With broadband connections rising in the United States and YouTube kicking off the share your video genre of Web sites that now has dozens of copycats, consumers have become more accustomed to watching TV, movies and videos on their computers. Additionally, with the dropping price of digital cameras and video cameras, and the video and photo features in cell phones, we now witness a whole new generation of consumers that are creating, editing, sharing and consuming media content online.

Pay-per-view options via Amazon and iTunes deliver video instantly to your computer as opposed to the now dated act of getting in the car and heading to the local video rental store, or waiting for your Netflix movie to physically show up in the mail. Netflix offers a wide collection of streaming video content but rarely provides newly released items for instant streaming.

Realizing consumers’ needs, Hollywood is now listening. They’ve Studio executive have slowly warmed to the idea of putting full shows online within 24 hours of the original air-date on traditional TV. This recent UK article shows the dramatic spike in online views of video based content, further reinforcing how much consumers want this option. With more than 80 sites available to legally stream movies, TV shows and short video clips now, clearly the shift to online content viewing is happening now and fast.

All of this is great news for consumers as it makes entertainment easier and cheaper, however, being stuck to your desk, office or kitchen table with a laptop is not the most enjoyable way to watch his newly available content. Having a dedicated computer to soley serve as a multimedia station for most, is a burden they’d rather not deal with. The set up, the proximity to the TV and figuring out how to use it and where to put it, can cause a huge headache. Anyone who’s taken the time to hang their flat panel TV on the wall and fish the cables down through it to have a clean look knows parking a computer tower under it is not the most aesthetically pleasing option.

There is now a better option available.

IOGEAR has introduced the Wireless Audio / Video Kit, which is changing how everyone views multimedia content from the Internet. A simple, clean and no-hassle hookup with no cables will have the video transmitting from your computer to your HD TV up to 30 feet away.

Now you can easily enjoy your HD TV from the comfort of your couch with the near limitless content available online. Unlike digital video recorders which cost several hundred dollars and require a monthly service fee, once you purchase the Wireless Audio / Video Kit it’s yours. The only other requirements are a TV and a broadband Internet connection.

Use the Wireless Audio / Video Kit for more than just streaming video. Easily show videos you’ve made on your camera after you’ve transferred them to a computer, or setup a slideshow of still photographs on your computer to be displayed when you aren’t watching videos. This technology easily converts your TV into a digital photo frame!

Showing you just how easy it is to connect your PC to TV can be opens a whole new world of exciting possibilities, entertainment and cost savings for you and your family. The added benefit of embracing one of the newest and fastest growing digital trends also means quicker delivery of media and instant gratification.

Internet on TV is a trend that still at the beginning stages of explosive growth and IOGEAR is at the forefront, bringing you cutting edge technology to allow full enjoyment of everything the Internet has to offer and will offer for years to come.

You can pick up or order a Wireless Audio / Video Kit today at Best Buy, Micro Center, Fry’s, Amazon or at our own IOGEAR store.

The Wall Street Journal recently published a story predicting that the larger big-ticket technologies will remain on the shelves and consumers will instead go home with the latest gadgets this holiday season. As this article and other industry experts predict, the average consumer will purchase more affordable gadgets and less ‘blockbuster’ devices this season.


So what does this mean? Well, consumers, like you, are prepared and willing to spend $300 or less on tech gadgets this year. With most of today’s most popular consumer electronics (CE) products falling into this price category, it looks like everything from netbooks, to the latest e-book reader and high fidelity speakers might top 2009 Christmas shopping lists.

As we reflect on these predictions and the recent CE trends, we believe that IOGEAR’s Wireless Audio / Video Kit (MSRP @ $299.95) is a perfect fit for this year’s gift exchange.

We offer the Wireless Audio / Video Kit which allows users to stream both audio and video content (up to 720p) wirelessly from their PC to their TV up to 30 feet away. Users can eliminate unnecessary cable clutter and enjoy the best of the Web on their larger TVs from the comforts of their couch. This solution truly gives you or the person receiving this gift the ability to stream wirelessly from PC to TV a reality.

What other gadgets are you looking to put under your tree this holiday season?

Cheers,
The IOGEAR Team

Take a step back and look at how you and your family use common spaces, specifically the living room.  The living room was traditionally a place for people to gather and discuss current matters, how the day went and future plans.

With technology came multimedia.  First was the radio, then television, video, gaming systems and multimedia computers. Now, broadband Internet and wireless technology has pushed computers that were once confined to the office into our living space.

During this evolution nothing has really been able to control, manage or streamline how we interact with all the different devices in our living rooms – with the exception of the universal remote. But even with the universal remote, it was never easy switching from device to device.

Now, imagine sitting on your couch, watching TV in one moment, then easily switching to your computer to check a few emails and perhaps browse the Web, then switching over to your favorite video game system all on the same TV display and without leaving your couch.

IOGEAR’s latest revolutionary offering allows users to do that and more, in a simple way.  Utilizing an HDMI Multimedia KVMP Switch to seamlessly change between devices takes your home entertainment into a new level of enjoyment.

What’s amazing about this KVMP is the HDMI integration, it allows a single cable to be run for both high video resolution (1080p HD) and sound transfer, which makes setup a breeze.

The HDMI KVMP Switch supports digital inputs from:

• Blu-Ray / DVD players
• Gaming consoles
• Set-top boxes
• Home / office computers

Because the KVMP is designed to connect all of your existing systems to one central display, it becomes the brains behind your home entertainment system. Display Emulation Technology built into the KVMP remembers monitors parameters such as display resolution and eliminates the nagging delay when switching between or booting devices.

One of the new features included with this unit are the two USB 2.0 ports for asynchronously sharing USB devices between computers.  This patented asynchronous switching allows you to switch applications between two connected computers; run one application on one computer while running a second app on another.  You can further expand the ports with a USB hub.

Now you can take the guesswork out of connecting your gaming and multimedia systems to your living room HDTV while utilizing your multimedia computer to its fullest potential with this simple plug-and-play solution.  The HDMI Multimedia KVMP Switch is a complete home entertainment solution to enhance and enrich your living room and turn it into a complete home entertainment center that the whole family can enjoy.

We want to know how your home entertainment setup has evolved over the years. Tell us all about your setup in the comment section below or at our Twitter page. If you have any pictures to share with us, please do so at our FaceBook page. We look forward to your ideas.

Is your small screen shrinking? That’s the question asked of you in IOGEAR’s latest commercial airing on the popular site Hulu.

As people continue to turn to the Internet to view content, they turn to Hulu, one of the most popular sites for entertainment content.

You may remember, Hulu’s own funny commercials featuring Alec Baldwin and Seth McFarlane were a hit when they aired during last year’s Super Bowl.

We thought this would be a perfect place to share with Hulu users just how much better their viewing experience could be with our Wireless Audio / Video Kit.

As you probably know by now, the Wireless Audio / Video Kit helps take you from the small screen to the big screen by wirelessly streaming content from your PC to your television.

What’s your favorite part of the commercial? We really got a kick out of the opening scene.

Cheers,
The IOGEAR team

Over a six-week period, hundreds of gadget-loving people became fans of IOGEAR on Facebook in hopes to win our cutting edge and ground breaking Wireless A/V Kit. The Wireless A/V Kit utilizes Ultra Wideband technology (UWB) to broadcast HD video signals from your home computer or laptop to your HDTV up to 30’ away, changing forever how you enjoy online, streaming content.

From network television sites to funny YouTube videos, streaming video content right to your television has never been easier, or without as much clutter. The Wireless A/V Kit will finally allow you to bridge the gap between your computer and TV without the fuss of running cables, and enable you to enjoy movies, videos and more from the comfort of your couch, not stuck behind a computer desk.

Of the hundreds of fans, we randomly chose Joey Milici to be our winner! Joey, you are in for a real treat and hope you are ready to change how you look at your computer; its just become a home media and entertainment center. Don’t worry about hooking up cables, cutting holes in your walls or even buying a dedicated computer Joey, your existing computer and our Wireless A/V Kit will bridge the gap to your television and bring the Internet into your living room, where it belongs.

It’s been a busy week here at IOGEAR as we prepare for the 2009 CEDIA EXPO, September 9-13 in Atlanta, GA at the Georgia World Congress Center.

Attendees this year will be able to test drive our recently launched Wireless Audio / Video Kit, a product that bridges the gap between the computer, home theater, and stereo systems by streaming both audio and video content (providing HD resolutions up to 720p) to an in-room VGA or DVI display as far as 30 feet away.

We’re also going to be showing off our new HDMI Control Center. The HDMI Control Center gives users the power to control, watch, navigate, switch and interact with various HDMI devices and computers on an HDTV. We’ll share more news on this product next week.

Come by booth #5715 and check out our latest products in the Audio / Video market. We’re excited to continue our innovation and momentum into this space.

Cheers,
The IOGEAR team

The living room truly is where families live today, not like before when it was only used to entertain guests or watch the occasional television show. Nowadays, the living room serves as a sanctuary of sorts; part media room, home office and gaming center. Due to the number of devices connected to each other, it can be somewhat difficult to enjoy all of them in a clean and simple fashion. IOGEAR’s revolutionary HDMI Control Center aims to alleviate some of the confusions.

Introducing the HDMI Control Center to the home market allows consumers to utilize the living room television as a centralized connection point; leveraging both HDMI and USB-powered devices to gain instant access, enjoyment and the freedom of complete user control.

Setting the device up is fairly straightforward. On the back of the HDMI Control Center is a gray area for console where you connect the HDMI cable from your television or monitor to the unit along with the USB-powered wireless keyboard with built-in trackball,. Simply connect the rest of your devices via HDMI and USB for quick and simple setup.



How does it work?

Use the HDMI Control Center to connect and control the following, and enjoy all of them at full 1080p HD resolution.

• Home Computers
• Media server
• Blu-Ray / DVD players
• Gaming consoles (Xbox, Playstation 3)
• HD Set-top Boxes
• Digital Video Recorders

A quick tap on the hot-keys on the wireless keyboard will allow you to quickly switch to your desired devices and IOGEAR’s Display Emulation Technology means it will remember the screen resolution and parameters for each specific device, so you don’t need to adjust your TV each time.


Utilize the USB ports to connect a USB hub or other USB peripheral devices such as external drives or digital cameras. Because you are only sharing a screen session, you can run different applications on your computer and your media server while recording to your DVR all at the same time. The HDMI Control Center comes as a complete kit, ready to install out-of-the-box with everything you’ll need. Clean lines and brushed aluminum on the front fascia will match any home décor and an included headphone jack should be all you need for a little more privacy.

Entertainment in the home has been going on for as long as man could make sounds by beating sticks onto walls. We generally associate home entertainment, as we know it today by starting in the last 19th century with the phonograph. Commonly called a gramophone or record player, these devices started to appear around the 1870’s and played recorded sounds, something almost mind-blowing for the time. Users were limited in the selection of sounds and spoken word titles available though and for the most part, this cutting edge technology was only enjoyed by the wealthy.

The radio came about just before the turn of the 20th century and then subsequently allowed families to enjoy music and spoken word in the comfort of their own home; the need to go to an auditorium was no longer needed. Best yet, no records or cylinders needed to be purchased, the sound was transmitted live, a totally new concept for the time. This led to a whole new way for families and friends to bond, crowded around radio sets and often involved several families since the new technology was expensive. Above and beyond that, the availability for live news and weather events to be broadcast, as they were about to happen, would end up forever changing our lives. We could now get news and information the day of, not the day after from a traditional newspaper.

By the 1940’s the television had made it’s mark, once again revolutionizing how families enjoyed entertainment. With live and recorded broadcasts, families could now see what they had been listening to on the radio. The television changed our lives so much, the invention of the TV dinner was introduced soon thereafter to encourage people to eat a meal easily in front of the television as not to miss out on anything.

Audio quality continued to get better throughout the century, and more portable. By the 1940’s reel-to-reel tape had been introduced and was implemented in every big record company to make masters. Record players were in nearly every home by the 1960 and by the mid 60’s the 8-track tape was introduced. This new pocket sized audio format was slightly larger than a pack of cards and greatly more portable than a record. It also didn’t suffer from the same common problem of records, scratches and dust. The 8-track was such a hit that it had started to become a standard option for the automotive industry, as a way to listen to recorded audio on the roads.

The 70’s brought us the cassette tape, a smaller and more portable audio format that allowed for easy home duplication and recording. The cassette tape player became the standard for automobiles and home stereo systems through the 1990’s and led to such amazing products as the mid-80’s Walkman, forever changing how we enjoy music on the go.

1975 was also an evolution in home entertainment when the Betamax was introduced, an economical way for home users to watch, record and watch video again on their own television. 1976 brought the Betamax rival, VHS. This spawned a rather large format war that VHS ultimately won, and started new businesses that allowed the rental of videotapes, rather than purchasing them outright.

The early 80’s saw a huge change in how music was delivered, this time by the Compact Disc, or CD for short. This more refined technology delivered cleaner sound, more space and no need to flip a tape. The sound also didn’t distort after repeated plays, a common problem with cassette tapes when the ribbon would stretch. This new format was expensive and didn’t catch onto the mainstream consumers until the late 80’s, by the mid 90’s though it had become the defacto standard for how to listen to high quality music.

While the VHS tape forever changed how we enjoyed video at home and the Compact Disc gave us the best sound quality, 1995 introduced the new standard in video, with CD quality sound, the DVD. Bringing a new quality of video with unsurpassed sound, the DVD is still a major player in today’s home video market. Like the video cassette rental stores of the last decade, the DVD has led to the introduction of online rental sites, like Netflix, which allow users to have movies delivered right to their home for enjoyment.

Throughout the 1990’s and into the 21st century home televisions continued to evolve, getting thinner, bigger and with better displays. The two most common models are now LCD and Plasma, both feature high-definition displays, often referred to as HD displays and are considerably thinner than the predecessors. These new displays often include hookups for more than just a DVD player though, the ability to use the television as a monitor for a home computer system is also built into most set designs. Now home entertainment isn’t restricted to broadcast television or recorded media on DVDs or CDs, families can stream internet only radio and television stations right to their HD television and surround sound systems.

Moving forward, Summer 2009 will see the introduction of a new technology from IOGEAR, the Wireless Audio / Video Kit will wirelessly connect a home computer or laptop to a television set. This cutting edge technology will mean no wires are needed and the computer, coupled with a broadband Internet connection, can now bring countless new ways to be entertained at home. With two simple parts to the kit, one to be plugged into the computer, the other into the television, setup couldn’t be any easier, and the lack of cables means a clean, simple design.

The second decade of the 21st century is almost among us, the future is still untold, but if things continue to evolve and revolutionize how they have for the last 100 years, and at the pace they have for the last 20 years, we are clearly in for some mind-blowing, cutting edge home entertainment.

What good is a portable media player if you do not have a way to get the media to put on it?  There are, of course, illegal methods of acquiring digital media, but you don’t have to be a pirate to get the videos or music that you want.  Before going into the details of the sources, we should first discuss the gadget on which to put this free media.

For those who want the professional storage capacity and ability to upscale standard definition content at up to 720p HD resolution while still maintaining the layman’s simplicity and portability, we strongly recommend the Portable Media Player by IOGear.  With 120 GB in available memory, one can store up to 34,000 digital photos, 30,000 songs (MP3), 9 hours of Digital Video (DV), or 50 hours of DVD quality video on a box that is 3.20 in (81mm) wide, 5.25 in (133 mm) long, 0.75 in (19 mm) deep.

Now, the sources for free, legal movie downloads:

• Free Movies and Documentaries in the Public Domain: These are all free movies that have fallen out of copyright – download away.
• OVGuide: a meta search guide to online movies.
• Movies: This enterprising website has taken the time to find and upload clips of hundreds of movies.
• Veoh Cult Classics: Night of the Living Dead, Eraserhead are all included here.
• Watch Free Movies Online: This site is full of classic movies, all free movie downloads.
• The Internet Movie Database: Movie reviews, information about upcoming movie premieres, movie clips, and more.
• AltaVista – Video Search: Search for movies and videos on the Web in virtually any format. Find free movie downloads easily and fast.
• Yahoo Search-Video: Search for videos and movies on the Web. Also includes a link to submitting your own video to Yahoo to be indexed.
• Singingfish: An audio and video search engine. Search for movies, free movie downloads, short movie clips, and always check “Staff Favorites.”
• Google Video Search: Find videos, movies, and TV programs online.
• Netbroadcaster.com: Features trailers, shorts, independent films, and more. Most of the films on this site are free, but some do require subscription access.
• Turner Classic Movies: Lots of trailers, movie clips, and background information on all your favorite classic films. A very cool site.
• Hollywood.com: Trailers, movie clips, and more.
• All Movie Guide:Comprehensive database of film synopses and reviews as well as concise actor biographies.
• Apple Movie Trailers:An extensive collection of brand spankin’ new movie trailers.
• JoBlo.com: Reviews, trailers, scripts, interviews, clips, and a lot more.
• YouTube: you can upload, watch, and search free videos here.
• YouTube, GoogleVideo, and IFilm: Nice mashup of all three services; looks like you’ll need to know exactly what video you want, however.
• Google Video of the Day: Another day, another Google Video of the Day. Varies from funny to interesting to extremely weird.
• LearnOutLoud: free streaming lectures, audio, and video.
• VideoBomb: “Video Bomb filters up the hottest videos on the internet: people submit links to the ‘Incoming!’ page and you bomb the best ones. If a video gets a lot of bombs quickly, it makes it to the front page.”
• Truveo: a video search engine that delivers pretty good results.
• Mefeedia: “Find thousands of videoblogs (video podcasts), and watch them on your computer, video iPod or PSP.”
• The Open Video Project: a shared digital video collection
• Free Documentaries: “Welcome to the Internet’s top resource for finding free documentaries.”
• SearchforVideo: SearchforVideo is a fantastic video search engine with over 6000 sources available for searching at the time of this writing. News, entertainment, viral videos – all searchable here.

(source About.com)

Free, legal music downloads:

• Amazon MP3 Store: The vast majority of the music at Amazon is for sale, but they do have a rotation of free tracks available for download.
• AmieStreet.com: Focused on promoting new and independent music, their downloads range from free to $0.98 as they grow in popularity.
• Archive.org: An enormous collection of public domain music, expired copyright tracks, as well as some free contemporary music.
• ArtistServer.com: It started off as a resource for independent electronic musicians, but is now open to all. All tracks can be downloaded for free.
• BeSonic.com: Offers over 13,000 free tracks from mostly European acts.
• BetterPropaganda.com: A music webzine covering hundreds of music labels, and offering thousands of free & legal songs for you to download.
• CCMixter.org: a site dedicated to music that you can download to remix and post your results, all under the Creative Commons license.
• Download.com: Most people think CNet’s Download.com is just about software, but they also have tens of thousands of free MP3s you can download from new as well as up and coming bands.
• Epitonic.com: A large selection of free tracks from smaller record companies that are free to download with larger releases available for purchase.
• EZ-Tracks.com: Offers over 30,000 legal downloads that are managed through a partnership with the labels. Starts you off with credit for 101 free upon registering.
• FreeAlbums.blogsome.com: A blog that posts reviews of complete albums that are available for free downloads from numerous sources.
• GarageBand.com: Independent bands can upload their music, then have it rated by users, as well as downloaded for free.
• Imeem.com: Features streaming music from all of the major labels as well as numerous smaller companies, with numerous free downloadable tracks.
• ItsFreeDownloads.com: Finding the free downloads on iTunes can be a chore, this site does the work for you and lets you know what’s free each week.
• Jamendo.com: Artists upload their albums under Creative Commons, allowing new listeners to discover their work. Although free, there is the opportunity to donate to the performers of your choice.
• Last.fm: While most people know Last.fm for its streaming and social aspects, they offer a weekly chart of downloadable free mp3s.
• LegalTorrents.com: Proving that not all BitTorrent activity is illegal, LegalTorrents is filled with completely legal material.
• Live Music Archive: Part of Archive.org, features thousands of live performances by smaller bands as well as the likes of the Grateful Dead and Jason Mraz.
• MetalHordes.com: A band promotion site focusing on various forms of heavy metal, and allowing bands to upload mp3s users can download for free.
• MP3.com: Besides their paid section, MP3.com does offer a large selection of free tracks from acts small and large alike.
• MP3.com.au: Focusing on Australian bands, mp3.com.au offers a repository for bands to upload their music for people to download and try for free.
• MP34U: Works in conjunction with Muzic.com, this site finds sources of free music & legal music from all over the Web.
• MP3Raid.com: Searches multiple sources to bring you approximately a million free song downloads.
• Muzic.com: A sister site to MP34U, wherein the artists upload their tracks themselves, and muzic.com helps them promote their work.
• Purevolume.com: Allows independent musicians to set up profiles for themselves, stream their music and gives them the option of enabling their work for free downloads.
• Ruckus.com: Ruckus provides free music to people with .edu email addresses, and requires you to renew your licenses for DRM once a year.
• SoundClick.com: Offering a mixture of signed and unsigned artists the opportunity to set up profile pages and either stream their music or offer it up for free downloads.
• SpiralFrog.com: Major release albums and tracks available for the price of just watching some advertisements.
• Stereogum.com: Daily free mp3s from various artists, as well as rotating free albums.
• TuneShout.com: A site for independent artists to promote themselves. Artists can upload tracks either for free or at a user cost of $0.89.
• We7.com: We7 offers mp3 downloads for free, but they do have advertisements attached to them. If you want them without the ads, they do offer a paid alternative.

(source Mashable)

IOGEAR is not affiliated with, nor is responsible for the content behind the above links.

What are your favorite legal download links?