We really love when our favorite gadgets come together and today Embedded Automation posted a new plug-in (beta) that allows mControl to have two-way control of Vista Media Center and its Extenders. mControl is Windows software that will link together all your connected devices like say your lights, security system, thermostats, IP WiFi cameras, all your HT gear -- via IR or RS-232 -- and now Vista Media Center. If your imagination hasn't already starting running wild think about this; someone rings your doorbell, Battlestar Galactica pauses and a message box pops up on your HDTV, so you click the remote and now your viewing your front door camera. Until recently you had to be Bill Gates to have this kind'a stuff at your house, but thanks to companies like mControl, it's a reality even if you're on a budget. Another picture after the jump.

The good news is that after four weeks of being in Beta the super cool Niveus Movie Library is ready to go prime time. The bad news is that we can't afford to buy a Niveus Media Center, so we can't use it. But for those lucky few, you can now download the ultimate software that gives you access to just about every movie stored on your Media Center, no matter if you recorded it, riped it -- yes even Blu-ray discs -- or downloaded it. And not only does it look cool, but you also get easy access to the cover art and meta data of each movie. As for the rest of the Vista Media Center community, we continue to wait for a nice plug-in that still looks like Vista Media Center, but with any luck Niveus will eventually be kind enough to share its new toy, the way it has with its Media Center Companion software.

Welp, that didn't take long. Just months after Sony found itself surprisingly atop the North American LCD sales rankings, Samsung has vaulted back to the pole position while watching Sony slip to second. Granted, the top three suppliers -- Samsung, Sony and Vizio (in that order) -- were all separated by just three-tenths of a percentage point, with each firm's market share checking in at 12.8%, 12.7% and 12.5%, respectively. Below the trio, we find Sharp, LG and everyone else gasping for air. It was also noted that Vizio recognized the strongest year-over-year growth of any top five flat-panel brand, and interestingly enough, Sony managed to maintain its leadership position in the LCD category of 40-inches and up for the tenth straight quarter. Alright number lovers, hit up the read link for even more statistics.

For those with ridiculously sharp memories, you'll easily recall that DuPont has been dabbling in OLED technology for years. Now, however, the company famous for showcasing the miracles of science has formed a strategic alliance with Dainippon Screen Manufacturing to "develop integrated manufacturing equipment for printed OLED displays." Furthermore, the duo has agreed to "bring together the elements needed -- materials, technology and equipment -- to mass produce OLED displays." In essence, the two are hoping to produce higher-quality units at a lower cost than what's currently available, and we can happily say we hope they succeed. Now, if only we knew when some product would emerge from this here wedding...

Mum a little overwhelmed with digiframes? Fret not, as OPPO Digital is telling you straight up that a brand new upconverting DVD player is sure to make this Sunday one to remember. C'mon, even you know your mother wouldn't approve of spending a mortgage payment or two on a hamstrung Blu-ray player, and that much newer (and nicer) DV-983H just isn't worth the coin. Our only question is how desperate must you be (or overran with excess inventory) to pimp a 9-month old upscaling DVD player for Mom's Day? Ah well, we've certainly seen worse.

Not like you really needed another option when selecting a HDMI 1.3 extender, but Apogee's giving you just that, anyway. The firm's new HDMI 1.3 CAT5e / CAT6 Extenders enable users to stretch 1080p signals up to 60 meters and 1080i signals up to 120 meters, and if you're serving up 480p / 720p, you can string those over 200 feet without degradation. Additionally, it's backwards compatible with older HDMI versions (and DVI, too), and it appears to function with CAT5e or CAT6 cabling. You can get yours this very moment for $109.99.

Today at the JavaOne Conference in San Francisco, Sun Microsystems professed its love for BDLive.com and the availability of the BDLive.com developers disc. Put simply, Sun -- a proud member of the Blu-ray Disc Association Board of Directors -- has teamed up with Related Content Database Inc. in order to create said website and offer devs, BD content owners and consumer electronics manufacturers "advanced network services focused on improving the overall BD Live user experience." Essentially, the web portal weds Sun's network.com infrastructure and RCDb's recently announced BD Live Platform to "enable the quick creation of device-appropriate features that provide a user-friendly DVD-like experience." If you're eager to know more, click on past the break.

And you thought $49.99 was cheap. Word on the street has it that Microsoft's Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on, which has been seen as slightly less valuable since Toshiba pulled the plug on the once mighty red format, has stooped to €9.99 across the pond at GameStop (among other locales). For those not savvy on the absurd depreciation of the US dollar, we're talking $15.47 -- and that's with a Media Center remote bundled in, too. We're totally straight-faced when we say that's actually not a half bad deal if you're a fan of the media already out there, but the parsimonious among us are definitely waiting for these to come bundled with our favorite cereals before pulling the trigger.

[Thanks, Conor]

NuVision has just recently started shipping its Lucidium Deep Black LCD HDTVs out to anxious consumers, but before you go making any rash decisions about picking one up sign unseen, why not give Ultimate AV Mag's review a once over? The $4,199 (MSRP) set proved to be a mixed bag during testing, primarily due to the high standards the critics (understandably) held the unit to given the lofty price. In their words, "detail was excellent, and color looked much better than expected," but the blacks were only deemed "pretty good," and shadow detail was just "so-so." Overall, the 52-incher managed to really nail the basics (good port selection, tuner and image quality), and if it were priced around a grand less, UAM would've given it an "unqualified recommendation." As it stands, you're probably better off waiting for the price to sink or looking for another unit with more bang-for-the-buck.

We're beginning to lose count of how many times we've been around this carousel, but just in case you thought yet another rumor would bring the Blu-ray-infused Xbox 360 any closer to reality, Microsoft's out to put the kibosh on your wildest hopes and dreams. Following up on the latest round of whispers that surfaced last Friday, Redmond proclaimed to GamePro: "As we have stated, we have no plans to introduce a Blu-ray drive for Xbox 360." The statement also noted that "games are what drive consumers to purchase game consoles, and we remain focused on providing the largest library of blockbuster games available." Right -- which totally explains your prior relationship with HD DVD.

As a whole, it's hard to kvetch too much about Logitech's Harmony line of universal remotes, but as a devout hacker once told us, there's always room for improvement. Phil Dibowitz has been pursuing this project for months, and it looks as if a final release is at long last ready for mass distribution. Put simply, Concordance enables the Harmony family to be programmed in UNIX (which Logitech's software doesn't support) as well as in Windows and Linux. Furthermore, Phil states that the goal is to be "cross-platform," so Mac users should keep an eye out for future updates. Currently, the software supports every model save for the 890 and 1000, though both will hopefully be added in soon. Go on, give the read link a tap and get started -- just don't come crying to us if your "Watch TiVo" command starts opening the boss' garage door.

[Via Hack-A-Day]

Heads-up, OTA lovers. DViCO has just announced the formal launch of its FusionHDTV7 PCI-Express card, which claims to be the "world's first dual HD (digital or QAM) tuner PCIe card." The device is designed to pick up digital (ATSC) / analog (NTSC) terrestrial signals, and the twin silicon tuners also provide picture-in-picture support as well as the ability to watch and / or record two high-definition broadcasts simultaneously. And at just $140 (available now), we have a feeling this one's going to be a fan favorite.

[Via TVSquad]

Though we're not exactly sure if Marantz will be a wholly owned subsidiary of D&M Holdings for much longer, the boutique brand is still planning to strut its stuff at the upcoming Audio Karma Fest in Michigan. Reportedly, the outfit will be showcasing a number of luxurious components from its Reference Series, include the $3,199 SC-11S1 preamplifier, $4,199 SM-11S1 power amplifier, $3,699 SA-11S2 SACD player and the all new $2,599.99 AV8003 Networking AV Preamp / Processor. For those lacking the requisite scratch, the slightly less magnificent SA8001 SACD player ($899.99) and PM7001 integrated amp ($599.99) will also be around. Word has it that all of the items will be demonstrated on Snell loudspeakers, which all in all should deliver a fairly blissful experience.

What do you know? Yet another outlet for you to happily blow $179. As of today, Popcorn Hour's heralded A-100 HD media streamer is finally available for the public at large to pre-order. Previously, folks had to actually sign a list just to be blessed with the privilege of placing an order, but now it seems supply is at long last flowing in nicely. The company has even set up a forum to keep customers informed of order status, but we wouldn't dillydally around -- these are still being sold on a first come, first served basis.

[Thanks, leland]

For all of Microsoft's denial, the Xbox 360 Blu-ray console rumors just will not die. In fact, they are getting more and more specific. The Chinese language Economic Daily News is reporting that Pegatron, an OEM subsidiary of ASUS, has won the order from Microsoft to assemble the Xbox 360 with Blu-ray Disc ROM drive -- shipments are expected to being in Q3 of this year. Now come on Microsoft, just come clean on the matter, we won't tell anyone.