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Luxist Giveaway: Elgato EyeTV HD - Use Your Mac As A TV & DVR

Filed under: Gadgets

As though you needed another reason to sit in front of the computer? We are giving away an Elgato's EyeTV HD, which connects your cable or satellite box to your Mac computer allowing you to use your computer as a DVR (digital video recorder), and also to watch HD TV on your computer. It only works with Mac, but you can also stream your recordings and watch them on an iPhone or iPad using the Elgato iPhone or iPad app. How cool is that?

The EyeTV HD captures TV in full HD, and programs record to a hard drive on your computer. It even includes software to easily edit programs so that you can watch them minus commercials. The EyeTV HD is really what media junkies need to make their Mac computers full fledged media center machines. For more information and tech specs check out the EyeTV HD's section on Elgato's website here. It comes with the connection unit, a remote, and software, along with the promise of a very simple and straight-forward set up process. Retail priced at $199.95. One lucky winner will win an EyeTV HD system if you enter below.

THE GIVEAWAY IS NOW OVER. THANKS TO ALL WHO ENTERED.

To enter, leave a comment on this post sharing why you'd like to win an Elgato EyeTV HD. The giveaway ends on October 1st at 8:00pm PST. See additional rules below.

* To enter, leave a confirmed comment below.
* The comment must be left and confirmed before October 1st, 2010 at 8:00PM Pacific Time.
* You may only enter once.
* One winner will be selected in a random drawing.
* One winner will receive one Elgato EyeTV HD valued at $199.95.
* Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, and the District of Columbia, who are 18 and older.

See full giveaway rules here.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: DVR, Elgato, EyeTV, giveaway, HD, Mac, TV

British Reality Show Focuses On The Darker Side of Luxury

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Blood, Sweat, and Tears is the name of a new reality show on the BBC where six rich British teenagers are sent off to the third world countries to see and experience the truth that lurks behind the production of their favorite luxury goods. Off they go to Madagascar to head into the sapphire mines, where they toil away a shovel-ful at a time in an enormous open mine/pit in the desert for £1/day in wages. And there's no whining your way out of it, either -- those that can't hack the blisters, burns, and backaches are sent down into the closed mine, to search for gems in the dark where oxygen has to be pumped in by hand via plastic bag. Yuck.

I haven't been able to watch an episode yet (if you live in the UK you can watch them online here) but I like it -- educational for the kids, viewers, and consumers alike. It could really be eye opening, what do you think?

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Tags: luxury goods, reality tv, television, tv

Cleaning a Flat-Screen TV

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Unlike older TVs, with their glass fronts, flat screen models require more gentle care. In addition to regular dusting, you should periodically clean the screen to remove dirt and fingerprints, which will lessen your viewing experience.

Turn off the TV and disconnect the power. Make sure the screen is cool. This is more important with plasma TVs, as they throw a bit more heat than LCD TVs.

Dampen a lint-free cloth with clean water (do not use strong chemical cleaners such as alcohol, ammonia-based cleaners, or window cleaners) and wring it out until it is moist and will not drip. Chamois, microfiber, or 100 percent cotton are best. Do not use a napkin, paper towel, or tissue paper, as wood-source materials may scratch the screen. Gently wipe from the center of the screen in circles outward reaching the frame; be sure to clean the corners. Do not rub, scrub, or apply too much pressure. Wipe the case if desired. Use a dry, lint-free cloth to wipe away any moisture on the screen or the case, again using a circular motion on the screen.

You also can purchase special screenwipes, available at most computer stores. These can be used on your computer monitor too.

Tags: cadillac-pedia, decor-pedia, flat screen TV, FlatScreenTv, LCD TV, LcdTv, main-pedia, plasma TV, PlasmaTv, TV

Moment of Luxury Now in Season 2

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Dining, Luxury Travel & Hotels, Art

About a year-and-a-half ago I highlighted a great PBS show, Moment of Luxury With Bill Stubbs. The show is back for Season 2, and episodes began airing on October 1. (I regret not getting this information out there sooner...catch up with Season 1 online; if we're lucky, Season 2 episodes will appear soon!)

Stubbs, recognized by Architectural Digest on its list of top 100 designers, makes the experience of "luxury" -- excellence, comfort, and high quality -- accessible to Americans on any budget by offering tips on how to bring good, yet affordable, living into their homes and lives through home design, food, culture, and art.

"Our message that luxury does not have to be a fabulous home or an expensive piece of jewelry ... it can be a lush garden, an embroidered pillow, or a simple cup of tea ... has resonated with viewers," says Stubbs. "We are delighted to be back for a second season to continue our search for those places, people, and things that inspire me the most and to offer our viewers the tools to apply these secrets for affordable luxurious living."

This season, Stubbs finds luxury close to home in the United States and Canada. Filmed in high definition, the series brings Stubbs' design philosophy to life in 13 half-hour episodes. Take a look at some highlights of the series after the jump.

Tags: art, Bill Stubbs, BillStubbs, decor, Moment of Luxury, MomentOfLuxury, PBS, Stubbs, travel, TV

Continue reading “Moment of Luxury Now in Season 2”

Platinum Babies on WeTV

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Services, Children, Wealth

We all know that youth will always have an edge in pop culture and consumerism. But now even babies in utero are in on the commercialized luxe life. A new show on WeTV, Platinum Babies, debuting on Friday, November 6, will highlight wealthy parents-to-be who are sparing no expense when it comes to getting ready for their little one's arrival. In the first two episodes you'll meet Victoria and Tom, and Tara and Andrew, and watch along as they shop, shop, shop, par-tay (celebs on hand, natch), get massages, et cetera. I don't think I'll be DVRing this show, as I feel a little bit icky thinking about what I assume will be baby exploitation and massive, blatant product placement.

Tags: babies, baby, children, kids, platinum, TV, WeTV

Joan Rivers To Host TV Land's "How You'd Get So Rich?"

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wealth

Coming this summer: more guilty-pleasure TV! Joan Rivers will host TV Land's "How'd You Get So Rich?" There are still millionaires out there, and Rivers hunts them down and "leaves no stone unturned in getting to the story behind the moneybags who walk, or rather drive their Ferraris, among us. In this funny and engaging series, she searches the country to find out how wealthy people got that way and, more importantly, how they spend their money. It's an escapist fantasy and an inspirational tale for these tough times."

TV Land hints that those profiled are more likely to have made their money inventing products than through hedge funds or the market. Premieres August 5 at 10 p.m.

Tags: howd you get so rich, HowdYouGetSoRich, Joan Rivers, JoanRivers, money, TV, TV Land, TvLand, wealth

Patrick Dempsey Buys $6 Million L.A. Estate

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

Grey's Anatomy star Patrick Dempsey has just bought a newly-constructed New England-style estate in Los Angeles' Brentwood neighborhood that had been listed at $6.495 million, the Real Estalker reports. The two story stone and clapboard house (above) with 5 bedrooms and 4.5 baths is privately situated behind a gated entrance. A stone staircase rises from the curved drive out front to the second floor where the main living spaces are located. To one side of the entrance hall is a formal living room with a fireplace.

To the other side is a formal dining room which opens through French doors to the covered porch that runs along a portion of the front facade. A large family room features a second fireplace, a beamed ceiling and a wall of French doors that open onto a brick terrace at the back of the house. The massive master bedroom has a third fireplace, huge en-suite bath and a row of French doors opening onto the garden. There's also a media room, a separate guest house, and a large swimming pool with a cabana.

Tags: Patrick Dempsey, PatrickDempsey, TV

Simon Cowell Moves Into New $22 Million Mansion

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

Back in March we reported that American Idol star Simon Cowell was installing a private tanning salon in his new $22 million mansion in Beverly Hills. Now the London Daily Mail reports Cowell is finally ready to occupy the lavish 11,550-sq.-ft. estate. Cowell bought the property for $12 million nearly two years ago but razed the original structure. The new modern mansion has 24-ft. tall windows in the living rooms with sweeping views over Los Angeles. Neighbors include Tom Cruise, Madonna, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne and Victoria and David Beckham.

"I look out over the Hollywood Hills into my neighbors' gardens," Cowell said in an interview last year. "It's an amazing view." Not good enough to "see into their homes," he noted, "so you can't see them in the shower - but you can see into their gardens. It's great fun. I just like to keep an eye on what is happening." Cowell has described the modern mansion as his "dream home" and has said he's been involved in the design "right down to the doorknobs."

The five-bedroom mansion features a state-of-the-art gym in the basement, a luxury spa complete with wet steam room, a custom-made media room with a marble bar area and plush leather seating for 20, a gallery for Cowell's gold and platinum records and awards, and an indoor lap pool. The property has a separate staff quarters containing a servants' kitchen for Cowell's live-in butler and maid. The pool cabana has a retractable roof, wet bar and changing rooms and there's a putting green at the rear of the property.

Tags: American Idol, AmericanIdol, Beverly Hills, BeverlyHills, celebrity, Hollywood Hills, HollywoodHills, mansion, Simon Cowell, SimonCowell, TV

Louis Vuitton "Breakfast in the Desert" Trunk

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets, Luxury Travel & Hotels

If you were to commission Louis Vuitton to create a bespoke trunk made to hold anything you desire, what would it be? Last year we wrote about Karl Lagerfeld's custom Vuitton trunk made to hold his collection of 20 iPods. Pretty cool if a little over-the-top. A Chinese gentleman has commissioned something more grandiose and yet more mundane from the famed French luxury goods house, which will produce anything within reason.

The client "wanted to be able to watch television and offer coffee to his friends wherever he traveled in the world, including the remotest desert," LV's Patrick-Louis Vuitton recounts. "We agreed to put two solar panels linked to a battery for the flat-screen TV and DVD player, two-way radio, tuner and coffee machine." The trunk (above), covered in Damier canvas, took a year and tens of thousands of dollars to complete.

Meanwhile, Vuitton creative director Marc Jacobs remarked at the Met Costume Institute Gala in New York last night that luxurious trunks are not likely to make a comeback. "I don't think there's anything practical about travelling with a trunk," Jacobs said. "Luxury travel is traveling with a toothbrush. That's it, end of story. The people who really live luxurious lives don't need to pack. They've got stuff wherever they go."

Tags: bespoke, China, Karl Lagerfeld, KarlLagerfeld, Louis Vuitton, LouisVuitton, luggage, Marc Jacobs, MarcJacobs, trunk, TV

2008 Emmy Guests' Swag Bag and Perks

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Celebrity Shopping

This Sunday, 9/21, at 8 p.m., get ready to park yourself on the couch to watch ABC and gawk at all the celebs who are famous-for-being famous and oh yes, the real actors, as they parade up and down the red carpet at the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards. I'm always interested in the gifts and perks they get, though, because I know that manufacturers know that there's no better advertising than that which (whom) is unpaid: a celeb wearing or using your item.

Let's take a peek at some of the items inside this year's swag bag, according to the New York Post: "Everyone from Gossip Girls to Desperate Housewives will have the chance to be 'gifted' with Valentino and Jimmy Choo sunglasses ($300-$400), Rock & Republic jeans ($200-$300), Klipsch Image headphones ($350) and even drugstore finds like Dove chocolates ($2.50) and 5 Gum ($1.50)."

Well, fresh breath is a priority in the celeb world. ... Read more by clicking below!

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Tags: celebrities, celebs, Emmy, Emmys, free stuff, FreeStuff, swag, TV

Continue reading “2008 Emmy Guests' Swag Bag and Perks”

"Moment of Luxury" on PBS, with Bill Stubbs

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Estates, Luxury Travel & Hotels, Services, Art, Garden

William (Bill) Stubbs, a Houston-based designer and one of Architectural Digest's top 100 designers, shares his knowledge and philosophy in 13 half-hour episodes of the new PBS series A Moment of Luxury. Presented nationally by WLIW New York, the series premiered nationwide this month (check local listings for your channel and broadcast time). Its aim is to make "the experience of luxury -- excellence, comfort and high quality -- accessible at any budget with transformational tips inspired by international locales and top experts. The website has lots to read, such as an episode guide, a list of Stubbs' travels and of course, a blog, so you can "create your own interaction with luxury." Don't we all want that?

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Tags: Bill Stubbs, BillStubbs, interior design, InteriorDesign, pbs, television, travel, tv

The Samsung and Armani HDTV

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

Armani and Samsung have collaborated again, this time on a premium HDTV design. Revealed for the first time at the opening of the Milan International Furniture Fair. Combining cutting edge technology from Samsung with cutting edge design from Giorgio Armani, this is one sleek 1080p LCD television. Available in 46" and 52" sizes the tv itself is pretty basic looking (although I'm sure it has a more than "basic looking" picture) but the remote control sounds like it puts on quite the light show with "a full range of radiant backlights." Plus there's a smaller pebble-shaped remote for basic functions. Look for the smaller tv model to launch first (in Europe) this summer, with the 52" quickly following.

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Tags: armani, gadget, gadgets, giorgio armani, GiorgioArmani, hdtv, lcd, samsung, television, tv

Mirror Collage Plasma TV Cabinet

by Sandy Maple (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Gadgets

Some plasma televisions are works of art in and of themselves and to hide them would be a shame. But most aren't so fabulous and are better kept out of sight when not in use. There are lots of clever ways to conceal a flat-screen television - I've seen them behind panels, paintings and drapes as well as inside pop-up entertainment centers. But as far as a remedy to the unsightly black hole of the television, this one gets points for creativity. Wood-framed beveled mirrors of different sizes overlap in an artful arrangement that not only hides your flat-screen television, but adds light and space to your room. The overall dimensions are 71"W x 11"D x 51" and the cabinet will accommodate most 50" plasma televisions. $4649.

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Tags: beveled, cabinet, collage, decor, flat screen, FlatScreen, horchow, mirror, plasma, television, tv, tv cabinet, TvCabinet, wall cabinet, WallCabinet, wood

Bang & Olufsen BeoVision 8

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

The BeoVision 8 TV is designed to be beautiful and versatile at the same time, and is designed to appeal to the "every day" needs of its target market. It's a compact LCD TV that's just as happy on the floor as it is in a more formal entertainment center or on your computer desk. It has a hidden built-in speaker capable of putting out the quality sound you expect from Bang & Olufsen, along with a picture that looks good in difficult lighting (sunlight included!) thanks to a new high-glare surface and low-reflection coating. It also has both a low light transmission and a high black level for an awesome LCD screen. Everything is integrated, which makes the BeoVision 8 easy to move around, to where ever the summer takes you.

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Tags: bang, bang and olufsen, BangAndOlufsen, olufsen, t.v., television, tv

Samsung's Bordeaux HDTV

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

It may not be the most revolutionary development in HDTV technology, but the 10,000:1 contrast ratio on Samsung's new "Bordeaux" LCD HDTV is hardly something to sneeze at. The ultra-high-res definition is going to make you feel closer to the action than ever before. The TV will be available in both 32" and 40" sizes and also boasts a slightly more streamlined design than previous models, as well as a shinier screen surface. Wood nymph models not included.

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Tags: hdtv, resolution, sansung, tv

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