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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
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!
CableCARD or Credit Card for Vista?
Forget CableCARD, OEM's will need a Platinum Corporate Card to afford the CableLabs certification fees for CableCARD 2.0 computers. Microsoft MVP Chris Lanier compiled a list of the fees involved and once you look at the list, you begin to see why not all of the 130 WMCE original equipment manufacturers will bring you a Vista-licious HD computer later this year. Remember, these are the costs that an OEM will pay: Verification: $30,000 Practice Run: $20,000 Development Lab Use: $12,000/week or $2,500/day. Additional $1,500 per day for extended hrs (5-10 pm). Digital Output and Recording Technology Review: $35,000 Device Certificates for Host: $20,000 annually; plus $0.07 per certificate DFAST Patent/Secrets (DFAST): $5,000 We ran through the numbers and come up with a good hundred-grand for starters. Sure, that's a drop in the bucket for Dell, Sony, HP and the like, but what about the smaller OEM's? Perhaps the expected sales don't justify the cost and that's a real shame as this potentially shuts some good PC manufacturers right out of the market.Read (via eHomeUpgrade)
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...
HDTV streaming from WMCE to the 360: a two month update
It was almost two months ago today that we booted up our HDTV-capable Windows Media Center PC. Since then, we've tested streaming high-def content via 802.11g and 802.11a with moderate success, but we've got some more tricks up our sleeve. We also wanted to give you an update after using the system for 60 days, because we use it every day and figure you would too if it worked well. So does it still tickle our HD-spot? What's next on the agenda for our cobbled-together system?
