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Niveus steps up Media Centers with SSD, RAID and white gloves

by Ben Drawbaugh posted Sep 10th 2009 at 9:16AM

Today is officially the first day of CEDIA Expo 2009 and now that Microsoft has announced its Media Center news, it's the partner's turn. Up first is Nevius which is of course releasing new Media Center PCs with Windows 7, so of course the new looser DRM and other features are included. Niveus is stepping up the hardware though too by adding RAID and SSD drives to the Pro Series, and also a new Windows Home Server requirement for its full system restoration capabilities. The other new offering is the aptly named White Glove service, which basically means the services to integrators is getting an upgrade. Prices are promised before the official launch on October 22nd, but based on the existing offering, we'd bet we still won't be able to afford it.

Continue reading Niveus steps up Media Centers with SSD, RAID and white gloves

Niveus goes consumer-level with tantalizing Zone HTPC

by Darren Murph posted Apr 1st 2009 at 8:41AM

Each year at CEDIA, we've been downright floored with Niveus' lineup. Unfortunately, it's out of reach for the vast majority of "mainstreet" dwellers. At long (long!) last, the company has decided to expand its reach and offer a product for the blue collars in America, and on paper, the Zone looks like a real champ in the flagging HTPC arena. Measuring in at 6.5- x 6.5- x 1.97-inches, this 3.2 pound box packs an awful lot of media playing oomph into a ridiculously small enclosure. Specs wise, we're looking at a 2GHz Core 2 Duo T5750 CPU, 2GB of RAM, gigabit Ethernet, a 160GB SATA drive, slot-loading Blu-ray optical drive, front-mounted IR receiver, bundled media remote, Intel's GMA X4500 HD graphics, HDMI 1.3 / eSATA ports and support for 7.1-channel surround sound. Over on the software front, you'll see Windows Vista Home Premium along with Niveus' own suite of apps (Movie Library, Studio, Media Server Companion and Weather). Unlike any other Niveus system, consumers can purchase the Zone for $1,499 directly from the outfit's website, and there's also a unique Zone Community down in the read link; check out a promotional vid after the break if you wish.

Continue reading Niveus goes consumer-level with tantalizing Zone HTPC

Hands-on with Niveus Media's Denali, Rainier and Cargo media wares

by Darren Murph posted Sep 4th 2008 at 6:08PM

Niveus Media came to this year's CEDIA locked and loaded, and while most typical consumers won't look too far past the sub-$2,000 Vail system, those with cash to spare and colleagues to impress will certainly appreciate the Core i7-powered $19,999 Pro Series n9 media center PC. The rig setup on the show floor had said HTPC connected to four dual-CableCARD boxes via USB ($1,500 a pop), giving it the ability to record eight HD shows simultaneously while streaming HD movie clips to ten other Media Center Extenders (without a hiccup, might we add). The mid-range Denali was also on hand, and Blu-ray drives were found across the board. We also spent a tick with the new v1.5 Niveus Movie Library, which very neatly enabled us to surf to any media stored locally or on the networked 16TB Cargo Media Server. Even if you can't afford it, this stuff is still worth a look -- check it all out here at Engadget HD.

Niveus reveals upgraded Rainier, Denali and Pro Series media servers

by Darren Murph posted Sep 4th 2008 at 12:00PM

If you were curious as to which manufacturer would begin utilizing those fancy Core i7 chips first, we highly doubt Niveus Media came to mind. Granted, it isn't first to the punch per se, but Intel's latest will help power some of the 2009 line of media servers. The passively cooled Rainier, Denali Limited Edition (rear pictured after the break) and the rack-mountable Pro Series have all been upgraded with niceties like HDMI 1.3 and Seagate's Pipeline HD hard drives. You'll also find the G45 Express chipset, SSDs and support for eight CableCARDs scattered about, though pricing won't be disclosed until we get closer to the Q4 release date. More specifications are listed after the jump.

Continue reading Niveus reveals upgraded Rainier, Denali and Pro Series media servers

Niveus Storage Server - Cargo Edition: 16TB, Windows Home Server-based

by Darren Murph posted Sep 4th 2008 at 12:00PM

Earlier this year, Niveus Media unveiled its 2TB and 4TB Storage Servers. Today, those are looking mighty anemic. Here at CEDIA, the outfit has just taken the wraps off of its Niveus Storage Server - Cargo Edition, which gets powered by Windows Home Server and features up to 16TB of space. Designed to be the "ultimate add-on" for Niveus Movie Library, this bugger should hold even the most robust HD movie collection -- at least for awhile. The unit itself is housed in a 3U, rack-mountable chassis and provides scalability for users to expand storage from 4TB right on up to 16TB. Pricing remains a mystery right now, though it will be available in Q4. Full release is after the break (but you already knew that, didn't you?).

Gallery: Niveus Storage Server - Cargo Edition: 16TB, Windows Home Server-based

Continue reading Niveus Storage Server - Cargo Edition: 16TB, Windows Home Server-based

Niveus pledges allegiance to Blu-ray, bids adieu to HD DVD

by Darren Murph posted Feb 15th 2008 at 5:17PM

Not like it's any huge surprise or anything -- after all, the HD DVD deathwatch is already in full effect -- but Niveus has just informed us that due to "customer demand and format war influences," it will be adding support for Blu-ray and "ceasing production of HD DVD-based servers." According to CEO Tim Cutting, "incorporating Blu-ray into its offerings has always been part of the plan, but the demand from its customers, market trends, and recent announcements expedited its decision to come to market with Blu-ray support sooner rather than later." Adding more salt to the wound, he continued by saying that "while it has stood behind HD DVD as a viable high-definition platform, company engineers have been running Blu-ray in its testing facilities and are very impressed with the performance and integration with its servers." Another one bites the proverbial dust, eh?

Niveus unveils 2TB and 4TB Storage Server devices

by Darren Murph posted Feb 15th 2008 at 7:03AM

It's been a blisteringly hot minute since Niveus saw fit to really revamp its aging Storage Server, but for whatever reason, today's the day all that changes. Yep, starting on Valentine's Day, users can grab hold of a 2TB Storage Server or 4TB Storage Server Pro, both of which include the firm's own Reflection technology for keeping data synced across multiple storage units. The duo also sports a rack-mountable design and includes automatic backup software, uPnP Media Server support, remote access via secure login, RAID 0 / 5 capabilities and a wicked high price tag. How high, you ask? Try $2,999 for the 2TB edition or $5,999 for the 4TB model. Yeah, that high.

Gallery: Niveus unveils 2TB and 4TB Storage Server devices

Niveus gets official with Sierra Edition Media Server

by Darren Murph posted Jan 5th 2008 at 7:01PM

We knew this thing was coming, and sure enough, Niveus has selected CES to officially launch its new Sierra Edition Media Server. The unit is housed in a slim, rack-mountable chassis (just over 1U in size), sucks down less than 180-watts and utilizes Intel's GM965 Express chipset / Core 2 Duo Mobile processor. As you can imagine, this one was designed to operate coolly and quietly (less than 30db noise), but it also features an optional HD DVD drive, up to 750GB of Seagate DB35 series storage and NVIDIA's GeForce Series 8 graphics with PureVideo HD technology. As for ports, you can expect digital / analog audio outs, Ethernet, four USB 2.0 sockets, a pair of FireWire connectors, and HDMI / DVI outputs to boot. Unfortunately, the media server will only be available to "volume integrators," and while pricing still remains a mystery, expect it to be available sometime during Q1.

Niveus Media Center Extender - EDGE finally ships

by Darren Murph posted Jan 5th 2008 at 7:01PM

Just after CEDIA, Niveus got all official on us with its Media Center Extender - EDGE, and while we were initially led to believe that the unit would be shipping in the November time frame, it has apparently taken a few weeks longer. Nevertheless, those anxious to get their hands on one finally can, but you'll have to fork over $1,499 to a Niveus Authorized Dealer in order to do so. Interestingly, we are told that the EDGE has become "the first Windows Media Center Extender to receive the prestigious Imaging Science Foundation (ISF) Video Quality Certification," so yeah, there's that, too.

Niveus prepping Sierra Edition Media Center PC

by Darren Murph posted Nov 13th 2007 at 11:31PM

Those keeping tabs on Niveus' outdoorsy naming system shouldn't be shocked to hear that it has chosen the Sierra Edition to follow the Rainier and Denali Edition Media Center PCs. Unfortunately, we've absolutely no information on what kind of hardware we can expect to find within this stylish box, but the firm has promised that it'll deliver "impressive Media Center functionality, digital content management, and superior convenience for the whole family." Keep an eye on this space for more, and feel free to join us in hoping for an HD disc drive of some sort to make an appearance when this thing gets official.

Niveus shares official details on Media Center Extender - EDGE

by Darren Murph posted Sep 27th 2007 at 12:33PM

Technically, Niveus was the first of the major partners to spill the proverbial beans on its Extender for Windows Media Center, and while it was sitting around for all to see at CEDIA, details were admittedly slim. Now, however, the firm has come clean and doled out the specs for its Media Center Extender - EDGE, following the moves made by Linksys and D-Link earlier. The EDGE boasts a "Glacier Passive Cooling for near silent operation," RS-232 / IP / IR for third-party control support, a trio of USB 2.0 ports, an Ethernet jack, HDMI / component outputs and two-channel analog / digital optical audio outs. Unfortunately, Niveus' box doesn't include integrated WiFi, so its wired or nothin' here, and while we'd love to know how much this thing will actually cost, we do know it'll land sometime in November. Click on for a few more looks.

Continue reading Niveus shares official details on Media Center Extender - EDGE

Hands-on with Niveus' Media Center Extender

by Darren Murph posted Sep 7th 2007 at 5:22AM

While Microsoft representatives at CEDIA were being exceedingly selfish with any information about the media-centric partnership with D-Link and Linksys, Niveus was putting all its cards right there on the table. Essentially, Microsoft claims that the actual hardware from Linksys and D-Link "could change" from its current form, but apparently, Niveus has a finalized product (reportedly dubbed Niveus Media Extender) ready to roll. The touchscreen interface functioned about as well as you'd expect, and while it did lag slightly at times, the overall feel was pretty fluid. Per usual, the hands-on goodness lies beneath, and oh yeah, official specs and such should be landing later this month.

UPDATE: Gallery also includes photos of the Vantage touchscreen and Rainier rig that Niveus was using on the floor.

Gallery: Hands-on with Niveus' Media Center Extender

Microsoft's Media Center to support four CableCARDs

by Darren Murph posted Sep 6th 2007 at 4:06AM

Hot on the heels of finding out who Microsoft chose to buddy up with for its Extenders for Windows Media Center comes word that the software itself will support up to four CableCARDs in a single configuration. If you'll recall, Media Center previously supported just a pair of CableCARDs, but word on the street has Niveus Media and Exceptional Innovation as the first two HTPC vendors to offer up systems that take full advantage of the new functionality. Reportedly, Exceptional Innovation's Model 754 LifeMedia Server will have four CableCARD slots built-in right into its chassis, while Niveus is opting for four external tuners, and while hard pricing details don't look to be available just yet, go on and tell yourself that it won't be cheap.

Niveus ships first Vista HTPC with CableCARD support -- we think

by Thomas Ricker posted Mar 22nd 2007 at 11:13AM

It's been a busy week for CableCARD HTPCs. First we caught the Dell XPS 410 preview prior to spotting an unofficial announcement in the AVS Forum that Velocity Micro would be shipping their CableCARD HTPC this week. Now we struck gold (we think) with the first official CableCard-ready Vista HTPCs now shipping from Niveus. As of today, both the Niveus Summit Series ($3,199 Rainier and $7,999 Denali) and Pro Series ($7,999 n7 and $15,999 n9) ship with HD DVD options and hot-blooded HD CableCARD-support. Keyword: "support," meaning you still have to spring an additional $1,499 to get the separate Digital Cable Receiver box with 2x CableCARD receivers like we saw at CES. You'll also have to track down a local dealer to bring home the Pro or Denali models but at least the Rainier is available online and shipping in 2-3 weeks. As always with CableCARD, there's still a piece that's unclear: the CableCARD receiver still shows a "mid-March" ship date. Pffff.

[Via Chris Lanier's Blog]

Read -- Niveus Rainier
Read -- Niveus Digital Cable Receiver

Niveus Media Center CableCARD Support

by Ben Drawbaugh posted Jan 7th 2007 at 2:34AM

If there is one thing we can't wait for it's the ability to record premium HD content on our PCs. While this has evaded us until now, with Vista right around the corner and Niveus on the job, it shouldn't be long now. While there are still many questions, we learned a little more. The Niveus Digital Cable tuner will be a separate component and compatible with all their Media Centers including the latest rainer (pictured) and previous models. According to Niveus, in order to upgrade your box with CableCARD they will have to make it "New" again to comply with CableLABS requirements. You'll send in your unit for a few software upgrades including Windows Vista, which will make it "new". The add-on does support dual CableCARDS, but no word on M-Card support, which isn't a big deal considering their limited ability. As excited as we are we understand that Niveus products aren't for everyone and we look forward to checking out CableCARD compatibility for the rest of us.