It’s spring time in the household and hence, I’ve been thinking about cleaning things up and starting on new projects. One project I’ve been contemplating for some time has been the upgrade or update of my home theater PC (HTPC). After many months of thinking how I might go about this, I think I’ve actually come across a viable solution that’s both cost effective and sexy. Thanks to these blog postings here and here, I am contemplating turning my Apple Mac mini into a home theater PC running Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate (or perhaps Premium). Yes, I could run Front Row as a media user interface but let’s face it - Windows Media Center’s UI rocks. It really does.

So the question to really ask is… why the Mac mini? It’s simple really. Here are some of the reasons why I want to use the Mac mini as my starting point for a new HTPC:

• It’s beautiful. The Mac mini simply has a beautiful form factor. No questions about it.
• It’s fairly inexpensive. The base model is $599 and gives you nearly everything you need to get things up and running
• It’s quiet and cool running
• You can easily add gigs of hard drive space via external drives that LOOK like the Mac mini
• Bootcamp + Intel processor == Windows Vista support
• USB ports allow me to add in USB TV tuners and external peripherals if need be

Another important reason for using Windows Vista’s Media Center application - the Xbox 360’s built-in Windows Media Center Extender support. I can place this Mac mini anywhere in the household and simply have Xbox 360 consoles connect to it over the network. Stream music, videos (albeit a limited set of videos), and television content straight to the 360.

Yes.. that’s the reasoning behind my upcoming project. Will I actually embark on this? Most likely.. I just need to figure out a good USB HDTV tuner and a good external hard drive unit.

Anyone out there embark on something similar? Let me know!

Technorati Tags: Apple, Mac mini, Windows Media Center, Bootcamp, Windows Vista

Could this be the year that AMD becomes important again in the processor world? After a horrendous year in 2007, the company appears to have righted its sail and is launching seven new Phenom processors for the desktop PC market. The new processors include new quad core processors, a new low power quad core processor, and new triple-core processors known as the X3 series .

Four of the seven new processors belong to the 50-series CPUs which fixes the Translation Lookaside Buffer (TLB) erratum found in the original batch of AMD Phenom processors. The 50-series quad core processors include:

• Phenom X4 9500 running at 2.2 GHz
• Phenom X4 9550 running at 2.2 GHz. ($195 per unit in lots of 1000)
• Phenom X4 9750 running at 2.4 GHz ($215 per unit in lots of 1000)
• Phenom X4 9850 Black Edition which is unlocked at clocked at 2.5GHz ($235 per unit)

The new low power quad core Phenom is the X4 9100 which is clocked at 1.8GHz and consumes only 65 watts in active mode. No word on pricing as of yet.

The two other new processors make up the new triple core Phenom lineup which are designated as “X3″ processors.

• X3 8300 running at 2.1GHz
• X3 8600 running at 2.3GHz

The new Phenom processors launched today belong to the AMD “Cartwheel” platform which pairs a Phenom processor with a 780G chipset and a graphics card from ATI.  Prices for a desktop Cartwheel platform PC will be between $600 to $800 depending on configurations. The new Phenom X4 processors will also fit in current AM2 and AM2+ processor sockets which means a nice processor upgrade is a possibility for current motherboard owners.

So what does the computing world think of these new processors?

Anandtech finds:

Now this is more like the AMD we’re used to seeing. It’s not quite the performance dominating AMD of years past, but it’s a competitive AMD.

The Tech Report had this to say:

The best thing I can say about the Phenom X4 9750 and 9850 is this: AMD is back in the game. The banishment of the TLB erratum to the history books is, of course, a welcome development, and the higher clock frequencies now available are a small but important step in the right direction.

HotHardware found:

Although the Phenom X4 9850 doesn’t propel AMD to the head of the pack in terms of performance, it is a significant step forward for the company.  AMD can now put the TLB issue behind them and focus on ramping clock speeds and their impending transition to a 45nm manufacturing process

Legit Reviews had this to say:

AMD fixes the Phenom X4 processor with the release of the 50-series, but launches the Phenom X3 processor series with B2 steppings that have the same issuses as the old Phenoms. Strange huh?

Finally, we have X-bit Labs:

… we can’t help stressing the fact that AMD is moving in the right direction trying to improve their Phenom X4 family at any rate. Namely, they have really rapidly fixed the notorious TLB bus that harmed the image of all processors on K10 micro-architecture a lot. Moreover, they have also increased the processors clock speeds, which is a definite advantage.

Technorati Tags: AMD, Phenom, X3, X4

In case you’ve been under a rock for the last few days, you should know that Microsoft has officially released Service Pack 1 for Windows Vista as of yesterday. All you need to do is go to Windows Update and see if your system is eligible for the update. I say eligible because Microsoft will attempt to determine whether there could potentially be any problems in applying SP1 with your system’s device drivers. If you run Windows Update and you don’t see SP1 on the list of new updates, then there could be a couple of factors. According to this posting over at the Windows Vista Team Blog, factors include:

• You have not yet installed all the prerequisite packages you need for Windows Vista SP1.  To install them, visit the Windows Update control panel and click on “check for updates.”
• You have a pre-release version of SP1 and need to uninstall it before installing SP1
• You already have it.  To determine if you already have SP1 installed, Open the Start Menu, right click on Computer and left click on Properties.
• We released SP1 in these 5 languages:  English, French, Spanish, German, and Japanese.  If you have any other language installed, SP1 will not yet be offered to you.  (You might not even know if you have an additional language installed — check the Regional and Language Options control panel to see which languages you have installed.)
• Back in February we announced that we’d be using Windows Update to help make the update as seamless as possible for our users.  Windows Update will detect drivers that we know may be problematic when updating to SP1 and will not offer the service pack until an update has been installed.

If your system is currently up to date, and you still can’t find SP1, you can always go ahead and download the standalone installer at Microsoft Downloads. I had to do this for my home theater PC last night. It’s a sizable download (weighing over 400+ MB) but it’s pretty straightforward.

I’ve already updated my notebook (Dell Latitude D820) as well my HTPC and I’ve yet to run into any problems thus far. As far as speed is concerned, I can’t say for sure that my system is “faster” than it was before.. but at least it doesn’t feel slower. Unfortunately I didn’t take any benchmarks before and after the install of SP1.

All told - it’s probably a good thing to install SP1 unless you have some strange hardware configuration or if you’ve got unapproved drivers installed on your system.

Here are some articles about SP1 from around the web.

• Vista SP1 Available Through Windows Update - PC Magazine
• Microsoft: Vista SP1 ready for download - News.com
• Windows Vista SP1 Wrecks Havoc On Some PCs, Users Complain - Information Week
• Windows Vista SP1 Available Now — Do You Need It? - PC World

Technorati Tags: Windows Vista Service Pack 1, Microsoft

If pink is your thing, then you’ll be happy to know that LG has introduced a new pink colored LG Viewty mobile phone. Aside from the color change, everything else about the Viewty remains the same. Features still include a 5 megapixel camera, a large 3 inch display, auto focus and face recognition technologies, image stabilization, HSDPA/EDGE support, Bluetooth 1.2 and USB 2.0 support. You should be able to find the pink Viewty in Europe within a few weeks.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: LG Viewty, Pink, LG

Are you holding out for the new Intel 45 nm “Montevina” Centrino 2 mobile processors? Well it looks like they’ll be coming in two different releases - one in June and then one later in September with the latter including the first quad-core mobile processor. Montevina will be coupled with the new Intel Cantiga chipset which offers better integrated graphics and you’ll also have the option of having integrated Wi-Fi and WiMax capabilities.

The June release for Centrino 2 will include the T9600 (clocked at 2.8GHz) and the P8600 (clocked at 2.4GHz) processor. The 8000 series processors will have 3 MB of cache while the the 9000 series will have 6MB. A new X9100 processor running at 3.06GHz is also expected as an upgrade to the current Intel Core 2 Extreme X9000 processor. The P8400 running at 2.26GHz will have a price of $209 dollars. The T9600 will cost you $530, while the X9100 should drain you at $851.

In September, Intel plans to launch their first quad-core mobile processor in the form of the Core 2 Extreme QX9300. This processor will have a launch clock speed of 2.53GHz and will be priced at a little over $1000. You’ll find a 12MB cache and a thermal design power (TDP) of 45 watts - pretty hefty eh?

You’ll also have some low power processors coming out in September including the SL9400 clocked at 1.86GHz and the SU9400 running at 1.4GHz. The SL9400 will have a TDP of 17 watts and the SU9400 will have a TDP of 10 watts.

For more information, check out this posting at News.com.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Intel, Montevina, Centrino 2

The LG Glimmer will be making an appearance with Alltel Wireless although it’ll be officially known as the LG AX830 Glimmer. This sleek slider phone features a 2.8 inch WQVGA touchscreen display along with a 2 megapixel camera, microSD slot, EV-DO support, and Bluetooth 2.1 wireless connectivity. The full specs include:

• 240 x 400 resolution touchscreen display
• Hidden keypad
• 2.0 megapixel camera
• Video recording support
• microSD slot
• Dual band CDMA (800/1900 MHz)
• EV-DO support
• Bluetooth 2.1 along with A2DP support
• 3.5 mm headset adapter included
• 5.5 day standby time and 3 hour talk time
• Measures 101.6 x 53.3 x 15.2 mm and weighs 4.5 oz
• 128MB internal memory
• Supports MP3, WMA, AAC, and AAC+
• Speakerphone
• Lithium Ion Battery
• GPS capable

The LG Glimmer is available now  for $249.99 with a 2 year deal.

[Check it out via MobileBurn]

Technorati Tags: LG Glimmer, Alltel Wireless

Think external TV tuners are boring? Well check out the new Leadtek Research WinFast DTV200 HU portable hybrid “TV box.” This palm-sized device connects to your system’s USB 2.0 port and offers analog and digital TV tuner along with FM radio tuning. The DTV200 HU supports DVB-T, comes with an FM antenna as well as a 4 in 1 AV cable and remote control.

Specs include:

• Supports high definition terrestrial DVB-T and analog reception including NTSC, SECAM, and PAL
• De-interlaces video for high quality video
• Supports HDTV and Dolby Digital AC audio
• Comes with WinFast PVR2 with support for DirectBurn, Time Shifting, TwinView, Live Broadcasting, EPG, and Scheduled Recording
• All-in-one remote control supports Windows Media Center

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Leadtek Research, WinFast DTV200 HU

While it’s certainly “cool” to have your video collection on an iPod touch or a Microsoft Zune, there’s still something cool about having a portable DVD player. Perhaps it’s because you get a larger display than watching a movie on an iPod.. or perhaps it’s simply because it’s easier to pop a DVD into a portable DVD player than it is to connect to the net and purchase a movie rental via iTunes (or ripping and converting a DVD into an MP4 file). With that said, it’s nice to see companies continue to develop and manufacture portable players such as the new Sony DVP-FX720. This clamshell system comes with a nice large 7 inch display featuring a true 16:9 aspect ratio. Features include:

• USB port for JPEG and MP3 file playback
• 5 hour rechargeable battery
• Supports audio CDs and CD-R/RW with audio, MP3, or JPEG files
• Supports DVD-R/-RW/-R DL/+R/+RW and CD-R/-RW with DivX
• 12 bit/108 MHz video and 96kHZ/24 bit audio DAC
• Dual headphone jacks with volume control
• Integrated speakers
• Remote control and car adapter
• Available in glamour pink, blazing red, indigo blue, and white finish

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Sony, DVP-FX720 Portable DVD player

Acer announced a brand new notebook lineup designed to bring high definition wherever you go in the form of the Aspire Gemstone blue. The Gemstone blue merges features found in previous versions of the Gemstone lineup into a 16 inch or 18 inch form factor. Yup.. you heard me.. 16 inches or 18 inches. In fact, Acer is the first to market a 16 inch notebook system featuring a full HD display with 1920 x 1080 resolutions.

Powering the new notebook is Intel’s Core 2 Duo processor coupled with an Intel PM965 Express Chipset. From the graphics standpoint, the Gemstone blue comes with the latest NVIDIA GeForce graphics along with 1280MB of TurboCache.

Other multimedia features include an HDMI port with HDCP support, Wide Color Gamut displays, Dolby Home Theater technology with CineSurround, Tuba CineBass booster, and True 5.1 output.

Storage wise, the blue comes with up to 320GB of HDD space per drive as well as your choice of either a DVD Super Multi drive or a Blu-ray drive. There’s also a 6 in 1 card reader, an integrated TV tuner, and Acer’s multimedia software suite.

One of the more interesting new features found on the Gemstone Blue is the touch-sensitive CineDash media console found to the left of the keyboard. The console responds to the lightest contact and is designed to give you full control over your multimedia playback experience.

Acer has two models already listed for the Gemstone blue - the Aspire 8920G and the 6920G

The Aspire 8920G features:

• Intel Core 2 Duo processor with Intel PM965 Express Chipset
• Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN
• Windows Vista Ultimate or Home Premium
• Up to 4GB of DDR2 667 MHz Memory
• Up to 320GB HDD
• 2x Blu-ray drive or 8x DVD Super Multi Drive
• 6 in 1 card reader
• 16 inch Full HD 1920 x 1080 display with 250 cd/m2 brightness, 8ms response time, 16:9 aspect ratio
• NVIDIA GeForce 9500M GS with 1280MB of TurboCache
• Dolby Home Theater
• Integrated Webcam
• Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
• Gigabit Ethernet
• 56K modem
• ExpressCard/54 slot
• 4 USB ports
• HDMI port
• VGA port
• Fingerprint reader
• Measures 385 x 275 x 43.6 mm and weighs 3.5 kg

The Aspire 6920G features:

• Intel Core 2 Duo processor with Intel PM965 Express Chipset
• Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN
• Windows Vista Ultimate or Home Premium
• Up to 4GB of DDR2 667 MHz Memory
• 1 or 2 HDD - up to 320GB each
• 2x Blu-ray drive or 8x DVD Super Multi Drive
• 6 in 1 card reader
• 18.4 inch Full HD 1920 x 1080 display with 300cd/m2 brightness, two lamps, 8ms response time, 16:9 aspect ratio
• NVIDIA GeForce 9650 GS or NVIDIA GeForce 9500M GS with 1280MB of TurboCache
• Dolby Home Theater
• Integrated Webcam
• Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
• Gigabit Ethernet
• 56K modem
• ExpressCard/54 slot
• 4 USB ports
• HDMI port
• VGA port
• Fingerprint reader
• Measures 441.4 x 300 x 40.2 mm and weighs 4.1 kg

[Check it out]

[Check out the product page]

Technorati Tags: Acer Aspire Gemstone Blue, Aspire 8920G, Aspire 6920G

Wal-Mart has announced that they will no longer be selling the Everex Linux-based gPC desktop system in their retail stores with spokeswoman Melissa O’Brien stating “this really wasn’t what our customers were looking for”. Wal-Mart began testing the notion of selling Linux-based systems in retail stores last October by introducing the $199 “Green gPC” in approximately 600 stores.

While the gPC was apparently sold out in retail stores, it wasn’t enough to prevent Wal-Mart from declaring that they would not restock their inventory. The company will instead focus on online sales of the Linux systems which now also include the Everex gPC2 and the Everex CloudBook. The gPC2 also sells for $199 without a monitor while the CloudBook goes for $399.

[Check it out via Daily Tech]

Technorati Tags: Wal-Mart, Everex, gPC, gPC2, CloudBook, Linux