Mce
”Lightning Review: Linksys 2200 HD Media Center Extender
Niveus EDGE Media Center Extender Does 1080p, is Whisper Quiet, But No Wireless N
Microsoft Presides Over Linksys, D-Link and Niveus Media Center Unveilings, Debuts Internet TV Beta
Later today at DigitalLife, Microsoft's Windows Media Center chief Joe Belfiore will demo the new Media Center Extenders you're just now hearing about, including the Linksys DMA2200 and DMA2100, and the D-Link DSM-750 MediaLounge Media Player. Another one he'll show off is the Niveus Media Extender, which we'll cover in more depth tomorrow.
Microsoft will also introduce a new Internet TV service for all Vista Home Premium and Ultimate users: starting this Friday, those customers will find the option in their Media Center interface, and can use it to get a range of video programming without the need for a TV tuner. Check out more details on that and the MCEs in the press release below:
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peripherals
Hands On New Cisco Linksys Wireless-N Media Center Extenders (Plus: Some Tasty New N-Friendly Toys)
You may have heard about the new Media Center Extenders from Cisco's Linksys division. The DMA2200 shown above is a high-def MCE with 1080p-upscaling DVD player and Dual-Band Wireless-N, priced at $350. The smaller $300 DMA2100 MCE is geared for bedrooms and kitchens, places where you're going to want less clutter, though to be honest, the built-in DVD player is quite the clutter-reducer all by itself. More »D-Link DSM-750 Media Center Extender 2.0 in the Wild
Linksys DMA 2200 Media Center Extender 2.0 Plus DVD Player
Webguide for Media Center Streams All Your Content to Any Browser
Webguide was bought by Microsoft and made a free upgrade to all Media Center users. It basically streams all video, music, photos and TV across the net. It even re-encodes HD streams to lesser pixel counts.More »
FYI: New Media Center Extender Getting H.264 and HDMI
Got some eyes-on time with the upcoming refreshed Media Center Extender v.2 boxes. Here are the features that weren't in the press release that will hopefully keep it from being DOA like the older MCE 2005 extenders and differentiate it from current-gen Xbox 360.
• It is lame, but the Xbox 360 is not slated to get the added codec support.
•The press release said the new boxes will by default reference design get XVid and DivX, but they're also getting H.264!
•The 2005 was a set-top box that didn't do HD out. These likely all have HDMI and 1080p.
•No one wants another set-top box if they can avoid it, so MCE Extender v2 will be built into upcoming and soon to be announced DVD players and TVs. Very cool.
•Oh yeah, wireless N support, for HD of course.
•The UI is identical to the UI on the Xbox 360 Extender software, and has all the visual stylings of the latest MCE. One difference. UI animations aren't as smooth, because of the lack of visual Horsepower that the 360 has. This was denied by some in the booth, but a Microsoft employee and my own eyes confirmed it. But really, it isn't a big deal.
video wars
Microsoft Media Extender Platform Relaunched With 802.11n, DivX and Xvid Support
Probably the only Media Extender hardware most people are aware of is the Xbox 360, and with everyone and their mom getting into the set-top box game, it's time Microsoft re-juiced the stagnating platform. Renamed "Extenders for Window Media Center" (okay?) the new platform will debut on hardware from Linksys, D-Link and Niveus Media later this month and appears to newly support wireless N, DivX, Xvid, Windows Media Video HD, and encrypted HD streaming at a minimum. We'll get a closer look at some of the hardware at CEDIA later today, but hit the jump for the full release. Update: Only these new devices have the capability, and the Xbox 360 does not. More »
buyer's guide
Ten Things You Should Know Before Buying a High Def DVR
With the recent launch of CableCARD Vista Media Centers, many people are reconsidering buying (or upgrading to) a high definition DVR. But with all the different choices and various benefits and drawbacks of each, it's hard to choose the one that's right for you. More »Exclusive: First Hands-On With Niveus' CableCARD Equipped Vista Media Centers
We got a chance to visit the Niveus headquarters last week, and the founders gave us a nice hands-on with their upcoming CableCARD-capable systems. If you're not familiar with these media centers, they're essentially Windows Vista machines with an external receiver that handle high-def feeds from your cable provider. Why's this cool? Because these OEM machines from Niveus (and a few other manufacturers) are the only way you're going to be able to watch and record HD channels from your cable station on a Vista machine. You can't make this with off the shelf components. More »
home entertainment
Okoro's Extravagant High-End Vista Media Center
Along with Niveus, Okoro's also releasing a high-end media center capable of taking advantage of Vista's graphical abilities. Like the $3,499 Rainier Edition Niveus, this one only has over-the-air (OTA) HDTV tuning and not cable support. More »
pcs
Blu-ray Internal Recordable Drive for Mac Pros
Mac professionals keen on mastering their own Blu-ray movies can finally get started thanks to MCE's internal Blu-ray drive. It supports 50GB dual-layer discs and ships now for $699. More »
laptops
Double Your MacBook, MacBook Pro Storage
Despite Apple's offering of up to 200GB of storage on MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops, all those MP3s and video files we download off the net still leave us wanting. MCE Technologies comes up with an ingenius solution that takes out your optical DVD drive, shoves it in an external case, and replaces that space with another hard disk.More »
cellphones
YouTube Poised to Invade Your V Cast Phone, MCE PC
It's not often us Verizon customers get good news (or good phones for that matter), but the boys in red have been schmoozing it up with the folks at YouTube in an attempt to bring Verizon V Cast customers access to YouTube's massive catalog of videos. The deal, which smells of an exclusive, would also give Verizon an on-demand YouTube channel for their TV service. In addition to your phone, YouTube is also poised to invade your Media Center PC with Yougle, a plug in for your MCE PC that lets you view Google Video, DivX Stage 6, and YouTube flicks straight from the MCE interface. We're more excited about the former, which would give us something to do with our phones when Tetris doesn't cut it anymore. More »
pcs






