Tag Archives: Computer

Google’s Chromebit Turns Any TV Into a Chrome PC for Under $100

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Google just introduced a whole new kind of Chrome OS computer—a dongle that plugs into any HDMI-equipped display. It’s called a Google Chromebit, and it isn’t your run-of-the-mill streaming stick. For under $100, you’re looking at a full computer that plugs right into your TV. […] In addition to your Rockchip RK3288 (with quad-core Mali 760 graphics) you get 2GB of RAM, 16GB of solid state storage, 2×2 dual-band 802.11ac WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, and a single full-size USB 2.0 port on one end. It won’t be the most powerful PC you could plug into a TV, but it shouldn’t be too bad for the browser-based OS. Google also expects it to make quite a splash with small businesses and third-world countries due to price and easy manageability. – Sean Hollister, Gizmodo

YouTube cards might finally get you to click video links

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Lots of YouTube videos carry annotations with links to related clips or other websites, but how many of them do you actually visit? Probably few of them, if any. However, YouTube may have a way to pique your interest. It’s rolling out cards that both look much nicer — compared to text boxes, anyway — and are available at any time, not just at specific moments. – Jon Fingas, Engadget 

Review of The 4K TV Box S812 TV Box

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Like many Android based media boxes this device comes preloaded with some basic apps ahead of time though most are more suited to a tablet than a TV. […] Users can access all of the key functions from here including again settings and XBMC along with Miracast, A media center shortcut for Airplay and DLNA settings, The Google Play Store, backup and a host of basic functions […] The Gotham build is pre-configured with a number of add-ons and their respective repositories in place. This includes numerous music and video apps that show off the media center’s capabilities. With so much in place ahead of time, the system lends itself to a quick set-up for those who already know their way around [XBMC]. Video and audio apps are not the only thing that comes preloaded on the box. The programs are also loaded with helpful add-ons. Outside of the preinstalled repositories though it is a clean interface with little to no pre-sets in place. – Ryan Michael Downey, The Streaming Advisor
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New video spec clears the way for 8K laptop screens

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Think your 4K laptop or 5K iMac is hot stuff? If specification developers have their way, both will soon be old hat. The Video Electronics Standards Association has unveiled Embedded DisplayPort 1.4a, a new format that lets all-in-ones and laptops use 8K screens (7,680 x 4,320, if you want to be exact). The technology uses compression to squeeze more data into the video feed, and it can divide displays into two or four segments to help the pipeline cope with all those extra pixels. – Jon Fingas, Engadget
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Intel’s Compute Stick puts Windows 8.1 on your TV for $149

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Intel has rather impressively crammed in a quad-core Atom CPU, 32GB of storage and 2GB of RAM, along with a USB port, WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0 support and a mini-USB connector for power (HDMI power will come later). “But why?” you might ask. Intel sees it as a low-priced computer or (pricey) media stick, or even a thin-client device for companies. – Steve Dent, Engadget
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How to turn a Chromebox into a video-streaming workhorse

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A Chromebox is a small desktop computer that runs Google’s Chrome operating system, and you can use one to access virtually any streaming video service available on the web. They’re considerably more flexible than those sub-$100 set-top boxes, but they can’t do as much as a Windows-based media PC. On the other hand, they’re free from security and update hassles and they’re a whole lot cheaper. You can usually find models from HP and Asus on sale for less than their $180 list prices. […] Chromeboxes strike a happy medium between Windows-based home theater PCs and smaller streaming media devices. You get the freedom of the full Web that devices like Roku and Apple TV can’t match, without the costs (financial and otherwise) of Windows. The living room Chromebox isn’t for everyone, as it requires some tweaking, but it rewards patient cord-cutters with a wealth of Web-based video options. – Jared Newman,PCWorld
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Marin County Free Library to offer streaming service

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Patrons at the Marin County Free Library now have a new option for checking out audio books, movies, music and television shows: streaming service, library officials said Thursday. Deputy Director Scott Bauer said the library joined up with the streaming service Hoopla, […] Patrons with an internet-connected computer or mobile device can sign up for Hoopla and either download titles or watch them on their computers, phones or tablets, Baeur said. – Bay City News,ABC7 News
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TV Still The King Of The Screens: comScore

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The [comScore, Inc.] study […] found that Millennials spend about one-third of their original TV series consumption time watching on digital platforms. Boiled down by category, 66% of that time watching TV among Millennials was done on a traditional television, versus 19% of that time on desktops and laptops, 6% on smartphones, and 6% on tablets. […], about 84% for consumers in the 35-54 year-old age group spent their time watching scripted TV shows on the traditional television, rising to 90% among consumers who are 55 years or older. […] Among other findings, consumers who subscribe to paid digital video services are more likely to binge-view TV shows over a monthly period – 87% vs. 69%. TV via the DVR (43%) is the preferred binge-viewing platform, followed by the TV via VOD (19%); Internet connected TV devices (12%); live TV – a category that includes reruns or marathons from MVPDs – (11%); tablets (4%), desktops/laptops (3%); and smartphones (2%). 

Unsurprisingly, Millennials are also more likely to be cord-nevers or cord-cutters. – Jeff Baumgartner,Multichannel News
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Racing UK streaming going good

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International subscribers to Racing UK can now view the channel across multiple platforms, following the introduction of a new live streaming and seven-day catch-up service, developed by Simplestream. The enhanced service enables viewers to subscribe to watch Racing UK live and on-demand, across computers, mobiles and tablets, via Simplestream’s proprietary Media Manager solution. The new service is available outside of the United Kingdom & Ireland. – Julian Clover,Broadband TV News
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The hidden commands for diagnosing and improving your Netflix streaming quality

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The quality and connection speed of Netflix streams has been a popular topic lately, as the company has signed deals with some major internet providers to have a more direct connection to their customers. Netflix users may often feel like the quality of their video streams is out of their control—and, for the most part, it is—but thanks to a few clever Redditors, you can now do some simple quality control yourself. – Adam Epstein,Quartz
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