Next3D’s plan to bring recorded video to the Oculus Rift

The dream of wearing a lightweight headset, like the Oculus Rift, in order to simulate physical presence isn’t limited to the imaginary worlds of video games. One man’s vision is that of immersive TV shows, movies and live sports. In fact, David Cole, co-founder of Next3D and an industry veteran who helps content creators and providers produce and deliver 3D, has been using his Rift dev kit to bring TV and film to life since the kits started shipping in March. The company is combining its video processing and compression technology with its experience in content production and stereoscopic delivery to offer what it’s called Full-Court.

Next3D hopes to leverage its existing relationships with creators and providers to assist them in jumping into the world of live-action VR content. This includes both pre-recorded and live broadcasts. We wanted to see this firsthand, so we jumped at the opportunity to witness the creation of content and experience the results. This trial run of Next3D’s stereoscopic, 180-degree field-of-view camera rig, and the post-processing to adapt it to VR, was part of the production of the paranormal investigation show, Anomaly, at Castle Warden in St. Augustine, Fla. Being nearby, we braved the perils of the haunted surroundings to tell you about what we hope is only the beginning of virtual reality content.

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Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 9:30PM ET

It’s Monday, and you know what that means; another Engadget HD Podcast. We hope you will join us live when the Engadget HD podcast starts recording at 9:30PM. If you’ll be joining us, be sure to go ahead and get ready by reviewing the list of topics after the break, then you’ll be ready to participate in the live chat.

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Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 9PM ET

It’s Monday, and you know what that means; another Engadget HD Podcast. We hope you will join us live when the Engadget HD podcast starts recording at 9PM. If you’ll be joining us, be sure to go ahead and get ready by reviewing the list of topics after the break, then you’ll be ready to participate in the live chat.

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Verizon FiOS TV rolling out new set-top box Home Page

In the old days, you’d turn your TV on and see video. Typically it would just play whatever channel was on last, but more advanced digital boxes might start at a main menu or specific channel. Verizon’s latest twist on that idea is rolling out video hub office by video hub office, and should reach all 5 million customers’ set-top boxes within a few weeks. Called FiOS TV Home Page, it welcomes viewers by displaying weather and other basic info next to highlighted VOD or Flex View services, all tailored to each customer’s viewing habits. Sure, some might find it useful, but others might be annoyed at seeing the screen for 15 seconds every time they turn on the TV or because there are tiles advertising package upgrades and VOD. Luckily, if simply hitting exit doesn’t stop the pain fast enough then there is an option to disable the screen completely if desired.

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Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 8:30PM ET

It’s Monday, and you know what that means; another Engadget HD Podcast. We hope you will join us live when the Engadget HD podcast starts recording at 8:30PM. If you’ll be joining us, be sure to go ahead and get ready by reviewing the list of topics after the break, then you’ll be ready to participate in the live chat.

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Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 8:30PM ET

It’s Monday, and you know what that means; another Engadget HD Podcast. We hope you will join us live when the Engadget HD podcast starts recording at 8:30PM. If you’ll be joining us, be sure to go ahead and get ready by reviewing the list of topics after the break, then you’ll be ready to participate in the live chat.

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TiVo brings ‘What to Watch Now’ feature to its iPad app

TiVo, the company that made its fortune by making you forget about live television, is now attempting to revamp the traditional TV guide with a new content-discovery feature for its iPad app. The feature, called “What to Watch Now,” is similar in concept to TiVo’s existing Discovery Bar, though the layout is different. Here, you get seven columns of tiles showing what’s currently airing or what you’ve previously recorded. So whether you’re in the mood for sports, prime time, movies, kids programming or whatever happens to be playing on your favorite channel, you’re a tap away from watching it on your TV — or directly on the iPad if you have a TiVo Stream. And of course you don’t have to watch it right now; you can just as easily schedule a recording or season pass and watch it later.

The new feature does seem handy, but configurable options are minimal. Basically, you’re limited to rearranging the columns into a different order and filtering out specific sports you have little interest in — no, you can’t remove sports completely. Speaking of sports, thanks to TiVo’s partnership with Thuuz, some sporting event tiles have a number between zero and a 100 assigned to them to help draw your attention to the most exciting matches currently in play. The new feature is available immediately via the App Store as an update to the existing TiVo application.

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Ceton InfiniTV CableCARD tuners add six tuner, Ethernet options

Almost three years after Ceton’s InfiniTV 4 CableCARD tuner hit the market as an easy and affordable way to watch premium HD cable TV on Windows Media Center, the company is finally rolling out a new variant. We’ve seen price drops, a USB version and a few alternatives from competitors since the 4 launched but a few options were still missing. That included the original six tuner prototype touted at its CES debut and an Ethernet jack for sharing with multiple PCs, but both check boxes have been filled today by the new InfiniTV 6 ETH. It looks a lot like the USB version of the InfiniTV 4, but with an added Ethernet port (the USB port pictured after the break is for a Tuning adapter, not to connect to a PC) and the ability to record six shows at once. It’s available today for $299 from popular online retailers while a six tuner PCIe version is due in June for the same price. Check after the break for a press release with all of the details, plus a quick unboxing and set-up video.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

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Source: Ceton Corp

Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 8:30PM ET

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Seagate Central review: media sharing for the home, plus backup too

We really enjoy the ability to consume content on any device from just about anywhere we may roam. The cloud has been a big part of making that happen, but there are still a few things the cloud can’t do nearly as well as local storage — namely, share large files and provide continuous full backups of large media libraries. Attempting to bridge that gap is the Seagate Central. Ranging in price from $189 to $259, depending on whether you get it with 2TB, 3TB or 4TB of space, the Central connects to your home network and gives you a single place to store or back up your content, making it accessible both at home and on the go. That’s the idea, anyway. But what about the reality?

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