Month: March 2008

Amazon and Microsoft apparently have a special deal going that will give you $100 off either a DMA2100 or DMA2200 (Via The Green Button).  Enter the code “MSFTDEAL” at checkout and you can pickup a DMA2100 for $150 (the magic price!) or a DMA2200 for $200.  Both of them also have free shipping offers to boot. Amazon | Linksys DMA2100 – $150 after MSFTDEAL Amazon | Linksys DMA2200 – $200 after MSFTDEAL Update: Well thats crap, it’s now expired! Update: Some are reporting it still working, so give it a try.

CE Pro has the latest news from EHX and among the top stories is that Mike Seamons who has been known for Life|ware is leaving Exceptional Innovation and joining Microsoft to “drive Media Center into all markets worldwide.”  Microsoft needed something like this, so I’m looking forward to Media Center finally making another push. In addition Microsoft announced that they are holding another Ultimate Media Center Install Contest.  Submissions are due August 1, 2008, and the winner will be announced at the CEDIA Expo in September.  If you are a custom installer working with Media Center send in a submission.

Multi-zone demo highlights Extender capabilities, new Storage Servers, latest software developments, and Blu-ray! Orlando, FL – EHX Spring 2008 – March 13-15th – Demo Room 231B – At EHX Spring 2008, Niveus Media and a number of industry-leading audio/video companies, will embark on Demo Alley to create a first-class, whole-home entertainment environment based on Niveus’ awardwinning digital entertainment solutions. Witness a compelling demonstration of the Niveus Pro Series Media Server powering a multi-zone HD entertainment solution, including components from AIX Records, KEF, Krell, Intel, MusicGiants, Monster, Stewart Filmscreen, Velodyne, and Vidikron! Featuring a centrally located home theater and four separate … Continue reading The Niveus Entertainment Experience at EHX Spring

Niveus Media is moving from My Movies to a new plug-in called Movie Gallery to catalog and display DVDs, HD DVDs, and Blu-ray Discs in Media Center.  The UI looks fantastic and basically mimics Kaleidescape from the photo posted on CE Pro. According to Tim Cutting, Niveus wanted to differentiate themselves from other Media Center manufacturers.  Developing an in-house plug-in like this is sure to do just that. (Image via CE Pro) 

After all of my ramblings, and so many people saying that Microsoft already said they are supporting Blu-ray (despite it being true at all) Microsoft has finally made a statement about Blu-ray and the Xbox 360.  Anyone care to guess how it goes? Aaron Greenberg (Group product manager for Xbox 360) said: “Xbox is not currently in talks with Sony or the Blu-ray Association to integrate Blu-ray into the Xbox experience.” Greenberg points to furthering digital distribution through the Xbox 360, another topic I have covered.  “We’re the only console offering digital distribution of entertainment content.” Comments?  I hate to … Continue reading Microsoft: “Not currently in talks with Sony or the Blu-ray Association”

Integrated Touch Screen is a Portal for Accessing Digital Music and Home Control Surrey, BC – March 12, 2008 Today, Embedded Automation, launched mPanel, the newest member of the mHome product family. mPanel is a wall-mountable touch screen, which acts as a unified control portal for your “digital home”. With mPanel, homeowners can control digital music within the room, manage the home’s lighting and climate settings, or view and adjust security and surveillance systems. Embedded Automation will be providing live demonstrations of the mPanel in the Demo Alley (Room 240A) at Electronic House Expo (EHX), running from March 13-15, 2008 … Continue reading Embedded Automation Announces mPanel

Mark your calendars for next Monday, the 17th at 1PM PDT because you will be able to catch a live edition of The Media Center Show with Ian Dixon with yours truly as his guest. It will be live on Ustream.tv, and if you want to participate in the live chat to ask questions or comment then you are going to need to register for a free account (no account needed just to watch/ hear the stream). Hope to see you there!

Hanover MA, March 11, 2008 – Inteset, LLC is now offering Blu-ray movie playback capabilities on its Vana VA6420-Si Advanced Extender product. The extender unit will play back Blu-ray content at a full 1080p resolution over DVI and HDMI interfaces. The Blu-ray drive will also be available in Inteset’s Vana VA6420-Sx Single Room solution. “This is exciting news for our dealers,” explains David Hirsh, Director of Business Development. “We offer HD-DVD and Blu-ray playback capability on our media servers. It’s a natural progression to offer Blu-ray on our extender units now that we know the format war is over. Users … Continue reading Inteset Offers Blu-ray on its Media Server Extender Devices

Chris Morley let the world know that Omaura cases are finally available online through their new partner Dell.  These are by far the best looking HTPC cases around, and competitively priced as well.  For more information on Omaura in general, visit their website. HP is looking for owners of HP MediaSmart Servers to take an online survey about their experience so far.  If you own one, let HP know what they can do better and you will get a $20 gift certificate for hpshopping.com.  You can find the survey here, and yes it is an official HP survey.

tenWare Software has developed a HomeSeer Sidebar Gadget to display information about Devices that also allows running of Events (macros) from a HomeSeer server.  For those who don’t know, HomeSeer is PC-based home automation software that also has a Media Center plug-in available. While the UI leaves a bit to be desired, the basic functionality is there.  If you are running Vista on multiple machines in your home, this Gadget will give you control over your home without opening Media Center or a web-based UI.