebook

It was less than a week ago that I was lusting over Dell's latest Inspiron and Studio Hybrid release, but their Vostro 2510 has done a good job of keeping my mind off of them. The latest Vostro model starts off at $899 on the official Dell website and includes a T5670 Core 2 Duo (1.8GHz), 2GB of RAM and a 160GB hard drive. As you'd expect, putting some more money into the machine will vastly improve its like-ability.

The top rig, at a base $1,208 includes the same processor, an upgraded hard drive (250GB) and more RAM (3GB), but that's only where the fun begins. As I looked through the available options, I noticed a display option to upgrade to a WUXGA resolution. For those unaware, WUXGA is equal to 1920x1200. Oh, did I mention that the Vostro 2510 utilizes a 15.4" display?

That amazing spec aside, the notebook offers a single color... red, with black tones, but it looks good. While I would have liked to have seen a black or blue version (or even a black and blue!), it's hard to complain when the styling is so clean and stylish... perfect for the business user.

The 2510 is also the first Vostro product to offer optional Blu-Ray technology. We know you don’t just use your computer for business, so now you can use travel time (or any time) to catch-up on your favorite movies and shows. Adding more style and features like Blu-Ray was something you asked for on IdeaStorm, and we listened. Other optional features you told us were important are continued on the 2510, like integrated fingerprint readers and Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 1.2.

Source: Dell Small Business Blog

Amazon Has Sold Close to 250,000 Kindles

When Amazon first launched their Kindle book-reader, it didn't take long to realize how popular it was. Or was it popular? It was actually quite difficult to tell, because shortly after the initial launch, it became increasingly difficult to acquire one of the book-readers. But, things couldn't be that bad, right? I know personally, every time I visit Amazon's site lately, it will show me a note about the Kindle and its limited supply. I admit, I figure it might have been a cheap move to just make the Kindle look more popular than it actually was.

According to recent numbers leaked to TechCrunch, I was wrong. Since the launch, Amazon has sold some 240,000 units, which is by all accounts incredible. It's also nice to know that in this digital-age, there are still tons of people out there interested in relaxing to a good book. I fail in this regard.

The Kindle is far from done with the profits, however, and analysts predict that the growth will only continue, with a possible 2.2 million units sold by 2010, ultimately generating over $600 million in revenue. That assumes that each owner purchases a handful of books, but given they own the unit, we'd expect nothing less, right?

Source: TechCrunch

Scott Devitt, an analyst at Stifel, Nicolaus & Co., predicts that Amazon is on track to sell 500,000 to 750,000 more Kindles over the next four quarters (including this one). He estimates that Kindle owners will buy an additional $120 to $150 worth of books and other content for each device...

Source: TechCrunch

Craving Some Larrabee Info? We've Got It!

We first learned the basic details of Larrabee early last year, with much more information discovered earlier this year at the spring Intel Developer Forum. Well, Intel has gone ahead and released even more information about their upcoming graphics processor, and we of course have the goods.

Included in our look is information on what will set Larrabee apart from the competition and we also take a look inside the processor itself to see how things are structured. As it stands, we can have high hopes for the new architecture, but the real proof will be in the pudding when we can give the new GPU a hands-on test. Of course, there's no sense of thinking about that since it's a ways off...

Regardless, why Larrabee is so interesting is that it uses numerous Pentium-derived cores to deliver overall performance, rather than sticking to one or two massive GPU cores, as seen on current ATI and NVIDIA graphic cards. What will prove more effective won't be known for a while, but in our article, we can at least keep you up to date and give you a better understanding of how Larrabee is designed.

The L2 Cache in Larrabee is designed a little differently than how it's implemented on a normal desktop CPU. Rather than being 'banked', the Cache is divided into sub-sections where each section is directly connected to a specific core. If one core is reading data not being written by the other cores, it's stored in its local cache, which improves latency and also bandwidth.

Source: 'Intel Opens Up About Larrabee'

Xbox 360 60GB Model Slated to Hit $299?

Whew, two weeks have barely passed since the 'official' price-drop of the Xbox 360 Pro 20GB model, and already rumors are floating about that real price-drops are right around the corner. For those unaware, the first price-drop wasn't so much a price-drop, as the 20GB models were simply marked down in order to be cleared out.

The proper price-drop is speculated to put the 60GB model in place of the current 20GB, so it will sit at $299. If you were about to run out and pick up the 20GB model, it might pay to wait, if you can happen to have a ~months worth of patience. What could be considered an even bigger deal is the Xbox 360 Arcade, which will sit at $199. Sure, it doesn't include a hard drive and other goodies like the Pro/Premium models, but it's $200!

VGChartz investigates how Microsoft could still profit from such insane price-drops, but the fact of the matter is, part prices have vastly dropped as well since the console first launched in late 2005. Plus, we all know that console sales are not where the big bucks are. It's in the software, and that's one area where the Xbox 360 excels.

Using Moore's Law , it is believable that the Xbox 360 has reduced it's price a further 35-50% from the November 2006 pricepoint, and could be manufactured for (after the Jasper revision) $140.15 to $182.19 before other cost considerations (such as cost of delivery) are applied. This would fit in perfectly with Microsoft's goal to be profitable with the Xbox 360, as costs should be lower, or just at, the price of sale to distributors and retailers.

Source: VGChartz

Lightsmark Updated to 2008, Adds Linux Support

Lightsmark, the popular OpenGL real-time lighting benchmark, has just seen a new release, which includes few new features, but many refinements. What is new is a faster engine, better image quality, a more stable score system and native support for 64-bit OS'. Most notable might be the addition of Linux support, both in 32-bit and 64-bit flavors.

Linux support isn't as simple to get running as the Windows version, as a few dependencies are required. If you happen to run a Debian-based or Red Hat-based distro, the included script will attempt to install them for you. If not, you'll have to rely on your package manager, or hunt down 'libfreeimage3', 'libglew1.5' and 'libglut3' yourself. In Gentoo, installing both 'freeimage' and 'glew' gave me all that I needed, so you can see if your package manager uses similar naming.

We are currently evaluating the prospect of including Linux-based benchmarks in our graphic card reviews, and if the latest Lightsmark proves to be a worthy benchmark after our in-depth testing, it will surely be included in our line-up.

Before Lightsmark, realtime global illumination was limited to small scenes, small resolutions, small speeds, specially crafted scenes with handmade optimizations. Lightsmark breaks all limits at once, running in reasonably sized scene (220000 triangles) in high resolution (1680x1050) at excellent speed (100-400fps). Lighting is computed fully automatically in original unmodified scene from 2007 game World of Padman.

Source: Lightsmark Official Site

August 4th Tech Roundup

• Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3R - InsideHW

• Samsung SyncMaster 2493HM Display - HotHardware
• NVIDIA GeForce 9500 GT - Legit Reviews
• ASUS EAH 4870 TOP - Rbmods
• Sapphire HD4870 DDR5 512MB - Overclock3D
• Sapphire HD 4870 GDDR5 512MB - Pro-Clockers
• Sapphire Toxic HD4850 - Overclockers Club

• EDGE DiskGO 160GB NAS - GideonTech
• Kingston 8GB MicroSDHC Card - DragonSteelMods

• SteelSeries 7G Gaming K eyboard - Technic3D
• Logitech G51 - InsideHW

• Thermaltake DuOrb CPU Cooler - Frostytech
• Thermaltake V1 CPU Cooler - Frostytech
• Thermaltake TMG2 Radiator & W2 Waterblock - Virtual-Hideout

• Tagan Monolith - Bjorn3D
• Thermaltake Toughpower Cable Management 650W - APH Networks
• Rosewill Xtreme 630W - ThinkComputers