Geektonic
Latest
SageTV 7 due to arrive tomorrow with new look
We're big fans of HTPCs around here, but admit that when it comes to 10-foot user interfaces that we're pretty superficial. It isn't that we always believe in form over function, not at all. It is just that we're willing to sacrifice a some features for a little eye candy and overall usability. This is one of the reasons we're not the biggest fans of SageTV even though it's always had some great unique features like Windows Home Server and HD PVR support as well as software extenders for just about every platform. Good news for SageTV and shallow HTPC users alike though as tomorrow finally brings SageTV 7 and a revamped user interface. At first glance we can't say we're blown away, but the apparent improvements are a step in the right direction and we do want to give it a try and run it through its paces. The upgrade will run existing customers $49 and includes many under the hood upgrades as well.
The Popcorn Hour C-200 media streamer makes its way into the wild
It looks like Popcorn Hour's C-200 media streamer is making its way into end-users' hands, so prepare yourself for a flurry of reviews. Our friend Brent over at GeekTonic should be jumping into the fray soon, and has kicked things off with a preview. Yeah, the C-200 is bigger than its sibling A-100, but it brings so much to the table that we'd say Popcorn Hour has packed in just as much -- if not more -- goodness per cubic inch. With space available for a hard and/or Blu-ray drive, wired and wireless networking, and USB ports to round out the input connectivity, the C-200 then adds a smorgasbord of codec support just to make sure your bits will survive the translation back into entertainment. With the "it plays anything" kind of capability the C-200 is promising, we've got a feeling that a positive review or two might be the only thing standing between us and a $300 dent in our credit cards. [Via ZatzNotFunny]
Windows Media Center TV Pack was released yesterday
Wow, we didn't see this coming, at least not this fast -- just a week after getting a sneak peek at release candidate zero, our friend Brent Evans pointed us to a Microsoft knowledge base article that clearly states "The Windows Media Center TV Pack was released on July 16, 2008." Our sources are now confirming this and unfortunately the earlier leak that this would be an OEM only update seems to be true as the very next line in the KB says "Not all computers that are shipped by hardware vendors in the retail channel have the Windows Media Center TV Pack installed." What we really want to know though, is if we were able to did get our hands on the Windows Media Center TV Pack, could we just upgrade or would we have to re-install Windows? So while we can't wait to check out the new HD features, native QAM support, and heterogeneous tuner support, we can't say we're not disappointed. Read - MS KB955485Read - Geek Tonic
