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InfiniTV 4 USB CableCARD tuner hands-on
We ran into the Hammers from Ceton Corp at CES and they revealed their latest products to us; the InfiniTV 4 USB and the internal InfiniTV 6. The InfiniTV 6 is basically the six tuner version of the InfiniTV 4 that we like so much, what we don't like is that there's no mention of price or availability -- we'd guess $500 or $600 and sometime during the middle of 2011. The more interesting revelation was that of the InfiniTV 4 USB, which you see pictured above. It also doesn't have a price yet, but it does record four HD shows at once like its internal brother, has a real nice feel to it, and looks really, really cool. We were curious to know how many of the InifniTV 4's have been sold to Windows Media Center users, and while exact figures weren't forthcoming, we were told "thousands and thousands." At this point Ceton is still focused on eliminating its four month order backlog and will turn its attention to brining new products to market after that. %Gallery-113442% %Gallery-113443%
Hauppauge is taking its HD component capture card internal
It wasn't that long ago that recording HD from just about any source on a PC was cost prohibitive. Then along came Hauppauge's HD PVR and while it isn't without its issues and limitations, it gets the job done at an affordable price. One of those limitations is the rather large external enclosure and the wall-wart that powers it. Now Hauppauge has addressed those nit picks with the release of an internal PCI-E capture card for $159. The single card can record up to 1080i from either component or unencrypted HDMI and will start shipping later this month. The support is very similar it its external brother, in fact other than the form factor, the two are very similar in most every other way. Another pictures and technical details after the jump.
Reycom Windows Media Center coming for $499
We love us some Windows 7 Media Center, but we recognize that using a HTPC for a DVR isn't for everyone. For some there is no replacement for a dedicated set-top box, which is why we were so excited to hear that Windows Media Center was coming to embedded devices. The problem of course is that is-coming and is-here, are completely different. A little known European company (state side anyways) hopes to change that by brining one to the US in the first quarter of this year for about $499. The bad news is that there's no CableCARD support like the Gateway one we saw earlier. There are plans to follow it up with dedicated versions for cable and telecom operators later this year, but for some reason we don't feel like they'll be too interested in it.
Gateway Media Console with CableCARD and Windows Embedded Standard 7 hands-on
Microsoft's working hard to get people believing in its Windows Embedded Standard platform as a real set-top box contender and one of its vanguard devices is the above Gateway Media Console. It's still a concept product in the Acer / Gateway labs, but what it promises to deliver makes us wish it hurries up and makes the leap to retail nice and quickly. Based around a Sandy Bridge Intel CPU, this machine runs Windows Media Center and gives you access to all the internet-connected content that you can enjoy on your Windows 7-equipped PC, but it also boasts a InfiniTV 6 CableCARD tuner that permits up to six HD broadcast TV streams at a time. Those can then be networked out throughout your house -- whether over a wireless or wired connection -- and then recorded on whatever laptops, desktops or other Windows devices you have lying around the house. The end result is that the kids can be recording a pair of channels upstairs in their bedroom while you watch the football game in the living room and your mother-in-law enjoys whatever she's into down in the basement -- all coming in from the same, single coax cable plugged into the Media Console. There's a hidden optical drive as well and Microsoft tells us this thing could range between $500 and $700 when it does eventually make its way out for sale. %Gallery-113077%
Poll: What kind of DVR are you using?
With 2010 quickly winding down, we figure most of you have switched from simply watching whatever's on TV to your own choice of recorded shows by now, but we're wondering how you do it. Do you keep it simple and take the box offered by your cable/satellite/IPTV provider, have you upgraded to a third party selection from Moxi or TiVo, or did you DIY and slam a CableCARD into the baddest HTPC you could build? Check the poll options and get in where you fit in, then let us know how it's working out for you in the comments. %Poll-57595%
Verizon FiOS TV finally getting tough on CableCARD users
TiVo and Windows Media Center users that rely on CableCARDs to get 'em HD goodness have had a unique reason to prefer Verizon FiOS TV over the competition, which is apparently at its last stop. You see, ever since FiOS starting deploying CableCARDs, a year after all the other cable providers, it has never enforced the pairing of the cards or used Copy Control Information (CCI) flags more restrictive than Copy Freely. This meant that users were free to swap the CableCARD to another device without so much as a call to Verizon, and more importantly, it meant that all the content was accessible via features like TiVo To Go and Media Center Recorded TV sharing. So far the new restrictions only seem to be applied to HUB HD, which was added within the past few weeks, but many believe this is just the beginning to a full roll out. A Verizon rep shared with us via email, "it's our policy that CCI is a byte defined by the content provider and completely under their control," but we're still waiting to hear back if the current CCI flag on HUB HD is indeed in line with what Discovery Communications expects, which seems odd considering the other Discovery channels delivered via FiOS TV are still marked Copy Freely. Update: Shortly after this post went live we noticed the issue went away. Still waiting to hear back if it was intentional after all.
Microsoft creating its own software layer for Windows 7 tablets? Boy, we hope so
It's no secret that Microsoft has a slight tablet, err Slate PC problem on its hands: Windows 7 certainly works on a "pad," but the user interface isn't meant for strictly finger input. The makeshift solution has been, of course, for its partners to create software skins of their own -- see HP TouchSmart UI, the ExoPC "Connect Four" skin, etc. -- but according to Microsoft know-it-all Mary Jo Foley of ZDNet, the guys in Redmond may just be working on a layer of their own. Now, Foley says these are just recurring rumors at this point, but they happen to line up with similar whispers we've heard that Microsoft might develop its own optional "shell." Foley actually believes that it could be based on Windows Media Center, and points to an article by UK blogger Mark Wilson in which Ballmer is quoted saying, "what you'll see over the course of the next year is us doing more and more work with our hardware partners creating hardware-software optimisations with Windows 7 and with Windows 7 Media Center [...]." We don't need to tell you, Mr. Ballmer, that we think that sounds like a glorious idea, and it'll certainly buy you time until Windows 8 is ready in 2012. Speaking of which, he also confirmed that it won't be releasing another version of Windows in the interim as some may have suspected. We've similarly heard that Microsoft is heavily optimizing the new OS for slates, and is already prepping its partners with information on that front. Obviously all of this should be taken with a grain of salt at this point, but we sure are happy to hear that Microsoft's starting to understand how important those UI layers are to consumer adoption and that the wheels may be in motion on finger-friendly interface improvements. Of course, for now we'll be sitting here twiddling our thumbs until next week's October 11 event to see if any elusive Microsoft slate announcements do in fact decide to make an appearance.
Acer shows off Windows Media Center Embedded at IDF (video)
Among the various demos at IDF today, Acer showed off its Revo 2 sporting a special treat -- Windows Media Center Embedded. A quick perusal of the menus (video is embedded after the break) showed off the same live TV / internet streaming video integration we've come to expect from Media Center, although obviously running on a simpler dedicated box. Acer's aiming for availability in the first half of 2011, we'll see if this setup can do any damage in the set-top box / media streamer wars.%Gallery-102060%
Amulet voice-activated Windows Media Center remote hits the FCC
Amulet Device's intriguing voice-activated remote for Windows Media Center has long since missed its original ship date, but it just popped up at the FCC, complete with product shots and the user manual. Besides providing typical universal features like IR learning, as a package the rechargeable battery-powered controller, USB dongle, and companion Windows Media Center Plugin will allow users to operate their home theater by simply speaking commands to the remote's built-in microphone. Like any good robot servant, the remote will also audibly respond to questions such as "what song is playing" and even distinguish when you're talking to it versus just chatting with friends, thanks to nifty advanced positioning sensing technology. Sadly taking dictation isn't in the cards and there's still no word on an official launch date, but that hasn't stopped the budding emperor in us from hoping it arrives soon.
CableLabs amends OCUR spec, tuner sharing and MythTV are on
We told you that CableLabs had received a few requests to amend the OCUR spec that dictates what a CableCARD tuner for a PC can and can't do, and as expected the organization that many love to hate has come through -- we, expected it anyways. The first change is the most significant which is that each tuner in an OCUR can be paired with different PCs at the same time. This lets you buy one quad tuner and use it on four HTPCs simultaneously; one tuner per PC (a single tuner can't be shared simultaneous though). When we originally asked CableLabs about changing this they said, maybe, but it'd take three to six months to run through the process. The other change we're glad didn't take forever to become a reality is the one that stated that even Copy Freely content had to be transmitted securely, which meant that Windows 7 Media Center was the only way to watch any CableCARD tuner stuff, and while there isn't much encrypted QAM content out there marked Copy Freely, MythTV and SageTV fans will have access to at least some premium HD content. This isn't as big a deal as changing the meaning of Copy Once to something less draconian, it is welcomed news for those who just received their InfiniTV 4 (pictured above) and felt constrained by the old rules. We're sure there could be considerable time between when the change is made official and when the firmware is released to the public, but hopefully Ceton and SiliconDust don't waste any time making it happen.
Hauppauge officially announces HD PVR support in Windows Media Center
If you're thinking about going the Media Center DVR route but can't or won't get hooked up with a CableCARD don't forget there's another option available to pull in those premium channels now that the $199 Hauppauge HD PVR is supported as a TV recorder in Windows 7. There's been a few updates since the feature was added in beta back in June, which lets users select programs via the Media Center guide to be captured and encoded in MPEG-4 over the device's component video inputs (HDTV resolutions up to 1080i and 5.1 surround sound are supported) while the PC controls connected satellite or cable TV set-top boxes with an included IR blaster. There's still a limit of one tuner per PC and a thread over on TheGreenButton reveals the experience can still be a bit glitchy, but if you've just got to have Windows Media Center and NFL Sunday Ticket then some compromises will be necessary.
TiVo Premiere vs Windows 7 Media Center
Although TiVo and ReplayTV were the first DVRs on the market, Microsoft's software actually powered the DISHPlayer Satellite DVR in late 1999. So here we are over 10 years later and while TiVo and Microsoft took different approaches to the same space, of the three original DVR software companies, they're the only two left. Which is the bigger success depends on your perspective, because while TiVo has the mind share (and sold more consumer branded products) Microsoft's technology is present in many other brand DVRs, like Verizon's FiOS DVR, and AT&T's U-Verse (which is built on Microsoft's Mediaroom platform). But our perspective of success is based on the user interface experience, so while we previously reviewed both the TiVo Premiere and Windows 7 Media Center, we wanted to also tackled the task of directly comparing the two. Of course there are some obvious differences that might sway someone in one way or another, like TiVo's simpler out of the box setup or Media Center's 3rd party plug-in architecture, there are many other points of distinction to discover if you click on through and read about the less obvious user interface differences as well as a few other baked-in non-DVR features. %Gallery-97269%
InfiniTV 4 quad CableCARD tuner is shipping
After a very long and wait since the pre-orders began, we just got the official word that the long sought after quad CableCARD tuner, the InfiniTV 4, is on US shores and has cleared customs. The bad news is that the manufacturing troubles aren't completely over yet and there aren't enough to fill all the pre-orders. If you had enough insight to be the first to get your order in though, you'll be receiving yours next week. In the meantime you can get started on the installation instructions on Ceton's site by first running the Digital Cable Adviser and then running the driver installer (coming soon) while you wait. You may also want to go ahead and schedule your truck roll as this toy isn't very useful without a CableCARD, and most cable companies won't let you install the CableCARD yourself. This is certainly the best news for HTPC fans since Microsoft announced the end of the OEM PC CableCARD requirement and although $400 is not the cheapest way to get a DVR, it is one of the only ways to record four HD premium channels at once.
How to tweak ShowAnalyzer to 100 percent commercial detection accuracy
If you you've ever used any automatic commercial skipping technology you know that it isn't 100 percent accurate. We remember our old ReplayTV 4080 had a button on the remote just to disable the feature when it incorrectly identified part of our favorite show as a commercial. You'd hit it and then rewind, so while nothing was lost, some are so annoyed that they'd just assume skip them the old fashioned way. Well unlike the ReplayTV, when you use ShowAnalyzer to detect commercials on your HTPC, you can tweak your settings to 100% accuracy. Until recently this wasn't actually possible because while ShowAnalyzer has been tweakable for a while, one set of settings would fix one show, and make another worse. Well in the latest beta you can set rules that allows you to tweak the settings per channel or even per show. So while there is nothing automatic about gaining 100 percent accuracy, it is actually kind of fun to try. You can even share your specific settings with others, you know, to show everyone how smart you are.
DVBLink turns any ATSC or clear QAM tuner into a networked tuner
A craze that was started by Silicon Dust years ago is very popular for a very good reason -- network tuners are incredibly flexible -- and it just came to any ATSC or clear QAM tuner. The company DVBLogic has made it possible to turn any DVB tuner into a network tuner for some time, but since we don't DVB in the US, it hasn't been very useful on this side of the Atlantic. The latest release of DVBLink includes said ability which might be just the way for you to watch live HD on your laptop using the existing tuner in your HTPC. It isn't free software, but we're betting if you have the need the ~40 Euro price won't keep you from it -- assuming the free 30 day trial works as advertised.
Windows 7 Media Center gets component HD capture support
Can you even believe that it has been over two years now since the first consumer priced HD component capture device hit the market? It doesn't seem that long to us, but if you're a Window Media Center fan and think the native CableCARD tuners are no option at all, then you might feel differently. The great news out of Hauppauge though is that the HD PVRs driver site has been updated and you can now download a file that'll make Windows 7 Media Center recognize your HD PVR as a tuner. The said analog capture device still runs about $200 and since it outputs MPEG4, the 360 is the only Extender that can play back it's content. On top of all that only a single tuner per Media Center PC is currently supported, but that is way better than nothing for someone who can't/won't get cable TV and wants to enjoy their favorite provider's HD signal on the best DVR software currently available. The driver is still in beta at the moment and we can't wait to try it for ourselves, so keep an eye out for more on this one.
Windows Media Center Netflix plugin updated for Watch Instantly in HD
We already knew Windows Media Center users could stream Netflix Watch Instantly in HD now, but after an update it is able to note which titles support HD streaming to the PC. The next time you pull it up, expect to download the app like it was the first time and sign in all over again, otherwise things are pretty much the same. We poked around a bit and didn't see any other UI tweaks beyond that "HD" tag below the supported movies and TV shows, but it's still one of the slickest Netflix frontends around -- at least until Roku gets its update. Want to see if you're actually getting the 720p feeds? Hold down ALT + SHIFT and left click to bring up the stream manager, speeds of 2600kbps or 3800 kbps mean you're there. [Thanks, George]
Netflix turns on HD indicator, queue for PC (including WMC) & Mac Watch Instantly streamers
Not that there was any doubt left, but we're getting numerous reports of users seeing the "HD" indicator appear while watching Netflix streams through the Silverlight player for PCs and Macs. Also, a special queue indicating the subset of content available for off-TV HD streaming is live now so users can see what is and isn't on the list (the HD is available boxart popup notifications are there as well, but don't appear to be entirely accurate.) Media Center streamers are in luck as well, as posters on The Green Button have noticed, although there's no indication within the client or queue itself in the WMC frontend the 3800kbps HD streams come through just fine. Unfortunately, we don't recommend anyone else watch Lost season one right now -- after last week's Across the Sea debacle it's just too painful.
HDHomeRun CableCARD will feature three tuners in time for the holidays
What you're looking at here is a picture of the board that makes the new HDHomeRun CableCARD tuner work. You might notice the four squares on the right, those are the tuners, yes there are four -- don't get too excited -- but one of 'em is for the out of band data and can't actually be used to record HD. But that's still one more usable tuner than initially announced at CES and the best news is that the price remains the same at $249. There isn't a hard release data yet, but the goal is to release the beta details in the coming weeks, then submit it to CableLabs for certification and then finally have it in your HTPC in time for the holidays -- when exactly do holidays start again? The actual case isn't done yet, but there won't be a hump like the classic HDHomeRun and as you can see the gigabit network tuner's connections are all on the back including one coax, one USB, power, and a single CableCARD slot for all three tuners -- the USB doesn't do what you're thinking, it's for the Tuning Adapter. Contrary to some reports -- a USB version isn't on the table and we can't say we're surprised as that wouldn't be Silicon Dust's style. A picture of the connections on the prototype after the jump.
Is this the first Windows 7 Media Center embedded set-top box?
We've never heard of this German company Reycom before, but from the looks of it this could be the very first embedded Windows 7 Media Center. The Reycom Entertainment Solution is marketed to content providers in Switzerland and Germany, is powered by an Atom processor and is small and slick. All the user interface images on the site should look familiar to Windows 7 Media Center fans, but the newly announced embedded version of Windows 7 isn't mentioned by name -- even the image on the about page has a women holding a Media Center remote. Of course this doesn't mean much for those of us State side, but this is exactly the type of box we had in mind when we first heard of an embedded version of Windows Media Center.
