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Monday, December 08, 2008

Nvidia Badaboom and ATI Avivo GPU Video Transcoders Battle to the Death [Video]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/oduKhmBAHvk/nvidia-badaboom-and-ati-avivo-gpu-video-transcoders-battle-to-the-death

Dedicated graphics cards from ATI and Nvidia used to be critical just for gamers and pros, but now they do a lot more than make splattered guts look good. Like make video transcoding really fast.

PC Perspective compared GPU-powered video transcoding programs from ATI and Nvidia—Avivo and Badaboom, respectively, which work exclusively with their own graphics cards.

The Nvidia Badaboom transcoder wins on interface, looks and ease of use, though you need an Nvidia card that supports CUDA, limiting it to relatively recent GPUs. ATI's Avivo uses a crappy wizard format and is kind of ugly, but it has a wealth of options and outputs that Badaboom simply doesn't offer. It's also faster, though it does use more CPU action than Badaboom. And you know, it's free, while Badadoom is $30 if you don't want that gross watermark.

Avivo slightly edges out Badaboom as PCPer's favorite because it's faster and more powerful, though one potential downfall is that it has some problems with "video garbage" during WMV and iPod video file playback. Still, both pretty impressively show off the power of GPU-accelerated apps versus standard CPU-driven fare. Either way, it can't hurt to check out Avivo—it's free. [PCPer]

100Mbps Verizon FiOS to (Probably) Arrive in 2009 [FiOS]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/15CQArhlqMg/100mbps-verizon-fios-to-probably-arrive-in-2009

With Comcast upping its speeds to 50Mbps in a few markets, Verizon's gotta roll out a big, round number to compete, so they've announced, and then hedged, the upcoming rollout of 100Mbps FiOS service, starting hopefully in 2009.

Verizon technology director Vincent O'Byrne declared 2009 the year America finally breaks the 100Mbps barrier that Hong Kongers have, well, long since passed. O'Byrne was quick to note that the bump in speed isn't really essential to most Verizon customers, but that the number represents more of a marketing milestone that could give them a one-up on chief competitor Comcast.

Later, a Verizon spokesperson contacted Telephony Online, the original reporter, to perform some spectacular hedging: "Verizon expects to have its delivery processes for speeds like that locked down in 2009 so that service with speeds approaching 100 Mb/s would be enabled in the very near future," the spokesperson said. So Verizon is going to hit that landmark 100Mbps soon, but it appears for now there's no guarantee. No pricing was made available, either, although the current fastest tier, at 50Mbps, costs $145 without bundled phone service. [DSL Reports]

How would you change the Slingbox Pro HD?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/05/how-would-you-change-the-slingbox-pro-hd/

Sling Media's Slingbox Pro HD arrived with lofty expectations, and while the box handled its core tasks reasonably well, we found it to have some issues on the software side. The good news there is that software is modifiable, which means Sling could definitely improve matters in the near future. To that end, we're interested to see how you'd change the high-def-capable placeshifter. Any bugs you want knocked out? Any particular hardware traits you aren't fond of? Is it simply too difficult for your mother-in-law to get working? Sound off below! You never know -- someone important may be listening.

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

How would you change the Slingbox Pro HD? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Dec 2008 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget reader meetup / holiday party in NYC, December 19th!

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/05/engadget-reader-meetup-holiday-party-in-nyc-december-19th/

This is the one you've been waiting for, Engadget fans. We've decided to end the year on a high note with a big reader meetup and holiday bash for our faithful readers! On December 19th, we're blowing it out at the completely amazing Hiro Ballroom in Manhattan. We'll have a big selection of gear and giveaways on hand, including products (both to play with and to win) from: Nokia, Microsoft, T-Mobile, Voodoo, SanDisk, Peek, Sling, Rhapsody, and more! And believe us, there really is more to come. Here are a few details:

We're giving away tens of thousands of dollars in gear! Including...
SanDisk 2GB, 4GB, or 8GB microSD cards for the first 200 people through the door!
Free food, and free drink tickets for the first 500 people, totally awesome music all night
Live Q&A session with Engadget editors
The event is 18 TO ENTER / 21 TO DRINK, and ADMISSION IS FREE. Sorry younger readers, but we'll do a follow-up all ages event soon!

When: Friday, December 19th, 7:00PM to 12:00AM

We're still working out details as well as adding to our roster of giveaways and companies which will be in attendance, so expect updates as we move towards the event. If you're planning on coming, shout it out in the comments!

Filed under: Announcements

Engadget reader meetup / holiday party in NYC, December 19th! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Dec 2008 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SIM / hardware-unlocked Android Dev Phone 1 surfaces for $399

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/05/sim-hardware-unlocked-android-dev-phone-1-surfaces-for-399/

Oh, snap! Out of seemingly nowhere, Google has revealed the Android Dev Phone 1, a SIM- and hardware-unlocked G1 designed to be sold exclusively to hard working developers. The handset ships with a system image that's fully compatible with Android 1.0, and obviously, it complies with any SIM card and can "flash custom Android builds that will work with the unlocked bootloader." In other words, the mobile should seriously appeal to devs who live far, far away from areas blanketed with T-Mobile coverage. In order to get one, you must first register as an Android developer on the Android Market site (which involves a one-time $25 setup fee); once you're in, you simply surf over and nail the "Purchase" link. For $399 (including free shipping in the US of A), this swanky G1 -- custom back and all -- can be yours, and it's scheduled to ship in 18 international markets soon. Would it be too much to yell "snap!" again?

[Thanks, Ryan]

Gallery: SIM / hardware-unlocked Android Dev Phone 1 surfaces for $399