Here is the problem: you have a DVR/HTPC hooked up to your TV downstairs, but you have other televisions in your house you wish to use to access the HTPC. How do you distribute the Audio/Video signal to these other television sets?

One solution to this problem is Crossbar MediaCaster, which was kindly provided to me for review by SnapStream Media.

The basic idea of this hardware is that you are creating a “private access channel” AKA Avcast® entertainment network, which is then provided content from any device which outputs an RCA signal.

In the box:

• 1 x CableCaster - Establishes the Avcast entertainment network
• 1 x MediaCaster - Provides the content for the Avcast network
• 1 x IRcaster - sends IR signal over the Avcast network
• 1 x IRdetector - receives IR signal
• 1 x Notch filter - filters a channel range to allow Avcast network to utilize a channel
• 2 x Coax Cable - to connect MediaCaster/CableCaster to coax network
• 1 x RCA Cable set - to connect HTPC to MediaCaster

The setup of the system is rather complicated and requires that you both have access to, and know the setup of your home coax system which is already built into the majority of homes built in the past 30 years. If you have cable television, then you most likely have this internal network already set up.

Step 1:

Locate where the cable comes into your house. You need to intercept it where it splits off to go into separate ends of the house.

The CableCaster unit plugs in here. Also you will need A/C power. There is a plug for input - the input cable from your cable provider. Also in between the cable provider and the CableCaster goes the Notch Filter. This device blocks a channel range, so that the CableCaster can broadcast on this channel.

Step 2:

The MediaCaster is then plugged into cable network near or at your HTPC. You will need to have access to the coax network in your home if you don’t already have this near to your HTPC. This part will also need A/C power.

Step 3:

Plug your Audio/Video device (in this case, a DVR running SnapStream BeyondTV). This means you will need to output the video and audio in RCA format - so make sure you have the necessary cables/converters to do this.

Step 4 (optional):

At the remote end, connect the IR Caster and IR Receiver to the coax network. This will allow you to use the IR remote at a remote location to the intended receiver, the signal will be broadcast over the Avcast network to the MediaCaster unit.

In my case, I used the BTC Wireless Remote and Firefly remote, which were both able to reach to my upstairs room and control my PC.

Now that everything is set up, you can see my remote TV with my HTPC desktop running!

I must admit, it was very cool to be operating my HTPC from another room while seeing the content broadcast over a CATV channel. This signal is now available from anywhere in my house - allowing me to enjoy my recorded content over any cable-equipped television set.

There are several large drawbacks or flaws to using this system.

- First, the HTPC must output in 1.33:1 ratio format, meaning if you have your HTPC set up to output to an HDTV in widescreen format (16:9). I could only get my setup to output one or the other, meaning I had to make sure my aspect ration stayed in Standard format.
- Secondly, the notch filter also seemed to filter out content which it should not be filtering. Specifically, my Motorola set top box became useless. On Demand stopped working, as well as HDTV signal quality dropped dramatically - causes dropouts in signal.

These drawbacks really limit how you are able to use this system. In my case my wife really relys on the OnDemand service from Comcast - so this is a deal breaker for me. If your cable TV provider is not comcast, then you might not have this same problem. Also the system is fairly complicated to set up, so it is for advanced users only.

Final verdict:

Product provided by: SnapStream Media
Review date: 5/1/2007

Phones come in two ways, locked or unlocked. If a phone is locked, then you can only use it with one provider, such as T-Mobile or Cingular/AT&T. If it is unlocked, you can put a sim card in from another carrier, and use the phone just as normal. Phones are locked because a carrier typically gives you the phone for cheap, and in return you need to stay with them for a certain amount of time. Reasons you might want to have an unlocked phone include: using your phone on a separate carrier, international travel and using a country’s native GSM network, and fetching a higher “unlocked” phone price at auction.

Different phone models have different ways of being unlocked. With Nokias and SonyEricsson, as far as I know, you can generate an unlock code based on the IMEI (Unique identifier) of the phone. These generators can be found for free around the net, just ask google or other trusted source.

Motorola phones are different, they require a unique number that is apparently stored on a secure database which you need to pay to gain access to. I’ve typically found these online services for about $25 per phone.

If you are with T-Mobile, you are in luck. They have one of the most generous unlocking policies for their phones. I’ve heard experiences with other providers are hit or miss. T-mobile has a clearly spelled out policy:

SIM Unlock:

T-Mobile branded phones operating on the T-Mobile network may only use T-Mobile SIM cards. To use a T-Mobile branded phone on another wireless carrier’s network with a non-T-Mobile SIM card, you must first request a “SIM Unlock” code from T-Mobile. Conversely, if you have a phone from another North American wireless carrier, you may need to request a “SIM Unlock” code from that carrier before being able to use a T-Mobile SIM card on the T-Mobile network.

SIM Unlock Requests:

T-Mobile customers must meet the following eligibility requirements before contacting Customer Service to request your SIM Unlock code.

The following restrictions apply to all account types:

* T-Mobile can provide SIM Unlock Codes only for handsets sold by T-Mobile USA, with the exception of Danger Sidekick devices. T-Mobile can obtain SIM Unlock Codes for companies acquired by t-Mobile USA (VoiceStream, Aerial, Omnipoint, SOL, Digiph, PCS One, and Powertel).
* SIM Unlock Codes will only be provided after your account has been active for 90 days. Only one unlock code may be provided per customer every 90 days.
* No SIM Unlock Codes will be provided within the 14-Day Buyer’s Remorse period. Customers who purchase phones in CA California or via Amazon.com are granted a 30-Day Buyer’s Remorse Period.
* SIM Unlock Codes are not always available from the Manufacturer. However, T-Mobile will make a dedicated effort to obtain the SIM Unlock code. Note: Other restrictions may apply depending on account type.

To get your Motorola phone unlocked, simple call T-Mobile Customer Service. Tell them you’d like to unlock your phone, and then they will ask for the make and module, and verify that you are eligible for the unlock code (you must have been an active customer for 90 days). They will then have you tell them the IMEI number on your phone, and provide an e-mail address. They may also ask the reason you are requesting the code - I felt bad telling them I was moving to Cingular, so I said I wanted to use my phone internationally. The reason you normally do this internationally, is that rather than

Within 24 hours, you should receive an e-mail that looks similar to the following:

T-Mobile Sim Unlock Request
Sim Unlock Reference: 095XXXX
IMEI: 356866XXXXXXXX
Unlock Code: 54907825

Thank you for taking the time to contact T-Mobile. Below you will see the Instructions for unlocking your Motorola device.

Before you start you must have a foreign (non-T Mobile) SIM card entered into the handset. If the display reads “Enter Special Code”, enter the unlock code and press “OK”. If the display does not ask for Special code, please enter the instructions below.

1.Press the Menu key on the keypad, and then quickly press 073887*.You should see the Enter Security Code screen.
2.Enter 000000 and select OK.
3.Scroll to Unlock SIM select it.
4.Enter the SIM unlock code and select OK.
5.Press the End key to return to the main screen.

NOTE: If the phone displays, “Please wait to enter special code” or “Contact service provider,” you will have to wait for it to change back. Please be aware that the phone must stay powered on to do this. If the battery is low, be sure to plug it in. It could take 15 minutes to an hour to change back. If the phone does not change back, the handset will need to be replaced.

Thank You,

Sim Unlock Department
T-Mobile USA, Inc.

This e-mail will change depending on your model of phone.

To sum things up, if you have been with T-mobile more than 90 days and wish to unlock your phone, give them a call! T-mobile has the best customer service around, and if they had good coverage in my area I would definitely be staying with them.

I know I’m a day late and a dollar short, but I wanted to throw in my thoughts on Apple, Inc.’s newly introduced iPhone. Besides pending trademark issue with the Cisco/Linksys iPhone, this looks like a great device. Even if they change its name - a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

A few years back, I predicted that in several years we would see massive convergence of three devices - the mp3 player, the cell phone, and the camera. You could also add in video player and web/email browser. Now, I’m not talking about the cameras we see on cell phones today - even the 2 megapixel versions that are out are really not that good at taking shots. The full convergence will be successful when it does each of these tasks well.

I knew it had not taken place yet, because the mp3 player/cell phones that have come out so far are pitiful. I bought a Motorola V360 last year, which has memory card support along with a built in mp3 player. However, the interface to this mp3 player was horrible. Every time you launched the java mp3 player applet, it would take up to a minute to load all of your songs. From there it took 30 more seconds to find the song you wish to play. This is not an experience you want to have.

Motorola then ditched it’s mp3 applet in favor of iTunes for cell phones. I was able to install it to my V360 via a hack - it wasn’t pretty but it worked and greatly improved the mp3 playing ability of the cell phone. However the full experience was still missing something.

Enter the new phone from Apple. It plays music, video, photos… and oh yeah it can make calls too. Apple has completely redone the interface, and it is different than any phone currently on the market. The call interface actually looks pretty Skype-ish, which is a good thing. The way you navigate the phone is different as it is a gigantic touch screen. I think there will be some resistance to this type of navigation (as well as the touch keyboard) but it will grow on people and eventually will become the standard on all cell phones. Why keep the whole keyboard there if you only need it a fraction of the time?

I want this phone. I want it bad. Personally, it will be great to have this phone. However, as a business class device, there are a few features I am concerned about, because if it does not support them then it is DOA in the workplace.

The first is its e-mail client. During the demos, you can see it handles photos flawlessly. What about office attachments? Word and excel spreadsheets? Being an Apple device I would not expect these functions to be built in but I am hopeful that Apple has enough sense that it will open it’s OS for development. This is tied into my second reservation. The OS it is running is based off of OS X:

All the power and sophistication of the world’s most advanced operating system — OS X — is now available on a small, handheld device that gives you access to true desktop-class applications and software, including rich HTML email, full-featured web browsing, and applications such as widgets, Safari, calendar, text messaging, Notes, and Address Book. iPhone is fully multi-tasking, so you can read a web page while downloading your email in the background. This software completely redefines what you can do with a mobile phone. [Source]

OS X is based off of BSD - will this be the case with this phone? If so, it should help developers add any kind of applet they can dream up of and will greatly enhance the usability of the phone. I hope Apple takes this direction.

My third reservation is the technology the phone is using. It is not a 3G phone, so the data rates seen on it will not be as good as the Cingular 8525, which uses the 3G UMTS/HSDPA network that Cingular is rolling out. However, the technologies used in this phone might just be enough to outweigh this drawback. It is also possible Apple decided not to use this new technology for cost reasons as the device is already at the upper end of what people will be willing to pay for a phone (especially on a 2 year contract).

Apple has a real winner with the iPhone. Expect this type of phone to really flourish in the next year or two. Apple has conquered my first two devices - mp3 player and cell phone. Once they get a quality 5 or 6 megapixel camera integrated, along with their famous Apple polished interface - Apple will finally have won the integrated device battle.