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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?
