apeman.org » video

Adobe Flash on Android

apeman — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 05:53:57 +0000

I know a lot of new android users have been asking “will there be flash support”, well here is a demo of flash running on the T-Mobile G1 (same hardware as the Rogers HTC Dream).

Looks promising, hopefully this will be available soon!

New 6141 firmware enables PVR on Bell TV

apeman — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 04:39:49 +0000

The day Bell 6141 HD reciever owners have been waiting for is finally here. Last week, Bell TV (ExpressVu) began delivering firmware version 165 to customers. This new firmware, allows customers to connect a USB 2.0 drive to their 6141 receiver and record video!

You now have a HD PVR with nearly unlimited video recording storage, as you can swap drives to allow you more recording time. Please note that once data is recorded onto the drive, you cannot connect the drive to a computer; nor can you connect the drive to a different 6141 receiver. The 6141 can accept a USB drive up to 1 Terabyte in size, giving you a max recording capacity of up to 100 hours of High Def content.

If you have problems getting your USB drive to work, power cycle your 6141 and you should be good to go.

Please feel free to post your experiences in the comments.

TLC HD now available on Bell

apeman — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 01:32:22 +0000

In case you haven’t noticed, Bell quietly rolled out TLC HD around December 10th to all subscribers that currently receive TLC as part of their subscription. Content is simulcast from the regular TLC found in the 500′s. I have not watched it enough to notice if they are simply stretching the SD content or not. From a quick look, it appears to be in HD.

You can find TLC HD on channel 826.

In case you don’t have Bell Satellite TV, you can also get TLC HD on Shaw Cable, and Starchoice in Canada.

ExpressVu 6141 HD receiver now available

apeman — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 06:00:20 +0000

This receiver is the second MPEG-4 based receiver released by Bell. Based on the spec’s, this unit will be replacing the 6100 model. The cool thing about this new unit is that it is not a PVR, but it will become a PVR later this year when Bell releases new firmware activating the USB port! This will allow you to connect an external hard drive or an Archos 605 and 705 portable media player.The 6141 HD receiver comes with the PVR remote, and an new EPG (electronic program guide) allowing you to view up to three days of programming on the screen at one time.

Output ports include: Coax, Component, S-Video, Optical, HDMI.

Inputs: 1x Satellite In, OTA Antenna

USB, and Ethernet for future use.

If you have the new 6141, please feel free to post a comment with your experiences or questions.

HD Channels available in Canada

apeman — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 05:16:02 +0000

Hugh at Digital Home has released his updated report listing what HD channels are available to Canadian consumers. I look forward to this report, but I find my self starting to feel as if the grass is greener on the other side of the country (I’m on the west coast), especially considering that Cogeco is now offering 25 HD channels in their Ontario line up.

[My commentary on the report follows after the jump]…

A cursory glance at the chart shows Rogers and Bell ExpressVu neck and neck, they don’t have all the same channels, but with ExpressVu not adding any new channels in the last couple of months, Rogers could take the lead in Canada. ExpressVu needs to pick up a few more channels if they want to remain the dominant HD player in Canada. ShowCase HD has been out for quite a few months, and according to the charts, it has a medium ammount of content, and would be a great asset. (this is unlike A&E HD which is a total waste of HD bandwidth stretching an SD signal to HD — not any fault of Bell I might add).

Shaw cable has been making a few strides forward, which is good to see. I havn’t looked at a Shaw HD box in a while, so I am not sure if they have resolved some of their bandwidth issues yet. I do know quite a few Shaw employee’s who are on ExpressVu simply due to the ammount of HD Content.

Videotron and Cogeco have the most HD french channels, but who really cares about that, its a waste of bandwidth for most of the country. (kidding really).

SaskTel Max is really impressive, 27 HD channels over their ADSL 2+ based network is very impressive! Considering that SaskTel serves a much much smaller market than TELUS, they are the most technologically advanced ILEC in Canada. Telus really needs to take a look at SaskTel and roll up their sleves and get to work upgrading their network. Right now, you can’t really buy TELUS TV. I would like to review Telus TV once it makes its appearance in my area.

New ExpressVu HD Receivers delayed until Q4/2007

apeman — Sun, 13 May 2007 15:35:08 +0000

The much anticipated MPEG4 replacements for the ExpressVu 6100 and the 9200 have been delayed until the fourth quarter of 2007 according to a memo released to ExpressVu dealers. With this announcement, its also been revealed that Bell does not forsee moving to MPEG4 broadcasts until 2009, which means that we are not likely to see a mass upgrade program, and that 9200 HD PVR you just purchased is still going to work for a few more years.

Its worth mentioning that ExpressVu has also stated that the Ethernet port, and the USB 2.0 ports on the two new recievers are to be disabled at launch, reserving them for “future use”.

With all of the uncertainty surrounding the new HD receivers, I’m glad I decided to rent my 9200. I won’t loose anything when the new receivers are finally released, and with the date pushed back, the new units will be available at the same time as my contract is up.

First Review: LG BH100 Blu-Ray/HD-DVD Player

apeman — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 06:23:32 +0000

Gizmodo has a review up of the first HD / Next Generation disc player, compatible with both Blu-ray and HD-DVD. Read on for the full review, full gallery, screenshots, and how it stacks up to the Xbox DVD Drive.

Showcase HD and National Geographic HD have Launched

apeman — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 03:12:06 +0000

Well today is December 20th, and that means that Showcase HD and National Geographic HD have launched in Canada. If you subscribe to Rogers Digital Cable, Shaw Digital Cable, or Star Choice Satellite, you can recieve both of these new HD channels.

Notice someone missing? Bell ExpressVu does not yet have National Geographic HD, or Showcase HD. Currently, both channels are expected to launch on Express Vu sometime around Feburary 28th 2007. This comes as a surprise that Express Vu has not launched these two channels, given that they are sure to be quite popular, and even more surprising because Express Vu is the High Definition leader in Canada.

I’m not sure what Bell is thinking, but they must have their reasons. Even after the addition of these two new channels to the competitors line ups, Express Vu is still in the lead with the most HD channels in Canada.

One more thing, Kenny vs. Spenny is going to be shown in HD.

New features of Beryl (svn)

apeman — Sun, 26 Nov 2006 21:08:59 +0000

from digg:
Demonstration of a few new features in Beryl 0.1.3 from SVN. Turn your speakers off, though… there’s an annoying click throughout the clip.
You can watch a demo here or view the digg story.

Beryl+aiglx on Ubuntu Edgy is very slick, and aiglx is supported out of the box in Edgy. I’ll have a how to up about this shortly.

DVD Shrink on Ubuntu Tutorial

apeman — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 01:26:28 +0000

Here is A great tutorial on how to get DVD Shrink and DVD Decrypter working under Ubuntu Linux using Wine. Ubuntu has been getting a lot of press lately, and for good reason.

[via digg]