Although the product page is in Japanese, DesignTechnica has a nice overview of the new Vertex Link MediaWiz HD. This product has some impressive specs, including 802.11g and support for Microsoft's new high-definition (HD) Windows Media Video 9 (WMV9). The HD processing is performed by an Intel Pentium III chip, so you can stream video [...]

Until now, Mac enthusiasts have had few options for turning their computers into TiVo-like digital video recorders. Elgato's EyeTV has stood virtually alone in this arena and they now offer the ability to record over-the-air HDTV broadcasts. EyeTV 500 includes the usual DVR abilities, but adds a few high-end features, like editing and archiving options, [...]

The MediaGate MG-100 is a set top DVD player with ethernet and USB 2.0 ports that enable it to stream media from networked PCs or USB storage devices. The product is a veritable Swiss Army knife, with support for every conceivable file format, such as MP3, WMA, OGG, AAC, MPEG, DivX, XviD, and JPEG. Using [...]

Tatung seems to have slipped a Portable Media Player under the radar. The elio PJ is billed as the world's first hard drive based media player to sport a 2.2" color screen. The press release is rather short on specifics, such as actual drive capacity ("5,000 MP3 titles and 7,000 JPEG photos") and whether the [...]

I coined the term minimalist materialism to define the primary tenet of my pursuit of gadget nirvana. The concept is both objective and an objective. It does not carry the occasionally negative connotation of the individual words, but is meant instead as a principle to be pursued and upheld. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's [...]

Last week, Toshiba announced two DVD/TiVo units. The RS-TX20 and RS-TX60 both feature DVD-R/RW and TiVo Series2 functionality in a single device, with progressive scan component outputs and TiVo Basic. These units join a product line that was previously limited to the SD-H400, an 80 GB TiVo Series2 PVR with a progressive scan DVD player. [...]

Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard are using WinHEC to unveil several concepts. HP introduced new desktop ("Troy") and mobile ("Hermes") PCs that could figure prominently in Microsoft's efforts to improve home networking and multimedia. The Microsoft Home concept positions an entertainment PC as a home gateway, allowing for voice and video management. In short, a Windows Media [...]

#### Problem: Information is too sparse. Solution: Link to website sections devoted to WinHEC Coverage (as opposed to just naming sites) #### The Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) just wrapped up in Seattle, WA and Ziff Davis Media was there to report on all the concepts and products that emerged. Expect even more coverage over the next few days [...]