Gizmodo: stream

ATI Stream vs. Nvidia CUDA Graphics Accelerated Deathmatch

matt buchanan — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 19:20:00 EDT

The eternal graphics war: ATI vs. Nvidia. With the rise of GPGPU computing, if you're deciding who to fall in line with based on their graphics-accelerated platforms—Stream or CUDA, respectively—PC Perspective's done the dirty benchmarking work for you.

It actually boils down fairly simply to a mixed bag: ATI's Stream tends to be outright faster and pulls more of the load off of the CPU, but Nvidia's CUDA tends to produce better quality results. Interestingly, PC Perspective seems to like ATI's Avivo video transcoding application more than they used to, saying they're impressed by its simplicity. But which side are you on? [PC Perspective via Engadget]

Cisco's Streaming Media Boxes and HD Telepresence Gear for Average Joe

matt buchanan — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 20:30:00 EST

Cisco doesn't want to just cater to your IT guy anymore—they're jumping into the consumer space at CES with three new streamy products: a video streamer, a streaming audio system, and Telepresence, a videoconferencing system.

The first two—a video streamer that "more easily" gets Internet video on your TV, like million other boxes out there, and a streaming "digital stereo system"—sound pretty mundane, and whether or not they're worth a look will rely entirely on their execution of what are now dated concepts.

The last, however, the Telepresence videoconferencing system, actually sounds interesting, and is supposedly based on their awesome corporate tech. Whether or not people actually want to talk to their families in HD video over their HDTVs is another question. It's something different, in any case. We'll definitely be checking it out next week to see if it's actually good too. [NYT]

Western Digital WD TV HD Media Player Streams from Hard Drives on the Cheap

Dan Nosowitz — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:00:00 EDT

Western Digital, better known for storage than HD video equipment, looks to have thrown their hat into the video streaming ring with the WD TV HD Media Player. With two USB 2.0 drives working simultaneously, you can plug in your USB storage and stream to your HDTV in 1080p over HDMI or composite. The diminutive box comes with a remote control and what seems to be proprietary browsing software. It's available now from Best Buy for a competitive $130, which is a solid price for an HD streamer even if it's snuck in under the rader a bit. [Engadget]

Aerielle's i2i Hangs From Neck, Shares Music With Your Hot Friends

Wilson Rothman — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 09:52:32 EST

We've all been there, lying in our bikinis thinking, "Why on earth can't I wirelessly transmit the sexy songs I'm listening to to my super sexy friends?" This common dilemma provoked Aerielle to launch the i2i Stream, a lightweight matchbox that can "send or receive CD quality sound up to 30 feet wirelessly." The idea is that you can DJ for a whole group of your friends, then pass the job to someone else who can then return the favor.

It's a cool idea, though we wonder exactly how many friends we can broadcast to at once, and if there's any pairing involved. It's not iPod specific—just a 3.5mm jack for anything you want to connect (plus another one so you can hear the tuneage yourself). But there may be limits. Since it uses 2.4GHz RF, it could have a latency issue (particularly if it's using a Bluetooth variant), so sharing the audio of a video player could be out of the question.

Its got a rechargeable battery inside that provides 5 to 7 hours of battery life. You charge the thing via USB, which I think is weird considering this isn't a PC accessory, but Aerielle promises to sell a wall charger too. (You can probably use your BlackBerry or Motorola charger, since it's all the same jack.)

It's $70 for one or $120 for a pair—an ideal situation for me since my hot friend happens to be my wife, and yes dear, it's you and only you. Aerielle will also release $10 Stream Skins molded cases available in blue, green, pink, silver and clear, in case all of your super hot friends are equally super worried about, you know, color coordination and stuff. [Aerielle i2iGear via Crave]

DailyMotionMovieVids Lets You Stream Movies Online

Louis Ramirez — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 18:26:03 EST

Get them while you can. DailyMotionMovieVids is letting people stream movies straight off the Internet. Granted, most of them are filmed with a not-so-good camcorder and look a little blurry, but if you don't mind it'll save you from buying that $12 ticket and they have a decent selection of old and new. – Louis Ramirez

DailyMotionMovieVids [via The Red Ferret Journal]