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more about #mediacenter CanadaStig: This is the new VLC for me, includes all the codecs by default, free, open source. using it on my macbook, my win7 pc, and my xbox more » Jacubious: Using an Eee box and a usb tuner seems a bit more economical. Looks schnazzy though. more » Eruanno: Woah, what? 4000 dollars?! more » smcallah: But if you are putting this on a TV that is not mounted on the wall, you can go much cheaper than this. I bought a $40 VESA mount for a Mac Mini and ... more » yule-and-bellow: You forgot the to add that a Blue-Ray drive is available, and when you think about it that takes almost 170 dollars OFF the price...so that $15,000 do... more » petertew001: Aren't those ping pong ball lights supposed to be super dangerous cause they can catch on fire really fast? more » Chimaera: Re: Roku Channel Store Revision3 has already been announced. Pandora and Flickr were leaked in the process. TWiT via MediaFly has also been announce... more » salviati: I'm glad to see that the Roku hardware is still being developed, but these two offerings seem disappointing to me. First of all, I see no market for ... more » davezatz: Audi5000 most cards these days handle HD, at least ATSC OTA. Maybe clear QAM (with appropriate drivers/software) as well. However, I can't recommend t... more » Lite: hates Illinois Nazis: So, you're saying it's like Hulu. Only crappier? #internettv more » JonThomasDesigns: DL'd it .. it looks horrible : ( .. unless you like stop motion Legos then it would look great .. I have a 50 Mps Comcrap connection .. so its just ... more » UnderLoK: Still haven't updated my HTPC to W7... Maybe this weekend. #windows7mediacenter more » ripfire: Yes!!! #windows7mediacenter more » bagseed: that'll be good for catching all of those episodes of ow my balls more » IN THE FACE!: Anyone know anything about this company/product? The info on their site is a little sparse, looks like the best option provided it's not vaporware and... more » aec007: Just think of it!.... What a bunch of idiots CableLabs CEO, CFO,CMO and everyone else have been. They've lost a good 8 to 9 years to a PC Windows fai... more » Xeno: I'm really happy to hear about the user CC installation in Win 7. This means that When I finally want to stop using the 360 as an extender I can build... more » HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H.: This is good news indeed. Now let's see some Linux drivers, so I can use one with MythTV. more » Xeno: I absolutely recommend Cablecard tuners with WMC. I currently have 3 ATI tuners on my Media Center and I can't imagine going back to any other solutio... more » axiomatic: About f-ing time Cablelabs... BTW, you guys still suck. more » -
#mediacenter
Build a Color-Aware Backlight for Your HDTV Setup
If you're looking to add some polish to your home theater setup, this guide to creating a DIY clone of the Philips Ambilight technology will give your videos a backlight that changes colors to match the on-screen action. -
#downloads
XBMC Updates to 9.11 Camelot, Brings Awesome New Look, Improved Features
Windows/Mac/Linux/and more: XBMC is a killer open-source, cross-platform media center, and today they've released XBMC 9.11, introducing a whole new default look and feel, and it's very friendly on the eyes. More » -
#mediacenter
Svelte Piixl EdgeCenter 3770 Media Center Hides Behind Your HDTV
Like Kate Moss, this crazy thin EdgeCenter media server from Piixl (who?) is nearly invisible when viewed from the side. And that's precisely the point, as the pricey unit is meant to be hidden behind your HDTV. More » -
#bestof2009
Most Popular DIY Projects of 2009
We love DIY projects here at Lifehacker. Whether we're building computers, backyard projects, or turning office supplies into artillery, we're always tinkering. Today we're taking a peek at the most popular DIY projects of 2009. More » -
#roku
Roku HD-XR Hands On: Where's Roku Going With This?
Roku updated the lineup today with two new models bookending the current Roku HD: The $80 standard-def SD and the $130 HD-XR, which I tested. It's solid, but still needs a firmware upgrade (coming soon) before it feels truly next-gen. More » -
#dealzmodo
Dealzmodo: Liquid TV TiVo Software and Tuner Card for $60
Sure, Windows 7 Media Center is included with the OS, but if you can't give up your TiVo interface, here's a cheap way to roll your own, HTPC style—$60 for Nero Liquid TV software and a tuner card. More » -
#windows7
Windows 7 Media Center Internet TV Delivers CBS Shows and Zune Video Podcasts
Just in case you missed it buried underneath the upgrade to Netflix Watch Instantly the other day, Microsoft has gone live with Internet TV on Windows 7 Media Center, offering content (of rather poor picture quality) from the following providers: More » -
#netflix
Streamlined Netflix Experience Now Available On Windows 7 Media Center
Starting today, early Windows 7 adopters have access to a streamlined Netflix Watch Instantly experience and a Internet TV update that includes a whole bunch of new content. More » -
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#ceton
Ceton's CableCARD Solution Has Six Tuners In One Slot
This Ceton Multi-Channel CableCARD is very interesting, both for its ability to decode six cable streams at once to record six shows at once on your Windows Media Center, and for the fact that it's not all that expensive. More » -
#windowsmediacenter
Zone Pro Hands On Part 2: Copy Freely and Windows 7
To continue our review of the Niveus Zone Pro media center, we put Windows 7 on there to try out all the new features, like better sharing of recorded shows. More » -
#windows7
Normal People Can Now Install CableCARD Tuners On Windows 7 PCs
FINALLY. Microsoft and CableLabs are finally opened the door to have regular people add in CableCARD tuners by themselves, after they've purchased the PC and set it up. This is good news. More » -
#windowsmediacenter
Windows Media Center Opens Up DRM Restrictions on Shows, Allows More Copying
If you record a lot of shows using a CableCard in Windows Media Center, know that the upcoming 1.19 update will loosen the reins on these recordings and allow you to copy them to other WMC machines and portable devices. In other words, you record into WMC, you can copy the content wherever you want—save for Pay-Per-View content and premium content like HBO. So it's not the Holy Grail, but it may be as close as we're going to get. And as a cherry on top, you can add CableCards to any PC now—no quirky limitations. -
#review
Review: Niveus Zone Pro One-Ups The Zone
The Niveus Zone was good, bringing an HD HTPC to your living room in a compact box, but the Zone Pro is three times the speed of the old one. And it shows. More » -
#roundups
DLNA Media Center Software, Compiled and Simplified
Want to get media onto your TV using some of that fancy DLNA standard hardware? You still might be at a loss for which media center software is right for you, but now there's a handy chart. More » -
#wii
Roxio CinemaNow Brings Streaming Movies to the Wii (in Japan)
Well, it's Japan-only for now, but the Wii is finally starting to compete with the PS3 and Xbox 360 in the only category in which it's in third place: Media center functionality. CinemaNow, apparently, is the guinea pig of choice. More » -
#mediacenter
Windows Media Center Gets Sports Channel With Pretty Good College Hoops Coverage
Microsoft's bringing the "Sports Channel" to Windows Media Center (Vista), which is to College Basketball what the Olympics On The Go was to the Beijing Olympics. More » -
#windows7
Windows 7 Media Center: The 10-Foot Experience's New Features
Microsoft has always been ahead of the curve when it comes to the living-room PC experience, thanks to Media Center. Slick interfaces and powerful audio/video features combine with the power of a full computer to create a nice experience—though it pays if your PC is CableCard-compatible, for full HD over cable. In Windows 7, Microsoft added even more functionality to an already polished package.
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#ces2009
Toshiba Bringing Windows Media Extender To LCDs, Standalone Players Second Half of 2009
Toshiba's jump into the network-enchanced home entertainment game is partnered with Microsoft—Windows Media Extender functionality, along with Yahoo widgets, will hit their Regzas, combo LCD/DVD players and a standalone player—but we'll have to wait. More » -
#bangolufsen
Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 5 is a Reasonable Media Controller (For Your Megayacht)
When Bang & Olufsen, maker of very expensive things that use electricity, let slip a photo of their upcoming BeoSound 5 home media controller, I saw a lot of potential. The interface looked nice, the hardware classy, and the screen crisp — in other words, if this thing connected with network music shares and played nice with a variety of home A/V equipment, it could be a winner. Well, we've got our hands on the official announcement, and it looks like we might have been a little optimistic. More » -
#appletv
Free Boxee XBMC-Based Media Center Now Installable On Apple TV
Boxee has been turning any PC, Mac or Linux box into a capable, social-networking equipped media center for a while in its extended alpha phase—and now, news is that it will also work on your Apple TV for a free way to go beyond the iTunes lock-in for streaming all DRM-free media. Like aTV before it (which isnot free), Boxee installs on a flash drive (this time using Mac-only for now ATV USB Creator) and sports a similar interface as the original Xbox version that started it all. Sign up for the alpha: [Boxee] -
#dealzmodo
Dealzmodo: Linksys DMA2100 Media Center Extender for $99
If you are looking for a super cheap way to stream content from your Media Center PC, it doesn't get much better than this $99 DMA2100 deal from Newegg. The cheapest we have been able to find it elsewhere is around $140—and that is still pretty good. The DMA2100 is not as flashy as the 2200 version, but it has all of the basic features you need to get started. [Newegg] -
#cedia2008
Lifeware's LMS-810 Media Center PC Can Drive Ten TVs at Once
See these 10 TVs? They're all being driven by the same, single Media Center PC. Taking what they came with last year and doubling it, Lifeware has crammed eight CableCARD tuners (two on board and six more in the external Lifetuner box on top) into a dual Intel Quad Core, 12TB RAID 5 box that can stream out to ten Media Extenders (here, Xbox 360s driving Samsung LCDs). The box can record from all eight of its HD streams while streaming to all 10 Extenders at once, so if you've been wondering what to do with your home's 8 spare digital cable feeds, now you know. No price yet for a pre-Christmas release, but last year's model with half as many CableCARDs was $15k. More » -
#appletv
aTV Media Center Hack for Apple TV is Back, Now With GUI Installer and Support For USB Drives
After disappearing for a while due to a fair use scuff-up, the aTV software that helps turn the Apple TV into the media center it should have been is now back and freshly updated. Big new features are a GUI installer for loading the hack onto a USB stick, eliminating the messy command line work that used to be required, and support for external USB devices for connecting a bigger hard drive or NAS for more storage, on top of everything else this nifty unofficial upgrade does for your Apple TV. More » -
#centerstage
OS X Media Application CenterStage Merges With Plex
CenterStage, the great Media Center-like UI for OS X, has merged with the Plex project, an alternative interface in hopes of creating a de facto product for any Mac user looking for more functionality that Apple TV currently affords. The application can play back many formats the Apple TV, and even iTunes, can't, like XviD, AVI, Video_TS, and others, straight through your HDTV. It also has additional features like streaming Internet radio and built-in game emulators. The excellent Plex UI will mix with what CenterStage already has built, the end result being a universal application for Mac-centric Media Centers that's easy to use. Check out the new UI demo and screen shots after the jump. [CenterStage] More » -
#mediacenter
Windows Media Center Update Might Get Partner Later In the Year
Windows Media Center still isn't what Microsoft wants it to be, but it has its fans, and its getting an update this month that they've been waiting for. Word is coming down, though, that this update isn't the one the users are lusting after, the one with H.264 and DirectTV tuner support. Instead it's a minor upgrade that adds things like international support. But fret not, users, as now it seems like there's another rumor flying around about another update later in the year which will add many requested features. Patience, my fellow home theater nerds, we'll get our updates. [EngadgetHD] -
#oveiisolationpod
Ovei is $100,000 Isolation Chamber for Gadgety Privacy
Sometimes you just want to shut the world out and tackle the next level of your fave game, don't you? The Ovei isolation pod, launched this week in the UK, will let you do just that. For the sum of $100,000. And before you fall about laughing, that cash will get you a unique capsule, designed by Lee McCormack and made by Mclaren Applied Technologies (the Formula 1 guys, yes). It's custom-built exactly how you want: media center, gaming rig, interior and exterior...the sort of bespoke stuff you'd expect for 100 grand. The rest of us will have to settle for the traditional laptop-under the duvet, earphones jammed-in isolation when the house is too noisy. [PocketLint via Born Rich] -
#nbc
Microsoft Will Totally Bork Your Media Center DVR If NBC (or Anyone) Asks It To
Last week, courtesy of NBC, people with a Windows Media Center DVR setup got a rude reminder that broadcasters can flip a switch (called a broadcast flag) to tell DVRs not to record a show. Here's the thing: Honoring the flag is actually optional for software and hardware makers, after courts smacked down the FCC proposal to make them mandatory. But Microsoft has confirmed that they do whatever the broadcaster tells them, again, even though they don't have to. NBC hasn't confirmed yet whether or not the American Gladiators flag was intentional, but their history doesn't give me a fuzzy feeling. Update: NBC says it was an accident. More » -
#ipoddocks
Geneva Lab's Shiny New Media Center Has iPod Dock, Unsurprisingly
The guys over at Apartment Therapy Unplugged spotted a pretty sweet media center that'll be coming soon to a living room near you. Made by Geneva Lab, a company known for its high-end iPod speaker docks, the new cabinet system includes four midrange 5.5-inch speakers, two tweeters, a 12-inch subwoofer, a cabinet to hold A/V components, and (of course) a dock for everybody's favorite MP3 player. It's expected to hit stores in late Fall 2008, and will cost $3,500. More pics after the jump. More » -
#mediacenter
Media Center's Do Not Record Broadcast Flag Is Still Alive
Recently, some Windows Media Center owners were blocked from recording American Gladiators and Medium because of an incorrectly set broadcast flag from NBC. What's the deal here? The broadcasters (NBC, ABC, HBO) can turn on a flag in their data stream that tells whatever DVR machine on your end that it's NOT alright to record a show, protecting Pay-Per-View or premium channel content from being archived. This has actually been around for years. More » -
#mediacenter
Amex Digital's iMON HD Mobile Media Center Also Controls Your PC
Amex Digital's iMON HD seems a pretty unusual beast: it's a "portable media center" that acts as an IR receiver to control your PC, and also has a built-in VFD screen. This can display an equalizer or streams of useful info, like weather reports, news, your email and so on— a little like a low-graphics Chumby perhaps? There's not much more info than this, so we can tell you it supports Windows Vista Media center, it'll come in black and white colors and has a remote controller, and that's about it. [Akihabaranews] -
#watchingnetflixonxbox360
Watch Netflix Downloads On Your Xbox 360
By installing the vmcNetflix plug-in to a Vista Premium Media Center computer, you can watch streamed Netflix content on an Xbox 360. It's buggy, but it's a lot better than watching Netflix on a laptop screen. (Providing you have Netflix, an Xbox 360 and a Vista Media Center.) Maybe Netflix should open up streaming to lots of devices, not just windows PCs as of today. I know Mac support is coming, but combining wide support for their online services with disc delivery, it could be a pretty sweet hybrid of the old and new. Video demo post jump. [vmcNetflix via Hacking Netflix and Thomas Hawk, thanks Mike] More » -
#gadgets
EZ Commander Media Center Remote Features Trackball, 1980s Beige Color Scheme
Ignoring the retro styling of this EZ Commander remote, it's got one remarkable feature that makes the whole five-buck-design worthwhile: a trackball. Even though trackballs went out of style for most computer users (some die hards still swear by them) they make plenty of sense to use with a remote, so you can mouse around the screen without having to actually use a mouse. It's too bad that it costs $80, which is a good $50 more than standard Media Center remotes go for these days. [Think Geek via Gadgettastic via DVice] -
#mediacenter
Windows Media Center Universal Remote IR Quirks Fixed
Windows Media Center users who use universal remotes—not the default Microsoft IR remotes—have run into a quirk where only some button presses register. Here's the deal: media center receivers expect to see an alternating IR code for functions like channel changing or volume switches in order to eliminate IR "bounce," which is apparently caused by IR signals bouncing off stuff and hitting the receiver twice. In order to turn this off and fix the problem for universal remotes that don't support the alternating IR codes, just change a registry entry and you're done. Hit up CEPro for more details. [CEPro] -
#mediacenter
Niveus Upgrades Media Storage Servers to 2, 4TB
The high end (read: super expensive) Niveus Storage Server and Storage Server Pro doesn't just act as a file dump for your movies—any network attached storage can do that—it interfaces with much of your networked media equipment as well. More » -
#netflix
MyNetflix Media Center Plug-In Turns Your PC Into a True Netflix Box
Anthony Park's MyNetflix plug-in for Vista Media Center is an awesome little add-on that lets you do pretty much anything you want with Netflix from within MC. More » -
#review
Lightning Review: Linksys 2200 HD Media Center Extender
The Gadget: Linksys' slightly fancier Windows Media Center Extender, which streams the Windows Vista/XP Media Center interface over the network so you can watch live or recorded TV and downloaded files on TV in HD. More » -
#pcs
Sony VAIO TP Media Center PC Features Dual CableCARD Configuration
The Sony VAIO TP-25 one ups last year's media center offerings with a dual CableCARD PC, while adding 500 GB of storage (good for 50 hours recording), a BD-ROM drive and a 2.1 GHz T8100 Penryn processor for $3000. The non-CableCARD TP-20 can also be had for $1600.
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#homeentertainment
Niveus's Sierra Windows Media Centers Goes Intro-Level for Home Builders
Branching out from their full-featured (read: Expensive) Media Centers, Niveus is introducing a Sierra Edition Media Server, which is also designed for the home-builder market. The Sierra, which is half the size of their normal units, also consumes "low power" and uses an HD DVD drive, 500GB storage, a GeForce "Series 8", and 1080p streaming. It'll be available in Q1 2008 for "volume integrators", which means people who will be installing them in homes or other markets which you probably don't qualify for buying this for yourself.
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