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Rip HD-DVD and Blu-ray discs to a hard drive
The goal of any media center user should be to store as much content as possible digitally. The release of the next generation of DVDs, known as HD-DVD or Blu-ray, was supposed to allow a “legal” way to copy your movies to a hard drive (referred as Managed Copy). Managed Copy is not expected to […]
Continue reading...Alienware’s Hangar 18 launches with a thud
6. June 2007
Alienware, which is now owned buy Dell, anounced the release of its Hangar 18 HD media center. I had high hopes for this system based on its stylish design and hopefully low price point compared to the marketplace. After releasing the specs for the system, the Hangar 18 media center appears to be all flash […]
Continue reading...Where are the Vista Media Center Remote Controls?
2. June 2007
Over the last release Micrrosoft has released some images of Vista media center remotes, with the latest iteration actually looking quite nice. Long Zheng recently published this little tidbit in a post: On May 29 (today, for those of you living in a black hole), Microsoft has been granted the design patent for a Media […]
Continue reading...Engadget: Hand-ons with Vista CableCard Media Center
22. May 2007
It seems there are a lot of benefits in being the big boys on the block. The writers at Engadget had two Dell XPS 410s (estimated cost of $3,400) with CableCard support delivered to them yesterday. One installation went smoothly while the other was a comedy of errors, similar to the PCMag.com article. Here are […]
Continue reading...ZDnet reviews VAIO XL3 Digital Living System
20. May 2007
Reviews of Sony’s CableCard PC are trickling in from the usual suspects. ZDnet recently published their own review on the system, comparing it with Velocity Micro’s CineMagix Grand Theater. From the review: We understand why many people might like a slimmer home theater PC, but Sony’s smaller case also means that you have to sacrifice […]
Continue reading...OQO shows processing power
20. May 2007
The OQO ultra-portable computer runs a full version of Windows XP or Vista. The model 02, which is less than 6 inches wide and 1 inch thick, was recently shown running World of Warcraft at VIAArena.com. This is an impressive feat for such a small computer. The game did look slightly choppy but that might […]
Continue reading...5 Reasons Not to Buy a Vista Media Center Now
3. May 2007
I think Vista’s Media Center is a very slick program, oozing with potential. However, I have no plans to buy a media center computer right now, even with the release of CableCard support. This is not meant to be a negative article rather just a list of why I am not pulling the trigger on […]
Continue reading...List of who’s selling Digital Cable Tuners
23. April 2007
The main new feature of Windows Vista Media Center is the implementation of Digital Cable Tuners, which allows you to view high definition cable television through a computer. The downside though is that Digital Cable Tuners have to be purchased with new computers and through only certain vendors that have been approve by CableLabs. Below […]
Continue reading...CableCARD Not Yet Ready for Primetime
6. April 2007
Sometimes I feels as if this blog has become a CableCARD blog. It is the most interesting topic regarding home theater computers though. Continuing with that trend, here is more info on CableCARDS: Anandtech has an extensive article about installing and using a Dell XPS 410 with a Digital Cable Tuner. It is a worthwhile […]
Continue reading...Hands-on with a Niveus CableCARD Vista Media Center
4. April 2007
The folks over a Gizmodo attended a CableCARD media center demonstration at the Niveus Headquarters last week. From the article: We got a chance to visit the Niveus headquarters last week, and the founders gave us a nice hands-on with their upcoming CableCARD-capable systems. If you’re not familiar with these media centers, they’re essentially Windows […]
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20. June 2007
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