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Posts with tag mediacenter

Ultimate HTPC build guide lays out your options

by Darren Murph, posted Dec 2nd 2008 at 5:53PM


You could take the easy way out and just buy a pre-fabricated HTPC, but seriously, where's the joy in that? ArsTechnica has hosted up its refreshed Ultimate Home Theater PC build guide, and in addition to breaking down the pros and cons of investing in such a beast, it details a variety of builds based on your (probable) needs. Do you need a robust all-in-one system? A lightweight front-end to tap into your pre-installed home server system? Or how's about a heavy-duty back-end setup that can be utilized by lightweight clients at the TV? Whatever the case, all the information you need is just down there in the read link.

Okoro Media Systems ships 2009 OMS-LX100 HTPC

by Darren Murph, posted Nov 20th 2008 at 10:22AM

2009 isn't even here yet (at least on the right coast of Planet Earth), but Okoro's being exceptionally proactive by announcing that its '09 OMS-LX100 is already shipping. The system, which is a revamp of the original that popped out in 2006, is situated in the outfit's "low profile" range of HTPCs, and it brings to the table a 2.2GHz Core 2 Duo E2200 processor, 4GB of DDR2 RAM, a front-panel display, optional 7-inch touchscreen, dual-layer DVD writer, up to 2TB of HDD space, NVIDIA's GeForce 9300 with 512MB of RAM, an ATI Digital CableCARD tuner, 7.1-channel audio output and an OTA HDTV tuner. Power users can certainly push the $1,725 base configuration well north of two large should they choose, but good luck explaining that to the SO.

[Via eHomeUpgrade]

The Media Center DirecTV HDPC-20 caught in action

by Ben Drawbaugh, posted Nov 19th 2008 at 1:48PM Featured Story


Microsoft invited us, with a few others, to tour the eHome team office and lab's and of all the great things we saw -- pictured in the gallery -- the one that got us the most excited was to see the rumored DirecTV HDPC-20 USB tuner in action. Our dreams were a little dashed though, as we were reminded on numerous occasions that although Microsoft tests lots of hardware, not everything makes it to market. So in other words, the presence of any hardware in the lab is no way an announcement of future products. But this here tuner wasn't the only thing we saw, as there were even a few indications that DISH Network was being tested as well, and while we did see DISH multi-switches and a DISH TV screen up on a Media Center PC, we didn't see any specific DISH equipment connected to Media Center. This could mean the tuners are internal or maybe the tuners were just cleared out before we came through. More pictures of the HDPC-20 in action after the jump.

Continue reading The Media Center DirecTV HDPC-20 caught in action

Windows 7 to natively support DivX and transcoding?

by Ben Drawbaugh, posted Nov 5th 2008 at 5:20PM


Currently getting 3rd party codecs like DivX and Xvid working within Windows Media Center has worked well enough with 3rd party solutions, but the next best thing is native support. We'd already gotten the official word that H.264 support was included in Windows 7, but a tipster has lead us to believe that the pre-beta version of Windows 7 also includes native support for DivX. In addition, MKV is also expected to be supported; but that isn't the best part. Because although we've always been able to add these codecs to Media Center anyways, the real crux has been when you try to watch the very same content on an extender -- like the Xbox 360. So in an attempt to bring the entire Media Center experience to the extenders it appears Microsoft has added native transcoding. So now if Media Center can play the file, it can also convert it on the fly to a format that your extender supports. Of course like all betas, there's no guarantee these features will make it into the final build, but we sure hope they do.

Harman Kardon delivers its DMC 1000 media centre to UK

by Steven Kim, posted Oct 31st 2008 at 2:58AM

Harman Kardon DMC 1000 media center
For all the Brits out there who had their hearts set on the Harman Kardon DMC 1000 media center when we first shot pics of way back at CEDIA 2007 but who had forgotten (understandably) about the unit, consider yourself rewarded -- it's now available in the UK for £1800 ($2980). Pick one up and start feeding it your CDs for ripping to its internal 250GB hard drive and your DVDs for glorious 720p upconversion; once you're done, you can use that four-stream support to cast your media hither and yon. While you're picking this gear up, don't forget to throw in a Bridge II dock to round out your on-the-go lifestyle. Seriously, this seems like a nice piece of kit, but pricey for its functionality -- let us know if if feels cheaper in Pounds.

What's new in Windows 7 for Media Center

by Ben Drawbaugh, posted Oct 30th 2008 at 1:40PM


Our good friend Charlie Owen highlighted the most interesting parts of Windows 7 on his blog -- you know, the Media Center parts. Overall we're a bit disappointed to see that most of the changes to the TV functionality were just brought over from the OEM only TV Pack, in fact almost all the other changes are cosmetic. We're not sure we like the new look yet (like the new info menu pictured) but we'd like to get accustomed to it before we pass judgment. That's not to say that there aren't any new features though, as there are plenty of changes for the pictures and music's features -- which are much appreciated. It should go without saying that we're mostly interested in features that enhance our HD viewing. The biggest addition to us is one that was expected in the TV Pack, but left out: H.264 support. Although this can be a nice feature all on its own, the real excitement is because we hope that this means DirecTV fans will finally get to watch HD on their Media Centers. We're hoping that this isn't the only feature that Redmond isn't letting on to just yet, but we'll all just have to wait and see what's to come in the final release.

Windows Media Center Gadgets for SideShow finally released

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 25th 2008 at 12:07AM


This release may have been a bit more important had it been done back when SideShow had a chance of being viable, but now that the technology is all but forgotten, we aren't too sure that many of you will be able to take advantage. At any rate, those still looking for more ways to utilize those SideShow-enabled wares can download the Windows Media Center Gadgets for Windows SideShow application today, which is conveniently available in both 32- and 64-bit versions. Media Center users can tap into a SideShow-enabled remote, for example, to browse the TV program guide (as well as schedule recordings and the like), sift through your playlists, browse pictures / play slideshows and get a glimpse of what's currently playing in Media Center. Hit the read link and give it a go -- if any of you out there even have the hardware to take advantage.

[Via On10, thanks Ian]

Blusens offers up Blu:Brain HD media server

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 8th 2008 at 5:28PM


Blusens hit the scene in a big way last October, but for whatever reason, we haven't heard from 'em since... until now, that is. The Blu:Brain Home Entertainment Device features a somewhat misleading name, as there's (regrettably) no built-in Blu-ray drive to speak of. What it does have, however, is a remarkably sexy shell, twin digital TV tuners (DVB-T), a removable internal hard drive, Ethernet / WiFi connectivity and a USB port. Essentially, this here box can serve up all sorts of multimedia (high-def content included) via HDMI, though word on the street says it won't even be available to order until 2009.

[Via Gizmos]

Okoro intros updated low-profile OMS-SX100 media center

by Donald Melanson, posted Oct 3rd 2008 at 7:51PM


Okoro apparently doesn't have much time for design changes, or even model name changes, but the company has at least seen fit to give its low-profile OMS-SX100 a considerable spec-bump and, apparently, a reduction in power consumption. That latter bit seems to come largely as a result of the low-wattage AMD Athlon X2 4850e processor at the heart of the system, which gets backed up by 2GB of RAM, a 500GB hard drive (upgradeable to 1TB), 8-channel LPCM audio via HDMI, NVIDIA 8200 graphics, and an optional Blu-ray drive, to name a few features. The company is also promising CableCARD and SAGETV HDPVR models in the future, but if that's beyond your needs, you can snag the current model right now for $1695.

Niveus Search brings unified searches to Vista Media Center

by Darren Murph, posted Sep 28th 2008 at 12:37AM


Niveus Media is introducing quite the application today, and unlike the vast majority of its other downloads, this one isn't restricted to Niveus-branded machines. Niveus Search is an app suitable for use on any Vista Media Center PC which delivers a simple search tool for scanning local / connected media as well as internet sources. The tool promises visual results of your EPG, recorded TV list, music, photos, videos, web-based content and sources such as Netflix / Flickr / Live365. Best of all, it's available gratis in beta form right now for all Vista Media Center users to enjoy, though we'd highly suggest you grab it soon if you're interested -- who knows if this will stay machine agnostic forever. Full release after the fold.

Continue reading Niveus Search brings unified searches to Vista Media Center

XBMC Atlantis beta released: Linux / OS X users invited

by Darren Murph, posted Sep 19th 2008 at 5:03PM


Hooray! The chains of platform discrimination have been cast away in the latest iteration of XMBC. The dev crew has announced the very first cross-platform Beta version of XBMC media center for Linux, Mac OS X (Leopard and Tiger), Windows, and Xbox in preparation for the upcoming stable release of XBMC (which is code named Atlantis). A few notable additions to this version include XMBC Live -- a "bootable CD which gives users the opportunity to try XBMC on their computer, without touching their hard drive" -- and initial support for integrating iTunes and iPhoto media into XBMC... for Mac users, anyway. The final release is currently on track for an October launch, and if you'd like that to remain true, we'd recommend giving the beta a whirl and submitting any bugs to the gurus behind the scenes. So, what exactly are you waiting for again?

Read - Atlantis Beta 1
Read - iPhoto / iTunes integration

Captive Works intros CW-4000HD Linux Media Center

by Darren Murph, posted Sep 18th 2008 at 11:41AM


Tired of those Windows-based media servers, are you? Enter Captive Works, which has just unleashed its Linux-based CW-4000HD. The all-black unit packs an AMD 4600 X2 CPU, 512MB of DDR2 RAM, a hard drive slot, NVIDIA's GeForce 7050 GPU, an optional ATSC tuner, HDMI / component / S-Video outputs, four USB 2.0 ports, a DVD burner and analog / digital audio outputs. It also comes bundled with software to handle PVR duties, P2P streaming, multimedia playback and pretty much anything else you'd expect a low-end HTPC to do. No mention of a price at the moment, but stay tuned on the read link if you're interested in (eventually) taking one home.

[Thanks, Aren]

Microsoft planning La Veuve de Media Center?

by Richard Lawler, posted Sep 17th 2008 at 8:25PM


Our friend Chris Lanier's sources report a potential headless Media Center-powered CE appliance is under development. The current implementation on desktops and laptops gives it exposure, but the possibility of a more focused device could help potential users understand just what the package is for. On the other hand, competition from entrenched STB manufacturers and service providers could squeeze prices too low for whatever system is being cooked up in Redmond, which clearly considers our preferred "throw bags of money at the XBMC dev crew" strategy unsound. Barring convict redemption ideas cribbed from obscure French romance flicks released early this decade, what do you think Microsoft should do next?

[Picture courtesy of Thomas Hawk]

DirecTV's Media Center Tuner still not on track for this year

by Ben Drawbaugh, posted Sep 16th 2008 at 9:00PM

HDPC-20
It was a pretty big disappointment when we learned that the Windows Media Center TV Pack (code named Fiji) didn't include support for the long awaited DirecTV tuner, and unfortunately this means the smart money is on Windows 7 -- which will probably be out in early 2011 -- but of course this doesn't stop a few assumably uninformed DirecTV CSRs from telling customers it'll be out in November. Although we really have no idea when Microsoft will add native support for DirecTV, we do know it would be highly unusual for Microsoft to release anything without at least a few months of external testing. So with September half way over, it makes it next to impossible to believe we'll see it before the end of 2008. The thing that isn't as clear though, is that for whatever reason, the testers we've spoken to still aren't 100% convinced that the new tuner will require Windows 7, and although it seems like a slim chance, the tuner might just get here before Windows 7 after all, but your guess is as good as ours.

VideoGiants / MusicGiants connect to form HDGiants

by Richard Lawler, posted Sep 16th 2008 at 8:30AM

Now that the company formerly known as MusicGiants has branched into the movie business, both sides will now exist under one brand: HDGiants. To celebrate the company is launching a Windows Media Center app to deliver high quality music and movies over the internet. Not that we're knocking the old send-customers-a-hard-drive full of movies distribution model, especially since HDGiants actually has a major studio on board -- unlike some we could name -- but as a step forward from the exclusive domain of custom installed media centers, it's not a bad start.

Read - MusicGiants + VideoGiants = HD Giants
Read - HDGiants offers Media Center app




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