If you use a PC for your media center, you might have had trouble locating a suitable control device for it, if you’re using the plain mouse-based interface. Sure, there are air mice and you can always use keyboard shortcuts, but those are kind of weak compared with this great device from Acer that just hit the FCC. → Read More
I’m not sure how many HTPCs are out there with the rise of streaming Netflix boxes and the like, but if you’re still attaching a slimline case to your TV then this may be the control device for you. Priced at about $150, this keypad/controller/thinger includes a full keyboard, two joysticks, and an “accelerometer capable of interpreting tilts as up, down.” → Read More
The TrimSlice is a mini-PC with a mission: to be amazingly small and light and feature TV-in and a number of useful and surprising outputs. It is, in short, one of the coolest kiosk or dedicated use PCs I’ve seen in a long while. The Tegra 2 chip is housed in a thin, fanless case with stereo line in/out as well as HDMI out. It can hold a laptop hard drive and runs 1GB of DDR2 memory. It has… → Read More
Elgato just released the updated version of their USB tuner, the EyeTV. This new version has been resized (smaller) and added compatibility with Windows 7, making it ideal for that HTPC project you’ve been thinking about. → Read More
Mvix’s Ultio Pro looks suspiciously like a commercial version of an HTPC. Designed with 1080p decoding, network media playback from a NAS or PC, and the option to add a PVR, I might have to get one of these to replace my old Xbox Media Center. → Read More
I’m afraid it’s time for me to upgrade my media center. My old Xbox just isn’t cutting it any more, between the composite input and the lack of processing power, it looks like it may be time to put the old reliable out to pasture and upgrade to something new. Is the Patriot Box Office Media Player the solution? Well HardOCP seems to think so, and I think it just might be. → Read More
I’ve never heard of Piixl but that doesn’t mean they can’t hold a place in my heart. This 3GHz Core 2 Duo machine mounts right behind your HDTV and will cost about $4,000, a pretty penny for something so thin and innocuous. Called the EdgeCenter 3770 the device is designed to run home theater and kiosk applications and remain completely out of sight. It’s a clever solution… → Read More
This little controller is butt-ugly and crude, but I still want one really bad. Maybe Santa will bring me one. → Read More
Viewsonic, best known for their displays, has just set their sights on the HTPC market. Jumping in with two models, Viewsonic no doubt hopes to make a good first impression in the home theater PC market, and their first entry looks to be a good way to do that. → Read More
Dell just went official with the Inspiron Zino HD price and spces. There have been a few unboxing and previews popping up around the blogs the last few days and I’ve fallen in love with the little computer. It’s slightly larger than the Mac Mini, but I believe infinitely more versatile. → Read More
We know practically nothing about this machine, but from the two spy photos we can see, it looks interesting. Based on its ports and such, we can make some educated guesses — but it’s still a mystery device officially. → Read More
While I think this Maingear HTPC looks good, and it’s certainly spec’ed well, I’m not sure I buy the idea of serious PC gaming in the living room. Gaming from your couch is about laying back with a controller and rocking the Halo-Kazooie or whatever it is the kids have these days. I know Phantom has been trying (ineffectively, for years now) to change that, but they’re not… → Read More
IOGEAR announced a wireless USB audio/video adapter today. Seems like it could be interesting. → Read More
This could possible be the answer to dwellers of shoe-box sized apartments looking for a full-featured HTPC. Check it: a Core 2 Due P8400 CPU, 1GB of RAM (upgrade that), up to 320GB HDD, a digital TV tuner, HDMI-out and a Blu-ray burner. What more can you want from a computer smaller than a toaster? Throw an external hard drive on there for more storage space and you’ll have the… → Read More
The first-gen Onkyo hasn’t exactly made a splash in the HTPC market - do you know anyone that owns one? – but maybe the new models will help the home theater namesake penetrate more markets. By ditching audiophile-grade amplifier along with a DAC, the price has dropped from 200,00 yen ($2,149) to 59,800 ($643) which should spur some sales. Still, the netop is equipped with… → Read More
I love it! The hardest part about building a HTPC always seems to be finding a case that doesn’t look out of place with the other AV equipment. Even specialty built HTPC cases still don’t have the look and feel of traditional equipment; that’s where an old TiVo comes into play. This guy simply ripped out all the TiVo innards and shoved a Ubuntu XBMC computer within. He was nice… → Read More
Looking for a compact, but still loaded, HTPC? HP is offering $400 of a $999 s3500T series system (coupon code DT1158), allowing you to configure one nice system and seeing the price drop nearly in half. Starting with the base configuration, I selected Vista Home Premium 64-bit (!), the Intel E4700 processor, 4GB of RAM, the 256MB Nvidia video card with HDMI, and the Blu-ray player. To inch the… → Read More
Acer recently announced its series of X1200 small form factor desktops. There are three models ranging in price from $450 to $700. The X1200-U1520A and the X1200-U1510A are both available now for $450 and $460, respectively, and the decked-out X1200-B1581A will be available for $700 on Sunday, July 13th. Each model comes with a 64-bit dual-core AMD chip, 4GB of RAM, on-board NVIDIA GeForce 8200… → Read More
The media hub once known as Xbox Media Player, then Xbox Media Center, then XBMC, then ported to Intel-based Macs and called OSXBMC is now known as Plex. The name change was announced at the weekend, while many of you were celebrating your country’s independence. As explained on the application’s official Web site: The one name that stuck was Plex. I like it because it evokes… → Read More
Flickr’d Formerly named Xbox Media Center, XBMC made the original Xbox useful long past its sell-by date, and it’s now been ported over to Mac OS X. Well, it’s been available for OS X for some time now, but yet another beta was released a few hours ago. That latest version, 0.5b8, can be found here. Now, you ask yourself, “Just why would I use XBMC on my Mac?” Because… → Read More
If you’ve got some cash to spend and AppleTV doesn’t really fancy you well, it may be worth a minute to check out the new Hangar18 HTPC from Alienware. Equipped with radical features such as a Gyration remote, this box will kick new life into your home theater setup. Dual tuners, a 5.1-channel amp, HDMI, and 1080p output are all included. You’ll also find 2TB of storage space… → Read More
Over at Zatz Not Funny, the greatest name ever for a blog, Zatz asks an important question: What’s up with CableCARD-ready PCs? Did they fall off the face of the planet, or are people just not enthusiastic about the idea of sticking a PC in their entertainment center? → Read More
AMD has developed a prototype media vault device that can be used to store and stream content to TVs and PCs. The, as of yet, unnamed device is aimed directly at the market Apple hopes to broach next year with its iTV. While there are few details currently available about the AMD prototype, Joe Menard, the corporate VP at AMD, speculates that we could begin seeing the AMD media device sometime… → Read More
Threading with the ever increasing move toward combination machines, Sony unleashed its newest amalgamation, the VAIO LS1 TV/PC. The rig presents itself iMac style with the chassis built into the back of the 19″ WSXGA+ display. It is powered by an Intel Core Duo processor, 2GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive and integrated 802.11 b/g. The included wireless mouse and keyboard apparently fold into… → Read More
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