iLounge

Fire Core has released version 4.1 of its aTV Flash software utility package for the Apple TV. aTV Flash allows users to install a number of different software packages—including the Couch Surfer Pro web browser, a RSS feed reader, and support for a much broader set of media formats—on their Apple TV units using a USB flash drive. New in version 4.1 is full 5.1 surround sound support for nearly all media types, including DVD (VIDEO_TS) files, faster web browsing and enhanced Remote app support for the Couch Surfer Pro browser, “much improved” media playback, and compatibility with Apple TV Software 3.0.2. aTV Flash 4.1 is available now for Mac or Windows, requires a 256MB or larger USB flash drive, and sells for $50 with a year of software updates included.

Developer Sébastien Stormacq has released iTweetMyTunes, a new iTunes companion application for Mac OS X. iTweetMyTunes lets users post the currently playing iTunes track to their Twitter accounts. The application can post updates to Twitter automatically, doing so every three minutes by default or by a user-chosen time interval, or manually. iTweetMyTunes is available as a free download and requires Mac OS X; Stormacq is accepting donations from users who download and enjoy using the application.

Elgato has introduced its new EyeTV One TV tuner for Mac and Windows. The EyeTV One connects to the computer via USB and allows users to watch and record HDTV channels broadcast over-the-air for free. Features include a coaxial plug for connecting an antenna, a flexible USB extender, included EyeTV 3 software, which offers the ability to stream video to the iPhone and iPod touch via the company’s EyeTV app or the Live3G web app, and more. The Elgato EyeTV One TV tuner works only in North America and is available now for $120.

Popular open-source DVD to MPEG-4 converter Handbrake has been updated to version 0.9.4. The new version offers a host of improvements, including speed, size, and quality improvements taken from the x264 project, support for 64-bit and parallel builds for added speed improvements on 64-bit capable machines, support for soft subtitles, a live preview feature, better input support, constant quality encoding which varies size to meet a given quality level, a new custom anamorphic mode, and more. Handbrake 0.9.4 is available now as a free download for Mac OS X 10.5 or later, Windows XP or later, and Linux.

iSkysoft has released version 2.0 of its iMedia Converter application for Mac OS X. The all-in-one DVD and video converter can rip DVDs to a variety of formats, including iTunes-, iPod-, iPhone-, and Apple TV-compatible MP4 files, and also offers video conversion for a host of formats, audio extraction from DVD and video files, including to M4R iPhone ringtones, video editing features, batch conversion, 5.1 audio output support, and more. iSkysoft’s iMedia Converter 2.0 for Mac requires an Intel Mac running OS X 10.5 or later, and sells for $49.

Ecamm Network has released PhoneView 2.3, a Mac-only companion application for the iPhone and iPod touch. PhoneView gives iPhone and iPod touch users access to iTunes media, photos, notes, contacts, SMS messages, and call history data stored on their devices, and opens the devices for data storage and file transfer purposes. New in version 2.3 is the ability to display, playback, and export Visual Voicemail messages, automatic archiving of Voicemail messages, support for MMS, including photo and video message display and archiving, and more. PhoneView requires Mac OS X 10.4.11 or later and sells for $19.95; a free 7-day demo version is also available.

Roxio has introduced Popcorn 4, the latest version of its desktop DVD and video conversion application for Mac OS X. New in Popcorn 4 is support for AVCHD and AVCHD-Lite and Flash video, the ability to extract a video segment or audio track from a DVD-Video or high-definition video file, support for the Turbo.264 HD hardware accelerator, a preview mode allowing users to see how a converted file will look on their device before performing a full conversion, and more. Popcorn 4 requires Mac OS X 10.5 or later and is available now for $50.

SuperSync, a iTunes library synchronization and management tool, has been updated to version 3.3. SuperSync lets users synchronize their music libraries between multiple computers over the Internet. Version 3.3 improves upon the software’s meta data synchronization interface, adds a “Quick Connect” feature for iPods that allows viewing and importing tracks from an iPod onto any Mac or PC running SuperSync, offers support for Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, and more. In addition, the company points out that while iTunes 9’s new Home Sharing feature can handle up to five computers on a home network and offers one-way syncing, SuperSync offers two-way synchronization for computers both on the same network or connected via the Internet. SuperSync 3.3 is available now for Mac OS X and Windows, and is priced at $29 for a 2-machine license; a demo version is also available.

LairWare has released Song Sergeant, its new music library utility for Mac OS X. Song Sergeant can find and remove duplicate song files, intelligently merge song information and audio data from separate files, preserve playlists while removing duplicates, identify inconsistently named artists and albums, discover song files present in the user’s music folder but not seen in iTunes, and fix problems either automatically or via manual control. Song Sergeant requires Mac OS X 10.5 or later and sells for $20; a limited free trial version is also available.

PocketMac has introduced its new RingtoneStudio 2.0 for iPhone software for Mac OS X. RingtoneSudio lets users make an unlimited number of ringtones from any unprotected music file or from a large variety of QuickTime-ready video formats. Features of the new version include visual sound editing, volume control, fade in/fade out capabilities, full integration with QuickTime Pro, and improved integration of video and waveform editing. RingtoneStudio 2.0 for iPhone is available now for $30; upgrades from version 1.0 are priced at $10. For more information on RingtoneStudio 2.0, see our First Look article.

Findley Designs has updated its iPod Access iPod/iPhone music and video transfer application to version 4.3. The new version adds support for iPhone OS 3.0, iTunes 8.2, and the iPhone 3GS, and also offers improved iTunes integration. iPod Access provides users with access to all the songs, videos, and movies stored on their iPods or iPhones, offering features such as single-button backups, playlist cloning into iTunes, and an instant listing of all iPod songs. iPod Access version 4.3 is a free update for all registered version 4 users; a full license for Mac OS X or Windows Vista/XP is $20.

Elgato has introduced its new Elgato Video Capture hardware for Mac. Designed to capture and encode analog video, the Video Capture features composite RCA and S-Video inputs, supports NTSC, PAL, PAL/60 and SECAM formats, and records video at resolutions up to 640 x 480, in either H.264 or MPEG-4 formats, either of which can be easily transferred into iTunes and onto an iPod, iPhone, or Apple TV. Users may also select between 16:9 or 4:3 aspect ratios and trim the beginning and end of recordings. The Elgato Video Capture is available now for $100, and requires an open USB 2.0 port, and a Mac with an Intel Core Duo processor, Mac OS X 10.5.6 or later, QuickTime 7.6 or later, and iTunes 8.1 or later.

Elgato has released its new Turbo.264 HD USB encoder stick for Mac OS X. The new Turbo.264 HD automatically detects AVCHD camcorders, offering one-step transfer to the Mac or to YouTube. Other features include conversion of a wide variety of video formats into high-quality, iTunes-friendly h.264 files in either standard or HD resolutions, preview, trimming, and batch processing capabilities, and hardware acceleration of h.264 exports from other Mac applications such as QuickTime Pro, iMovie, and EyeTV. Elgato’s Turbo.264 HD requires Mac OS X 10.5.6 or later, QuickTime 7.6 or later, a Intel Core processor, 512MB of RAM, and a built-in USB 2.0 port, and is available now for $150.

An independent developer has released BookmarkiTunes, a new utility that lets users create and organize a wishlist of items they want in the iTunes Store. Users can drag-and-drop any link, including text and images, into the application to add that item to the list, or can also copy and paste in iTunes links. The application attempts to automatically discover the name of the item, but users may also edit the name directly, and add a description for each item on their list. Each item remains in the application, with a link back to iTunes, until it is deleted. BookmarkiTunes is available now as a free download for Mac and Windows.

Tagtraum Industries has released beaTunes 2.0, the latest version of its iTunes library management tool. Version 2.0 features a completely rewritten internal database, lower memory consumption, the ability to recognize multiple iTunes libraries, faster analysis on Windows machines, tonal key detection, a second BPM detection algorithm, addition inspections for fixing metadata, an updated UI, and more. BeaTunes 2.0 requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later, or Windows XP/Vista, iTunes 8.0.2 or later, and sells for $32; a free 14 trial is also available, along with a $12 upgrade for version 1.x users.

Elgato has announced its new 2009 EyeTV Hybrid USB TV Tuner Stick for North America and version 3.1 of its EyeTV software. The 2009 model of the EyeTV Hybrid improves upon the previous model with a new enclosure, built-in FM radio tuner, and better reception. It also includes EyeTV 3.1, the latest version of the TV watching and recording software. Version 3.1 offers the TV Guide electronic programming guide for North American users, new Smart Series Guides for recording all episodes of favorite shows, the ability to search the guide by genre, and advanced Parental Controls. The new 2009 EyeTV Hybrid USB TV Tuner Stick is available immediately and priced at $150; the EyeTV 3.1 upgrade will be a free download for all EyeTV 3 users later this month.

TuneUp Media has announced that its popular iTunes plug-in TuneUp is now available for Mac OS X. Previously available for Windows, TuneUp helps users by automatically fixing mislabeled song information and finding missing cover art without having to leave the iTunes interface. TuneUp takes an “audio fingerprint” of mislabeled tracks, and then uses Gracenote’s Global Media Database of more than 90 million songs to fill in missing or mislabeled information, all from within a sidebar designed to compliment iTunes. Following the cleaning of the user’s library, TuneUp provides contextual content such as upcoming local concerts for artists in the user’s collection, and YouTube videos, Google news and Wikipedia biographies related to the currently playing track. The unlimited version of TuneUp, TuneUp Gold, is available for Mac OS X and Windows and sells for a one-time fee of $20 or an annual subscription of $12; a limited free version is also available.

Equinux has announced the release of CoverScout 3, the latest version of its iTunes album art manager for Mac. CoverScout searches multiple music archives such as Amazon, Wal-Mart, and Google Images simultaneously to find album art for tracks within an iTunes library currently missing their art. In addition, it boasts a Cover Flow-inspired interface, an integrated cover editor, letting the user rotate, scale, crop, and adjust colors if needed, along with the ability to photograph rare album art using the iSight webcam built-in to many Mac computers. CoverScout 3 is available now in German, English and French for $40, and requires Mac OS X 10.5 or later.

KennettNet Software has released Music Rescue 4.0, the latest update to its iPod media recovery tool. Announced in May, Music Rescue 4.0 adds new features such as QuickRecover, a way to easily rebuild an iTunes library, support for the iPhone and iPod touch, a revamped user interface, Smart Playlist support, an improved media player, and faster, smoother copying. To thank iLounge readers for their help in beta testing, KennettNet Software is offering all iLounge readers a half-price discount voucher for purchases of Music Rescue 4.0, valid until August 8th, 2008. To claim the discount, use the coupon code ILOUNGE during checkout on the company’s online store. Music Rescue 4.0 is available now and sells for £10 (roughly $20).

Ambrosia Software has released iToner 1.0.8, the latest update to its iPhone custom ringtone tool. iToner lets users easily transfer their own MP3, AAC, WAVE, and AIFF audio files to the iPhone as custom ringtones. The latest version, iToner 1.0.8, provides fixes for iTunes 7.7 and iPhone Software 2.0 compatibility, as well as Japanese localization. iToner requires Mac OS X 10.4.10 or later and sells for $15; a free trial download is also available.