Marc Policani's Digital Media Blog: Home Theater (HTPC / MCE / STB)

HTPC News: DVR viewers push ad ratings - up?

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 18:30:18 GMT

In a recent article appearing in USA Today by Laura Petrecca and Theresa Howard, the latest Nielsen report data suggests that DVR recorded content is pushing commercial ad ratings up and not down. According to the article, many DVR owners do not fast forward through ads resulting in a 32% increase in ad viewership numbers within the first three days of originally airing.

Honestly, I'm one of the individuals that will not sit through the commercials. I get up and talk to the kids, take the garbage to the corner, empty the dishwasher, etc... so whether I'm in the living room watching LOST as it airs or zipping through the commercials on a DVR - at least with the DVR I'm in the same room watching the commercials as they fly by on the screen.

My wife, children and boarders on the other hand watch different shows than I do and are far less likely to fast forward through the ads. Since each of us is able to record more than one show at a time, record content that we would normally not make the time to watch and compound all of our television viewing into a single sitting our hosehold is now watching more television than ever, so even though one or two of us are fast-forwarding through the adds I can totally see how our overall exposure to commercial content would go up despite having a fast forward button.

Review: Thermaltake's Mozart Media Lab VC4000SNS

Sat, 26 May 2007 00:39:24 GMT

In an effort to make the HTPC experience more family friendly I decided that it was time to replace our HTPC's case and include it with our existing stack of home theater equipment. I wanted a case that wouldn’t glow and whistle in the dark detracting from the home theater experience and wanted to go with something that would match our existing 17" home theater components, could run 24x7 without having to worry about overheating, and could be operated by a single remote control - all this for aging HTPC system built from spare parts that I didn’t feel comfortable spending more than $100 on...

After much searching, I stumbled accross the Thermaltake Mozart Media Lab VC4000SNS at Fry's for about $129.99 (now only $99.99).

The case ships with three front side 5 1/2" drive bays with a door designed to hide all but a single optical drive. The black aluminum face plate for the optical drive is attached using a double-sided sticker which I wasn’t too excited about - although it looks far better than some of the other optical drive face plates that I've seen. The door itself is fairly heavy which is nice, but it’s on what feels like a very flimsy hinge and clasp mechanism which would have been much better executed with a magnetic clasp and or a sideways opening drawer.

This particular case does not ship with the optional VFD and Media Lab feature (for that you want to look at the VC4001SNS), so no scrolling digital text in the front of your case or remote control. If you’re like me, you don’t want any of that anyway because scrolling text detracts from the home theater experience and IR remote controls are just awful to use anyway (poor range, difficult to use behind a glass enclosures, etc). Many TV tuner cards ship with their own optional RF remotes anyway (I’m running two ATI TV Wonder 550's and an ATI HDTV Wonder card all of which ship with their own RF remotes). One thing I should mention for anyone attempting to use an RF remote is that it’s better to hang your remote antennas OUTSIDE of the case as the aluminum in the case shields too much of the signal.

The dual rear 60mm exhaust fans are somewhat loud but very much needed - DONT put this case into your Home Entertainment Center without first cutting holes to accommodate either the fans, or the entire unit. Because of the form factor of the fans, I would imagine that it would be difficult to find replacement fans for this case that are any quieter than it ships with - but if you know of any please feel free to send me a quick e-mail. In our implementation the HTPC case was too deep and I had to cut a 17" wide hole into the back for the entertainment center in order to accommodate the case.

There are two vents at the top of the case, although only one will allow you to attach a fan anywhere near it. Depending upon the amount of hardware that your running you may or may not wish to install a blowhole fan there, for my purposes the blowhole fan was overkill and I'm getting ready to remove it to cut down on the amount of noise that emits from the case.

Speaking of noise, the fans that ship with the case are noisy. With that said, the noise output of any case is always proportional to the amount of money you invest in your fans. For HTPC purposes, I would recommend sinking a good $50 on specialty fans to reduce the amount of noise pollution that your going to subject your friends and family to.

PROS:
- Excellent Price / Performance for an HTPC case at $99.99
- Beautiful 17" wide brushed aluminum case
- No flashing lights to distract you from your digital content

CONS:
- Fatter than it needs to be - for a slimmer form factor without sacrificing width check out the VC7000SNS and 70001SNS series.
- Deeper than it needs to be
- Heavy aluminum door on a flimsy hinge and clasp system that feels like its going to break off at any moment
- Cheesy but effective black aluminum stick on faceplate
- Noisy stock fans are functional but not ideal for a home theater environment

Yahoo Launches DVR Software

Wed, 26 Apr 2006 20:49:09 GMT

From BroadbandReports.com:

Yahoo today launched Yahoo Go!, their free downloadable DVR software/service, based largely on technology recently (as in last week) acquired via their purchase of Meedio. The software lets users manage photos (Flickr access included) and music, record and manage television programs, etc. The company lists the tuner cards supported here. The software is Windows only.

Microsoft Details Vista's Media Features

Mon, 24 Apr 2006 21:13:21 GMT

Microsoft on Monday detailed innovations coming in Windows Vista that the company believes makes the operating system superior in the delivery of multimedia. This would include several enhancements to Windows Media itself as well as expanded functionality within Windows Media Center, now standard in Vista.

The company is promoting the new features of its upcoming operating system at the National Association of Broadcasters convention being held this week in Las Vegas. With online multimedia becoming more prevalent, traditional broadcasters are increasingly interesting in utilizing the Internet as a method for delivery.

"With Windows Vista, we went back to the drawing board to create a premier platform for audio and video," Windows Digital Media Division corporate vice president Amir Majidimehr said.

Improvements to playback of media include glitch resilience, which will ensure that audio and video applications will receive processor priority during playback. The company has also made enhancements to the playback of audio. For example, each application's volume can be set separately, rather than the universal setting of previous operating systems.

In addition, device roles will be introduced. Initially, peripherals will be grouped into three categories: general, music and movies, and communication.

This would allow for applications to route sound through a specific device:; for example, music could play through the computers speakers, while e-mail alert chimes sound in a headset. Additionally, enhancements to the digital audio processing will allow for higher fidelity audio. | more...

ATI Media Center Video Conversion Utility

Thu, 13 Apr 2006 20:37:28 GMT

A big big thanks to Chris Lanier for pointing this one out on his Blog...

ATI Catalyst Release Note Version 6.4 Windows Media Center Edition Video Conversion Utility

Catalyst 6.4 introduces a Windows MCE Video Conversion utility. This utility allows users to convert video content that is recorded by MCE, or video content that is available to MCE, to variety of different formats. The video content can be converted to MPEG-2, MPEG-4 SP, MPEG-4 AVC and Windows Media. iPod Video and PSP video are listed as separate formats for easy recognition.

NVIDIA Dual-Analog TV Tuner Turns PCs Into Home Entertainment Centers

Wed, 05 Apr 2006 19:44:13 GMT

This appeared on Chris Lanier's Blog this morning, its a good read...

NVIDIA Corporation, the worldwide leader in graphics and digital media processors, today introduced the NVIDIA DualTV tuner, the first TV tuner for PCs to offer two TV tuners on a single card with comprehensive personal video recording functionality, unique MediaSqueeze disk space saving technology, and support for the Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition (MCE) operating system.

The NVIDIA DualTV tuner is available immediately for $169 USD from the NVIDIA Store Web site at www.store.nvidia.com.

With its unique two-tuner technology, the NVIDIA DualTV tuner transforms an MCE-equipped PC into a bona fide home entertainment system. With a touch of a mouse button, users can schedule recordings of their favorite TV shows and watch them when they want, record two TV shows simultaneously, or watch one channel while recording another, as well as watch pause, and rewind live or recorded TV shows.

With the emergence of portable media players and ubiquitous broadband availability, NVIDIA DualTV users can watch their programs from almost anywhere -- in the home, on the go, or over the Internet. Programs recorded with the NVIDIA DualTV tuner can be transferred to personal media players and portable game players that play back video and many other portable media players. Live or recorded shows can be streamed throughout the home to game consoles or Media Center Extenders; and with Orb Networks software (www.orb.com), NVIDIA DualTV tuner users can watch live or recorded TV shows from anywhere in the world over the Internet for personal use.

Cablevision DVR to Store TV Remotely

Wed, 29 Mar 2006 01:48:42 GMT

Watch out TiVo -- Cablevision has plans to make the popular digital video recorder and other hard drive-based models a thing of the past. The company will soon introduce a box that would store recorded programming at the cable facility, rather than in the home.

According to Cablevision, the new service is expected to cut down on the costs associated with installing and repairing hard-drive based DVRs. The cable operator says these DVRs are not as prone to malfunction, and would operate through current set-top boxes without additional equipment.

The company said it had informed the networks of its plans, and argued it was no different than a traditional DVR. Some networks have raised objections to cable companies' plans to record their programming without a renegotiated carriage agreement. | Source: BetaNews

HTPCs a short lived concept?

Tue, 28 Mar 2006 19:18:26 GMT

There's an interesting commentary on CNET by Asher Moses about the future of Living Room PCs, here's a snippet:

"The only moderate success of Windows Media Center-equipped PCs has highlighted the fact that most consumers aren't interested in having an all-singing, all-dancing computer in their lounge room. We're not interested in editing word documents, manipulating spreadsheets, browsing the Web or playing games in a three metre interface from the couch (as opposed to sitting directly in front of the screen like we normally do when interacting with a PC). Rather, we'd simply like to watch/record TV, view DVDs and play other audio/video files on-demand through a simple, intuitive interface.

This is where the genius of Viiv comes in. Shortly, Intel will release a range of "digital media adapters", which connect to your existing home theatre components (e.g. your TV, stereo system, etc) and can stream content wirelessly from any Viiv-certified PC. Bingo!

The existence of digital media adapters will totally remove the need to have a media centre PC taking up space in your living room, unless you're one of the few users that finds it practical to do anything other than passively soak up multimedia content whilst relaxing on the couch.

As a result, the PC in your home office will likely act as a digital media hub, distributing content wirelessly throughout your house to various media adapters. And since the Windows Media Center Edition operating system used by all Viiv-enabled machines is virtually identical to Windows XP when it's not in media centre mode, you can go about your regular office-related tasks -- word processing, web browsing, etc -- while others are seamlessly streaming content in the lounge."

Week Five: Beyond TV 4

Tue, 28 Mar 2006 02:52:10 GMT

The thing about Beyond TV that originally kindled my interest and made me want to give it a chance was that I was able to squeeze recorded television shows into smaller files during off-peak hours. The thing is, there are third party applications for MCE already that allow you to do just this, but they take things one step further by allowing you to shrink HD content and remove commercials from your archived files. I'm tinkering with an app right now that not only converts both standard and HD recorded television in MS-DVR file format to MPG while also removing television commercials.

My biggest frustration with Beyond TV 4 is that I could have spent the time that I burned trying to get Beyond TV 4 to function properly and invested it in trying to find/install/configure third party applications for MCE to perform the same tasks... I've been in touch with contacts from SnapStreams marketing and support groups about the technical support issues that I've been having, and they have done an excellent job of getting subject matter experts to talk to me about all of the problems, but honestly I'm at the point now where I've simply run out of patience. All of the time and personal resources that I threw away just to get SnapStreams Beyond TV 4 software to run properly was a fruitless venture. After having used the product for five weeks, I am now shipping the computer that SnapStream lent us back with a big frowny face on the side of the cardboard box.

At this point, I can only recommend Beyond TV 4 to a small handful of Home Theater enthusiasts. I would not recommend Beyond TV 4 to anyone:

running an NVIDIA video card outputting to a standard television set via S-video cable
running at a resolution less than 800x600
with a family (they wont use it, and will mock you for days as you try to get it set up because they cant watch television until you are done configuring the product. You will literally burn more hours tinkering with this product than you would have saved using it to watch television and your family wont thank you for it)
asked to review the product for free, really its not worth your time

I would recommend the software for anyone:

attempting to troubleshoot a software/hardware issue with a different HTPC software solution
looking for validation after having purchased a MCE box and requiring a product to compare MCE against
looking for a standard telvision (not HD)l out-of-the-box content archiving solution

Week Three: Beyond TV 4

Mon, 13 Mar 2006 06:09:17 GMT

Most of my time was spent trying to troubleshoot what now appears to be an NVIDIA driver issue. I was able to resolve the issue by replacing the NVIDIA GeForce 4 5200 FX card with an ATI Radeon 9800 128mb card - but honestly for video rendering I would much rather run an NVIDIA card.

There are a couple of things that Beyond TV 4 does pretty well that makes it an appealing product:

The ability to record all episodes of a series, or just new episodes of a series. From what I can tell, you can do either one or the other in MCE, but not both.
The out-of-the-box ability to transcode STANDARD NTSC television recordings into smaller, more managable file formats during off-peak hours (WMV / DivX).
The ability to detect commercials in a recording during off-peak hours, and the means to skip through those commercials using a remote or mouse.
The ability to channel surf without changing the channel. A menu with a breif synopsis pops up over the video as you flip from channel to channel until you find what your looking for and commimt to that channel.
DRM free / Editable file formats
Lower Price Tag
Easier Install
Smaller footprint

There are also a few things issues I had with Beyond TV 4 that frustrated me as a user.

For some reason, Beyond TV 4’s welcome screen reminds me of all of the icons that you see when you start digging into the Windows Control Panel. The Beyond TV 4 welcome screen is probably the ugliest part of Beyond TV 4 and unfortunately its the first thing that every customer sees. Using a web interface to access advanced config settings in Beyond TV, users have the "option" to change the default menu to other nav panes - but the only reason anyone would ever want to do this is if they also disliked the landing page.
This is a minor UI issues, but I found myself fumbling through the three-button / top centered navigation menu quite a bit. It didnt help that my system was suffering from an Overscan bug because the navigation buttons are rendered outside of the viewable area of my screen. I keep looking for the menu in the top right hand corner of the screen instead of the top middle.
Beyond TV is designed more for customers running at resolutions of 800x600 and above using a remote control. At 640x480 or 720x480 resolution, the seek bar, channel up, down and jump buttons are so small that I have difficulties hitting them with the mouse (honestly, I difficulties using this interface at any resolution). This is not a problem in MCE 2005.
The Beyond TV process for setting up a HD card is somewhat awkward and could be simplified. If you make a mistake while configuring the device for use with Beyond TV, there are certian places in the setup where you may have to start the config wizard from scratch in order to recover (example, if you choose digital feed instead of analogue feed and wish to navigate back the back button dissapears. I also found it difficult to verify whether I had selected the correct channel line up once I had selected one and often found myself navigating through the setup menu a second, third or fourth time to get things set up properly. Some of our local stations broadcast from multiple towers allowing users to pick one channel over another for the same content - Beyond TV 4 automatically marks these channels as "duplicate" without a preview pane so are not able to verify through the channel scan menu which of the two or three HD channels had a stronger signal (it would have been nice to select the channel with the strongest signal rather than picking the first channel in the line-up). Something interesting to note, KING television broadcasts both their regular line up and a weather forecast on two different channels (different content, but one was marked duplicate and automatically ignored).
Parental Controls for objectionable content, heck - my wife dosent let me watch Southpark or Drawn Together, do you think we want our kids to watch content that Dad isnt even allowed to watch?

Nasty Beyond TV / NVIDIA Overlay Bug:

When playing or viewing live content in Overlay mode either NVIDIA's or Beyond TV's software stretches my perfectly adjusted display beyond the viewable area of my screen by about 10-20%. I can "fix" the issue termporarily by adjusting my screens viewable area from within Beyond TV, or by adjusting the viewable area through the NVIDIA control pannel - however the moment I play video again my NVIDIA control pannel settings are disgarded and I'm right back to square one. The only perminant fix I came up with was to set the player to operate in 3D Accelerated Mode (hardware intensive VMR9) or to replace the NVIDIA card alltogether with an ATI card.

A couple of feature requests:

Support for off-peak .tp to .mpg file conversion
Support for commercial detection and removal during MPG to WMV or DIvX transcode.
Better stretch and record support (in the interface, not in the web admin interface) for odd-ball resolutions like 720x480 60Hz.
A cleaner welcome page and a collection of interface skins / themes to choose from.
More than 9 FM radio presets. It would also be nice to add a memo next to the radio preset describing the type of music that the radio station plays.
3D vizualizations while FM radio is playing.
Parental controls for objectionalbe content.

Initial thoughts and conclusions:

For folks that wish to use their HTPCs to edit and archive weeks of content at a time, go with Beyond TV 4. Beyond TV allows you to transcode STANDARD TELEVISION files into smaller file formats during non-peak hours right out of the box. Sine Beyond TV 4 allows you to record standard content in a non-propritary format you are just going to have an easier time using Beyond TV 4 over MCE 2005 should you wish to edit or archive any of the video that you recorded. The only exception to this would be for those of you that wish to archive, edit or play HD content - although your going to have the same problems (if not worse) trying to do the same thing using MCE 2005.

Note: I'm assuming that it was left out for a future phase project, but Beyond TV 4 wont let you record HD content into MPEG file format even if your HD card supports MPG hardware encoding. Its also not able to convert .ts files to .mpg files during non-peak hours yet but there is plenty of gossip on the Beyond TV forums as to how that may change soon.

Personally, I liked the Beyond TV 4 channel guide a lot better than I did the MCE 2005 guide. MCE was prettier, but it just felt like the Beyond TV 4 guide was easier to navigate and program. I also prefer managing my television shows not yet recorded list in Beyond TV 4 over MCE (MCE falls flat on its face here).

Beyond TV is much easier to use with a remote control, dont try to use it with a mouse - especially at lower resolutions.

For those of us that are looking for an out of the box customer experience thats intuitive and pretty I have a hard time recommending Beyond TV 4. Almost everyone in the house knows how to use our MCE 2005 box, but they all get fed up trying to navigate in Beyond TV 4. There are four women and two children in my house, and they just cant seem to figure it out so they just dont use it.

Denon AVC-2920 Loaded for HDMI and 1080p

Wed, 01 Mar 2006 23:47:57 GMT

Source: Gizmodo

The Denon AVC-2920 with HDMI and 1080p support will suddenly make hooking up a full-quality 7.1 surround sound setup a piece of cake. The nice thing about HDMI cables is that they’re as easy to plug in is a FireWire cable, and they carry audio and video at the same time. Now all of that high-fidelity visual and auditory goodness will be coursing through this receiver that sells for $953. Someday all receivers will be made this way.

Denon HD (1080p) amplifier with a Sharc CPU, the AVC-2920 [Akihabara News]

Specs and pricing on Denon sound system components [Amazon]
Comment on this post
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The Status of Plasma and LCD in the Industry

Tue, 28 Feb 2006 16:30:04 GMT

Source: AVS Forum | DisplaySearch today released Q4 '05 shipments and revenues for plasma TVs by brand, region, size and resolution. Shipments for 33 different plasma TV brands as well as numerous sub-brands are included in the latest report.

Worldwide plasma TV shipments rose 44% Q/Q and 109% Y/Y in Q4 '05 to a record 2.7M units. Shipments exceeded expectations by 11% as PDP module suppliers stretched their capacity to meet demand in seasonally strong Q4. Despite stretching their capacity and exceeding expectations, plasma TVs actually lost share relative to Q3'05 at 40"-44" to LCD TVs which enjoyed over 300% Q/Q growth and at 50"-54" to microdisplay RPTVs on supply constraints. For the year, plasma TVs rose 109% to 5.9M units.

Despite tight supply, blended plasma TV prices continued to fall, dropping 9% Q/Q and 32% Y/Y to $2296 on growing competition with other technologies. Rapid unit growth offset lower prices resulting in an impressive 31% Q/Q and 41% Y/Y increase in revenues to $5.2B.

Regionally, record results were achieved in all regions.

Europe gained share for the 3rd consecutive quarter, growing from 36% to 41% of the plasma TV market on a unit basis on 64% Q/Q and 144% Y/Y growth. Its Q4'05 share was its highest share to date. 42" enhanced definition (ED) plasma TVs dominate in Europe with more than a 50% share, but high definition (HD) plasma TVs did gain share rising from 33% to 36% of Europe's plasma TV shipments.
Japan also gained share on over 100% growth following a slow Q3'05. Japan's share grew to 9.4% in Q4'05. 100% of Japan's plasma TVs are HD with 37" HD the single most popular plasma TV. In all other regions, 42" was the single most popular size.
North American plasma TV shipments rose 35% Q/Q and 85% Y/Y, but still lost share falling from 30% to 28% of the global plasma TV market. 42"-43" HD plasma TVs maintained the highest share of the North American plasma TV market although the total HD share fell from 66% to 65% as price sensitive holiday demand boosted the 42" ED market. North America was also the only region where PDPs gained share at 40"-44" in Q4'05.
China's plasma TV shipments were slower than expected in Q4'05 causing the region to lose share for the third consecutive quarter. China's share of the plasma TV market fell from 10% to 8% despite 15% Q/Q and 73% Y/Y growth as 40"-42" LCD TVs took significant share in China. 42" ED was the single most popular plasma TV type in China with a 75% share.

[ more... ]

What Does Intel's Viiv Bring to Media Center Edition?

Mon, 13 Feb 2006 17:56:50 GMT

At CES in January, Intel intimated more about Viiv. We have written in the past about the platform, which features a dual-core processor for faster processing, multitasking and power savings. Of course, you don't need Viiv to take advantage of Intel's speedy new, low-power processors--the Pentium D900 and Core Duo, in particular--but Viiv apparently pulls together a variety of pieces that will make it easier for customers to enjoy MCE products. [ more... ]

The Great HDCP Fiasco

Mon, 13 Feb 2006 17:37:49 GMT

"You want to know a secret? None of the current ATI or NVIDIA graphics cards will support the full capabilities of Windows Vista."

"HDCP stands for High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection and is an Intel-initiated program that was developed with Silicon Image. This content protection system is mandatory for high-definition playback of HD-DVD or Blu-Ray discs. If you want to watch movies at 1980x1080, your system will need to support HDCP. If you don’t have HDCP support, you’ll only get a quarter of the resolution. A 75% loss in pixel density is a pretty big deal."

"None of the Built-by-ATI Radeons support HDCP. If you’ve just spent $1000 on a pair of Radeon X1900 XT graphics cards expecting to be able to playback HD-DVD or Blu-Ray movies at 1920x1080 resolution in the future, you’ve just wasted your money.

NVIDIA, being a GPU manufacturer was unable to discuss the plans of board manufacturers. We contacted all six of NVIDIA’s Tier-1 board partners. None of the GeForce 6 or 7 video cards available on the market, including the most recently released GeForce 7800GS, have HDCP support. So if you just spent $1500 on a pair of 7800GTX 512MB GPUs expecting to be able to play 1920x1080 HD-DVD or Blu-Ray movies in the future, you’ve just wasted your money." [ more... ]

Intel looks beyond the microchip

Mon, 13 Feb 2006 17:28:34 GMT

It appears that Intel has set its sights on the Home Theater PC space...

"Viiv is less technology and more a shopping list of technologies. Aimed fair and square at the home entertainment market, it defines the latest generation of media centres that are capable of playing anything from MP3 songs to high-definition films.

One of the features of Viiv is a very fast boot-up and switch on.

"We are not just a hardware company," says Mr Otellini. "We ship over one million lines of software with every microprocessor that goes out the door to be able to handle all of the functions around the microprocessor: the audio, the video, the graphics, and things like the power management.

"You see that every day in your notebook. The notebook is very efficient at managing power.

"All we've done with Viiv is take some of those same power management techniques - instant on, instant resume - that we've developed for mobile technology, and now we're taking it in a different fashion to things for the living room. " [ more... ]

MythTV 0.19 release notes

Sun, 12 Feb 2006 23:18:58 GMT

The major changes in this release are:

LiveTV rewritten to support saving buffered content while watching
Signal Monitoring for DVB and pcHDTV recorders
Ending times may be changed while recordings are in progress
Playgroups allow for default playback options on recordings
Channel changes can be made across tuners without changing tuners manually first
New popup keyboard simplifies setup using remote
Preview schedule changes when making adjustments to recording schedules
Added ability to control MythFrontend through a telnet socket
Closed captioning support on PVR-250/350 (but not 150/500) cards, DVB subtitles, and other cards supporting VBI information.
New theme (MythCenter), new plugin (MythFlix), and new contributed programs (mythlcdserver, mythwelcome)
Signficantly overhauled MythWeb, please read the README for details and installation instructions
Added a basic internal DVD player, removing the need to use Xine or Mplayer

[ more... ]

NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GS

Fri, 03 Feb 2006 17:55:31 GMT

"AGP was supposed to fade away after the insurgence of PCI Express, wasn't it? Well yes, it was and it will in time, but as we're showing you today you can still breathe some new life into an aging AGP based system, thanks to NVIDIA. While PCI Express is the current interface of choice for new graphics products, the existing installed base of AGP equipped systems is huge. And many of these users would like to upgrade their video cards, but simply don't have the funds, or choose not to, upgrade their motherboards and perhaps processors as well. Upgrading to a PCIe based video card these days would mean getting a whole new motherboard, if you're still using a motherboard with an AGP slot. For the sake of providing a solid upgrade from existing AGP solutions, without having to break your bank account, NVIDIA is announcing their fastest AGP card yet, the GeForce 7800GS AGP." [more... ]

Leadtek DTV1000 T digital TV tuner

Thu, 17 Nov 2005 23:54:16 GMT

Review There have always been TV tuner cards for PCs but it's fair to say that Microsoft's Windows XP Media Center Edition has given them a new lease of life. So much so, in fact, that if a card isn't compatible with MCE, it's hardly worth mentioning. || The Register

Logitech Launches World’s 1st Wireless Digital Surround Sound System

Fri, 09 Sep 2005 14:53:15 GMT

Alice writes | No more running cables or tripping over speaker wires. Logitech, a leading manufacturer of multimedia PC speakers, today announced the world’s first THX-certified 5.1 speaker system with digital wireless dual rear speakers. The new Logitech Z-5450 Digital speakers, ideal for use with the living room entertainment center or the office PC, provide flexibility in setting up an instant surround-sound system. Each of the independent rear speakers can be placed anywhere within 8.5 meters (28 feet) of the speaker system control center, requiring only a power outlet; no unsightly speaker wires running around the room, yet no compromise on quality. With THX-certification and 315 watts of power, these speakers help create a theater-quality movie watching experience and provide enough thump to help people feel like they’re inside the game.

Logitech also extended its award-winning Z-series family of speakers to include the new Logitech® Z-4 speaker system: an affordable and stylish 2.1 system with a new three-driver satellite design that delivers great performance for listening to digital music on a computer or a portable music player.

Pocket-sized projector offers big-screen action

Thu, 08 Sep 2005 16:16:22 GMT

NewScientist.com | Impromptu movie screenings and executive PowerPoint presentations will soon be possible thanks to a pocket-sized portable projector developed by Toshiba. The battery-powered device is small enough to be slipped into a handbag and can be plugged into a laptop computer or mobile phone.

Whereas existing projectors use a bright white lamp and a rapidly rotating wheel with red, green and blue filters to generate a projected picture, Toshiba’s new system uses red, green and blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs) instead.

And since the LEDs generate very little waste heat there is no need for a bulky cooling fan, which means the unit can be made small and light - its dimensions are just 136 millimetres x 39 mm x 100 mm. LEDs also last for thousands of hours and can be turned on and off quickly, while conventional projector lamps take a while to warm-up and cool-down.

Beyond TV 4 Announced

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 14:37:36 GMT

SnapStream Media will release Beyond TV 4 in the next few months. Beta users have already started seeing some of the upcoming features under the codename “Retro.” But until now, it’s all been very hush, hush. In general, at SnapStream, we like to stay quiet about new releases until beta users have had a chance to give us significant feedback. Well, the verdict is in, and things are looking very good. Three big ticket items slated for Beyond TV 4 are FM Radio support, DivX support, and HDTV! | Source: BeyondTV

MS Unveils New Media Center Hardware

Wed, 13 Jul 2005 17:13:36 GMT

"Microsoft on Tuesday debuted two new wireless hardware products aimed at the entertainment functions of Windows PCs, including a control center for Media Center PCs and a keyboard that is aimed at digital photographers. The three-in-one control bundles a keyboard, remote and mouse." | Source: BetaNews

Intel did NOT add DRM to New Chips

Tue, 31 May 2005 15:11:46 GMT

pallmall1 writes "The Inquirer has an official statement from Intel claiming the Computerworld Today Australia story from May 27th was incorrect, and the Pentium D and the 945 chipsets do not have unannounced DRM technology embedded in them. The statement says Intel products support or will support several copy protection schemes such as Macrovision, DTCP-IP, COPP, HDCP, CGMS-A, and others. The statement concludes: 'While Intel continues to work with the industry to support other content protection technologies, we have not added any unannounced DRM technologies in either the Pentium D processor or the Intel 945 Express Chipset family.' The Intel Chip with DRM story has been previously reported on Slashdot

MSN Remote Record

Fri, 06 May 2005 15:23:11 GMT

"MSN Remote Record is live and out of beta. In simplest terms it's a way of browsing the same TV guide as your Media Center PC uses and then remotely instructing your Media Center PC to record something. Pretty clever stuff. There's a small download for your Media Center PC and then it looks pretty easy to use." | Source: Michael Creasy's Blog

Howto: Setup 3 analog Tuners

Fri, 06 May 2005 15:18:59 GMT

Ever wanted to set up MCE 2005 to support 3 analog tuners? Check out this thread on The Green Button.

LCD TV AQUOS Hi-Vision Ready

Fri, 29 Apr 2005 15:12:01 GMT

Sharp has announced 3 new LCD TV's at 22, 26 and 45" screen sizes. The 26 and 45" models are HDMI compatible with a resolution of 1920x1080. The manufacturer only announced the price of the 45" (that's the one we're getting anyway), and it will cost 4700 EUR.

Pioneer goes DivX too

Mon, 25 Apr 2005 15:14:29 GMT

"So the DivX trend continues (and we're definitely not complaining), and the latest addition to the family is Pioneer, that presents its DV-585A, a DVD and DivX player. It also reads DL DVD's, DVD-AUDIO and SACD, it's compatible with MP3, WMA and JPEG files, but it's not HDMI. Expect to see a 160 EUR pricetag on one of these players." | Source: Akihabara News

Steve's Home Theater project is now complete and, dang...!!

Mon, 25 Apr 2005 15:08:55 GMT

Steve's Home Theater project is now complete and, dang...!!

"The lights dim, the curtain opens, and the screen flickers with the first images of the Jenkins Theater Premiere! The project is complete and ready to enjoy!" [ more... ]

Taiwan market: Teco slashes 40-inch LCD TV prices 50%

Mon, 25 Apr 2005 14:54:11 GMT

Teco recently cut the prices on one of its 40-inch LCD TVs to NT$99,000 (US$3162) from NT$199,000 (US$6352), a decrease of more than 50%, according to the company.

Teco also lowered the price of one of its 32-inch model NT$10,000(US$319) to NT$ 49,000 (US$1564).

The dramatic price reductions were sparked by competitive pressure from other vendors; Kolin lowered its 37-inch LCD TV prices to NT$79,900 (US$2550) from NT$109,000 (US$3479). Proton is also offering a 37-inch model for NT$79,900 (US$2550).

In addition, Samsung also adjusted its quotes for flat panel TVs to boost its local sales volumes and its 42-inch PDP TVs are currently priced at NT$99,000 (US$3162) and its 32-inch LCD TVs are priced at NT$89,000 (US$2840). | Source: DigiTimes daily IT news

STB platform simplifies design

Fri, 22 Apr 2005 20:44:20 GMT

"Equator Technologies Inc. introduced its Sailfish STB hardware platform that couples the AMD Alchemy Au1550 processor with an Equator BSP SoC, and features enhancements requested by platform developers, including enhanced codec support, integrated security features and expanded video input processing. According to the press release, this new platform simplifies the design process and extends device functionality.

The hardware reference platform includes software support for AVC/H.264 Main Profile/MPEG-4 Part 10, MPEG-4 Part 2, VC-1 and MPEG-2 at high definition, plus extensibility to support other codec formats and video input processing, as well as network router, gateway, higher performance VPN and Voice-over-IP (VoIP) capabilities.

The Sailfish Triple-Play platform uses the Au1550 processor as the host processor, providing a low-power, high-performance MIPS-based design that implements security features directly into the hardware, reducing software load in processing network security protocols. The Au1550 processor handles network communication, router/gateway functions and VoIP, and provides a familiar platform for those supporting IP-STB networking and user-interface functions.

The Equator BSP processor powers the multimedia portion of the IP-STB functionality, supporting today's advanced codec technologies, including VC-1, AVC and MPEG-2, and provides the ability to support H.263++/H.264 video phone capabilities." [ more... ]

Sunbeam 20-in-1 Superior Panel - Silver

Fri, 22 Apr 2005 14:53:32 GMT

"Sunbeam packs a helluva punch into a tiny space with the 20-in-1 Superior Panel. Combining the features of a Multi-Card Reader/Writer, an I/O panel, and a fan controller into a 5.25” drive bay, the Superior panel brings convenience and organization to the front of your computer.

The high speed card reader/writer features support for CF Type I/II, Micro Drive, MS, MS Pro, MS Duo Pro, MS Duo, SD, MMC, & SM all at up to a 480Mbits/sec transfer speed. Fully active card slots allow the transfer of data between different types of card media.

A dual channel fan controller and temperature monitor help keep tabs on the heat in your system. Featuring an overheat and fan failure alarm to notify you of shenanigans that may be going on in your case. Temperature settings for Fahrenheit and Celsius, and M/B signal detection make the Superior Panel a smart choice.

An array of I/O ports adds even more convenience to the Superior Panel. High speed USB2.0, IEEE 1394 Firewire, Audio, Video, and even SATA connectivity offer endless interface possibilities. So bring some functional and organizational superiority to the front of your case with the 20-in-1 Superior Panel from Sunbeam." [ more... ]

Meedio Celebrates 200 Media Center Plugins With Massive Price Promotion

Fri, 15 Apr 2005 15:08:35 GMT

Meedio announced today that, "its developer community has submitted 200 plugins, themes, and extensions to the Meedio Add-In Directory (MAID). To celebrate, the company is discounting its Meedio Essentials digital media center application to $20.00 until April 30. Meedio Essentials, which recently won a 2005 CES Innovations and Design award, normally retails for $59.95 from the company's website at http://www.meedio.com/. The application, built on top of Meedio’s open platform, is favored by many developers for the ease with which it can be customized and extended.

Meedio Essentials turns an existing PC into a powerful media center by letting users organize and access their digital media with a television and remote control. Meedio Essentials is completely customizable, with access to innovative plugins for RSS news, Skype, Netflix, recipes, web browsing, movie listings, and many more. The full list of 200 add-ins can be freely downloaded from the Meedio Add-In Directory at http://www.meedio.com/maid and also from within Meedio's "10 foot" television interface.

Meedio also offers Meedio HouseBot, a home automation server that allows users to monitor and control their lights, appliances, A/V equipment, and other devices using customizable graphic interfaces for PCs, touchscreens, TVs, and PDAs. Meedio HouseBot supports a growing list of popular devices including X10, Z-Wave, IR, and RS232. Meedio HouseBot normally retails for $99.95 but as part of this promotion Meedio is selling both products together for only $109.95.

"Both the quality and quantity of third-party themes, plugins, and extensions created by the Meedio Developers Network demonstrates the real power of the Meedio platform. Our developer community never ceases to exceed our expectations; they are a truly ingenious and productive bunch." stated Meedio CTO Pablo Pissanetzky."

Head to head with the zappers

Wed, 13 Apr 2005 20:06:15 GMT

News Corp president Peter Chernin told an industry conference in the US on Monday that his company had developed a grand plan to deal with the serious threat of ad zapping from digital video recorders.

More live sport, live news and live events were critical, he said, because viewers skipped ads less often during this sort of programming. The second tactic was to dish up more content that viewers had to pay to watch, such as video on demand and DVDs, thereby reducing the reliance on ad revenue. Finally, Chernin signalled that News would pursue more branded entertainment initiatives, whereby advertisers pay to blend in with programming.

"We have to rethink the way we sell advertising," Chernin told the Cable & Telecommunications Association conference in New York. "When we put six to eight 30-second commercials back to back, we put up a sign saying, 'Go away now'. We better figure out a way to grow the opportunities faster than the disruptions hurt us." [ more... ]

Finally, Pioneer ships affordable WMA Pro Receivers!

Tue, 12 Apr 2005 17:08:30 GMT

Sean Alexander writes, "Part of the challenge with mainstream adoption of WMA Pro is the cabling required to install. 3 cables from your sound card into 6+ RCA jacks on your receiver if you support it.

Why can't you just plug in a single optical cable like you can for Dolby Digital? Now you can starting at ~$179.00US. Pioneer has started shipping their new line of receivers with WMA Pro support and all sorts of goodies. And you get a whole bunch of formats to boot.

What is WMA Pro? WMA Pro offers full 5.1-7.1 audio that's was the world's first for the Web, and is also distributed with HD movies on WMV HD discs, movies, trailers etc at a fraction the size of other surround sound audio formats.

If anyone gets one, I'd love to hear your feedback."

Pace Tahoe set-top works as dual HD tuner, DVR and cable modem

Tue, 12 Apr 2005 17:02:25 GMT

Set-top box developer Pace Micro Technology has a new box out that does triple-duty as a dual-tuner HDTV receiver, 160GB DVR (which can be upgraded externally) and cable modem. No word on when or where Linux-powered “Tahoe” box will be available, but Pace has deals with Comcast and Time Warner in at least some markets, so if you want one of these, contact your cable operator and bug them about it. | Source: engadget

The First Widescreen All-in One Multimedia PC for Home and Office

Sun, 10 Apr 2005 15:23:42 GMT

Check out the new TEK PANEL 460:

Commercial

Video Conferencing - Ultra-high resolution for unparalleled clarity
Presentation and conference rooms - one network-ready unit to handle EVERYTHING
Hang it on the wall, set it on a flat surface or put it on a rolling cart
Video surveillance/command and control - Split into multiple screens and still have superior image quality and clarity.
Digital signage - the highest resolution on the market 1920x 1080, along with a high performance PC allows for a one-box solution: just plug it in.

Residential

See High-Definition television the way it was meant to be seen.
Surf the web, send email, work on the PC, record/watch a movie, play a PC or console video game, view High-Definition TV, enjoy photos and home videos. Do it all in one place!
Use multiple screens from the comfort of your couch with a wireless keyboard and mouse with a range up to 30 feet.

He he he, while I'd love to have one of these bad boys in my bed room, this is one of those appliances that I wouldnt want to purchase without the after-market insurance plan.

MTV announces plans to launch MCE Service

Fri, 08 Apr 2005 21:26:13 GMT

Sean Alexander writes, "The Windows Media Center freight train just keeps on rolling. Earlier this week, MTV announced plans to launch a Web-based video channel called, MTV Overdrive by April 25th. Content will include News, Music, On TV and Movies. New movie trailers will be made available and broadcasts will be done in Windows Media Video. And here's the surprise announcement...

They will soon release a version of Overdrive optimized for Windows XP Media Center Edition!

I'll post more details as soon as I get them. This is a big deal, even if you don't fall into the MTV demographic." [ more... ]

Patent litigants target DVRs

Fri, 08 Apr 2005 21:19:50 GMT

Forgent Networks, which has so far garnered more than $100 million dollars in fees on its so-called JPEG patent, is going after the digital video recorder industry.

The Austin, Texas-based maker of licensing and scheduling software owns four patents it claims give it the right to collect royalties on computers or similar devices, such as those made by market leader TiVo, that record, store and play back video- and audio-transmitted signals.

While three of the patents primarily involve videoconferencing systems, patent No. 6,674,960 specifically addresses recording television signals to a computer. [ more... ]

TiVo Expands Ad Services; Signs deal to sell on DirectTV's own DVR

Fri, 08 Apr 2005 02:55:53 GMT

TiVo is continuing its transformation from a hardware seller to a services provider, signing a deal with DirecTV to sell advertising on the satcaster's own digital video recorders.

Agreement saves what had been a seemingly dead relationship between the two companies. While DirecTV is obliged to offer TiVo as an option to its subscribers through 2007, it's expected to focus all its marketing muscle on its own generic DVRs, set to launch later this year.

The DirecTV/TiVo combo has been the No. 1 growth driver for TiVo, accounting for nearly two-thirds of its 3 million subs.

However, the renewed ad relationship, which also runs through 2007, gives it a way to benefit from DirecTV's own DVR sales. Under terms, TiVo will be allowed to keep all the revenue from advertisers it recruits for the service, while DirecTV does the same.

Pact is similar to one TiVo recently signed with Comcast that allows it to distribute ads on the cable company's own DVRs as well as to Comcast customers who sign up for TiVo. [ more... ]

Mac Mini Now Available At Best Buy

Thu, 07 Apr 2005 15:24:14 GMT

If Apple was going to force the Mac Mini into the living room it had to make it widely available. They are doing just that with the news that Best Buy will now be stocking Apple's little box of tricks.

Apple's rigid pricing policy (discounting is a no no) has not always endeared it to the big retailers, but Best Buy becomes one of the first big electronics store to carry the Mac Mini. It will sell the product in 671 US stores. [ more... ]

Sonic Brings DVD Capabilities to Pace DVR Set-Top Boxes

Tue, 05 Apr 2005 15:54:00 GMT

Yesterday Sonic Solutions announced today it is demonstrating its Sonic AuthorScript CE engine on a new digital video recorder (DVR) recently launched by Pace Micro Technology, a leading digital set-top box provider specializing in the development of emerging technologies across all television platforms. [ more... ]