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SageTV beta adds placeshifting
We placeshift our HDTV with an Xbox 360, so this was interesting news to us. SageTV's newest beta (4.1.7 for you Sage-a-maniacs) now supports placeshifting via a client called "SageTVPlaceshifter". Don't be disappointed in the name, what did you expect since the names "Orb" and "Slingbox" were already taken? We're guessing that you're not shifting HD content with this first version, but we all know that's where things are headed. Does anyone know the patron saint of "bandwidth" so we can light a candle?[via eHomeUpgrade]
Go ahead: you spec out an HD WMCE
This might only apply to the "hands-on" crowd, but I think even the non-DIY readers could benefit. We posted earlier today that PC Mag just built an HD WMCE box for a shade over two-grand and it's very easy to spend more or less depending on what features you're looking for. HDBeat reader Buzzcut commented on that story: "I'd also be more interested in a story about the CHEAPEST HD MCE box possible. Can it be done for less than $800 with a HD tuner card and a reasonable hard drive (at least 250 GB)?"To basically answer that question, we'd say yes. Our sub-grand machine does the trick for us and you should now find the same parts for less than we paid in December. Our total cost was around $950 back then, so $800 isn't a stretch, but we'll research that one for sure. While we do that, how about a little high-def homework? Let's open up the comments for you to spec out an HD WMCE machine. If you want to go all out and spend several grand, that's up to you. If you want to tackle Buzzcut's requirements, that's fine too. Who's up for a little PC spec'ing?
Build an HD HTPC - PC Magazine
We've built an HD WMCE PC, then Engadget built one; so what happens next? PC Magazine is building one; wow, we feel like such trend setters. Ah, who are we kidding, do-it-yerselfers have been building PCs since the 1980's! PC Mag drops over two-grand on their high-def system, which is much more than the $950 we spent, but in fairness to them, the do have more RAM, double the hard drive space and multiple tuners for their high-def content. Additionally, their case choice of a SilverStone LaScala LC17 looks more component-like and less PC-ish. If you're interested at all in building a high-def capable home media center, this is another good article worth the read.[via Wired@Home.blog]
Itiva speeds HD downloads with Quantum Streaming
While we struggle to shoot high-def content via WiFi, start-up company Itiva is laughing behind our backs with their Quantum Streaming technology. Itiva demonstrated their method by pulling down a 720p movie trailer in just seconds over a 5.5 Mbps pipe; considerably smaller than the 19.39 Mbps we're using to fling movies. Even better yet, the trailer started playing as a stream instead of waiting for the full download. Itiva believes their new approach can download a 1.5 hour high-def movie in less than ten minutes, which is less time than standing in an actual movie ticket line for less res.Itiva takes the content and breaks it down into smaller HTTP-based pieces called "Quanta" that can be cached by ISPs to speed up the perceived download rate. With some public applications of the technology coming within the next month or two, this could be just what Hollywood needs.
Restricted content and hardware DRM
So wouldn't it totally blow if you recorded an over-the-air program only to later see a "Restricted Content" error message when you decided to watch it? It hasn't happened via ATSC yet (that we know of), but it just happened to Ed Bott with some HBO recordings. Before we throw everyone in a tizzy, there's no new evil DRM at work here. Turns out there's some old evil DRM at work here: within WMCE, if you change hardware, the DRM system may not exactly work correctly. We mentioned this concern last year when discussing Microsoft Vista, but we didn't expect it to bite us in WMCE 2005. If you do something radical, you know, like update your WMCE with a new graphics card, you might want to check out the workaround.
MythTV update available
MythTV, a Linux-DVR alternative to WMCE that supports HDTV via over-the-air, just announced a sizable upgrade. Version 0.19 has an abundant list of features and fixes, so we won't bore you with the full list; you can read it while you download the latest and greatest version. Actually we'll share one just because use a similar function on the Xbox 360 as a Windows Media Extender: a popup keyboard so you don't have to use the remote for text input. And then there's the new support for DTS passthrough audio. Don't forget the signal monitoring support. Oh wait, we said we weren't going to hit you with the list...[via eHomeUpgrade]
Engadget: How to scale video
The talented Engadget crew has a fantastic tutorial showing you how to build your own HD video scaler. The pic above shows a before (clearly on the left) and after (even more clear on the right) using the DIY setup. Descaler is the free software app that the Engadget team uses, so you'll want to download that when you get a chance. If you've got a home theater PC with a capture card like we do, just follow the simple steps and you'll increase video quality on your PC in a simple and painless way. Note: This pics above are from a VHS copy of Titanic by by Mark Rejhon.
So this is what Viiv is?
I think part of the reason it's so hard to figure out what Viiv is, is because it's so many things. One of those things, is a small form factor PC with dual cores that turns on and off almost instantly and runs Windows Media Center edition. This box, the µDMS P60 from Hi-Grade is only a concept, but it's one that I like: small, sleek and somewhat powerful. The question is: how is it at HD? It's said to have an optional ATSC tuner for OTA HD, but how about access to DIRECTV HD programming?[via Engadget]
Remove commercials and compress HD files with DVRMSToolbox
Want to shrink down or convert some of the DVR-MS high-def files on your WMCE machine? How about stripping (no not that kind) commercials out of your favorite HD recordings with a $10 add-in? Enter DVRMSToolbox, a 3.2MB download that lets you do that and more. The freeware application also converts your television recordings to WMA or MPEG-2 as well, which gives you just a little more freedom from that WMCE box. The free tool can be paired with the Dragon Global ShowAnalyzer for ten clams, which helps remove those commericals and frees up your FF finger for other uses. No, we don't want to know.Dave Mathews tipped us off to the free app, and he provides some insight on how he's shrinking every 4.3GB episode of "24" into a 2.6GB file without commercials or losing any audio or video quality. Looks like Edgar and Chloe have some technical competition at CTU aside from Senator McCain!Download info
Best Buy cruises to higher sales; a sign of the HD times
Not a big shocker here, but Best Buy just raised their earnings estimates to $1.30 a share from the previous guidance of $1.16.There's no question that HDTV and related item sales are all up and helping the bottom line at Best Buy, even if their HDTV ads are confusing. Don't take this as sound financial advice, but we saw 2006 as the year of HDTV and this can only help companies like Best Buy, Circuit City or the electronics retailer nearest you. Everything is finally coming together for a banner HDTV year, even if we still have some hurdles to jump.Aside from the format war, we've got two next-generation DVD formats hitting the streets this year. High-definition gaming started before the year began, but we'll have a second HD gaming system out this year. Microsoft Vista and CableCARD support are slowly making progress, although we still have gripes about that. Streaming HD content is still a challenge, but at least it's possible. Topping it all off, we finally have a law to impose a DTV transition. Issues aside, if you add all of that up, what do you get? We figure HDTV adoption will rise at an increasing rate this year; there's just no stopping it.
Transcode 360 provides DivX support for WMCE
Oh, we're lickin' our chops over this one. Transcode 360 came out in public beta earlier this week and we've got the Zip file already on the Windows Media Center box in the HDBeat labs! No time to get 'er up and running just yet, but we didn't feel right not sharing the goods, so go check it out if you're looking for DivX support on WMCE. The short description is right up our alley too: "Designed for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 and the Xbox 360, Transcode 360 aims to broaden the support for a wide range of video media including DivX and XviD." Life is good.Read [via Chris Lanier]
Fujitsu LifeBook N6410 WMCE notebook
Fujitsu brings one of the first Windows Media Center notebooks running on the Intel Core Duo chipset with the LifeBook N6410. Dual core computers were a bit hit at CES and the prospect of running WMCE with Core Duo in a portable package is appealing. The $1,649 base price nabs you a 17-inch WXGA LCD screen for 720p playback and an ATI Mobility Radeon x1400 with 256MB of memory. You can add an optional TV tuner, but that's likely to be NTSC, not ATSC; for a DTV signal, look for an external USB tuner. Storage capacity is up to 320GB and you can cram up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM running at a speedy 667 MHz.
CableCARD primer from Ars Technia
Over at Ars they have a great CableCARD primer that includes everything from the origin to the nitty-gritty technical details, but here's the gist. It all started with Congress back in 1996; the FCC has let the cable companies push it back 10 years already and there is still no end in sight. CableCARD 1.0 is a let down because it is crippled out of the gate (no two-way or multi-stream functionality). CableCARD 2.0 will be here this year but no one will care, because compatible devices won't be here till 2007, and by then Downloadable Conditional Access System (DCAS) will replace it. No worries, because CableCARD is backwards compatible, but you won't get the new features. Add in some technical details on how the DRM is bullet proof to will prevent you from doing anything like enjoying shows on your iPod and that pretty much sums it up. Joy! Oh and one more thing: if you want to use Vista Media Center with CableCARD it will require an HDCP display.Thanks, Frankie and Warren.
History of ATSC in Windows Media Center
Ever wonder how ATSC support ended up in Windows Media Center? Peter Rosser is Microsoft Media Center developer, so we figure he's qualified to teach the history lesson. Back in Media Center 2002, NTSC was the predominant over the air requirement, so support for the analog standard was integrated. Although ATSC usage is small by comparison, it made sense for WMCE to work with it in the next iteration, considering we're heading towards a digital horizon. Peter gives a great history along with the technical challenges of video rendering and guide data; all in all, a great read.Thanks Josh!
Windows Media Center: Cablecard support is great but what about 5C?
While we all sit patiently waiting for Windows Media Center CableCARD support I started to wonder. FireWire has been available on Cable boxes for almost 2 years but we still can't stream HD to our Xbox 360 since most of the channels are protected with 5C. This of course also prevents us from enjoying the content in HD on our HTPCs because of the lack of 5C support. Some people say that 5C will never be supported by PCs, but the original 5C presentation actually has a picture of a PC connected to the 1394 network. So all of this this lead me to the question: why hasn't Microsoft added 5C support to Windows Media Center Edition?Is it simply because CableCARD is a better solution, so why bother? Wouldn't it be cool if WMCE could participate in a HAVi or HANA network, turning other HANA TVs into Media Center connectors? Or support backing up to DVHS? Maybe they have tried but were turned down. Either way, I think it would be a great option, especially considering it wouldn't require a special capture card in the computer, just a 5C supported 1394 port.
Sony VGC-R202 HD Desktop
This might be a UK-only model, but Sony's VGC-R202 desktop has a nice high-def side to it for 1,300 British pounds. The desktop PC is based on Windows Media Center and supports 1920 x 1080 output to a high-def display. The configuration comes with Sony's VGP-MR200E Network Media Receiver 200, which provides high-def streaming capability, apparently through WiFi based on the presence of a stubby antenna. We've tried our hand at that with a fair amount of success; it would be interesting to get one of this in the HD Beat labs. Under the hood, the VGC-R202 sports a 2.8 GHz Pentium, a 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 6600 card and twin 300 GB hard drives (not to mention an SACD player for good measure). Rumor has it that a Blu-Ray drive will be appear inside by April.
Blueado's m5e WMCE shoe box
Blueado's m5e might look like a $1,500 shoe box, but it's actually a $1,500 Windows Media Center PC shaped like a shoe box. You can either fit a pair of size 12 boots in it, or you can take advantage of it's two TV tuners, 200 GB of storage, 6.1 DTS Digital Audio and DVI-out connection. While the m5e actually isn't blue at all, it is just a shade over 4-inches tall, less than 8-inches wide and a foot long. Blueado doesn't specifically mention if one of the TV tuners is an ATSC tuner and we're sure that if you wanted to add one, you'd need a shoehorn to fit it. Read [via i4u]
Netgear XE104 not ready for HDTV Primetime
Last week we gave a 60-day update on our HDTV streaming over WiFi from a Windows Media Center to an Xbox 360. Overall, we're satisfied with the performance over our 802.11a wireless network, but it's still not 100%. We alluded to getting our paws on a new product from Netgear: the XE104, which is an 85 Mbps Ethernet switch that uses your home electric lines to send network data. The device is based on the HomePlug 1.0 standard and we really wanted to give a shot and see if brings our high-def streaming satisfaction to 100%. We shot a note over to Netgear for some review units, but they're in high demand; understandable if you can get 85Mbps performance by using existing wires. Rather than wait, we decided to take the plunge and purchase two units. They arrived on Monday and we put 'em through the paces over the past few days...
Elonix Media Center PC doesn't come cheap
Are those Media Center PCs built in to a high-def LCD display all the rage? Elonix seems to think so with their Lumina series in both 32- and 40-inch sizes. These two UK models feature a 1366 x 768 widescreen display for 720p pleasure, but it's what's inside that counts. Each model can be customized with a 400GB hard drive, an NVIDIA 6600 card, Gig of RAM and two tuners. Our friends across the pond can expect to see the newer models in a few weeks at a heavy poundage on the wallet: these units start at 2,127 British pounds, which as of today is almost $3,800 to you and me.Read (via Engadget)
UWB HD streaming season starts in spring
Lest ye think we're Microsofties due to our WMCE dabbling with HD, here comes one from MacDailyNews: Belkin's CableFree USB Hub and Dongle hit retail shelves this spring. Why do we care: the key word is "CableFree", which is really two words unless you're playing Scrabble. This hub and dongle utilize UWB, or Ultra-wideband technology which in this case is USB speeds without wires. Get the picture? Belkin claims that this UWB implementation is 100 times faster than anemic Bluetooth, which makes it superb for kickin' out large datastreams through thin air. The Belkin CableFree USB Hub and Dongle (we just love that word) will retail for $129.99, which is much less than the 85Mbps HomePlug 1.0 equipment that the big, brown truck delivered to our labs today.
