Cloud Exclusive Hardware

Today we can see a lot of hardware that is being sold that only (exclusively) works only against a cloud service.

There are many examples, like the Belkin NetCam HD+ (wifi webcam) that only works if you run it against their service (by seedonk / iSecurity+) and if you don’t want to use their cloud, this hardware is useless. 

This is happening with a lot of new hardware and it does mean that you get the device cheap for being locked to their cloud, you are paying full price for this devices. On the internet there are just little groups trying to hack some of this hardware, but the consumer does not seems to care that if the manufacturer discontinue the service the hardware will be useless. 

• Why there are no complains against this kind of hardware on the internet?  
• Is it useless to fight “cloud exclusive hardware”? 
• Should we care about it? 
• Are we so used to disposable hardware that we don’t care anymore?

I'm scared that someday Sling goes out of business and my "Sling Box SOLO" will be turn into a useless piece of garbage... or even worst, that Sling just decide to cut support of that model. 

The same with Belkin NetCam HD+ (wifi webcam), what if iSecurity+ just want to drop support for this camera?

Is that the future of hardware? to be turn into something that the manufacturer decides when it stops working so you are forced to buy a new one?

TrackPoint / Touchpad Configuration ScreenShots

ALPS Trackpoint / Touchpad - 2015-10 Driver

ELAN Touchpad

United Airlines Satisfaction Survey

So, I just got a survey from United about the flight I recently had:

On the next field I just stated the truth of my flight:

"One flight attendant move me from the back of the plane to the middle, because I was seated beside a woman with one baby on his arms and other small child with a car seat. He moved me so we both had a better flying experience (that was good).

After moving me, other flight attendant came to me and asked my why I was seated on Economy Plus, while I was from Economy, I told her that other flight attendant moved me here, but she insisted that it was not possible and said something like "Nobody on this plane will ever moved you here, since this seats are more expensive that the one you paid for" so I must be lying.

So I tell her to ask the other fly attendant and stop bothering me. After validating that, the fly attendant told me that it was no problem and stopped bothering me for the rest of the fly.  [sarcasm] I want to thank that fly attendant for the embarrassment that provided me with the rest of the passengers.[/sarcasm] All the people near me on the cabin was looking at me like "this bastard paid Economy and is trying to "cut-in" to Economy Plus".

Regards"

(Corrected some misspellings from the original submitted version) 

After that, United´s surveys does something "Bold": 

 Sure, I want to recognize the flight attendant that didn't believe on my word. 

What??? Employee ID ????
I'm sure if I complete the "Physical Description" of the flight attendant I will get sue on the US.

Physical Description: The one that acted like a bitch !!!

USB TV Box 5.0 - TV Tuner Software

I just found this software while searching for some driver for an USB Video In device. It worked on Windows 10 x64.

USB TV BOX 5.0

We don't know the author of this software for sure. It will even shows up, I will ask him to turn it open source :)

There is a decent setting configuration when you can set the source of the video input and the standard that it uses. 

Also very interesting button for recording, change video input source, etc. 

Download: 

• ZEB-UP2012.zip   - 28.2MB - (Alternative)
  

Tested Hardware

• EasyCAP Video input device - USBTV007 EasyCAP

Cheap from China: EasyCAP Video input device - USBTV007 EasyCAP

I replaced the old EasyCAP device with one that I thought it was the same, but the hardware ID is different. According to what I read there are four different EasyCAP device that looks the same.

So, don't be fool by these pictures:

Hardware ID

The first thing to do it "check the Hardware ID", be sure which device it is because there are four devices that looks the same.

Win Hardware USB ID: USB\VID_1B71&PID_3002
HardwareID:  1B71:3002

Check it on Windows on the "Device Manager", on the name of the device click "Properties":

Windows 10 x64 202H (2021-05-27 Update)

On this Windows 10 update it seems to became a new problem. The drivers are not installed by default by Windows. 

 

Windows recognize it as "usbtv007" no drivers are found on the Microsoft Windows Update site.

 

This driver worked for me: 

- https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=0B6jYdmLkYLehdWRFSC13aWpvUzA

 

 

Windows 10 x64

Working: On Windows 10 x64 this device gets recognized as "USB TV Tuner" without any special driver, it just get the one from "Windows update".

 I used to have some problems

Software Tested:

• Nero Video on Windows 10 x64

• USB TV BOX 5.0 on Windows 10 x64

USB TV Box is include here: ZEB-UP2012.zip  (Alternative Link on the Wayback machine)

Note that there is a button on this program to change the Video Source to AV and that you can change the configuration to switch it to "NTSC_M" according where you live.

Links

• LinuxTV Wiki