Recent Comments:
TWC adds three more HD channels in Winston-Salem / Greensboro, NC {Engadget HD}
Jul 1st 2008 8:28AM guidedbyvoip,
What are you smoking? Our Scientific Atlanta DVRs are now AWFUL - so bad that I am seriously considering a media center pc with cablecard.
Yeah, why would TWC care about the Triangle? It's not like there many tech people here. (nod to This is Spinal Tap's conversation about losing the Boston gig)
The Media Center Extender shootout {Engadget HD}
Jun 19th 2008 2:25PM I am playing around with a D-Link DSM-750 and found a few things in addition to the things mentioned above:
* While it has a number of video outputs, it will only drive one at a time. The HDDVR from Time Warner will output high def on HDMI and Component, and SD on Composite all at the same time. This isn't important to most people, but it does make a difference if you want a house-wide SD system showing what's on the HD TV downstairs.
* The footprint is pretty big, though the unit is thin. It's fine for my den, but you can't mount it under a cabinet in the kitchen, for example.
* I am able to get DVD's to play from the Media Center PC with "My Movies" added on. The caveat is that the movie has to be burned to a single VOB file. Also, I can only hop forward, so there's no FF or REW. It will pause, but it won't remember where it was if you Stop, so we have a long way to go here.
* I can't get it to play YouTube videos through Yougle. I CAN get it to show MSN' Soapbox Video beautifully.
For the reasons stated above, I'm going to make the Media Center PC dedicated to serving the only HDTV in my house, the Den, and use the extender to serve SD content out through my house's Avcast coax system. Down the road I'll put an extender in each room. The new HP extender looks cute, and looks perfect for that hidden kitchen extender I've always wanted.
Ask Engadget HD: What's the best HD media streamer? {Engadget HD}
Jun 11th 2008 12:28PM I'm just embarking on this setup with Vista Media Center (just one tuner right now). I tried an Xbox360, but it was SO noisy and there was way too much lag time between the Harmony XBox360 remote and the XBox360, that it drove me crazy.
Other problems were inability to run Yougle with YouTube, and the inability to output audio and video to multiple simultaneous sources (I have a coax system right now that modulates a composite video source throughout the house on channel 66 - with the xbox I couldn't go out to HDMI AND composite video.)
Enter the new DLink 750. After playing with it for one hour, I have to say I'm impressed. I'm using a wired network and HDMI connection to my TV. So far it's handling multiple outputs fine. It looks like it wants to run YouTube videos, though I'm still doubtful (given that the Yougle author said that extenders can't run flash). The stock remote control is comfortable and responsive, though I'm getting ready to set up a Harmony 880 ($100 at TigerDirect thru today).
Like I said, my experience is minimal but the only trouble I've had is getting the Sony HDTV and the box to wake up via HDMI with corresponding resolutions. Also I unplugged the DLink box when rearranging thing and plugged it back in. I had to re-setup the link to Windows Media Center. Is this going to happen every time the power goes off? That's a pain.
Finally, though the unit has a large footprint, it is very thin and silent. Menus are not rendered to quite the resolution the XB360 did, but they are very good. Animation through menu items is not as good, but it certainly doesn't feel like there is any lag.
Staples to stock Flexplay self-destructing DVDs {Engadget HD}
Jun 2nd 2008 11:11AM I commonly think that complaints from environmentalists are absurd, but I agree with the above comments. This is an incredibly wasteful form of distributing media. Even if you mail back the used item, it takes gas in those mail trucks and energy to "recycle" the products.
Remember all that whining about the "long box" back in 1987? Where are those people now (hmph hmph michael stipe). This is far worse than extra cultivated trees being used so that record stores wouldn't have to buy new furniture. And whatever happened to those eco-packs anyway? No they aren't durable, but who's carrying around CDs these days? Let's get rid of all this excess plastic production and disposal.
