“Gosh, you've really got some nice toys here.”
// December 10th, 2011 // No Comments » // extras, gear
Thanks for joining The ‘Pimp for the final installment in the series on pimping out your Harmony Remote. Sure, it took a long time, but you know how life can get all up in ya. Busier than a beaver in spring, so cut me some slack, mkay?
// September 17th, 2011 // No Comments » // extras, gear
Pioneer Launches Two New AirPlay-Equipped Home Systems
With all the hype about Airplay, you’d think there would be more devices by now. But the reality has been a little less than the glowing predictions would have led us to believe. Yes, even The ‘Pimp fell prey to the irrational exuberance emanating from the Reality Distortion Field.
While I like the idea of a system that can stream using AirPlay and DLNA (we’re bilingual here), this seems a bit pricey. You could buy a complete HTIB with that kinda money, although it’s a nice trick to have these features built-in.
Still, I think it would be more useful to AirPlay in a TV, so you could get that video love. But TV makers are already having trouble keeping costs in line building in GoogleTV, Boxee, and their own SmartTV guts into new TVs. Anything that eats into the already slim profit margins on TVs is a tough sell, and I don’t think Apple can escape this reality either. Add to that, consumers are lukewarm on the extra wizz-bang.
I’m sure the chipsets for AirPlay support are pretty cheap, but why would TV makers provide another way to bypass their own struggling SmartTV efforts? They are trying to get into the “app store” game too. Why give that over to Apple?
Wish all we want, but I doubt it’s going to happen anytime soon. Who knows, maybe they make their own TVs?
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// September 2nd, 2011 // No Comments » // extras, gear
(Click to enlarge)
The Digital Pimp’s back in the flow, here to bring you mo’. About time, huh? How long has this installment been delayed? Well, the true essence of Pimpin’ is making money, and I do have a demanding career to attend to. But ya know, I’d rather be doing this.
So let’s get to it, shall we?
// August 31st, 2011 // No Comments » // mac, rant
Well, the ‘Pimp has been away for a long time, so you know it would take something monumental to end his uncharacteristically long silence. Steve Jobs’ resignation is just that.
Monumental, but not at all surprising. Anyone who saw his last keynote could tell you that this day was coming soon. He looked frail. His voice was weak. And those of us who pay attention worried about this day coming. Would the stock tank? Would there be a power struggle? Will the company lose its edge?
There’s been more than enough punditry on these points, but that won’t stop The ‘Pimp from adding his voice to the sound of the crowd.
// April 8th, 2011 // 2 Comments » // extras, gear
Thanks for sticking with The ‘Pimp as we explore the many options for setting up the Harmony Remote. If you’ve been reading along, then you know the basics, but now it’s time to get a little deeper. In this part of the tutorial, we’ll explore the complete configuration that controls all the gear in CribMac 2.0. And trust me, that’s a lotta gear.
// March 29th, 2011 // No Comments » // gear, software
Spring has sprung, the grass has riz. If you’re wondering where the flowers iz, check out Apple. They are doing something very uncharacteristic by sowing the seeds of Airplay all over the place. Trust the ‘Pimp….it’s a good thing.
The first products to hit the market were various speakers for audio streaming. Great for piping music wirelessly around your home. Then more recently different types of devices started showing up, from receivers to media streamers. That’s all fine and dandy if all you want is audio. But here at CribMac Command, we answer to a higher power, people.
It’s all about video.
// March 29th, 2011 // No Comments » // gear, news, rant
More Signs Apple Working on ‘Smart TV’ | Cult of Mac.
Let me say it again.
WHEN HELL ICES OVER AND I GET A SLURPEE BRAIN FREEZE DRINKING FROM ITS EVIL DEPTHS.
There. Now, do the math.
TV = low margin business. How low? Mitsubishi is getting out of the LCD TV business for starters, and not many are generating huge profits. Hence the push for Smart TVs, 3D TVs, Microwave TVs…um…you get the picture. Anything to get you to buy a new TV with the latest doodad built-in.
Apple = High-Margin Tight-Rope Artist. How high? Try 30% plus. Now, with tens of billions in the bank, Apple could absorb losses for years if they so chose. But why?
I just don’t see how bringing out yet another Smart TV, even with an Apple logo, makes any sense. People shop for TVs on price. You think Apple will be cheaper?
Doubt it.
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// March 26th, 2011 // No Comments » // extras, gear
Welcome back for Part 2 of The ‘Pimp’s Harmony Remote setup tutorials. Class is in session, y’all, so grab your pencils and pay attention. In the first part, we took a look at the general setup and adding a device to your configuration. This time, we tweak the device settings and add an “activity” for listening to iPod music on my Sherwood receiver.
You can see from the image above that I have added a new device to my setup, but I don’t like the name and may need to tweak a few other things about the device. Just click the Settings button to display a laundry list of options, from the simple to the complex.
// March 16th, 2011 // 2 Comments » // extras, gear
Now that The ‘Pimp has covered the construction and installation to bring this li’l Death Star to operation status, it’s high time to get down to the software & tweaking & configuring. Trust me, there is more to this than you think. The most important in my book is the Harmony One remote.
I have extolled all the virtues of this little marvel, and after 5 years of using various Logitech remotes, I don’t think there is a better system on the market. But I will warn you, it requires some setup, care, and feeding to get it working right. A lot of this depends on you equipment being well-behaved and temper-tantrum free.
So, this will be one of those multi-part series, since there are a lot of tips and tricks to improve your Harmony experience. So stay tuned, won’tcha?
Let’s get started.
// March 5th, 2011 // No Comments » // mac, news, rant
Apple Dropping Front Row HTPC Experience?
The Digital Pimp will gladly say good riddance if this is true. It seems that early builds of their upcoming update to Mac OS X leaves out their very dated Front Row experience. Some time ago, they even stopped bundling the Apple Remote with their computers. So I have serious hope that they will bring over the very slick interface from the Apple TV.
So long, Front Row. We hardly knew ya. And that’s a good thing.
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