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Video: Intel Tru2way server streams cable all over your house

by Nilay Patel posted Sep 23rd 2009 at 7:14PM Featured Story


Look, Moblin and MIDs and USB 3.0 are all well and good, but the real highlight of IDF is hiding in plain sight: it's Intel's CE 3100 Media Processor-based Tru2way DVR server, which has three digital cable tuners that can be streamed over a regular gigabit Ethernet or MoCA to any number of clients, ranging from other 3100-based set-top boxes to DLNA devices like laptops and even the PS3. It's seriously cool -- the clients all see the server's tuners as their own, so the experience is seamless, and since it all runs on the Tru2way stack, it doesn't matter what kind of client you plug in -- the three clients on the show floor were running interfaces from Intel, Comcast (Rovi), and Digeo. Of course, since it's a DVR, you can actually add more clients than tuners and have them play back recorded content while your other boxes use the tuners -- Intel was demoing XBMC on a Sony laptop connecting over DLNA and streaming a recorded program while a PS3 nearby ran a photo slideshow, all while the three cable clients streamed uncompressed HD video from the tuners. Intel says a number of cable companies are interested in deploying this stuff and that we should see things on the market in the next year -- we honestly can't wait. Check a video after the break.

Continue reading Video: Intel Tru2way server streams cable all over your house

HP MediaSmart ex485 / ex487 v2.5 update now available

by Richard Lawler posted Apr 22nd 2009 at 9:41PM


Thanks are due to EHD reader Matthew for letting us know the much-anticipated v2.5 update to HP's MediaSmart ex485 / ex487 model home servers has been waiting for us on its website for a few days now. In case you missed it, this patch adds a whole load of new features like automatic video conversion, iPhone streaming and other improvements detailed here. The patch itself? A click of the read link and a 24MB download away.

[Thanks, Matthew]

Tranquil's AVA RS5 is an all-in-one 5 bay server with Blu-ray burner, for a hefty fee

by Ross Miller posted Mar 27th 2009 at 3:21AM

Tranquil's latest storage, the AVA RS5, has a pretty useful trick up its sleeve. While this five-bay drive system looks nearly identical to the company's previous SQA-5H home server -- and indeed, we've got the same dual core Atom 330 processor here -- it's also packing a disc drive that rips content straight to memory without needing to be attached to a PC. Music CDs are converted to high quality MP3s in about four minutes, and DVD and Blu-ray discs are straight copied over. Base price is £868 ($1,254) for a DVD burner and five 1TB 3.5-inch Western Digital Green Power SATA HDDs, but you can upgrade to a Blu-ray burner for £390 ($563) or up to five 2TB drives for a total of £377 ($544) extra -- yeah, it's a little pricey, but if this box is tickling your fancy, shipping starts April 20.

Shuttle, Acer and VIA release Windows Home Servers at CES

by Darren Murph posted Jan 9th 2009 at 10:10AM

We've got a trio of companies outing Windows Home Server-based devices here at CES, all of which are coming hot on the heels of the recently revamped HP MediaSmart Servers. Acer's got the Aspire easyStore, which trucks along on an Atom 230 CPU and features 1GB of RAM, four hot-swappable drive bays and 640GB of storage. Shuttle's offering up the SH-4500 and SH-K4800, both of which include dual bays and four USB 2.0 ports; finally, VIA's letting loose the gigantic eight bay NSD7800, which can hold up to 12TB of images, videos, tunes and whatever else you feel like streaming. Per usual, price / release date remains a mystery, but we ought to be hearing more about those bits soon.

[Thanks, Kai Ng Tvedt]

Tranquil PC's SQA-5H home server: 5 bays, Atom 330, the works

by Darren Murph posted Oct 17th 2008 at 11:58PM


No, this ain't a Craigslist ad, this is just a bomb-diggity home server set to officially be released by Tranquil PC tomorrow. The SQA-5H is a cube-shaped server with five hot-swappable drive bays, a 1.6GHz Intel Atom 330 processor and 1GB of RAM (2GB maximum). Additionally, it touts a Quick System Backup for piping your stored data onto an external HDD, a "Mode" button for quick capacity checks and an optional SQA-EX slave unit which provides five additional drive bays connected with a single cable. Expect to find pricing details within 24 hours on the November-bound device.

[Via WeGotServed]

HP's MediaSmart EX475 takes on homegrown Windows Home Server systems

by Darren Murph posted Oct 3rd 2008 at 6:29PM


If you've somehow managed to hold off from buying one of HP's MediaSmart servers (or, you know, just forgot about your plans to buy one), MissingRemote has a nice writeup explaining the benefits of picking one up versus building your own. The storage junkies over there pitted an EX475 against a "home brewed Frankenstein" and a server built with WHS-specific parts in order to see which of the three would emerge triumphant. In the end, HP's own unit managed to garner the most of their love, which was quite surprising to be honest. Sure, building your own can be a ton of fun, but the EX475 just delivered in every important area for right around the same price as the other two homegrown competitors. Don't believe us? Tap the read link and check it out.

Digital media revolution to give home servers a shot in the arm?

by Darren Murph posted Jul 24th 2008 at 12:50PM


Just moments after ABI Research published a report suggesting that all-in-one PCs and internet TV would invigorate the HTPC market comes something similar from Forrester Research. Its latest analysis suggests that the growing trend of maintaining files rather than physical discs could give home media servers a significant boost. Essentially, HTPCs and home storage / networking devices could become entirely relevant as digital downloads become more common and physical media fades out. Granted, we're a firm believer that said scenario is still years away from happening, but we don't doubt that this prophecy will be realized in due time. As it stands, only around 400,000 US households posses a home server, suggesting that the market is just barely in its infancy. Forrester says that figure will grow to 4.5 million by 2012 -- we've got 3.5 years to find out.

Tranquil PC introduces AVA RS3 music server

by Darren Murph posted Jun 27th 2008 at 2:37PM


Hope you like the shiny, because Tranquil PC is bringing lots and lots of it with its latest home music server. The AVA RS3 comes in two flavors, one of which packs 2 x 500GB drives while the other includes a pair of 1TB HDDs. The unit also boasts a fanless design to keep things quiet, and just in case your music library isn't all converted to .wav files just yet, it possesses an internal optical drive to handle direct-to-HDD ripping. Expect these to ship out in around a fortnight for £549 ($1,092) / £699 ($1,390).

[Thanks, WHSuser]




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