SATA HDD Multimedia Player Adapter by Brando

Can you ever think that you can watch your video or audio files stored on your pc on TV.Enjoying audio,video on your TV that is stored in your pc is possible by multimedia player adapter.Brando has released yet another SATA HDD Dock, the SATA HDD Multimedia Player Adapter In the SATA HDD Multimedia Player you can connect any SATA 2.5 inch or 3.5 inch hard drive. It is also a powerful tool for data transfer, backup and cloning. It works as a Multi-Media player as well. You can play the media files via SATA HDD, SD(HC) card or external USB storage on TV without using a computer.

It comes with a remote, and will play AVI, MP4,DIVX, MPG,MPEG and VOD video files, here are the specifications.

Device Specification:

• Supports both SATA 2.5″ HDD and 3.5″ HDD
• PC connection: USB 2.0
• Video format: MPG / DAT
• Video format:MPG, MPEG, VOB Video format:AVI, MP4, DIVX Video format:AVI decode audio: MP3, AC3, ADPCM Video format:
• VOBSUB: SRT, SUB, SMI, TXT, SAA, SSA Audio format: MP3, WAV, AAC, MPA, WMA, AC3
• Image format: JPEG
• Video output: AV, YPbPr, HDMI (576p/1080i)
• Audio output: CX/5.1CH
• USB 2.0 Device: 480Mbps high speed
• File system: NTFS, FAT16/32
• Remote Controller and panel key
• Stand with 8cm cooling pad
• AC Power Adapter input: 100 ~ 240V
• AC Power Adapter output: 12V
• Dimension: 110 x 33 x 44mm (approx.) (SATA HDD Multi-Media Player Adapter)
• Dimension: 45 x 155 x 24mm (approx.) (Remote Controller)
• Weight: 100g (SATA HDD Multi-Media Player Adapter)
• Weight: 75g (Remote Controller)

Package Contents:

• SATA HDD Multi-Media Player
  
• Remote Controller
• Universal AC Adapter
• AV Cable
• USB Cable
• User’s Manual
• CD Driver

**Hard Disk Drive is not included with the package.

The SATA HDD Multimedia Player Adapter is available for $69 from Brando.

Bluetooth 3.0 Is Ready for Prime Time

Bluetooth 3.0 is coming. The Bluetooth SIG (Special Interest Group) will officially announce Bluetooth 3.0 on April 21. It'll be significantly faster and will enable the transfer of entire media libraries at the touch of a button. It also promises a new feature called Enhanced Power Control that reduces the number of disconnects.

The most interesting part of Bluetooth 3.0 is that it uses a combination of technologies that lets it operate at Wi-Fi speeds. For example, you can pair a phone with a laptop via Bluetooth, but then the data transfer between the two devices will be handed off to Wi-Fi, which makes transfer speeds a lot faster. Both devices need Bluetooth and Wi-Fi for this to happen; otherwise it will just use the Bluetooth for data transfer.

Official announcement:
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group is set to announce the Bluetooth 3.0 specification later this month. Bluetooth 3.0 will feature dramatically increased speeds, allowing for the transfer of large video files, music collections and photo libraries wirelessly 'within seconds'. The spec also includes a new ability called Enhanced Power Control. EPC will reduce the occurrence of disconnects that can be caused by actions such as putting a phone in a pocket, backpack, briefcase or purse. Bluetooth 3.0 uses Generic Alternate MAC/PHY (AMP). This is what lets Bluetooth profiles operate at Wi-Fi speeds. The 802.11 Protocol Adaption Layer (PAL) will enable the Generic AMP feature to be used with an 802.11 radio. Bluetooth is used to create the pairing between two devices, but the data transfer itself is handed off to Wi-Fi. In order to take advantage of the higher transfer speeds, both devices need Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. If Wi-Fi isn't present on one of the devices, the spec reverts to Bluetooth for data transfer. More details will be available, including a list of chip makers that are lined up to support the new spec, on April 21.

Adobe Flash is coming to TVs, set-top boxes

Adobe has secured a deal to put its Flash software into many of the chips that go inside TVs and set-top boxes.

It will enable developers and content providers to create applications to deliver web-based content such as news, weather and share prices to TV screens.

Flash will be included on most chips -those made by Broadcom, Intel, NXP and STMicroelectronics - but the deal does not cover TVs made by Sony and Samsung.

The first applications using Flash are expected to hit TV sets early in 2010.

In theory, this means we'll see a wave of Flash-enabled DVRs, set-top boxes and HDTVs by the middle of this year, and they told us you'll see new Flash applications for the framework early next. Since Yahoo actually uses Flash in their own widget framework for TVs, they're not exactly competing—Adobe wins either way. Adobe's goal is to be just as ubiquitous on embedded devices as it is on computers connected to the web: Over 90 percent have the Flash plug-in installed.

The company has also adapted its technology to create a mobile version of Flash that is used on smartphones. The mobile version lets people watch Flash-enabled video on the go. Now Adobe is turning its attention to the living room and big screen HD TVs. This means that people could have full access to the entire YouTube library of video on their TVs instead of a subset that has been specially encoded for TV viewing.

"There are some products and services that offer a subset of online video for TVs," said Anup Murarka, director of technology strategy and partner development for Adobe's Flash Platform Business Unit. "But they don't provide all the content. For example, a lot of devices play back YouTube content. But they can't offer all the videos on YouTube."

Developers will also be able to create "widgets" for TVs to help bring Web content onto the TV screen. Widgets are specially designed Web applications that can easily be added to consumer electronics devices.

Yahoo is also offering widget technology for TVs, which it co-developed with Intel. The Yahoo Widget Channel provides access to Flickr, Yahoo News, Yahoo Weather and Yahoo Finance, USA Today, YouTube, eBay and Showtime Networks, among others. Motorola, Samsung, and Toshiba are all planning to add Yahoo Widgets on some of their new TVs.

Murarka said that Yahoo is not really competing with Adobe. He pointed out that both Adobe and Yahoo are working with Intel, and he said the Flash technology was actually complimentary to what Yahoo is doing with its Widget Channel.

"Yahoo supports Flash on desktops and our hope is that they will support Flash in TVs as well," he said. "We see Flash as being valuable in a number of new frame works."

Murarka wouldn't say which consumer electronics makers plan to use the new version of Flash, but the technology is available to device makers and application developers now. And Flash-enabled TVs and set-tops should be out later this year.