Several manufacturers make media hubs to connect your computer and television. And other gadgets feature networking capabilities.
July 4, 2007 (Press Release) --
You've probably got home videos stored on your computer. And video is proliferating on the Internet. You can download movies, television shows and more online.
Wouldn't it be great if you could watch this video on your television? Well, you can, but the television must be connected to your computer or the Internet.
Several manufacturers make media hubs to connect your computer and television. And other gadgets feature networking capabilities. They can join your TV to the Internet or your home network.
Unfortunately, there are many video standards and these gadgets are only compatible with a few of them. So, pay attention to compatibility when you buy. And figure on getting to know one of the video converters below.
Apple TV
Apple made headlines when it released the Apple TV ($299) this year. This small box features a 40-gigabyte hard drive and wireless networking. It can also connect to your network via Ethernet cable. Apple has since released a new version with a 160GB hard drive for $399.
The Apple TV has won praise for its design and ease of use, but there are drawbacks. Video support is limited. You can only watch video in the H.264 or MPEG-4 formats.
The video quality is also limited, and the Apple TV won't play files larger than 4GB.
The Apple TV is ideal if you download videos from Apple's iTunes Store. It is the only media hub that will play Apple's protected files. Apple TV has also added support for videos from the popular YouTube Web site.
But you'll probably need to convert your home videos to watch them. You can use MediaCoder or Videora. They're both free. Or Xilisoft Video Converter ($35) will do the trick. I have links to these programs at www.komando.com/news.
The Apple TV won't play protected videos from other download services.
Microsoft Xbox 360
Microsoft's Xbox 360 ($300) connects to your television. It plays video stored on Windows XP or Windows Vista computers. The computers must have Windows Media Player 11, Windows Media Connect or Zune software.
It will also download movies and shows directly from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace. Both standard and high-definition formats are available. Downloaded videos are stored on the Xbox 360's hard drive. If your Xbox 360 does not include a hard drive, you must buy one.
The Xbox 360 only plays WMV (Windows Media Video) files. But WMV files may use different codecs (compressor-decompressors). Codecs are used to encode and decode the video. The Xbox 360 supports most popular WMV codecs, but not all. You may need to convert your home videos to play on it. Again, you can use MediaCoder, Videora or Xilisoft Video Converter.
The Xbox 360 plays protected videos from movie sites like Vongo and Movielink.
TiVo
Newer TiVo digital video recorders will play movies and shows from Amazon's Unbox service. You can buy or rent videos. DirecTV TiVo subscribers cannot download via Unbox.
You purchase the videos via your computer, and then you can opt to have them downloaded to your TiVo. You don't need to connect your TiVo or television to your computer, but your TiVo must be connected to the Internet.
Unfortunately, not all Unbox videos will work with a TiVo. You must look for a special designation on Amazon's site.
Other media hubs
D-Link, Netgear and Buffalo also make media hubs. Prices range from about $200 to $300. These will play videos stored on your computer, including videos from popular download sites.
The media hubs can stream video wirelessly or over a wired network. They can also show pictures and stream music.
The supported video formats may differ between manufacturers. The same goes for connections to your television. Research before you buy. These won't work with files with Apple's copy-protection software.
Wouldn't it be great if you could watch this video on your television? Well, you can, but the television must be connected to your computer or the Internet.
Several manufacturers make media hubs to connect your computer and television. And other gadgets feature networking capabilities. They can join your TV to the Internet or your home network.
Unfortunately, there are many video standards and these gadgets are only compatible with a few of them. So, pay attention to compatibility when you buy. And figure on getting to know one of the video converters below.
Apple TV
Apple made headlines when it released the Apple TV ($299) this year. This small box features a 40-gigabyte hard drive and wireless networking. It can also connect to your network via Ethernet cable. Apple has since released a new version with a 160GB hard drive for $399.
The Apple TV has won praise for its design and ease of use, but there are drawbacks. Video support is limited. You can only watch video in the H.264 or MPEG-4 formats.
The video quality is also limited, and the Apple TV won't play files larger than 4GB.
The Apple TV is ideal if you download videos from Apple's iTunes Store. It is the only media hub that will play Apple's protected files. Apple TV has also added support for videos from the popular YouTube Web site.
But you'll probably need to convert your home videos to watch them. You can use MediaCoder or Videora. They're both free. Or Xilisoft Video Converter ($35) will do the trick. I have links to these programs at www.komando.com/news.
The Apple TV won't play protected videos from other download services.
Microsoft Xbox 360
Microsoft's Xbox 360 ($300) connects to your television. It plays video stored on Windows XP or Windows Vista computers. The computers must have Windows Media Player 11, Windows Media Connect or Zune software.
It will also download movies and shows directly from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace. Both standard and high-definition formats are available. Downloaded videos are stored on the Xbox 360's hard drive. If your Xbox 360 does not include a hard drive, you must buy one.
The Xbox 360 only plays WMV (Windows Media Video) files. But WMV files may use different codecs (compressor-decompressors). Codecs are used to encode and decode the video. The Xbox 360 supports most popular WMV codecs, but not all. You may need to convert your home videos to play on it. Again, you can use MediaCoder, Videora or Xilisoft Video Converter.
The Xbox 360 plays protected videos from movie sites like Vongo and Movielink.
TiVo
Newer TiVo digital video recorders will play movies and shows from Amazon's Unbox service. You can buy or rent videos. DirecTV TiVo subscribers cannot download via Unbox.
You purchase the videos via your computer, and then you can opt to have them downloaded to your TiVo. You don't need to connect your TiVo or television to your computer, but your TiVo must be connected to the Internet.
Unfortunately, not all Unbox videos will work with a TiVo. You must look for a special designation on Amazon's site.
Other media hubs
D-Link, Netgear and Buffalo also make media hubs. Prices range from about $200 to $300. These will play videos stored on your computer, including videos from popular download sites.
The media hubs can stream video wirelessly or over a wired network. They can also show pictures and stream music.
The supported video formats may differ between manufacturers. The same goes for connections to your television. Research before you buy. These won't work with files with Apple's copy-protection software.
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