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Niveus Digital Cable Receiver insanely expensive
As I have said before on this blog, the main new feature of Windows Vista Media Center is the addition of CableCARD support. Microsoft has a lot riding on the implementation of CableCard by various vendors, including Niveus. The Niveus Digital Cable Receiver has two internal CableCARD receivers, allowing users to tune and/or record two […]
Continue reading...PCMag.com reviews Dell XPS 410 with CableCard
13. March 2007
PC Magazine has a review of the Dell XPS 410 with CableCard. It is a lengthy review of a prototype product that is not currently available for public consumption. The fact that Dell will offer CableCard-ready PCs provides hope that we might see a sub $1000 Vista media center PC that is capable of watching […]
Continue reading...Snapstream releases Beyond TV 4.6 SDK
6. March 2007
Snapstream released the latest version of their developer’s kit for Beyond TV, which turns your computer into a Tivo. According to the Snapstream’s developer wiki: With the Beyond Media SDK you can customize the application in two ways. The first is giving an entire face lift to the application through the skinning system. Every visible […]
Continue reading...Network area storage for media centers
25. February 2007
The lure of media centers is having all of your movies, music, and pictures on your computer’s hard drive and have them available throughout your house. With the impending increase in the availability of high definition content, hard disk space is becoming a significant bottleneck in the overall performance of HTPCs and media centers. High […]
Continue reading...Beyond TV 4.6 released with improved Vista and Divx support
17. February 2007
Snapstream has released the latest version 4.6 of Beyond TV, its popular television recording software. I use Beyond TV on my Windows XP computer to record over the air high definition TV, and in my opinion, it is the best DVR software outside of Windows Media Center. According to Snapstream’s release notes, the following new […]
Continue reading...OQO responds to inquiry about HD Media Center potential
15. February 2007
A couple of weeks ago I talked about the OQO Model 2, a micro-PC capable of supporting Microsoft’s Vista Ultimate. The Model 2 is loaded with features like a USB 2.0 port and a HDMI-out. These features got me excited about the potential of the Model 2 as a HD Tivo since Window’s Media Center […]
Continue reading...Roundup: Tips to receive HDTV broadcasts over-the-air on a PC or HDTV
14. February 2007
Most people assume you need either cable or DirecTV to get high definition television channels. In every major city in the U.S., the major television networks broadcast in high definition (1080i or 720p). Reception of this high definition signal is free and requires two things: an ASTC HD tuner and an antenna. A tuner can […]
Continue reading...Auzentech releases Vista drivers for X-Meridian
9. February 2007
Auzentech makes soundcards with features aimed at the home theater computer market. Auzentech’s newest soundcard, called the X-Meridian, is based on C-Media’s new Oxygen HD audio chip, which includes the ability to encode Dolby Digital Live and DTS, allowing it to produce multi-channel digital output via a single S/PDIF connection rather than a mess of […]
Continue reading...This CableCard reader is uglier than my cable box!
1. February 2007
I am confused. The purpose of a CableCard reader is to allow people to record high definition television. In theory, if I have a CableCard reader, I do not need a cable box. So why would I want an external CableCard reader that attaches to my computer? Let me get this straight: to replace my […]
Continue reading...OQO and a USB Tuner: A portable HD digital video recorder?
30. January 2007
At the this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, OQO model 02 demonstrated their new model 02, which is a micro-PC capable of supporting Microsoft’s next generation operating system, Windows Vista. The model 02, which is less than 6 inches wide and 1 inch thick, has the following features: 1.2GHz or a 1.5GHz VIA C7M ULV processor […]
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14. March 2007
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