Floppyhead – Digital Media and Streaming

Parallels Desktop for Mac enables you to run Windows or Linux side-by-side with Mac OS X on any Intel-powered Mac, without rebooting. For those of you looking to ease the transition to a Mac or have to use a Windows program, Parallels could be a tool that you might want to check out.

I have been toying with the idea of buying a refurbished Mac Mini and Parallels is something that might prove useful. One question: how come you can’t run OS X in Windows?

The new features include:

• New Coherence features, including support for Exposé, transparent windows, and overlapping Windows and Mac windows on the Mac Desktop
• Mirrored Desktops, Documents & Media enable the Windows Desktop, My Documents, My Pictures and My Music folders to mirror the contents of their Mac equivalent (Desktop, Documents, etc.) in the Home directory
• Enhanced Parallels Explorer allow you to automatically mount an offline VM hard drive to the Mac desktop
• Significant performance improvements and lower overhead

HTC’s Advantage is a feature rich cell phone (though calling it a cell phone does not do it justice) that appears to surpass the much hailed iPhone from Apple.

The main unit is about 5 inches long, 4 inches wide and two-thirds of an inch deep and weighs about 13 ounces. It has a touch screen and a thin (0.16 inch) QWERTY keyboard that attaches magnetically to the main unit. Here are some of the cool features of the phone:

• GPS built in that integrates with Google Maps
• TV/Video out port
• ViewFLO motion sensing technology, that moves the screen as you move the phone
• 3 megapixel camera
• Tightly integrates with Outlook

The Advantage runs on Windows Mobile, which I guess is ok. Browsing the Internet is only done through mobile versions of web pages, unlike the iPhone.

So what is the downside of the phone? Try the price: $900! This makes the iPhone seem like a bargain. You can buy a laptop for that price. As with all tech items, the price will come down with time.

Missingremote.com has a great article on how to add a HD-DVD or Blu-ray drive to your media center computer. Computer drives for the next generation of DVDs have dropped and price and are actually somewhat reasonable. Based on the article this is what you need to watch the next generation of DVDs on you computer:

1. Microsoft Vista (XP can work but is limited)
2. A video card that supports HDCP (if you want to use your DVI/HDMI connector)
3. Cyberlink’s PowerDVD Ultra Player
4. A HD-DVD or Blu-ray drive (the article uses the Xbox 360 add-on drive connected to a PC).

One thing I learned from the article is that Cyberlink has a Blu-ray or HD-DVD advisor tool to see if your current hardware set-up can play those movies. The article did not discuss how to rip HD-DVD or Blu-ray discs to a computer, something that is very useful for a media center. Maybe that will be their next guide.

OQO, the ultra-mobile computer manufacturer, has increased their Model 2’s CPU to Via’s 1.6 Ghz processor and added new hard drive options, which include:

• an upgrade from 60 GB to 120 GB; or
• a solid state 32 GB hard drive

OQO can be loaded with Vista Ultimate, which includes Vista’s Media Center. The processor upgrade is a welcome addition to the Model 2, especially as a portable media center. I had originally inquired about the Model 2’s ability to handle HD television and was told it would choke the processore. Hopefully the new processor is able to handle ASTC HD television. All it would take is a USB HD tuner and a portable antenna. OQO is already a partner with Sling Media, so you can stream your content anywhere.

I tested out the OQO Model 2 at Microcenter recently and thought it was an incredible tool for the road warrior. It is slightly larger than a Blackberry yet it is a full blown computer. The keyboard works surprisingly well too.

Several months ago, HP made news by discontinuing one of their popular HTPC line of computers. One reason they discontinued that line was because of the impending release of MediaSmart TVs. Basically MediaSmart TVs are high definition TVs with a media extender built into the TV.

The most interesting feature of MediaSmart is that Divx and Xvid are finally supported by some type of extender. Take that X-Box 360. Some of the additional features include:

• Image files supported: JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF and PNG
• Video files supported: MPEG, DivX, XVID, DVR-MS, WMV and AVI
• Music files supported: MP3, WMA, WMA Pro, AAC (unprotected) and more
• Crisp image with industry-leading 6ms response time
• Integrated a, b, g and 802.11n wireless networking
• Built-in wired Ethernet

It is hard to tell how much of a premium you are paying for the MediaSmart portion of the TV. With the upcoming release, of new Vista Media Center extenders, we will have to see if MediaSmart is a long term solution for HP. I would think most people who want the features a MediaSmart TV provides would also be interested in those new extenders, which by the way will also support Divx and XVid.

MediaSmart seems like a feature that is nice to have but won’t influence your decisionmaking when it comes time to buy that new TV.

Microsoft has announced an ad-supported Internet TV upgrade to Windows Vista Media Center to be released later this month. Engadget.com has the scoop:

Reportedly, Microsoft plans on unleashing Internet TV on or around September 27th, which will enable Media Center users to watch a variety of on-demand, ad-supported content free of charge. While details were kept slim, we do know that content will fall into Sports, Entertainment, News, Top Picks, Music and Movies categories. Additionally, the videos will reportedly be “better than SD quality, but not HD,” although HD programs could certainly emerge in the future.

This service could be interesting but I have low expectations. With Vista MCE, it always seems like the devil is in the details. No HD? Not sure how appealing that will be. I would love to see Microsoft ink a deal with the three major networks to integrate their streaming offerings into Media Center. ABC already offers most of their shows in HD for free online. It would be interesting.

Another day, another software release. The NFL season has arrived, along with Cyberlink’s MagicSports 4. Cyberlink is best known for its PowerDVD software that lets you watch Blu-ray and HD-DVD movies on a computer. MagicSports is basically a DIY highlight package maker for Windows. It sounds like an interesting piece of software for the sports fan. I have no idea how well it works.

CyberLink MagicSports 4 uses the following key events to determine the highlights of a football game:

• Interceptions
• Field goals
• Gaining a first down
• Touchdowns
• Extra points after a touchdown

From the press release:

CyberLink has applied advanced video analysis techniques to create a new way of watching recorded football matches; instead of fast-forwarding recorded games, users can now browse a visual menu for their favorite highlights. Next and Previous Play buttons allow users to quickly jump from play to play.

Update: Roxio has just release a 15% off coupon for Easy Media Creator 10. At checkout, type in “SAVE15C10.”

Roxio has just launched Easy Media Creator 10, adding new enhancements for Windows Vista and portable media players like the iPhone. Some of the features in the software include:

• Copy your favorite audio, movies and TV shows from any iPod to your PC.
• Add perfect soundtracks to slideshows and movies – no looping.
• Send videos to YouTube with one click.
• Auto-fix your camera phone photos with the Mobile Photo Doctor.
• Show off mobile phone pictures without bars or borders.
• Auto-sync digital media on your PC and mobile devices.
• Convert audio and video files to the format of your choice – right on your Windows Vista™ desktop.
• Save tons of time by ripping CDs using multiple drives.
• Burn lots of gigs: save data to HD DVDs and copy with one click.
• Automatically catalog the contents of your CDs and DVDs.

From the press release:

Roxio®, a division of Sonic Solutions® (NASDAQ: SNIC), the leader in digital media software, today launched Easy Media Creator™ 10, a substantial upgrade to the company’s flagship suite of digital media applications that enables consumers to quickly and easily turn their photos, video and music into impressive multi-media projects that can be shared on CD, DVD, the Web, or a range of mobile devices. The only complete digital media suite Certified for Windows Vista, Easy Media Creator 10 provides all of the tools users need to express their digital lives. Roxio Easy Media Creator® 10 will be available in retail stores worldwide this month and is available today directly from Roxio at www.roxio.com for $99.99 USD.

The latest version of Easy Media Creator is the ideal complement to Windows Vista. With a stunning new Aero user interface, it is easier than ever for consumers to manage their digital content from one project to the next, whether it is burning a DVD or uploading videos to YouTube. Creator 10 also includes great new Gadgets for Windows Vista, which make it incredibly convenient for users to capture internet and PC audio streams and convert their media files into their preferred format for easy playback on popular mobile devices, like the iPhone or Microsoft Zune.

The idea of having a projector in my basement to watch HD movies and sports has always appealed to me. Realistically, my basement cannot handle a screen over 100 inches so I may actually never pull the trigger. It is exciting to see full HD projectors (1080p) for under $3,000. Projectors are beginning to enter a price versus performance sweet point unrivaled by other displays like plasma and LCD.  Projectors might be a great companion to your media center.

Coming out this December is the Epson PowerLite Home Cinema Projector, with a retail price $2,699. From ElectronicHouse.com:

The unit boasts a 50,000:1 contrast ratio and 1,600 ANSI lumens in a 3LCD chipset. It’s also got two HDMI inputs to hook up your favorite game console or other A/V device, which can be projected anywhere from 30 to 150 inches in size.

Sooner or later, projectors are going to be the no-brain choice for home theaters. At prices less than $3,000, it might be sooner rather than later.

I am beginning to think that HD Media Center computers are not going to make the transition to the living room and be attached to a household’s primary TV. Rather, home office computers might begin to function as a second television set. Here are a couple of reasons:

1. Media Center computers that handle HD are too expensive when compared to a cable company’s cable box. The Cable company DVR is about $10 a month. Media Center computers with digital cable tuners about $2,000. Even with a digital cable tuner, you need to rent a cable card.
2. Over the air HD broadcasts are free and ASTC tuners are cheap and can be easily added to any computer.
3. People will continue to pay $1,500 to $2,000 for a home office computer. Adding a $300 digital cable tuner at that point is more attractive.
4. An extra cable box is not needed for a Media Center computer. Just rent a CableCard for a couple of dollars.
5. A second TV set does not need multiple tuners. Several of the large OEMs, like HP, only offer media centers with only one digital cable tuner.
6. Media Centers are still flaky. Down time is not a big deal on a second TV.

Sure, some people will have Media Centers in their living room. I would love to have one but their are just too expensive for computers with two digital cable tuners. Media Centers, if purchased as home office or family computers first and DVRs second, are more palatable at higher prices.
One drawback for HD systems is that your computer monitor has to support the HDCP DRM scheme. Only recently have monitors been released that support HDCP.