Floppyhead – Digital Media and Streaming

Cyberlink PowerDVD Ultra. the only viable option for watching Blu-ray or HD-DVDs on a computer, has been certified by the Blu-ray Disc Association to support playback of BD-Video Profile 1.1 specification. From the press release:

CyberLink PowerDVD Ultra featuring support for BD-Video Profile 1.1 format allows the playback of high-definition movie content with multiple video streams, providing users with real-time Picture-in-Picture viewing experience such as watching the movie and video commentaries simultaneously.

This upgrade will allow BonusView material to be viewed on a PC with a Blu-ray drive and compatible hardware. The updated version is expected to ship soon. One advantage to using a software-based player on a media center is that when new features are implemented, you can just update the software rather than having to buy a whole new Blu-ray player.

It is unfortunate that Blu-ray players have different “profiles.” Blu-ray was essentially not a finished spec when the first players were released. The Blu-ray Association has one more “profile” to add to make the specification complete (Blu-ray 2.0). Just another way to confuse the general public.

MediaPortal is an Open Source application ideal for turning your PC into a media center PC. The latest version of MediaPortal has been released as a “preview” version. From the website:

MediaPortal II is a total re-write of the core application and plugin system. A new core framework allows all parts of the system to be easily replaced or updated, with very little effort and minimal effect to the overall system.

Another major new feature is the new GUI and skin system. After trying WPF & XAML, and finding it was not possible to do many of the things we wanted. We returned to DirectX, and developed a new system from the ground up.

MediaPortal 2 obviously has some work left, especially since it is lacking TV integration. The “Preview” release is meant to show off the progress made so far in the complete re-write.

I have tried the initial version of MediaPortal but quickly started using BeyondTV due to installation errors. I tried it again when the slick Xface skin was released and had some success though I still stuck with BeyondTV. MediaPortal is definitely a software package for the htpc’ers who constantly want to tinker with their media centers. Hopefully MediaPortal 2 will add some more polish and stability.

Jackass 2.5, starring Johnny Knoxville and his band of merry men, will be launched on the Internet on December 19 and will be subsequently released on DVD. Instead of being a straight to DVD release, it is a straight to Internet release. According to the Associated Press:

Blockbuster Inc. will present “Jackass 2.5” free of charge at http://www.blockbuster.jackassworld.com beginning Dec. 19 through Dec. 31; on Dec. 26, DVDs of the film will be available for purchase on the site and at major retailers, as well as for rent at Blockbuster stores and the company’s Web site. The film will also be available for download at iTunes, Amazon.com and other sites – at a price.

Jackass’s demographics make it a good test case for Internet distribution. Young males, who are the primary Jackass viewers, are typically Internet saavy and could be easily targeted with the right online campaign.

Hopefully, the movie will have some degree of success to the make the business model more attractive to Hollywood.  If it is done properly, the distribution of movies via the Internet could be a big boon to media center computers.

Some interesting news broke today regarding Digeo’s Moxi, a high-end DVR about to hit the retail market. In addition to a standalone hardware version of the Moxi, Digeo will be release a PC software version as well. From Digeo’s press release:

Moxi TV for PC offers the same award-winning Moxi Menu and a new, improved version of the user experience found in the popular Moxi television set-top boxes, which are currently delivered through cable operators. It includes many of the Moxi features planned for the highly-anticipated Moxi Multi-Room HD DMR, available soon via retail outlets. As consumers increasingly look to their PC as a complement to their TV watching routine, Moxi TV for PC stands to offer better overall navigation and usability.

One thing I am interested to see is if the software version functions as a softsled, or a software extender for the hardware version. Hopefully, the Moxi software can differentiaite itself from its competition in the suddenly crowded PC market.

According to PCMag, Dell is planning on re-entering the Digital Cable Tuner market by this summer. Currently, Dell is not offering consumers the option to buy DCTs since the XPS 420 is not approved by CableLabs.

Dell’s new strategy will be a slight deviation from most OEM’s. DCTs require two things: 1) an upgraded BIOS and 2) a protected content path through HDCP. Dell is planning on making both of those items standard on their high-end systems. That way, when a consumer is ready to buy a DCT, they do not have to buy a whole new system.

This simple approach makes sense. Dell is trying to create an aftermarket for DCTs, kind of like a Trojan horse strategy. DCTs are certainly a work in progress and Dell is betting that the situation is improved (i.e. less tech support calls). From the article:

“We’re now after that round of testing and ready for more widespread deployment,” Clardy said. CableCards have been leased primarily by enthusiasts and early adopters: “the most critical audience out there, knowledgeable and enthusiastic,” he added. “You don’t want to upset that mass of customers.”

Dell is certainly an important ally to DCTs. If anyone can create a market for HD media centers, Dell can.

I try to pay close attention to the price of 1080p projectors. My ultimate plan is finish my basement and use a ceiling mounted projector as part of my home theater set-up.

Several manufacturers are shipping 1080p projectors for around $2500. Optoma is the latest company to join Epson in the 1080p with the impending release of its HD-803 projector. From the press release,

The HD803 features a 1080p DLP� DMD chipset from Texas Instruments and an 8,000:1 contrast ratio with Optoma�s proprietary ImageAI-II� technology, which lets the HD803 deliver excellent color saturation and subtle details for superior image quality. The Optoma HD803 features studio-grade resolution for the high-quality, HD experience that enthusiasts crave.

Here are some of its notable features:

• 1200 Lumens and 800:1 contrast ratio
• Dual HDMI 1.3
• Three-stage video processign system

In the right room, manly one with little daylight (i.e. a basement), a projector is a great option for a large picture. The HD803 should be available this December.

SageTV has been adding all sorts of media center features to its product line, including clear QAM support and HD media extenders. They are completely out-innovating Microsoft. With all the features they are delivering, there is one lingering problem: SageTV does not support digital cable tuners and CableCards (i.e. cannot watch.record premium HD cable content).

Currently, Vista Media Center is the only viable option for digital cable tuners (DCTs). Why is that you might ask? DRM, also known as digital rights management. CableLabs has made life very frustrating for the HTPC enthusiast by requiring all HTPCs with DCTs to be certified.

In order to buy/use a digital cable tuner, I have to purchase a pre-built system from an OEM vendor like HP, Sony, or Velocity Micro PC. Definitely a pain in the butt, not to mention expensive. This layer of DRM essentially has locked you into the Vista Media Center ecosystem.

No OEM is going to sell you a Sage product or BeyondTV product that can use DCTs. It currently does not exist and I will be very surprised if it ever does. HTPCs are definitely a niche market for nerds only. There is no market incentive for HP to offer SageTV on their machines when Vista Media Center is readily available. In order for SageTV to offer suport for DCTs, they have to be approved by CableLabs AND then convince an OEM to include them on their systems.

So what does this mean for Microsoft? Basically, they have a monoply of the digital cable tuner market (not including Tivo since it is not a PC-based solution). How many companies have the ability to deliver DVR software and convince vendors to supply their software? No matter what Microsoft does or how far they lag behind the market, you have to use Vista to watch cable premium content on your computer in HD. No competitor can match them on that important feature. All thanks to DRM. Not innovation or feature-sets, but content protection.

I wonder how much Microsoft has actually fought with CableLabs about its DRM-scheme. Publicly, they appear to be butting heads but privately, Microsoft has a lot to gain by being the only option on the block. Could Microsoft be using the iTunes/iPod model of vendor lock-in?

Another company has added themelves to the list of companies selling media center computers that support up to 4 digital cable tuners: Inteset. From CEPro:

With four CableCard tuners, the Inteset server can distribute to up to 5 media center extenders with four Live TV streams and one pre-recorded stream.

At $300 a piece, 4 digital cable tuners will cost you about $1200. That is a steep mark-up for tuners. However, four tuners begin to make extenders more attractive. With time, the cost of tuners should decline. Right now, the Denzel server, with 4 DCTs and 4 TB of storage, is clearly a product for the high-end market.

With the recent news that Sony is selling standalone digital cable tuners, enthusiasts should be able to add quad support to cheaper solutions like HP’s DCT computer.

Sideshow, basically a way for a a device to communicate with a Vista computer, is one of the least used features of Microsoft’s Vista. A remote control is a perfect example of how Sideshow could be leveraged, with such a device being able to pick a song to play or a TV show to record without actually having a TV or monitor “on.”

There are a couple of Media Center remotes that are in development but they seem to be perpetually delayed. Microsoft could remedy the situation by making the Zune Sideshow-enabled. Not only could the Zune play music on its hard drive but it also could be a remote for your audio server (i.e. a media center pc). The Zune has wifi built into it already so there is a way to communicate via a network.

Sideshow on a Zune would be another way to differentiate Microsoft’s handheld device with the iPod juggernaut.

S1Digital and Microsoft are hosting a Media Center event in Manahattan on December 5th. If you live or work in Manhattan, it might be worth checking out. S1Digital is a Microsoft OEM that sells media center pcs with Digital Cable Tuners so you can record cable HD television shows on your computer.

The average person knows nothing about Media Centers and Digital Cable Tuners. Most retail stores, like Sony’s or Best Buy, have no demonstration of what Vista Media Center can do in terms of watching television. Microsoft’s marleting of media centers has been really very poor.

That being said, I am always glad to see OEMs and retailers promote media centers.