XBMC launched version 12.0 (codenamed Frodo) of its media center software today, bringing a ton of new features and opening up support to new platforms. As a longtime Plex user, this XBMC release looks to give me plenty of reason to change horses for my Mac mini media center needs. The release brings HT audio support, Live TV and PVR integration, 64bit support for the OS X version, and adds… → 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
Boxee, the excellent, multi-platform, FOSS social media frontend has received a major upgrade: it now supports Netflix and all its functions — queue, watch instantly, and so on. In addition to that and all the regular bugfixes, they’ve updated the look and feel of some of the major media sites: Hulu is now a little more native-looking, Youtube supports “higher quality video… → Read More
I’m no expert in these little home media boxes, but I suspect they are excellent investments for those of you with too much money. Certainly the abilities of a Vista Media Center type setup are enviable, but for $2000 you could have put another 10 inches on that screen and built a media box yourself. But I digress (and am probably wrong). This FUZEbox has up to 2TB of space, does DVR and… → Read More
I’m going to make a confession here. “1337″ used to be the combination for my bike lock. Stop laughing. I said stop laughing. But not only is Donn’s leet little media center face-palmingly geeky (for the moment), it’s also actually leet: did you notice there are 4657GB filled available on the thing? Good lord, the man must eat, drink, and sleep TV! → Read More
The Loewe stand at IFA caught my eye for two reasons. The image above struck my funny bone, and the image below filled me with deep techno-lust. At a show filled with televisions that all looked very much alike, Loewe had on display a number of sleek, stylish televisions that really stood out from the crowd. Like many other companies at IFA, Loewe was touting their own whole-house networked… → Read More
Remember how Microsoft is only sending the TV Pack upgrade to OEM partners and not allow end-users an upgrade path? Fluid Digital is one of those OEMs and it seems they are one of the first companies annoucing availability. Their updated quad-tuner equipped servers will be available sometime later this year and will, of course, have ClearQAM capabilities thanks to the Media Server TV Pack. → Read More
Google just announced its odd Google Media Server, a Windows app that finds photos, music, and video and makes it available to DLNA devices like the PlayStation 3, XBox 360, and most Media Center PCs. Google Media Server is a Windows application that aims to bridge the gap between Google and your TV. It uses Google Desktop technology such as Desktop gadgets for the administration tool and Google… → Read More
Sony will update the TP1, their so-called “Media Center” PCs, with the VGX-TP1DQ/B and VGX-TP1D [JP], the company said today [JP]. The main difference between the two models is that the latter features a DVD drive, while the VGX-TP1DQ/B is equipped with a Blu-ray drive. In contrast to older versions, the new PCs come with a double digital TV tuner and improved “Giga Pocket… → Read More
The SageTV HD Media Extender is a $250 ($200 if you already have a SageTV license)box that streams high-definition content from a PC over an Ethernet connection. Supported files include MPEG1/2/4, H.264, WMV, AVI, MP3, JPEG, PNG, and GIF and if you’ve got a TV tuner installed on your PC, you can watch and record television. It’s a nice option for fans of the SageTV media center… → Read More
The folks at TGB sat down with Jessica Zahn of Microsoft at CES and got the nod that DVD streaming is coming. There’s no official time line as to when it will come to a media center near you, but rest assured it won’t be limited to high end setups. I don’t pay too much attention to media center, but I know many of you do so look for this to be unlocked in the Fiji update. TGB… → Read More
I thought this was another oversized satellite radio home kit from afar. As I got closer, I figured it was some sort of retro bread crisper. Then when I got even closer, I could have sworn it was a big giant container like you use at the bank to whoosh your cash through those magical tubes (only red instead of gray). Finally, I realized it was some sort of PC with wonderful widgets and knobs and… → Read More
HP and the rest of the laptop world are dumping hundreds of laptops tomorrow, but the HDX seems to stand out in a potentially crowded news day. It’s essentially a huge media center with a tilting screen and HD DVD drive and HDTV tuner. How much will it cost? About $2,000 with only a few of the extras and expect the price to rise stratospherically with the add-ons. It also runs Santa Rosa so… → Read More
Where once there were none, there are now multiple options for accessing the photos, videos and music trapped on your home PC from any Web-enabled computer. CyberLink is putting its expert knowledge of media software to use to join said options. CyberLink Live (now in beta for her pleasure) is a free download that lets you lie on the floor in your underwear and enjoy content on one PC from another… → Read More
While I’m certain there are people out there that think Apple pioneered the “mini” computer, Shuttle Computers has long been an industry-leading designer and manufacturer of small-form-factor (SFF) PCs. The Shuttle XPC X200 is a prime example of that leadership. Measuring 2.1×8.3×11.8 inches (HWD), the little black-and-silver box is a powerful Media Center PC. Operating… → Read More
JVC just dove into the home media center market and its latest offering is the Sophisti DD-3. Aside from an odd name, the DD-3 system is based upon speakers and a main unit. The main unit acts as a network media player, as well as a DVD player, AM/FM radio, CD player, and can stream audio from another PC. But one of the cooler features that makes the DD-3 stand out is the dedicated USB host port… → Read More
The AVerTV Hybrid Ultra USB might look a tad on the dull side, but the little gray box contains a TV tuner for receiving both standard- and high-definition broadcasts and has an MPEG-2 hardware encoder as well. Plus, there’s an FM tuner built in for those of you that still listen to FM radio and want to listen and record it on your computer. The $129.99 (MSRP) package is designed to work… → Read More
Introduced today at CeBIT is the Linksys KiSS 1600 wireless media hub. This is a must-have media device that can stream all sorts of digital content including HD video to your TV through the internet or any other device set up on your network. The KiSS replaces your DVD player because it will upscale your entire DVD collection to 720p through HDMI. Most of the specs are still unknown, but it will… → Read More
It’s big, it’s rotund in a rectangular way, it has 2TB of hard disk space and 2GB of RAM and did we mention that it’s huge. The CyberSelect Clever3000 is the ultimate media center for the home. It’s a high-performance beast running Windows Media Center Edition on an Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 processor and an Intel 975 chipset to support Dolby Master Studio. The Clever3000 will replace… → Read More
Check out the new digs on the Shuttle X200! Man, you are really looking smooth nowadays. The media-centric X200 PC from Shuttle was announced today and it looks like there’s a great Media Center PC coming our way. Designed to compete against the Mac Mini, the X200 has built-in WiFi, a hybrid digital/analog TV tuner, FM radio, up to a 2GHZ Intel Core 2 Duo CPU, and a case only 2-inches high. No… → Read More
SageTV makes a handy media center application for Windows and Linux PCs, which does all kinds of good things, but mostly it turns your computer into a powerful DVR. The company makes and sells a companion app called SageTV Placeshifter for tapping into the media center to control and watch live or recorded TV from any computer connected to the Internet, much like a SlingBox. Today its announced a… → Read More
Your TV isn’t ready for the Mvix MX-760HD multimedia player, but the guys at skippy.net think theirs is. Not only did they write about how slick this device is (by slick we mean it puts out 1080p, like any of our TVs can handle it), but they also took some great unboxing pics and put them in a flickr album. Like regular porn, gear porn is hottest when it’s made by amateurs. If you… → Read More
Klegg’s calling it the “world’s first IP controlled Microsoft Windows Media Center TV.” Maybe that’s true because it’s at least new to me. But I don’t really care since the set just sounds cool. Unveiled at the 2006 Fall Electronic House Expo (EHX) in Long Beach, California this week, the next generation Klegg KLM401A 40-inch flat panel LCD television… → Read More
Illegal downloading just got a good bit easier, L.A. Boy Scouts Be Damned. Software maker BitTorrent has signed a deal that will enable it to pre-install its software on electronic devices. The first companies to go along with this are Asustek Computer, Planex Communication and QNAP Systems. If all goes according to plan, and the RIAA and MPAA don’t intervene some time soon, BitTorrent will… → Read More
Fujitsu’s typically gone after the business market in the U.S. with its LifeBook series of laptops. But now it appears to be bulking up its lineup with three consumer-oriented multimedia systems, the N6420 and two new A series notebooks. The most notable feature on the N6420 is the inclusion of an HD DVD drive for viewing (not burning, though) high-def movies on the 17-inch Color-Enhanced… → Read More
Vista enthusiasts will already know the Windows Media Center viewing and recording suite will be included on all higher-end copies of Vista. No longer a separate SKU, Media Center is now ready for a mass market audience – and so is its remote. And just like all mass market technology, its streamlined and made easier to use. Compared to the old Media Center remotes, the new Vista remote has… → Read More
CoolTechPC, a mail-order PC house in southwesten Washington, has introduced us to a fashionable, drool-worthy new PC, the Psile series. These media PCs are outfitted with impressive specs, but that’s not why they’re cool. The design is intriguing: CoolTechPC has eliminated the noisy fans, so even when the machine is booting up, it makes almost no noise at all. The idea here is that… → Read More
<img src="http://tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com/2007/01/over the net and they can all watch simultaneously. The Hava box also has component, S-Video, composite, and RF inputs for TV, and can use IR blaster to control set top boxes you get from your cable provider for HD TV or digital cable. You can get one now for $199. The major difference between this and Slingbox is the fact that… → Read More
I’ve always thought that having a DVD player in your car dash was like having people talk to you while you’re walking a tightrope. It seems like you should only use it when you’re driving extremely long distances—or at extremely high speeds while piss dunk. Either that, or get it in the back seat for the kiddos. Well, Pioneer seems to disagree. In a big, big way. → Read More
The Unibrain iZak is a portable hard drive that along with storing your music, video and image files will allow you to connect to a TV for playback. I was taken with the idea for about 10 seconds until I remembered that Iomega made basically the same device a year ago, the Screenplay. However, it looks like the iZak has the edge because it has a digital audio out as well as the ability to do… → Read More
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