A new version of ZodTTD's vlc4iphone (it also works on iPod Touch) is now out, bumping up the app to v0.9.8 Beta. Aside form the usual big fixes, this version also incorporates support for firmware 2.0+. Thing is, there's still a volume issue that's keeping the app from getting a public 1.0 release. More in the full article.

Developer ZodTTD has decided to rename ZodPlay back to vlc4iphone, further adding some extensive new upgrades to this homebrew media player for the iPhone and iPod Touch. More details regarding the name change and improvements are available in the full article.

Here's another program for those who are keen on converting videos and uploading them on their preferred gadgets: Called Universal Video Converter. This application is currently on version 6.0.2, and was created by Victorious from DivxTurka.Net

Know more about this program via the "read more" link below.

Download: Universal Video Converter v6.0.2

Ever heard of Unlimited Video for PsP, the video encoding homebrew application for the Sony PlayStation Portable? Well homebrew developer lefbe tipped us off to a new version of that same software line, only this time its aimed at the Apple iPod and iPhone. It'll work with Classic models, Nanos, and the iPod Touch, and jailbroken iPhones. Details to unfold at the full story.




Download: Unlimited Video for iPod and iPhone final (Microsoft Installer format)

Remember when we told you of stuff that the Apple TV is doing that it's not supposed to do: i.e., running Apple TV on a MacBook, and getting the Xvid to work on the Apple TV? Those are only some of what you can do with the help of this extensive tutorial from the Tutorial Ninjas.

The Ninjas made it clear that doing the stuff they specify will have to require you to put apart your precious Apple TV. If you get over that quite iffy part, you will be able to do the following stuff:

• Disable the Firewall
• Enable SSH & VNC
• Playing xvid/divx encoded stuff
• Stopping Watchdog
• Running Applications(Firefox, Centerstage, etc)
• Installing Quartz

All you need is a computer (preferrably an Intel Mac), a torx 10 and a torx 8, a way to hook up a 2.5" hard drive to your computer, and a method of SSHv1 into a box. But remember: you're on your own when you start breaking apart your hardware for these mods; albeit the steps that the Ninjas provided, available on the "via" link below, can be very detailed.

  

Streaming television is a growing market that features industry giants like Apple, Microsoft, and Sony vying for a place right in your living room. But all the hype has left you stumped: the Apple TV has come out and you're wondering if you should change plans on purchasing a brand new Mac Mini with a cheaper, more dedicated Apple TV.

Well, it's really about what you think is right for you. Cost aside, the Apple TV and the Mac Mini are not in the same product category. The Apple TV is an appliance, while the Mac Mini is a compact computer. The compact and sleek Apple TV box shovels video from your computer to your television, while the slightly larger Mac Mini can run a full instance of Mac OS X, allowing you to view movie content encoded in DivX, XviD and VIDEO_TS.

The Apple TV can play anything an iPod can, though it does not fully support 5.1 surround sound. A Mac Mini has 20 GB more of hard drive space, 256 MB more of system memory, three more USB ports, a Firewire port, and room for a decent DVD-writer. The Apple TV does have NVidia-powered video compared to the Mini's Intel integrated feature, and does sport the 802.11n wireless connectivity, making streaming large files smoother.

Aside from all the technical specifications, you might also want to consider that the Apple TV is pretty easy to use. A user-friendly GUI menu and intuitive interface can get you streaming television in no-time. But some people have discovered that the HD capability of the Apple TV is slightly so-so, having problems keeping up the proper frame rate while streaming HD TV in some cases. The Mac Mini, being a computer, requires maintenance, though it is more useful in other things such as serving as a backup file storage.

An Apple TV or a Mac Mini? It's a tough one, but you could probably do with either. On a personal note, you couldn't go wrong with a Mac Mini, if you can afford it.

Ever since Jobs decided to set the digital entertainment world on fire with his declaration of the (still temporarily code-named) iTV, the curious have been asking, "Well, what exactly is the iTV?" We ourselves, among many others, have only been able to give snippets of information as they came. And we're just as curious as you guys are.

Enter Macworld. Even they don't have as close a look as they would have liked of the iTV, but being the Mac experts that they are, have decided to proceed with what Steve Jobs has said about the iTV, gathered stuff from the September 12 presentation, and gave this FAQ on the iTV. So to all who've been asking what exactly is the iTV, here are highlights of their extensive FAQ:

• What is iTV? We've once called it the Living Room Mac, based on the educated guess of a New York Times writer, because it IS a Living Room Mac. It combines the digital media convergence of the Mac's Front Row - which connects your digital TV to a Mac CPU and to the Internet beyond - with the wireless ease of AirPort. A lot easier than hooking up the Mac Mini to the TV. iTV will stream iTunes media running off a Mac or Windows PC and can be operated with the Apple Remote.

• The "temporarily-named" iTV? It can change. Call it Apple's iDevice-prefixing penchant. The thing is, Elgato's already making the eyeTV, a digital TV receiver. Even Apple has an "iTV" branded accessory out there with the Monster iTV link. Steve Jobs called it an internal code-name. It is a snappy, albeit temporary, code-name, though.

Want to know more? Read the full article after the jump!

DivX released its famous codec for the Mac. Almost universally found in PCs, DivX for Mac 6.5 is the first Mac version officially released by the company.

DivX is a codec (compression/ decompression) software that crunches video from virtually any source to a size that is easy to transport over the Internet. But despite the significant reduction in file size, the original video's quality remains unchanged. The software's video compression power is so efficient it can fit the entire contents of a DVD on a regular data CD.

If you've never used a DivX before, trust us it's not complicated. The DivX for Mac 6.5 lets you convert your videos to DivX by the fool-proof drag-and-drop method. Simply drag the file to the DivX Converter and clck on the Convert button.  That's all there is to it.  The DivX for Mac download includes:

• DivX Player 1.0.1
• DivX Community Codec 6.2.2
• DDivX Community Codec 6.2.2

DivX for Mac 6.5 requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later and QuickTime 6 or later. The Pro Version costs $19.99 which is a good deal if you ask us.

For older machines using older Macintosh operating systems, you can use the DivX 5.2.1. DivX 5.2.1 for Mac works with Mac OS 10.2.6 to 10.3.9. However, DivX 5.2.1 is not compatible with Mac OS 10.4 or QuickTime 7. DivX 5.2.1 for Mac includes an mp3 encoder and also costs $19.99.

Hauppage has officially announced a new software suite that will make it possible for PC users to record television shows to transfer and watch on an Apple iPod. Called Wing, the software is available as a download on the company's website, or from selected retailers.

This comes as a worthy app for everyone who is tiring of paying $2 per show on iTunes. Though it remains to be seen how good the quality output is on the program, and its ease-of-use, the product is availble now.

According to Pocket-lint, the $24.95 package aims to complements Hauppauge's PC-based WinTV-PVR and HVR personal video recorders. Wing records in H.264, MPEG-4 and Divx formats, and also will record directly to a recordable DVD disk. The application can also be used to transfer shows and other media onto the Sony Playstation Portable.

[Via, Pocket-lint]