The number of techniques for getting content from your PC to your TV is getting alarmingly high. It’s possible that it’s so simple at this point that anyone can put out a product and sell a few — so you can either get a basic one cheap now, or wait for the inevitable breakthrough product that will do something awesome but cost a bundle. The FlipShare ain’t that breakthrough, but it does look like a nice, simple way to watch your home videos on the TV.

Victor JVC seems to finally have realized how well the Flip sells over in North America. The company has now announced the Picsio GC-FM1 [JP], a mini camcorder recording video at 2.03MP and shooting pictures at 8MP. The Picsio offers 1080p output at a 4:3 ratio (1,440×1080, 30fps). Alternatively, you can go for a 720p, VGA or QVGA mode.

Everybody who’s anybody has a Flip camcorder, am I right? Am I right? If you’ve been unable to justify the purchase of a Flip camcorder because of the relatively high price tag, you may be happy to find out that you can get your hands on one of the older, clunkier ones for just $50.

Not content to let others do the heavy lifting, Pure Digital, now part of Cisco, has added Flip Channels to their popular – and surprisingly useful – FlipShare software. The software is pre-installed on every Flip devices (we have the HD) and the Channels are yet another way to upload and share your videos in the interwebs.

Videos sent to your channel can be viewed at FlipShare.com or using the FlipShare iPhone app, also available today. The software also supports DVD authoring and standard sharing with YouTube and MySpace. I sent a video to myself using the service, a real cinematic magnum opus. You cannot formally embed videos sent to channels – you can embed them on the sly using the actual HTML or grabbing to a site like Posterous – but obviously you can embed videos sent to YouTube.

It’s a little late to be announcing anything, since the things are already at Best Buy, but I guess Flip had better at least acknowledge that the Flip UltraHD and SD exist. We guessed that it was 720p and had 8GB of built-in storage when we saw the leaked pictures, and that’s pretty much what the news is. The price is lower than we expected, though, so that’s good news for all you on-a-budget video lovers out there.

Flip, makers of the Mino line of portable digital camcorders, have released the slightly less portable, but more capable Ultra HD. It’s chunkier than the Mino and has enough built-in storage that it can record a total of 2 hours of footage — the MinoHD records an hour of 720p to 4GB, so it’s a fair bet that the Ultra HD has 8GB inside. There aren’t any real specs available just yet, but I think we can suppose with some confidence that they’ll have updated the internal components to bring them up to level of the MinoHD. New video engine, possibly a better sensor, and all the other little tweaks. As for price, I’d put it at around $250, but that’s pure guesswork.

Earlier this month we reported that Cisco Systems had acquired Pure Digital Technologies, the makers of the popular Flip Video cameras. Today, Cisco officially announced the deal, which was for $590 million in stock. (We had the price at “north of $500 million).

Pure Digital will become part of Cisco’s consumer business group, which includes Linksys home routers and set-top boxes from its acquisition of Scientific-Atlanta. Cisco is calling the Flip cameras a new form of “visual networking,” whatever that means. In reality, the Flip is built for the YouTube generation. It is designed to take videos and immediately upload the to the Web. (Its output is a handy USB stick that flips open and plugs in directly to a computer). In other words, it is a device that encourages activities that consume a lot of bandwidth. As a networking company, Cisco wants you to use as much bandwidth as possible.

San Francisco based Pure Digital Technologies, the seven year old company behind the Flip Video line of video cameras, is considering a sale of the company, multiple sources have confirmed. One interested buyer is rumored to be Cisco.

Flip cameras – dead simple and small video devices that are tailored towards users who want to upload video to the Internet – have become massively popular. One source says the company has sold more than $200 million worth of the tiny cameras in the last couple of years. Based on reviews of the recently released Flip Mino HD, we’re not surprised. The devices cost between $130 and $230 and have spawned a large group of copy cat competitors.

One potential buyer, says a source, is Cisco, which has been more active recently in acquisitions. Ned Hooper, Cisco’s chief M&A guy, is said to be actively looking to buy or invest in consumer startups that offer high-bandwith-using services. A hot startup like Flip, which is helping to fuel the explosion in user generated video (much of which makes its way online), fits in perfectly with that strategy.

Wanna jump into the world of pocket video cams? This Flip F230W is a great, entry level model but don’t expect stellar recording results. It only records 30 minutes worth of video, but the $59 price might justify it for you. Who knows how long the sale will last for so jump on it Woot-style. BTW, the 120-min Flip F260 for $89.99 is still available.

Did you miss last week’s Woot for the $80 Flip? Fear not, citizen, for Buy.com has the Flip Video Ultra F260 for $89.99. (Buy.com notes that it usually retails for $199.99.) It’s refurbished, meaning that if you give it as a gift it’s a sign that you really don’t love them person, so there’s that.

With Valentine’s Day approaching and the economy being the way it is, it doesn’t hurt to save where and when you can. Today’s Woot is far from stellar, but the Flip is a popular camcorder despite its shortcomings. Those shortcomings only apply to us nerds it seems and the general consumer – think soccer mom – aren’t worried about the things we bitch about. So why not grab one for the lil lady or lad for $80. Sure, it’s refurbished, but they’ll never know.