HP, Linksys, and D-Link won’t be the only ones with standalone Media Center Extenders anymore. Samsung has announced that their upcoming MediaLive adapter will be coming out in August for an estimated price of around $200 dollars. Like other Extenders for Windows Media Centers, MediaLive connects to PC’s running Windows Vista Home Premium or Windows Vista Ultimate and delivers the familiar Windows Media Center interface on a large screen TV set. 

MediaLive will support the streaming of the following forms of content:

• For online content, it will be Media Center online content providers such as Vongo, MovieLink, Showtime TV, XM Radio, and Fox Sports
• For audio, it will be WMA, MP3, and AC3
• For video, it will be WMV, MPEG2, MPEG4, H.264
• For pictures, it will be JPEG

MediaLive supports both USB 2.0 Slave and USB 2.0 Host specs and has an HDMI CEC port as well as an Ethernet port. The unit measures 270 x 48 x 155 mm and weighs around 1.8kg. The MediaLive will be available in August for an estimated price of $200 dollars.

It’s also important to note that the MediaLive adapter is cheaper than the upcoming HP MediaSmart Connect Extender. Also note - the MediaLive picture is from Gizmodo.

Technorati Tags: Samsung MediaLive, Extender for Windows Media Center

Want to know more about Windows Media Center programming? You might be interested in checking out Steven Harding’s new book that he’s working on called “Programming with Media Center.”  The book isn’t finished yet so you can download the PDF and check it out in  your leisure. Of course, if you find it useful or if it helps you in your MCE development projects, do consider providing a donation. It’s great to see books come out for Windows Media Center - especially on the development side. The more developers, the richer the content we’ll see for this wonderful platform.

[Check it out via Ian Dixon's Blog]

Technorati Tags: Programming with Media Center, Windows Media Center, Steven Harding

Do you want the capabilities of the Roku Netflix Player on your TV set yet don’t want to shell out $99 bucks for the player itself? Well this posting on Lifehacker shows how you COULD get a similar experience IF you have an Xbox 360 and a Windows PC lying about on a home network. The key to making this work is a combination of an add-in called the vmcNetFlix add-in, Extender for Windows Media Center, and the Netflix Watch-Instantly component. The vmcNetFlix add-in software can be downloaded here and make sure to read the notes on the webpage.

I tried out the software last night and while I saw the plugin on my Extender screen, I failed to get video playback working. Truth be told - I didn’t spend too much time on it so I’ll look into it more tonight. Now, keep in mind folks - this is a cool alternative to the Roku Netflix Player IF you have all the components already. If you don’t have an Xbox 360 and you don’t play video games, then it probably makes very little sense to go and buy an Xbox 360 strictly for Netflix content. You’re better off getting the Roku player itself.  Having said that, there are also rumors that Microsoft and Netflix are closing in on a deal that would have Netflix’s Watch Now service available for the Xbox console. All good news for Netflix and of course the Microsoft Xbox 360 console.

[Check it out via News.com]

Technorati Tags: Netflix, Microsoft, Watch Now, Windows Media Center, vmcNetflix Add-in

Do you have a need to record A LOT of content? You might be interested in this video clip by Cannon PC that shows off a Windows Media Center PC recording from six CableCard-enabled HD tuners. The video clip is of course a bit promotional because it shows one of their own systems handling the recording of six HD channels simultaneously while also playing back a high definition video clip. Keep in mind of course - this is NOT an incredibly hard task to accomplish. The video clip shows that the system is built around a quad core processor - that’s plenty of horsepower for Windows Media Center.

But what about the six HD tuners recording at the same time you say? Well one would assume that the six HD tuners had hardware based encoders thus relieving the CPU of any encoding duties. So.. the only left to do is to have a wickedly fast storage system which means you’ll want a nice RAID storage array with lots of fast disks. Finally.. playing back HD - well again - you’ll want a nice graphics card with hardware based decoding.

Now what is cool is how these guys have managed to get six tuners working under Windows Media Center. If you poke around on Google, you’ll figure out ways to get Media Center to see more than the normal 2 analog and 2 digital tuner limitation (hint - check out MCE Tuner Extender as an easy way to get this working).

While it’s certainly plausible for you to create a system like the demoed Cannon system - there won’t be an easy way for you to get a hold of six CableCard capable tuners. In fact, CableCard tuner cards are not sold directly to the consumer - you’ll have to buy it as part of a new system unfortunately. In any case, kudos to Cannon PC for pushing the envelope on MCE systems.

[Check it out via Ian Dixon's Blog and eHomeUpgrade]

Technorati Tags: Cannon PC, Windows Media Center, HTPC, CableCard TV tuner HD Tuner

HP has announced that their upcoming HP MediaSmart Connect device is now available for pre-order at various retailers including Amazon.com and Newegg for a suggested retail price of $349. The MediaSmart Connect was introduced at CES 2008 as a way to bring HP MediaSmart TV technology to non-HP HDTV sets. With the MediaSmart Connect connected to your HDTV and your home network, you’ll be able to stream digital content from your computers straight to your HDTV set. In addition, MediaSmart Connect features Extender for Windows Media Center technology which allows you to access Windows Media Center enabled PCs remotely over the network.

The HP MediaSmart Connect is able to connect to other UPnP and DLNA compliant devices as well as products from their MediaSmart product line including the HP Media Vault and the HP MediaSmart Server.

The technical specs are as follows:

• Supports 720p/1080i
• HDMI out, Component out, Stereo analog out, Digital audio out, 2 USB ports
• HP Pocket Media Drive Bay
• Wi-Fi - 802.11 a/b/g/n
• 10/100 Ethernet
• Photo - JPEG, BMP, GIF, PNG
• Music - MP2, MP3, WMA, WMA-Pro, AAC(m4a)
• Video - MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MP@ML, MPEG-2 MP@HL, MPEG-4 ASP, DivX, WMV, WMV-HD, DVR-MS, H.264 (MP4)
• DivX certified
• Supports Snapfish, CinemaNow, Live365, YouTube(coming soon)
• Supports Windows Media Player 11, UPnP, and DLNA compliant systems
• Piano Black finish
• Gloss with Zen pattern
• Includes HDMI cable
• 5 device universal remote
• Measures 8.5 x 8.5 x 1.8 inches and weighs 3.5 lbs

The MediaSmart Connect can be preordered starting today for $349 at Amazon.com, BestBuy, CircuitCity, and Newegg.com. The device includes an HDMI cable, a learning remote control and a $20 dollar CinemaNow movie certificate.

It’s a shame that the MediaSmart Connect only supports 720p/1080i and not 1080p. Also - at $349 - it’s a bit expensive for a Windows Media Center Extender - especially without a built-in DVD drive.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: HP, MediaSmart Connect, Extender for Windows Media Center

Shuttle is branching out a bit with the introduction of the Shuttle D Series D10 system. According to the press release, the D10 is a “digital home appliance” designed to be a standalone media center system. Standalone here means it comes with an embedded 7 inch touch panel that displays a media server gadget application designed to deliver various applications.

Shuttle claims that the D10 can be used in applications such as home surveillance simply by adding in surveillance software and hardware.

There will be three different versions of the graphical user interface powered by Linux or Windows. With the user interface, users will be able to access and control multimedia content via the Internet or intranet storage.

There really isn’t a whole lot on this device as of yet so I’ll reserve my thoughts for now. Truth is - doesn’t it look like a regular Shuttle SFF system with an embedded display? If so - it’s simply Shuttle trying to find a different target market for a product that they’re good at developing which is small form factor PCs.

The picture above came from PC Magazine here.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Shuttle D10, Digital Home Appliance

Home theater PC fans might appreciate this one - ASUS has announced the new Mini PC Nova Lite PX24 which they claim is the world’s smallest mini PC with a built-in independent graphics card. The system even features built-in “Hi-Fi” speakers (though if it’s connected to a home theater system, they’d be completely useless of course - tho a good idea for people with small setups). The PX24 measures 2L in size, supports 1080p output, and comes with a built-in HDMI/DVI interface. Other specs include:

• Intel Celeron 220 processor
• 2GB RAM
• ATI RV620 display card
• Quiet at 26dB operating levels
• 1/4 the power consumption of traditional desktop PCs
• Embedded Hi-Fi speakers
• SPDIF support
• 160GB or 250GB SATA II 5400 RPM HDD
• Slim type slot-in DVD super multi drive
• Gigabit Ethernet support
• Wi-Fi support
• Realtek Azalia ALC888 for Dolby Digital and DTS connect
• Power switch with LED light (touch sensor)
• ODD eject button
• Vista remote control
• HDMI port
• DVI-I port
• VGA port through adapter
• 5.1 channel sound
• Measures 242 x 184 x 51mm

Some early thoughts without having seen the system myself:

• Mini PCs are always great
• Viable alternative for a home theater PC
• Celeron processor might be a bit too weak though (Core 2 Duo would have been far nicer)
• Storage space might be lacking for HTPC needs
• Case design somewhat boring

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: ASUS, Mini PC Nova Lite PX24

ExtremeTech has published a review of the ultra-compact Logitech diNovo Mini keyboard here on their website. Designed for home theater PC’s, the diNovo Mini is a compact wireless keyboard with an integrated ClickPad that allows you to control your PC from the comfort of your sofa. Features include:

• Palm-sized keyboard with backlighting
• Integrated dual-purpose ClickPad - use as a touch pad to point and click or as a directional pad to navigate menus
• 63 backlighted keys
• Dedicated Windows Media Center button
• 10 meter range
• Compatible with PlayStation 3
• Rechargeable Li-ion batteries
• Bluetooth 2.0 support

Here’s what ExtremeTech had to say about the keyboard:

If you need limited keyboard functionality for your HTPC or PS3, and don’t want the bulk of a full size keyboard, the diNovo Mini will fit the bill.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Logitech diNovo Mini, ExtremeTech, Review

If you’re a fan of Apple TV but you wish you had a bit more functionality (such as PVR capability and DVD playback), then you might be interested in turning the Apple Mac mini into a full fledged media center system using Front Row. Jon Hicks outlines how he did exactly that over here in his blog. Of course, this is a tad bit different (actually very different) from what I did (which was to turn a Mac mini into a Windows Vista system and run Windows Media Center instead) but definitely viable (though I still prefer Windows Media Center over Front Row right now).

[Check it out via PVRBlog]

Technorati Tags: Apple, Mac mini, media center, Front Row, DVR

About a month ago, I posted a little commentary about a project I wanted to embark on at home. The goal was to turn my Apple Mac mini into a full fledged Windows Vista system for the sole purpose of running Windows Media Center. Why embark on this project? Reason 1: It was about time I upgraded my original home theater PC which I built back in 2005 and was starting to creak under Windows Vista (it’s still great for XP!). Reason 2: I wanted to move to a small form factor than my previous system. Although the previous HTPC looked great within my A/V rack, it was huge, heavy, and somewhat loud due to aging ball bearing fans (which I was too lazy to upgrade).  Yes, it was time to downsize to a smaller form factor.

It’s actually funny that I even considered this route. I felt like I was tracing back to my earlier roots with this project. When I first got into constructing Home Theater PC (HTPC) systems years ago, I toyed with several Shuttle XPC based small form factor systems. In the end, I opted for a larger box since it looked so darn sexy in my home theater rack and had plenty of room for expansion. After a few years with a large box, I was finally ready to go small again. The question was - how small did I want to get?

Now, I could have gone the Shuttle route again (and I still might - more on that later) or I could have purchased something like the HP Pavilion Slimline PC. Ultimately, I chose the Apple Mac mini primarily because I had one handy and I wanted to see what it was like transforming it into a Vista based Media Center HTPC. Would it work well under Vista? Would I be able to do all the things I envisioned?  Hopefully I’ll be able to answer these questions and then some in this writeup. The purpose of this writeup is to cover all the steps that I took to build my Apple Mac mini home theater system utilizing Windows Vista and the Windows Media Center application. Is it my final setup? Probably not but it proves it indeed is a viable, solid, and reliable solution.

Finally, I apologize ahead of time if some of you think I might have “bastardized” the Mac mini by installing Vista. I also want to give credit where credit is due - primarily to two blog postings I read before starting this prokect - one over at markwilson.it and one over at Mauricio Freitas’s website here. Let’s get started shall we?

(more…)

Technorati Tags: Apple Mac mini, Windows Vista, Windows Media Center, Xbox 360 Media Center Extender, Converting Apple Mac mini to Windows Media Center