Category: Technology

  • Comcast HDTV Cable Box Installation

    Comcast HDTV Cable Box Installation

      As many of you know, I had a cable card installed in my Sony HDTV. That card has given me very good service for the past 4 years, but, in the past year or so, I have periodically lost signal to many stations we watch. To get those stations back, I have to call…

  • VUDU Introduces HDX

    VUDU Introduces HDX

    UPDATE July 2023: This is a History lesson in streaming video. Enjoy! 🙂 If you have not yet experienced VUDU Internet streaming of movies…..now may be the time. As you may know, I am a big fan of VUDU and now even more so. Check out my review of VUDU here. With over 6000 movie…

  • Sony will Stream Movies Direct to Your TV

    Reading my past blogs on this subject, you know I believe that streaming movies via the Internet will take it’s toll on such old favorites as DVD’s, Blu-Ray, and Blockbuster / Netflix. Now buried deep in the middle of this article is an announcement by Sony that it will start an Internet streaming service for…

  • Personal Telepresence – The Original

    Personal Telepresence – The Original

    With all the hoopla about “Personal Telepresence”, I dug up this 1994 video segment showing our “Personal Telepresence” concept of 1992 (see this link for the original abstract (or this newer link). This video is using the CLI Cameo which was the very first desktop videoconferencing system….enjoy.  By the way, we are the ones who…

  • Netflix Introduces Streaming Video Player

    In all my years in a fledgling industry (videoconferencing) I have seen (and experienced first hand) my fair share of innovative companies that have, for one reason or another, flamed out. The general trend is as follows: Great idea–>Lots of seed money–>Marketing Hype–>Success–>Failure to keep up with changing technology–>Market share loss–>Out of business. I can…

  • VUDU Evaluation and Review

    VUDU Evaluation and Review

    Rating: 5 WaterTowers (nearly perfect) UPDATE Jan 2015: VUDU is now available on most Blu-Ray players, Smart TV’s, and Chromecast (and I’m sure other streaming devices / services). Wal-Mart bought VUDU a few years back.   Before you read, you can watch my future Oscar winning documentary on “Using VUDU”. You will not be bored,…

  • Blu-Ray beats HD-DVD

    In case you doubted that Blu-Ray has won the DVD war, yesterday and today two more blows were dealt to HD-DVD which could hasten it’s demise and bolster Blu-Ray. 1. Netflix announced exclusive support for Blu-Ray 2. Best Buy, starting in early March, will recommend Blu-Ray to their customers. 3. The most telling sign yet…

  • Future of Videoconferencing

    The future of videoconferencing will rest with the masses. Grandma and Grandpa will be able to see their grandkids grow up, families will be able to virtually be with each other whenever they want, people will be telecommuting (videocommuting) from anywhere, and meetings will be held via video just like they are now by telephone.…

  • Streaming Internet video on your TV

    Lately, I have been watching the evolution of Internet streaming to the TV (as part of the evolving “Digital Living Room”). I have looked briefly at VUDU and also Apple TV. As of this writing, both allow direct Internet access to streamed video content (i.e. no computer is needed) and display that video (in either…

  • Video-on-Demand and Blu-Ray

    UPDATE:  See my Review of VUDU here.   Now that Blu-Ray has apparently won the latest format war…how long do you think it will be before the next greatest technology surpasses it? Not long. Instead of DVD’s, there will be an ever increasing use of the Internet to download programming to your HDTV. All you…