Streaming Networks iRecord Pro Fills Your PMP with Videos on the go

We had reported on the first generation of the iRecord back in April of last year and now it looks like the good people over at Streaming Networks have released a successor: the iRecord Pro. This is a similar device to the first generation, but adds better quality and more recording options.
The new Pro version also allows you to record in full D1 quality allowing for even better images on your portable device. Actually you might be hard pressed to find a PMP that can play video at D1 resolution( 720x480 ).

The iRecord Pro works with both PCs and Macs and connects via USB. The device will let you convert MPEG-2 files to the H.264/AVC format. The list price for this little sucker is $259.95 which may seem steep, but if you are a person always on the go and you rely on your PMP for your video fix this could be the perfect setup for you. Get all your content formated perfectly and in high quality for your PMP of choice. They are saying this will be released Q2 this year( which technically means any day now ). Here is the site you can check to see when it is released: iRecord.com
via engadget

Hauppauge HD-PVR is Released Earlier then Thought. Get One NOW

We had reported earlier this month that Hauppauge was about to unleash their sweet new HD PVR product, the one that so many people have been dying to get their hands on. Well xmas has come early this year and it has been released about a month ahead of schedule. If you have been dying for a device to record High Definition video off your TV via Component cables then look no further. This seems to have all you could want. Check out the feature list from their site:

Features

Built-in hardware H.264 high definition encoder, for high performance, high quality TV recordings
• Component video input from most high definition cable TV and satellite TV receivers. Optical or stereo audio inputs.
• Record high definition video at up to 1080i resolution, 720p or VGA/D1
• Record at datarates from 1Mbs to 13.5Mbs, constant and Variable Bit Rate
• Blu-ray format AVCHD recordings, so you can burn your TV recordings onto a standard DVD disk (up to 2 hours of video at 5MBits/sec) and playback on Blu-ray DVD players
• Includes HD software video player, so you can playback recordings to your PC screen
• Audio / Video component video loop through to allow HD recording and viewing at the same time
• High Performance Noise Reduction Function
• NTSC,PAL and SECAM Support
• IR receiver for remote control
• IR Blaster to change the TV channels in your set top box

What are you waiting for, grab one and start recording!!

Hauppauge HD-PVR To Debut at the End of May 2008

Hauppauge is never one to shy away from pushing their product line further out and trying to grab a larger share of the video capture market and the new HD-PVR is a great example. This device will capture 1080i video from a component source and do real-time encoding to H.264. People have been wanting a device like this for a long time and by reading the boards you can see that just about everyone is lining up to buy one. So basically if you can grab component out from your TV you can start to record all the video you want with none of that DRM crap that you have to with the proprietary PVR's currently on the market.

We haven't found the link yet, but they are suppose to be taking pre-orders for this already with the price point at $250. If anyone finds the page or has a pre-order already in let us know. We want to grab one ourselves so we would be very interested in any tidbit of knowledge. And as always, as more info about this becomes available we will update you.

via engadget

Pinnacle Video Transfer Device Records Video to USB

Here is a very cool product that can make one of the processes of the digital media world a lot easier. With all the devices that can now playback videos you end up having to convert your library to a bunch of different formats or sizes so you can fit them on anything from an iPod to a full on media streamer. Well Pinnacle has helped solve part of the problem by converting any analog video input and transfer it to a USB device using H.264. They will allow you to chose the desired quality so you can save on space if you don't mind a little reduction in quality. Here is the list of supported devives:

• PSP
• PSP Slim
• USB flash drives
• USB hard drives
• iPod video
• iPod nano third-gen
• iPod classic

via engadget

Review: Elgato Turbo.264 - Video H.264 MP4 Encoder Hardware

We recently purchased the Elgato Turbo.264 - Video H.264 (MP4) Encoder Hardware because we have an older ailing mac-mini that takes forever when encoding anything for our iPhone or Apple TV. The Elgato Turbo.264 - Video H.264 (MP4) Encoder Hardware comes with software and a hardware dongle that plugs into your USB port. The hardware dongle basically has a processor that takes over the encoding of the video from the main processor - and from our tests it works.

You use the included software to convert your Mac videos one at a time or in a batch. The software application that comes with Elgato Turbo.264 offers an easy-to-use choice of five presets: iPod High, iPod Standard, Sony PSP, Apple TV, and iPhone. Turbo.264 converts standard definition television recordings without scaling so that recordings appear on Apple TV in the same resolution they were recorded.
You can adjust size, aspect ratio, overscan, frame rate, data rate, and AAC audio by creating custom settings. This enables you to:

• convert widescreen DVD (VIDEO_TS) video files without black bars.
• tweak video resolution and frame rate;
• adjust the video settings so it plays on your smartphone;
• pick the audio track you wish to go with the main feature when converting VIDEO_TS folders.
• Turbo.264 supports 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios as well as widescreen content.

What used to take over 3+ hours on our older 1ghz Mac-Mini takes a little over an hour now. We love the size of the item, and also the software is drag and drop. If you have a ton of AVI or other formats you want converted, you simply drag them into the encoder software window and pick the output formats you want. The completed encoded movies not only look great, but also get added to iTunes automatically.

Continue reading: "Review: Elgato Turbo.264 - Video H.264 MP4 Encoder Hardware"

Elgato Turbo.264 Video H.264 Encoder - Make Apple TV and iPod Movies Faster

We just purchased the Elgato Turbo.264 - Video H.264 (MP4) Encoder to help making Apple TV and iPod movies a bit easier. Currently we've been using Handbrake to create AVI files (which on our old Elgato 10032011 Eyehome seem to get out of sync less), but recently we downloaded the Connect 360 and think the Apple TV format looks best.

What does the Elgato Turbo.264 - Video H.264 (MP4) Encoder Hardware do? The Turbo.264 is a powerful video encoder in the form of a compact USB 2.0 stick that takes the workload off of your main processor and instead the Turbo.264 does the hardcore encoding. It works with Elgato software included and other Macintosh video applications through Quicktime.

We'll have a full review soon - but so far today we are re-encoding 10 hours of video in only about 7 hours of time using our older Mac Mini. How long would it have taken before without the Elgato Turbo.264 - Video H.264 (MP4) Encoder Hardware? About 3-4 days. Oucher. Long live the H.264!

At Elgato Turbo.264 - Video H.264 (MP4) Encoder Hardware