HDTV Cable Kit for Dummies

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Cables to Go has announced a couple of complete cabling kits for HDTVs to ensure that shoppers this holiday season get all the cables they need. Two kits are being offered and they are called the HDTV Premium Cable Kit for Dummies and the HDTV Cable Kit for Dummies.

The kits provide all of the cables a user needs to get HDTVs up and running. The standard kit retails for $99.99 and offers a pair of 8-foot 1080p HDMI cables, one 8-foot component video cable, one digital coax audio cable and three cable management ties as well as a book called HDTV cables for Dummies. Read more

Posted on Mon, 17 Nov 2008 12:00:00 CST | by Shane McGlaun

Belkin Switch-to-Mac Cable Makes Going Mac Easy

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Mac sales are booming and Apple has moved up swiftly on the top selling computers chart. That means that there is a higher than ever amount of Windows users changing to Mac computers. As difficult as it can be changing from one Windows machine to another, the move from Windows to Mac is even more nerve racking.

Belkin has announced a new product called the Switch-to-Mac cable that retails for $49.99. The USB cable connects to your Windows machine and the Mac at the same time. A migration assistant will move default folders and applications to default Mac folders and applications and provides a summary of transferred content. The cable is compatible with Windows XP and Vista as well as Mac OS X 10.4 or 10.5. Read more

Posted on Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:00:00 CST | by Shane McGlaun

AT&T upgrades U-verse DVR, steps up Fight versus Cable

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NEW YORK (Reuters) - Top U.S. phone company AT&T Inc upgraded the video recording function of its Internet-based television service called U-verse, stepping up its competition against cable service providers.
Bundling high-speed Internet and video with phone services is a key part of AT&T's strategy as it struggles to retain customers who are increasingly canceling landlines in favor of mobile phones and alternative services from cable companies.
AT&T's improved U-verse digital video recorder (DVR), called Total Home DVR, will enable users to record and play back multiple programs on different television sets around the house, a plus for big families, AT&T said on Tuesday.
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Posted on Tue, 9 Sep 2008 00:29:39 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Gefen Technology Cuts HDMI Cables with UWB

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Gefen has announced a new wireless HDMI extender that uses UWB technology from Tzero Technologies. The no cable extender delivers wired quality HDMI from Blu-ray and other HDMI sources to the TV or projector.

The extender features built-in interference elimination technology for optimal picture quality. The device can stream full 1080p with 5.1 surround sound up to 10 meters across a room. The extender offers dual HDMI ports, component video, and analog audio. Pricing and availability are unknown at this time. Read more

Posted on Thu, 4 Sep 2008 13:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

EchoStar and CableLabs Sign tru2way Host Device Agreement

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EchoStar and CableLabs have signed an agreement that gives EchoStar the rights to implement OpenCable Application Platform middleware and the CableCard interface on devices using true2way technology. This agreement will allow users to take advantage of two-way, interactive cable services.

Tru2way technology is a national software platform that allows cable's interactive services to be delivered to two-way plug-and-play TVs, set top boxes, and other devices. The true two-way service also creates a national footprint for creators of interactive services to develop products that operate on cable systems in all markets across the US. According to EchoStar, major cable operators are committed to supporting the tru2way platform on cable systems covering over 90 million homes in the United States by the end of 2008. Read more

Posted on Tue, 12 Aug 2008 07:08:49 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Cablevision says to explore Spin-off, Dividend

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NEW YORK (Reuters) - Cablevision Systems Corp said on Tuesday it would hire investment banks to help evaluate a spin off at least one of its businesses, among other strategies, including buying back stock or paying out dividends, sending shares up as much as 8 percent.
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Posted on Tue, 5 Aug 2008 08:55:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Court rules in favor of new Cablevision Recorder

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NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court ruled that Cablevision Systems Corp may go forward with its plan to introduce a new digital video recorder service that film studios and television networks had said violated their copyrights.
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Posted on Mon, 4 Aug 2008 11:25:23 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Time Warner Cable Lets Users Share Pictures via Set Top Boxes

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Time Warner Cable in North Texas has announced a new service for all of its subscribers that have digital cable and Road Runner High Speed Internet. The new service allows people to shoot pictures on their cameras, send them to their PC and then enable the pictures to be shared via any Time Warner set top box.

The service is called PhotoShowTV and once users set up their online albums they can be viewed by family and friends on channel 699 on the cable box. Personal PhotoShow's will be available within 48 hours of being posted by the user. It’s not clear how the PhotoShow limits access to users not approved to see the photos. Read more

Posted on Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:28:23 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Cable dramas may finally get some respect at Emmys

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By Ray Richmond

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Something historic appears to be brewing in anticipation of the announcement of the nominees for the 60th annual Primetime Emmy Awards next Thursday.
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Posted on Wed, 9 Jul 2008 14:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Canon PC Announces Media Center with 6 Cable Cards

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Media PCs are all fine and dandy, but the big problem for most of us is that your typical home theater PC can’t record HD content from your cable provider. You can opt for some solutions that allow the use of cable cards that can record programming from your cable pay channels. Even then you can only record one or two programs.

Cannon PC has announced a new home theater PC that allows you to record a whopping six programs at one time. The PC runs on windows Vista and uses Vista Media Center which normally only supports a pair of cable cards. Cannon PC has modified the system to work with six cable cards and still not use all the PCs available resources. Pricing and availability of the machine are unknown at this time. Read more

Posted on Mon, 23 Jun 2008 08:46:16 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Time Warner Cable tests metered Internet Service

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NEW YORK (Reuters) - Time Warner Cable Inc on Thursday will begin testing a service that charges consumers of high-speed Internet service based on their usage.
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Posted on Tue, 3 Jun 2008 12:24:44 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Cable sees Opportunities in digital Television

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By Yinka Adegoke

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. cable television industry is feeling more confident going into this year's Cable Show in New Orleans, with the transition to digital television expected to pay dividends for cable operators.
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Posted on Fri, 16 May 2008 11:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Sprint, Cable form $14.5 billion Clearwire Venture

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By Sinead Carew

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sprint Nextel Corp and top U.S. cable companies are investing in Clearwire Corp to introduce advanced wireless services and get a head start on AT&T and Verizon, but analysts said the seven-way partnership may be too complex to succeed.
Read more

Posted on Wed, 7 May 2008 12:50:52 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Cable Companies pull out of Sprint joint Venture

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NEW YORK (Reuters) - Two cable companies said on Wednesday they had exited a wireless phone venture with number-three U.S. wireless company Sprint Nextel Corp .
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Posted on Wed, 23 Apr 2008 23:11:54 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Verizon asks FCC to help Consumers switch from Cable

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NEW YORK (Reuters) - Verizon Communications Inc wants the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to make it easier for consumers to switch video service providers, as competition with cable companies heats up.
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Posted on Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

U.S. Cable Companies discuss Funding Wireless Venture

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SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Comcast Corp and Time Warner Cable Inc, the two largest U.S. cable operators, are discussing a plan to fund a new wireless company that would be run by Sprint Nextel Corp and Clearwire Corp, people familiar with the discussions said on Tuesday.
Read more

Posted on Wed, 26 Mar 2008 00:45:44 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Monster Cable Adds Entry Level Price Cables

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Monster cable adds entry priced cables to its line up with the addition of a standard speed, value line. The 1-meter MC 500HD cable has a retail price of $49.95. That’s still a lot of money for an entry level cable, you can get 6 meter cables from other brands for less money.

Noel Lee, Head Monster, says: "By making our entry-level HDMI cables even more accessible, we're providing consumers with a more affordable alternative for enjoying high-performance HDMI connectivity. We now offer a wide variety of cable at price points and performance levels for virtually every need and budget, from the MC 500 HD for people who simply want to enjoy the best quality from today's high-def products to MC1000HD for those who want 100% assurance that they'll also be able to enjoy the optimum performance from all in the future pipeline as well. With our MC 500HD value-priced line, we're also giving our retailers what they've been asking for, namely, a lower-priced, high-quality cable that will provide complete satisfaction to their discriminating customers - at a price everyone can afford." Read more

Posted on Thu, 6 Mar 2008 08:09:02 CST | by Shane McGlaun

Google, SingTel and Others to build submarine Cable

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SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Web search company Google Inc has agreed to build an undersea cable with five telecoms operators that will link the United States to Japan, and provide the capacity to sustain a surge in Internet traffic between the continents.
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Posted on Tue, 26 Feb 2008 03:00:00 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

Keychain Cat 5 Patch Cable Tester

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Any geeky type that has worked in an IT environment has needed a patch cable tester at some point. The need is usually the greatest when you inherit a network closet from a lesser geek at a new job, only to find that the guy punched patch cables nilly willy and left half the workstations without network access. But then maybe that’s just me.

Anyhow, any geeky IT type looking to be prepared to check a patch cable at a moment’s notice will want to check out the small keychain PatchTest Ethernet Cable Tester at ThinkGeek. The little device has LEDs and can test gigabit, 10/100mb and crossover cables. Read more

Posted on Fri, 22 Feb 2008 13:11:07 CST | by Shane McGlaun

Three Undersea Cables seen fixed by Weekend

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MUMBAI (Reuters) - Repairs on two out of three broken undersea cables providing data services to parts of the Middle East and Asia should be completed by Sunday, while the third should be fixed by Saturday, cable operators said. Read more

Posted on Thu, 7 Feb 2008 08:00:00 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

Repairs start on Undersea Cable Cut near UAE

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BANGALORE (Reuters) - Repair work has started on one of three broken undersea cables providing data services to parts of the Middle East and Asia, a cable operator said, and a repair ship was expected to reach a second cable on Tuesday. Read more

Posted on Tue, 5 Feb 2008 10:00:00 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr