The future of HDTV... Connected TV with Yahoo TV Widgets

Top HDTV Manufacturers like Sony, Samsung, LG, and Vizio is bringing built-in, interactive entertainment directly to your television.

These HDTV's will integrate their first new networked LCD HDTV models with Internet applications called “widgets” that deliver real-time information, as well as streaming video capability via integrated Internet Video Link capability. These new HDTV models feature an Ethernet connection, allowing the sets to directly access Internet Video content using an existing broadband connection. The service offers one of the largest selections of free and premium movies, TV shows, sports, music and more from an array of partners like Amazon Video on Demand, YouTube®, Yahoo!®, Slacker(sm), and others.

These future HDTV's are powered by the Yahoo! Widget Engine, expand and personalize the TV experience by adding on-screen applications that provide such real-time information as weather reports, stock ticker updates, financial news, Yahoo! Video, Flickr® images, and additional content.

Features of Yahoo! Widget Engine.

TV Widgets change what it means to Watch TV.

TV Widgets give you the best of the Internet in perfect harmony with the simplicity and reliability of your television. They're as rich, varied, and useful as your favorite sites on the Web, reinterpreted for TV. Check out behind-the-scene interviews from popular TV shows, read the blogs on your favorite actors, or catch up on missed episodes. No complexity, no keyboard or mouse. Just lean back and stay connected.

Enjoy Internet content while watching your favorite TV programs.

Interact with content and services that complement your TV viewing with TV Widgets. Press one button on your remote to bring up the TV Widget Dock, select a TV Widget, and view content, designed for your TV screen. Track your favorite sports team, watch financial stocks, share photos with friends and family, go shopping, play games, view movies or web videos while you watch your favorite show.

Personalize your experience with a selection of TV Widgets.

Personalize your viewing experience with TV Widgets from popular online media and Internet services. Select your favorite TV Widget, like eBay®, MySpace®, or CBS Entertainment, from the Widget Gallery, create a “Snippet,” and save it in the Widget Dock—for quick access to the content you want. By pressing your remote, you can view a friend’s new status on MySpace, purchase an item on eBay, or see the latest episode of your favorite CBS TV show.

Enabling The Cinematic Internet™.

The Cinematic Internet is Yahoo!’s vision for the emerging world of Internet-connected TV—combining the Internet’s choice, community, and personalization with the power of television. This combination will transform traditional TV into something bigger, better, and more exciting than ever. Yahoo! and our partners are working on rich TV Widgets that will bring the Cinematic Internet to life.

To ensure that the Cinematic Internet is open and powerful, Yahoo!® is working with the biggest brands in consumer entertainment and internet services to create a vibrant ecosystem. Together with Intel®, Yahoo! is making a Widget Development Kit (WDK) available to the industry. This will enable developers and publishers to continuously change and improve what it means to watch TV.

More on Yahoo Widget TV

Easy access to the best of the Web.

It’s easy to enjoy Internet services, information and community through TV Widgets—compact Internet applications that deliver the best of the Web to your TV. Use your remote to bring up the TV Widget Dock, select all your favorite TV Widgets, and connect to popular Internet services and online media, while you watch your favorite show.

Movies, favorite shows, news clips—and more.

View movies, video clips, news updates, photos, messages, and more with TV Widgets. Go to the Yahoo!® Widget Gallery and choose from a growing list of TV Widgets; soon to include Yahoo! properties such as News, Weather, Sports, Video and Flickr®, as well as popular providers like The New York Times®, eBay®, CBS, and Showtime®. Get more from your TV viewing experience, with TV Widgets.

Featured Yahoo! TV Widgets:

eBay

Get real-time updates, place bids, and monitor your favorite items with the eBay TV Widget. Search, view photos, and compare prices of products with the press of your remote—you won’t miss a buying or selling opportunity with the eBay TV Widget.

CBS Entertainment

Get your favorite TV show information and entertainment you want on demand with the CBS Entertainment TV Widget. Interact with content from popular CBS TV Shows like CSI, NCIS, Survivor or the Late Show with David Letterman. Customize your viewing experience on your TV screen and enjoy your favorite shows, in a whole new way.

MySpace®

Stay connected with your friends with the MySpace TV Widget right on your TV. Sign in to get dynamic updates from your friends, read and respond to messages, browse friends’ profiles, photos, and requests, see status and “mood” updates—all while watching TV.

More TV Widgets coming soon

• Showtime®
  
• Netflix®
  
• Blockbuster® OnDemand
  
• CinemaNow
  
• The New York Times®
  
• USA Today Sports
  
• CBS Sports Fantasy Football
  
• Twitter™
  
• Rallypoint Fantasy Sports
  
• Acedo Funspot Games
  
• Flickr®
  
• Yahoo Services: Yahoo! Video, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Finance, Yahoo! Weather
  

In addition, Intel and Yahoo! have announced that they are now providing a Widget Development Kit (WDK) to interested developers, CE manufactures, advertisers, and content publishers. Comcast has also developed proof-of-concept TV Widgets for tru2way capable HDTVs in order to create a richer Comcastic set-top-less environment. Something tells me this is going to be big.

Sony's XBR9 and Z-series models are also Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA®) compliant, enabling easy access to digital photos, music and video stores on a PC or other DLNA server using the XMB® interface and the TV’s remote control.

“Internet-based content is driving the evolution of home entertainment,” said Randy Waynick, senior vice president of Sony Electronics’ Home Products Division. “Our new networked BRAVIA models deliver streaming videos, access to digital files, and real-time information that transforms the television into a true multimedia hub.”

See more: Yahoo! Widget Engine on Yahoo! Connected TV

Media Server enabled Hard Drive from iomega

Enjoy your digital life! Easily share and access photos, videos and music between your home computers, game station, etc with the Iomega® Home Media Network Hard Drive. This device provides easy-to-use, yet powerful, network storage for the home user and the three step setup is a breeze, even if you've never used a network drive before. Save all your digital files to one central location and share them between computers on your network. Then play back your pictures, videos and music from digital media adapters such as game consoles, digital picture frames or networked TVs. Built-in iTunes support automatically feeds music into iTunes® for easy playback. Easily share one printer over the network. Control which family members have access to certain folders. Plus, secure your memories and backup automatically with award winning EMC® Retrospect® software (PC/Mac) and for extra protection backup online with MozyHome™ Online Backup service with 2GB free.
Features

• Simple to use—Three step set-up - simply plug into your router, power on, and install the software CD. Friendly web screens for easy management.
  
• Sharing—Access files from any networked Windows PC or Apple computer for easy file sharing.
  
• High Performance—Gigabit Ethernet connectivity combined with a high performance processor.
  
• UPnP™ AV Media Server—Compatible with DLNA® certified media players, able to stream photos, audio content and videos to a variety of media devices like game consoles, audio bridges, DMAs (digital media adapters), picture frames and more.
  
• iTunes™ Server—Store your audio content in one central location and share it across your iTunes players.
  
• Network File Protocols Supported—CIFS/SMB (Microsoft), AFP (Apple), HTTP 1.1
  
• Expandability—Add storage capacity by connecting external USB Hard Disk Drives. Supports FAT32 and NTFS formatted hard drives.
  
• Network Discovery—Automatic network discovery by Apple Bonjour and Microsoft Windows Rally devices.
  
• Data Protection—Touch-free professional-level backup for all your critical data with EMC® Retrospect HD backup software. Effortlessly back up files on a pre-set schedule.
  
• Print Server—Intelligent network print sharing capability for one USB printer directly attached to the HomeMedia drive
  

What You Get

• Iomega® Home Media Network Hard Drive
  
• One Ethernet Cable
  
• External Power Supply
  
• Quick Install Guide
  
• One Iomega StorCenter Network Hard Drive Solutions CD
  
• EMC® Retrospect® Express Backup and Disaster Recovery
  
• Service & Support: one year standard service. Extended Silver service is available
  

Tech Specs
Basic / Home Premium / Business / Ultimate

• Microsoft® Internet Explorer® 6.0, Firefox® 1.5, Netscape® 8.0, or higher required to view user's manual
  
• 256MB RAM or higher
  
• CD or DVD drive to install software
  
• Available 10/100/1000 Mbps network Ethernet port
  
• DHCP configured Network (recommended)
  
• Network hub, switch, or router (recommended)
  

Mac® Users

• Mac OS X 10.3x or higher
  
• Apple Safari 1.2 browser or higher to view user manual
  
• 128MB RAM or higher
  
• CD or DVD drive to install software
  
• DHCP-configured Network (recommended)
  
• Network hub, switch, or router (recommended)
  

Specifications

• Oxford 810SE chipset with 370MHz CPU and 64MB RAM
  
• One 7200 RPM, SATA II HDD
  
• 10/100/1000 Mbps capable Ethernet Connection (RJ-45)
  
• One USB 2.0 port
  

General
Processor

• Oxford 810SE @ 370Mhz
  

Operating System

• EMC® LifeLine™ Home
  

Device Support

• Print server; DMA support: Xbox 360™, PlayStation 3®, ScreenPlay™ Pro HD, iTunes (Firefly); Windows SMB (CIFS); NFS; DLNA® certified/UPnP™ devices
  

Included Software

• EMC® Retrospect® Express HD (Backup and Disaster Recovery) (PC/Mac).
  
• MozyHome™ online service (2GB free)
  

Storage

• One (1) SATA II hard drive.
  

Physical Dimensions

• Width: 4.92 in
  
• Length: 7.83 in
  
• Height: 1.57 in
  
• Weight: 2.45 lbs

Get it now: iomega.com

Microsoft disappoints once again with Windows 7 beta download

Updated: Jan 9th, 2009 5:48 PM PST

Microsoft has been in the software game long enough to know that when you're announcing a release as big as an operating system to millions of techies, you release it when you say you will and you anticipate that the servers are going to get overloaded. Imagine Microsoft, the world leader in server technology, 24*7 server support, best in class knowledge of how to maintain servers with 0 downtime, etc etc, manage to have their servers down for over 6 hours now.

Wow! What kind of support can Microsoft give others when their servers have been down for hours? Is this what we are supposed to expect with the new Windows OS?

Updated: Jan 9th, 2009 4:42 PM PST (Windows 7 delayed)

Microsoft has delayed the public release of its Windows 7 beta download due to an overwhelming demand that its servers couldn't handle.

Windows 7 Beta Delay

The announcement was made late Friday afternoon in a posting at the official Windows 7 Blog.

"Due to very heavy traffic we're seeing as a result of interest in the Windows 7 Beta, we are adding some additional infrastructure support to the Microsoft.com properties before we post the public beta," the message explains.

The post does not give a definitive time for when the Windows 7 beta will be made available again.

"We want to ensure customers have the best possible experience when downloading the beta, and I'll be posting here again soon once the beta goes live," it says.

Overwhelming Demand

Reports as early as Friday morning indicated that Microsoft's servers were being crushed by the demand for Windows 7, even before the files were initially posted. Microsoft had planned to allow only the first 2.5 million users to download the operating system. The company has indicated it would like to have the software fully tested and ready for its final release by the end of the year.