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CNET How To

Need to know how to do something? You've come to the right place. This page contains a collection of all the walk-through how-to articles we've written to help you get more out of the technology you own. Bookmark it and come back regularly to see what's new.

LoveFilm app streams movies to your iPad

LoveFilm has an iPad app that streams the silver screen directly into your tablet over a Wi-Fi connection.

The app itself is free, then you sign in with your LoveFilm account (you'll need to be on at least a £5.99 per month package) and start streaming movies. We've been using it this morning, and it seems very slick, with movies starting up without much delay. Continue reading...

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Five best TVs you're Craving

Here at CNET UK, we like nothing more than telling you everything we can about the best new shiny gadgets. But, because we're lovely, we also want to hear which stuff you like best. That's precisely why we ask you to tell us what you think using the 'want it', 'own it' and 'not for me' buttons on every review.

This week, we're taking you through the top five TVs that you've been Craving the most this week. Continue reading...

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Sharp 8K4K TV gives glimpse into Ultra HD future

Sharp treated visitors to this year's IFA trade show to an astonishing glimpse of the future of television -- an 85-inch 'Super Hi-Vision' TV with an 8K4K resolution. The display was a prototype conforming to the Ultra High Definition Television (UHDTV) standard, currently being developed by Japanese state broadcaster NHK. 

UHDTV has a resolution of 7,680x4,320 pixels. That's about 33 million pixels in total. Such a resolution is also a staggering 16 times higher than that of today's 1080p screens. By our reckoning, that makes Sharp's display a generation or two ahead of the 4K2K TVs that are only now beginning to emerge from R&D bunkers, one example being the Toshiba 55ZL2. Continue reading...

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ITV, Channel 4 or 5 to get HD Freeview channel

ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 are about to go HD. The commercial channels have been invited by TV bosses to fill a fifth high-definition slot on Freeview.

Television regulator Ofcom is inviting broadcasters to apply for the extra HD slot on Freeview digital terrestrial TV. The fifth slot will go to a commercial public service broadcaster: either an ITV channel, Channel 4 or Channel 5, or the Welsh Authority. Continue reading...

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Vestel BitTorrent TV brings downloads to your TV

Fed up of fiddling with file formats to get them to play back on your TV? Well BitTorrent could have the answer, with its own TV that will not only download and share media, but play it back too.

And if you're thinking of dialling 999, wait a second. The media BitTorrent is talking about is videos you've made yourself, and photos, as well as the company's own library of legally shared media. It's not known whether BitTorrent has taken any steps to stop people sharing illegally obtained content, but we're pretty certain those pirates will find a way regardless. Continue reading...

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LG PZ850T Pentouch TV lets you doodle on screen

TVs are rather more interesting at this year's IFA than the usual tiresome who's got the biggest willy-waving. Not to be outdone by Samsung's TV that promises to get you fit, or Toshiba's glasses-free 3D, LG has launched a telly you can draw on.

That's right, you can let your artistic side flourish, or just wait for Piers Morgan to come on and scrawl obscenities and rude doodles next to his head -- whatever takes your fancy. Continue reading...

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Toshiba 55LZ2 is UK's first glasses-free 3D TV

Personally, we're not keen on having to sit in a darkened room wearing glasses that even Lady Gaga wouldn't go near. So we're delighted to learn the new 55-inch Toshiba 55LZ2 lets you watch 3D movies and TV without the hideous specs.

Rather than using the standard glasses that separate the images to each eye to create the 3D illusion, the 55LZ2 uses numerous tiny lenses to beam slightly different images to each eye, so your brain can do its thing and convince you you're seeing three dimensions. Continue reading...

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Samsung 60D8000 TV keeps you fit, plays YouTube 3D

The 55-inch Samsung D8000 is without question, almost certainly probably the best 3D TV in the world, but if you've bought one recently, prepare to kick yourself in your own head. Why? Because Samsung's just busted out a new model with a bigger screen and even more features -- the 60D8000.

As you may have guessed from the name, the telly's a whole 5 inches bigger than the smaller D8000, but is just as striking, thanks to a super-slim silver bezel that measures a mere 1.5cm. Continue reading...

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IFA 2011

Europe's biggest show dedicated to consumer technology kicks off in Berlin this week. From the latest tablets and mobiles from HTC and Samsung to the most sumptuous TVs made by the likes of Sony and LG, we'll be on the ground getting our hands-on the gadgets companies hope you'll spend your hard-earned cash on this Christmas. Bookmark this page and return to see what's new every day.

Google TV headed to the UK

Google could be bringing Google TV to the good ol' U of K within the next six months, the Telegraph reports.

Google TV is built on Google's own Android operating system, and will basically put the Chrome Web browser inside your TV, letting you search the Web and stream video from TV providers, or watch your own videos. Continue reading...

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PS3 iPlayer has teething troubles, buffering blues

The redesigned BBC iPlayer catch-up service, which rolled out to Sony's PlayStation 3 last week, appears to have run into a few teething troubles. Reports on Twitter suggest users are suffering buffering problems and freezing videos.

Tweeting from the official iPlayer account, the BBC said, "iPlayer PS3: We have identified a possible video buffering problem. We are working on it with our partners and hope to resolve it soon." The account has been responding to users reporting playback issues. Continue reading...

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Sony cuts PS3 price, readies PlayStation TV

Sony has slashed the price of its PS3, bringing a welcome new sub-£200 affordability to the slowly ageing console. The company has also put a price on its slightly hideous impressive PlayStation TV, bringing the UK release date forward from 31 December.

Okay, so it's only a 24-inch display, but there's a good reason to be excited. The idea is you can sit down with a mate to play multiplayer, but at such an angle that you both see an individual image. Let's be clear -- that's two individual fullscreen feeds, so no more letterbox multiplayer when people visit. Oh, and it's all in 3D. Nice! Continue reading...

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Doctor Who returns in Let's Kill Hitler on 27 August -- and we've seen it

"You've got a time machine. I've got a gun. Let's kill Hitler!" With those words, Doctor Who blasts back on to UK TV screens on Saturday 27 August on BBC1 -- and Crave got a sneak preview.

Let's Kill Hitler is the rip-roaring opener to the second half of series 6, featuring the return of Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill as the Doctor, Amy and Rory. Alex Kingston is back as River Song, who makes not one but two personal best entrances. Continue reading...

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Redesigned BBC iPlayer for TV launches on PS3

The BBC has given its iPlayer service a syringe full of botox, tightening it up with a redesign that makes it easier to use on big-screen TVs (we've heard they're a bit like really massive monitors). The new version rolls out first to Sony's PlayStation 3 console, with Internet-connected TVs' built-in systems updated over the coming months.

The new design puts a big carousel across the screen, with programmes reclining expansively in huge tiles. Continue reading...

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ITV Player to charge for online telly before the end of the year

The only pay is Essex, according to ITV. The broadcaster will test payments for its online services before the end of the year, but in the meantime ITV Player catch-up is now available for free on freesat.

ITV Player lets you catch up with shows from ITV, ITV 2, ITV 3 and ITV 4, including Emmerdale, Corrie, The Only Way is Essex and the Jeremy Kyle Show. There's some good stuff on there too, we're sure. Continue reading...

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BlackBerry Cyclone could be RIM's Apple TV rival

RIM, the beleaguered maker of BlackBerry phones, is working on a media hub that could rival Apple TV. That's according to BlackBerry enthusiast site Nerdberry.

Supposedly code-named the 'BlackBerry Cyclone', the device would plug into your telly via HDMI and fill your living room with glorious televisual wonder, funnelling movies and TV shows over your home Wi-Fi connection. Continue reading...

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Virgin Media TV Guide app for Android lets you remote record TiVo

Virgin Media has built an Android app that will let users of its TiVo service remotely record TV shows. The app is called Virgin Media TV Guide and, as well as letting you record your evening's telly from the bus, it delivers seven days of schedule information and lets you create lists of favourite channels.

We've downloaded the app and having given it a preliminary fiddle, it seems to work reasonably well. We tested the app on a Google Nexus S, and scrolling through listings didn't feel especially slick, but it gets the job done. Continue reading...

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Virgin Media offers £50 refund on 1TB TiVo box

If you recently bought a 1TB TiVo box and found you missed those spent notes that used to make your wallet fat, then here's some good news -- Virgin Media has decided to give you £50 back. And you didn't even have to ask for it. Great stuff.

Virgin Media has cut the price of its 1TB TiVo box from £149.95 to £99.95, apparently to celebrate its new TiVo ad campaign. We're not sure why an ad campaign warrants a reduction in price, but we're certainly not complaining. Continue reading...

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Apple television set on its way, claims former Apple exec

The Apple rumour mill is churning once again. Mercifully, the latest loaf of speculation doesn't concern the iPhone 5, but instead suggests we may see an Apple television set by the end of this year.

An Apple television has been the subject of much discussion over the past few years, with fresh rumours of a launch cropping up every so often. This time, DailyTech's source -- a former Apple executive -- reckons Steve Jobs is planning an autumn launch. Continue reading...

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