This is probably the cheapest media streamer on the market to date – Roku just released a new member of the Roku 2 family, called Roku 2 LT. The miniature box features all the features of its big (and more expensive brothers) like Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Video on Demand, Pandora, Facebook, Tweeter, Revision 3, HBO Go and hundreds of other installable channels but no gaming capabilities (sorry Angry Birds), no Bluetooth and no wired Ethernet, but it does include WiFi. The max resolution is capped at 720p, which is fine of you are limited by the TV anyway. The price? $49 which makes it really budget friendly and no excuse not to add it behind every TV in your house.

Beside the limited resolution, LT is remarkable through its purple case. As we mentioned, the software capability is similar with the rest of Roku 2 family and you can read a full review of Roku 2 XS right here.

If you want a good quality capacitive IPS LCD screen tablet for a really low price, Buy.com has Nook Color for only $149 for a week or so starting today. While Nook Color by itself is a really nice eReader, it will really shine once you get CyanogenMod 7 to run on it and convert it into a full featured tablet. See our Nook Color review and complete instructions in how to root it and install the new Android CyanogenMod 7 OS in here. Full Google Android Market and Amazon App Market are also available as it is Hulu Plus and Netflix. At $149, it is really a no brainer. 8+ hours battery life and support for every eBook format under the sun including PDF and EPUB guaranteed, 0.48 inches thin, WiFi and microSDHC support are also worth mentioning features.

via Buy.com

Like many other people I was fortunate enough to score a $99 HP TouchPad and while it is no iPad 2, it certainly worth the investment. I got to play with it for about a week, tweaked it to my needs and the experience accumulated is described in this comprehensive guide that will enable everybody to get the most out of this toy, at least until a stable Android port is available.

Before proceeding with the following steps, do not forget to update the TouchPad OS to its latest version, currently 3.0.2. It will bring a large number of improvements including a much more responsive app store.

Step 1: Root / enable developer mode on HP TouchPad

While actually rooting the device is not the same as enabling side loading apps, the latter is what most users really want.

1. To enable developer mode, navigate to the Home / Just type box and input webos20090606 or upupdowndownleftrightleftrightbastart. A windows will pop-up where you can turn the developer mode to On. The default password for developer mode is empty but you can set a new one if you want to limit access to the developer mode.

Once the developer mode is enabled, you can side load apps using Preware, webOSQuickInstall or InternalzPro. Read More…

Yesterday I had the pleasant surprise to find a package in front of my door – the new Roku 2 3100X has arrived. I unpacked it immediately so I can put it to the test – here is the Roku 2 XS review summing my impressions. I also own the previous Roku (review here)  box for more than a year, so I knew what to expect. I knew the software would be similar, so I was mainly interested in the new box responsivity and of course, the new gaming platform Roku just launched.
A bit of history on the side – Roku was the first company to release a dedicated streaming box and they are now at the 3rd generation. While weak for local content, they have arguably the lagest selection of streaming choices with content from Netflix to Vimeo and UFC to FoxNews. Private channels can be added as well to support Plex, YouTube, PlayOn, etc.

Read More…

Well, what do you know? After many months of waiting and delays, Samsung Blu-ray players – 2010 models (and that also means non 3D ones) got a new firmware update – I downloaded it immediately on my BD-C7500 player  and after installing it I surfed to the Samsung App store – much to my surprise, I saw a brand new Hulu Plus Application, available until now only on Samsung’s flagship 2010 models with 3D capabilities. After I played with it for a while, I have to report it features the same interface as any other Hulu Plus compatible device, it runs quite nice and it is much more responsive than its Roku equivalent. In terms of streaming performance, I prefer more my Samsung connected Blu-ray player than my Roku box which is just too slow. Of course, Roku 2 boxes are around the corned, scheduled to release very soon and they might come with a faster processor, but until then, my Netflix / Hulu Plus enabled Samsung BD-C7500 rocks. Read More…

Update : I am able to stream perfectly on my Nook Color. Cool!!! My Nook Color has its build.prop changed to HTC to solve the Netflix chipmunk issue. Another issue I had was that while the movies from Miramax (ad free) streamed perfectly, the TV Shows (ad loaded) were stuck at buffering, during the initial advertisement. The reason, at least for my machine was that I had AdFree for Android installed. If you experience this, use AdFree Revert option to revert back to the original host file. You will loose ad blocking feature but you will earn perfect Hulu Plus streaming.

Update 2: I made a short movie demo-ing Hulu Plus on Nook Color

Well, this qualifies as a breaking news. Promised quite a while ago, Hulu Plus app finally made its way on the Android Platform, although, in a manner similar to Netflix, it is not for everybody. More specific, Hulu Plus apk is available only on 6 Andrdoid devices for now, and the lucky ones are Nexus One, Nexus S, HTC Inspire 4G, Motorola Droid II, Motorola Droid X, and the Motorola Atrix. Not sure if the problem is the DRM capability cooked into the hardware or just based on popularity. You can get the Hulu Plus right now from the Android Market. The Hulu availability is a huge step for the Android platform in its quest to offer the equivalent in entertainment apps with iOS. In my opinion, now that both Netflix and Hulu Plus are available, it is very close to achieving this goal. Read More…

Miramax signed a deal recently with Netflix to bring many of their movies to your instant queue and today they announced a second partner for streaming – Hulu. Many quality movies in the collection including Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Clerks, Sling Blade, The English Patient, Trainspotting, Good Will Hunting and Amelie are available on Hulu Plus starting today. Regular Hulu service which is free will not have the new package available.

What is really interesting and a radical departure from the standard Hulu Plus experience is that the new Miramax movies will stream ad-free (and HD). I wonder if this is a sign that Hulu is trying to be more competitive against Read More…

1. Introduction

2010 is certainly a year where media streaming boxes really flourished. From cheap dedicated media streamers like WD TV Live Plus and Apple TV, going through (although unreleased yet  Boxee Box) and ending with more expensive (for now) Google TV boxes from Sony and Logitech (Revue) there is enough diversity to satisfy everyone. The questions are: Do they succeed in offering a truly enjoyable experience? Which one is better / simpler to use / easier to integrate in your existing Home Theater?

Google TV’s entry in the media streamers market is here and it hopes to bring more than mere streaming. Its main purpose is convergence and the ability to search / reach for your media in a unified manner, while enjoying the comfort of your own couch. Does it succeed? We’ll try to find out in Review’s Horizon ambitious take to review this complex box.

2. Sony Google TV Unpacking Read More…

Let’s face it, we all knew that HULU Plus price was really high at $9.95, especially considering how much you would get from Netflix at the same price and apparently  HULU figured it out  - the price is the cause of the lackluster performance or at least the high price combined with low quality content. As a result, the company is considering a 50% price drop to a low $4.95 / month in the hopes the service adoption will jump-start.

The HULU Plus is currently available on the iPad, XBOX 360 and Sony PS3 which is impressive, but Netflix is currently available on a much larger number of devices including most modern Blu-ray players, connected TV sets, cheap set top boxes as WD TV Live Plus, iPhone and the recently launched Google TV. At $8.99, Netflix also provides significantly more content and no commercials. HULU is making you pay a monthly fee AND is forcing you to watch commercials.

What is your opinion? What would it take to make get a HULU subscription?

We know Netflix’s agreement with Microsoft will soon expire and everybody expected to have Netflix on their PS3 consoles without the need of the annoying disc. Well, wait no longer, it will come next week. No later than October 18th Netflix’s new user interface will come on PS3 and even better, some movies will get the 1080i treatment, subtitles and 5.1-channel surround sound…Impressed? You should be, it is the most advanced Netflix implementation to date. Apparently Netflix will use the same Dolby Digital Plus audio codec used by VUDU HDX and let me tell you, it works really well.

That being said, if you are one of the few that still didn’t get a PS3 yet, now it might be a good time, for holidays. Combined with Blu-ray and Hulu Plus, PS3 just might be one of the best media players / streaming boxes on the market. The 160GB model is available at Amazon for $299 with no taxes and free shipping while the PS3 Move 320GB bundle goes for $100 more.

Check after the break for SOny’s press release and a presentation video of the new PS3 Netflix user interface…Really nice and fluid. Read More…