TVs

Ameba TV Review & Giveaway

Posted by Tammy on Mar 24, 2011 in Children, Gadgets, TVs | 120 comments

I have never  had a problem with my daughter watching TV.  But the one thing I wished we would have had when she was younger was good quality educational shows on demand.

Sure we had PBS and Treehouse TV (we lived in Canada at the time), but to be able to easily download content to our TV when we wanted…priceless.

I know there are plenty of families who don’t have cable whether it’s for economic reasons or just because they don’t feel the need for it.  But at the same time they would not mind having shows they can choose, available for their children’s viewing on their own time schedule.

The Ameba TV (http://amebatv.com) system, has over 1,000 hours of commercial-free educational, music and multi language shows and gives parents peace of mind and kids the power of choice. Based in Winnipeg, Canada, Ameba TV was founded by a dad, Tony Havelka, who wanted high quality, commercial-free children’s shows for his own children.

Ameba TV allows the subscriber an unlimited number of shows for $9.99 per month (plus a $6 box rental or $129 box purchase), and you can choose the shows you want your children to view.  They have plenty of fine shows and enough content for children geared for ages 3-8(+).  Ameba is also available as a channel on Roku!

When the Ameba TV box arrived in our home, it came with almost everything we needed to get it all hooked up to our TV.  We needed one cable that wasn’t included, but we had that on hand so it wasn’t a problem.  My husband was the one who took charge of that and it only took a couple of minutes for the hardware setup.  We had pre-loaded a number of shows on the Ameba box from our account online before we even received it.  So once it was set up it downloaded those episodes to the box.  That took awhile because we had chosen over a dozen, but while you’re waiting you can see the progress of it on the TV screen.

We run the device in wireless mode.  The TV that it is hooked up to it is a new (purchased in summer) Samsung and it works well.  We have an issue with our internet connection and streaming to our TV through our PS3 and Blu-ray player, so the slow download of the shows was not completely unexpected.  Once they are on the device the quality of the shows is good, the ones we have watched are pretty close to DVD quality.

The Ameba box is an average size although not as sleek as our DVD player or game consoles.  Its design is made to appeal to children, brightly colored and branded, it does sort of ‘stick out’ compared to our other media devices.  The remote needs to be pointed right at the set top box for it to work, if you don’t have it right in line of sight you won’t get any response.  Since we have ours sitting on a lower shelf of our entertainment unit, we found it finicky to get the aim correct, and often were pushing the buttons with no response.  When it is positioned correctly though, it shouldn’t cause problems for use.

We’ve been using the box pretty consistently for the past week with the show ‘World of Wonders’ in our homeschool geography class.  Our daughter is a freshman in high school, but some of the show’s episodes have fit right into her Middle East studies on Turkey, Jordan and Egypt.  She found it quite entertaining to actually see on TV the places that she learned about in her textbook and found the short episodes (between 10 and 15 minutes) fun.  Ameba TV is a great addition for homeschool studies, especially for visual learners.  Since much of the content is geared for younger children, if you have mixed ages you could put on some ‘math shows’ for the younger ones, while the older ones are doing their math studies.

As for what I was expecting from Ameba’s website description to what we received, it works as advertised.  It was a painless process to get it up and running.  Setting up profiles for your children, and adding shows to them is simple.

Compared to the cost of cable and all the extra channels you have to get when you only want a few channels, the $9.99 per month (even taking in consideration the cost/rental of the set box) isn’t a bad price.  Just hook up the Ameba TV box and you have access to all the shows that they offer, commercial free.

I have to give credit to Ameba TV for taking time to make sure that the episodes offered are quality product.  This is the way TV for kids should be.

Ameba TV would like to offer two Play That Now readers an Ameba box with a complimentary 3 month subscription!

To enter the giveaway visit Ameba TV’s episode selections and tell me what show(s) you think your children would enjoy watching.  You can enter daily, but you must do the above first, and then each subsequent day you can comment with ‘daily entry’.

To earn an additional entry, do one (or all) of the following and leave a separate comment for each thing you do:

1. Become a Google Friend Connect Follower of Play That Now (in the sidebar).

2. Like the Ameba TV Facebook page.

3. Like my blogs’ Facebook page.

4. Follow Ameba TV on Twitter

5. Follow Me on Twitter.

6. Tweet about this giveaway (limit one tweet per day) using the following: #Win an @AmebaTV box and 3 month subscription from @amebaTV and @threedifferent! ends 4/7 http://su.pr/1bENgu

7. Subscribe to the Play That Now feed via RSS reader and/or email updates.

8. Enter any of my other Giveaways one extra entry for each giveaway you enter.

Open to US & Canadian residents ages 18+, ends April 7, 2011 at 11:59 PM CST. Winner will be notified by email and have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. By entering this giveaway you are stating that you have read my **Privacy/Rules statements and agree to them.

Make Safety the Main Attraction During Viewing Parties

Posted by Tammy on Feb 19, 2011 in Gadgets, TVs | 10 comments

The first few months of each new year is prime time to have friends and family over to watch competitive sports games or Hollywood starlets walk the red carpet.  Whether your guests are huddled around the TV rooting for their favorite team or leading lady to win the main attraction of these events is your TV.  Statistics show that due to flat-screen TVs making it easy to put sets where they haven’t been before, on average, today’s home has more TVs than people, according to Nielsen Media Research.  that’s why this sports and awards season, UL is helping families understand how to avoid potential injuries due to TV tip overs by keeping their TVs and entertainment centers danger-free zones.

According to UL, as TVs grow in size- a 152-inch 3D TV was unveiled at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show – chances of them causing potential safety hazards due to tip overs grow as well.  Research show a 41 percent increase in TV tip-over related injuries to children over the past two decades – in 2007 alone, nearly 17,000 children were rushed to emergency rooms after heavy or unstable furniture fell over on them.  According to researchers, the increase correlated with the popularity of ever-bigger flat-panel televisions, along with the entertainment centers and narrow, less stable stands to hold them.

To help prevent unnecessary accidents due to TV tip overs, UL recommends taking the following safety precautions:

• Verify that furniture is stable on its own.  For added security, anchor to the floor or  attach all entertainment units to the wall using appropriate hardware, such as brackets, screws, or toggles.

• Place the TV on sturdy furniture appropriate for its size or on a low-rise base.

• Push the TV as far back as possible from the front of the stand.

• Place electrical cords out of a child’s reach and teach them not ot play with cords.

• Remove items that might tempt kids to climb, like toys and remote controls, from the top of the TV and furniture.

For more information on TV tip overs and home entertaining safety tips, go to SafetyAtHome.com

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Deciphering the Technical Lingo When Buying a New TV

Posted by Tammy on Jan 26, 2011 in Gadgets, TVs | 8 comments

(ARA) – Today’s TVs can do more than most of us could have ever imagined, from displaying 3D images to connecting to the Internet. But those advances in technology have also made it more complicated for the average person shopping for a new television.

Are you having trouble telling the difference between LED and Plasma TVs? Perhaps you could use help with some of the technical terms used to describe the TVs right now.

Richard Doherty, research director for The Envisioneering Group, has his finger on the pulse of today’s latest technologies and the challenges consumers face when shopping for a new TV.

“The good news is that consumers have incredible options when it comes to buying HDTVs this season,” says Doherty. “But choosing the ideal one can get somewhat intimidating if you don’t know exactly what you are looking for and what works best in your home.”

Here is a guide to help make sure the next TV you buy is the right one for you:

Display types
Understanding what your TV will most be used for will help you decide what type of TV works best for you.

Picture quality
Picture quality is a very broad term and can mean different things to different people. Here are a few key terms/features to be familiar with when buying your next TV:

Advanced features
Today’s TVs come with other incredible features and understanding everything a TV can do will certainly help steer you in the right direction when its time to buy your next TV.

“Even with all the options out there, the tried-and-true method of going with what looks best, feels right and will last a long time, still works when picking out a TV,” Doherty says. “But it’s always best to arm yourself with some technical knowledge before making your decision.”

4 Reasons to Buy a Blu-Ray Player

Posted by Tammy on Dec 28, 2010 in Gadgets, TVs | 8 comments

So you received some money for Christmas and now you’re trying to decide what to do with it.  Here are 4 reasons why you might want to buy a Blu-ray Player. Read on to get a brief overview of all those reasons for getting a Blu-ray Player.

Millions of people have already upgraded their DVD Players to Blu-ray Players. Mostly because the Blu-ray Discs Players are able to produce the best possible High Definition images at 1080p. However, DVDs still dominate the home video market by a large margin over Blu-rays. But with more people with HDTVs in their homes and with less expensive Blu-ray Players, a new trend is starting to emerge towards High-Definition rentals and purchases. Some industry experts predict by the year 2014, Blu-rays will have 60 percent of the home video market, with that number rising every year.

Blu-ray Players not only play DVDs, they up scale them to near High Definition levels. Meaning your DVD collection does not need to be discarded, in fact they will look much better when played on a Blu-ray Player compared to a standard DVD player. This is especially the case when a HDMI cable is used when connecting your Blu-ray to your HDTV.

2. Two for the price of one.

Granted, Blu-ray Discs are slightly more expensive than DVDs. But like Blu-ray Players, the prices for Blu-ray Movies are continuing to drop. For instance, just last week I purchased the Sherlock Holmes DVD brand new on Blu-ray for just $10!!  But to counter the high cost many Movie Studios are including both a Blu-ray Disc and a DVD disc in the same package. This is true for a lot of the big blockbuster movie releases. You get a High Definition disc for your home theater and a second standard disc to use on your laptop, vehicle or maybe a second television. Some studios even offer a digital copy that will allow you to copy the movie onto a computer or transfer the movie to a mobile media device.

3. Sound ON.

Blu-ray Players are not all about the great High Definition picture. Blu-ray Players also offer a better surround sound quality than standard DVD players. Blu-ray Players support High Resolution audio formats such as Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus. Players also support up to 7.1 channels.

4. Streaming Online Content.

The best extra feature on most new Blu-ray Players are their ability to connect to the internet, either through an Ethernet Port or built in Wi-Fi. There are many features and functions you can take advantage of when your Blu-ray Players is connected to the internet. There is the practical use of updating the player’s firmware, which becomes a breeze once connected. Many Blu-ray Discs have BD-Live content. This gives you access to additional material on the internet like online games, chat rooms, trivia, live commentary and extra movie scenes. Also, many Blu-ray Players provide Online Streaming Media Services so you can stream online video, movies, music and other content. Services such as Netflix, Blockbuster on Demand, Vudu, Hulu Plus and many more can be accessed.

These are not the only reasons to buy a Blu-ray Player, but they demonstrate some of the main reasons why someone would want to get a Blu-ray Player. But even if you do not want to run out and jump on the Blu-ray bandwagon just yet. When the time comes to replacing your old DVD player, the most  logical choice would be to upgrade to a Blu-ray Player.

Article used and adapted with a creative commons license.

Kids Can Watch, Play and Learn with Mickey Mote DVDs

Posted by Tammy on Nov 22, 2010 in Animation, Disney, DVD, Gadgets, TVs | 9 comments

Gift Guide Pick

Disney’s Mickey Mote DVDs are interactive platform DVDs designed to enable preschoolers to actively engage with their favorite Playhouse Disney characters.  The unique hands on learning and entertainment DVDs include the ability to use the specially designed ‘Mickey Mote’ to participate in the show with the shows’ characters.

This one-of-a-kind, kid’s remote control, from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, debuted this November
16th;  packed with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey’s Number Roundup and Handy Manny: Big Construction Job.  The new “Mickey Mote” is a child-friendly handheld remote control, shaped like Mickey ears.  With multiple levels of play, the new Mickey Mote will provide hours of fun, engaging and challenging adventures for kids age 2-5.

How It Works:

The Mickey Mote works with any Disney Preschool DVD that includes Discovery Mode(tm), the interactive “Watch & Play” feature on the DVD!  All parents have to do is program the remote control – there’s an easy and quick set-up guide in each DVD- and select the Discovery Mode feature on the menu screen.

Try as we might, we could not get the Mickey Mote to work with our DVD player.  We tried numerous remotes (a couple of universal ones as well as the one specifically for the DVD player), and it just wouldn’t set up for us.  The nice thing is though – using the DVDs in Discovery Mode, isn’t dependent on the Mickey Mote, you can use your regular remote control too.

Kids will be easily responding to questions, throughout the story, about scenes they just watched (such as “What color is Goofy’s hat?”) by pressing one of four color-coded buttons on the device, or the up, down, left, right buttons on a regular remote.

Here’s a video sample for how it works, with an episode from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  This is directly from our TV, and I show you the Mickey Mote in the video, but we just used the regular remote to go through the activities.

If by watching the video I made, you think your pre-schoolers will love the Mickey Mote enabled interactive DVD products, you’ll be interested to know that there are quite a few DVDs that have the Discovery Mode, including:

*   Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Road Rally
*   Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey’s Adventures in Wonderland
*   Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey’s Choo Choo
*   Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Minnie’s Bow-Tique
*   Handy Manny: Manny’s Motorcycle Adventure
*   Handy Manny: Manny’s Big Race
*   Little Einsteins: Fire Truck Blast Off
*   My Friends Tigger & Pooh: Super Duper Super Sleuths
*   My Friends Tigger & Pooh: Bedtime With Pooh

The DVDs are fun, easy-to-use, and effective for foundational learning, listening and following instructions, all within the comfort of your own family room – it’s a great gift idea for this Christmas!

Consumers can purchase either Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey’s Number Roundup and/or Handy Manny: Big Construction Job DVDs  - which will each come specially packaged with the new Mickey Mote – for the suggested retail price of $29.99 (US)/$35.99 Canada.

“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog.  This post uses affiliate links .”

RCA Voice Control Universal Remote

Posted by Tammy on Nov 13, 2010 in Gadgets, TVs | 3 comments

Gift Guide Pick
For the technology challenged: RCA hasn’t forgotten you!
RCA has just added a Voice Control universal remote to their remote control line up.  This is a first for them, and I think it might be getting some love this Christmas.

The 6 device voice activated universal remote, RCRV06GR, showcases the ability to  program it by using just your voice, that seems to invoke a sigh of relief from every person who has no clue what all the buttons on their current remote are for.  Imagine,
words can turn on all your devices, change the volume setting, surf through your favorite channels, start a movie, turn everything off when your’e done and more……All without you ever touching a button!

Interactive, hands free voice control in multiple languages

Program voice enabled activities or macros

Out of box voice and user trainable voice commands

Talking HELP system walks you through device set up

Easily set up voice commands, favorite channels and user preferences with HELP system

Setting it up and learning to use it takes a bit of patience though.  You have to look up all the codes to your various devices and input them in order for the remote to work with them. 

It’s an affordable universal remote with a price point of $39.99, when a high end one is overkill, or if you wish to eliminate having 6 different remotes to use to power all your electronics.

To find a store near you that sells the RCA Voice Control Universal Remote visit the RCA Accessories Website, or you can find it online at Amazon.com.

“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog.  This post uses affiliate links ”