entertainment

It's been over a week since I reported that we got CableCard working on a Velocity Micro CineMagix Grand Theater PC, and I promised that I'd take requests for things to try out. I wish I could deliver. Sadly, 12 hours after we got it working, we lost the signal completely. I haven't reported since then because I wanted to know what the problem was before setting off a wild string of speculation. About all I can confirm is that it still doesn't work.

I hoped yesterday I'd either get it working or have an … Read more

It would be perfectly understandable for Nintendo purists to be appalled by some of the abominations of recent years, but a current auction offers some hope for true loyalists. An old (and rare) Nintendo Entertainment System is up for sale on eBay, a 1980s-vintage in-store kiosk that its owner claims was never available for consumer purchase.

The console comes with 12 cartridge slots and five controller ports, but Technabob notes that the retro monitor is not included in the auction (bummer). And interested aficionados should be prepared for sticker shock: Even without the tube, it was still going for more than $500 … Read more

We kind of really love pirates around these parts, but there are limits to everything. Take this 14-inch TV, for example, manufactured for Disney by Japanese electronics company Runat. It's got a skull and crossbones on top, a pirate-worthy set of buttons, and some additional swashbuckling decor, but I personally find it rather lame. It's possible to integrate pirate imagery into household gadgets in far more effective ways.

Besides, the makers of this TV should really get with the program. If you're going to make a Pirates of the Caribbean TV-DVD player, it had better at least … Read more

Kudos to Laptop magazine for getting the scoop, with the one of the first hands-on reviews we've seen of the Netgear EVA8000 Digital Entertainer HD. There's just one problem: they got one big detail of the product dead wrong. The Netgear product does play songs purchased from the iTunes Store, as confirmed by hands-on tests in the CNET Labs.

We purchased and played two songs from the store, and were surprised to see that the Netgear was able to stream them to the TV/stereo system in the next room just as easily as it could with DRM-free … Read more

There's been some news about CableCard-ready PCs around the Web lately. Vendors Niveus and Velocity Micro announced shipping systems, and a competitor previewed an early build of Dell's forthcoming CableCard system. After two days of hammering away on a sample system, as well as some digging around with Microsoft, we think we have a clear picture of the PC-based CableCard situation as it stands today.

It is indeed true that Velocity Micro was shipping CableCard-ready home entertainment PCs. Niveus may have gotten one or two out the door as well, but they have both had to push shipments … Read more

Chrysler will be the first car company to offer "Backseat TV" from Sirius. At first glance that reads like a typo--TV from a radio company? But bits is bits and this proves it.

The service gets its name from its target audience: antsy kids in the back seat. They'll have three channels of live, family-oriented stuff to watch from Nick, Disney, and Cartoon Network.

Subscribers will find two small antennas on the roof of their new Chrysler, a receiver box installed inside, and the video showing up screens in the back seat area. Backseat TV and Sirius … Read more

Can you imagine a MySpace: The Movie, full of self-promoting emo kids, strippers, and dirty old men? How about LinkedIn: The Movie, with a cast of social-climbing tools who love to pass around business cards at parties? Yeah, not such awesome ideas. Which is why I'm beyond skeptical of the potential for Livemansion: The Movie, a movie created by entertainment and acting social networking site Livemansion, to be any kind of success.

My point is this: American Idol might still be hot, but there are some things in the entertainment world that probably shouldn't be left up to … Read more

I was perusing some backlogged posts in my Google Reader when I came across this little gem from Monkey Bites: Microsoft soda available in the lobby of last week's Microsoft Research TechFest. It probably tasted super gross, so it's not like I'm scrambling to get my hands on any. (Disclaimer: I'm a Mac user.)

But it did make me think of an earlier post on Crave in which we showcased a Web site that was making it possible for you to replicate Lost's notorious white label (literally), Dharma Initiative-branded food and drinks. For some reason, … Read more

We admit we're pretty excited about the idea of SideShow, Windows Vista's secondary display capability. Not really so much with laptops (although we're sure someone will find a way to put that to good use) but more for what it could mean for driving Vista Media Center from your couch. Microsoft tabbed Ricavision to make the hardware that will eventually become the official Microsoft-branded SideShow remote. Ricavision says that a major computer vendor as well as one top-tier retailer have contracted to rebadge as well. Interlink, Phillips, and other vendors have also promised their own SideShow designs.… Read more