Month: January 2009

Microsoft appeared to have fixed one of the issues I was having on the backend, but that fix has caused the entire site to come to its knees with wonderful message like “Value cannot be null. Parameter name: relativeUrl” when attempting to make a new post or reply.  Unfortunantly, since I don’t have direct access to the server there is nothing I can personally do about it. Sadly since you can’t make a new post or reply, The Green Button will effectively be down until Microsoft can fix the issue.  Ian’s forums on The Digital Lifestyle might be a good … Continue reading Yes, The Green Button is Having Issues

The first sign of a business in trouble is when you must reinvent yourself to stay alive.  Microsoft might not actually be reinventing Media Center, mostly becasue you can’t reinvent something that you never actually defined a market for in the first place, but they are finally attempting to delineate where they see Media Center competing in such a growing marketplace (and that’s not a good thing for most reading this). Media Center started as a method to watch TV on the PC.  Essentially it was marketed to college students to cut down the number of devices in their dorm.  … Continue reading Microsoft Focuses Media Center Marketing, Platform to Follow

I shouldn’t actually call it a fight because that implies one actually gave effort, but CES 2009 has shown that Microsoft is effectively out of the race to provide a platform for streaming and downloadable content via the PC.  I say via the PC because the Xbox is still alive and actually putting up somewhat of a fight. With every major display company now pushing integrated online content embedded or easily attachable to their displays the PC is now becoming irrelevant.  No longer is the concept PC-to-TV, it is Web-to-TV and Microsoft fails to offer compelling products that work under … Continue reading Microsoft Loses the Online Content Fight

I’ve talk about Microsoft and Blu-ray more times than I can count and it never fails I end up saying they will not be the ones to build Blu-ray support in Windows.  My thoughts have officially come true with yesterday’s announcement that Microsoft is outsourcing Blu-ray support in Windows 7 to Cyberlink. According to the press release, PowerDVD “automatically integrate with Windows Media Center to enable full Blu-ray playback capability on PC equipped with the appropriate hardware.”  The extent of that integration remains to be seen, but I’m hoping for full integration using Media Foundation and PVP (aka real integration).  … Continue reading Media Center Gets Blu-ray, Just Not From Microsoft

Microsoft might not have hit on it in their Media Center-less keynote, but there is one big change getting ready to happen.  Well over a year after it was first spotted, Ceton is out with the news that they will be shipping an MOCUR in 2009 (Via Media Center Blog). There are a few things that are unique to the Ceton MOCUR over the current ATI OCUR.  The first and most noticeable is the ability to use a single M-Card and tune at up 6 channels.  While most people know that M-Cards can offer multiple streams, not many know they … Continue reading Ceton Gets Official with Industry First MOCUR

(Via Media Center Blog)  LAS VEGAS, NV — 01/08/09 — Ceton Corp., a Seattle-area technology company, today announced the development of the next-generation Ceton cable TV card for Windows Media Center-enabled PCs. PCs incorporating the Ceton Multi-Channel Cable TV Card will be able to natively support high-definition pay TV including premium cable TV channels, without the need for a separate cable set-top box, including playing or recording up to six simultaneous high-definition TV channels using a single multi-stream CableCARD(TM) and single RF connection. The Ceton solution also enables standard- and high-definition cable programming to be securely distributed from a Media … Continue reading Ceton Announces Development of Next-Generation Cable TV Card for PCs Running Windows Media Center

TAIPEI, Taiwan – CyberLink Corporation is pleased to announce that PowerDVD will be utilized by Microsoft Corp. in a demonstration of their newest version of Windows Media Center, for Windows 7. This demo will be shown in the Microsoft booth (7144), in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Additional demonstrations of the forthcoming version of PowerDVD will be available to PC and Consumer Electronic manufacturers and members of the press by appointment, in CyberLink’s private suite in the Hilton Hotel. CyberLink has been working closely with Microsoft to support many of the advanced capabilities of Windows 7. … Continue reading CyberLink to Demonstrate PowerDVD with Microsoft at CES 2009

VidaBox Releases New vPad8, an Enhanced Ultra-Mobile Tablet Designed for Automation VidaBox LLC, a manufacturer of digital entertainment and control solutions, is proud to present the vPad8™, a thin and light ultra-mobile tablet PC.  Running on Windows XP embedded, it features a full-color touch screen with 800×600 resolution and comes standard with WiFi connectivity, making it an ideal control interface device. “We’re excited to release the new vPad8™ panel,” exclaims Steven Cheung, President of VidaBox. “This is a smaller, less bulky version of our original vPad10™.  We’ve also added some improvements like a brighter screen for easier legibility in direct … Continue reading VidaBox Unveils new Products at CES 2009

Las Vegas, NV – CES 2009 – January 9-11 – Hilton Suite H22-121 – VidaBox LLC, a manufacturer of digital entertainment and control solutions, is excited to announce the availability of the TouchClient8™, a full-color, 8.4″ in-wall touch panel with an XP embedded computer. “From the first day of offering the TouchClient12™, we kept getting asked, ‘Do you have a smaller version?’” says Steven Cheung, President of VidaBox LLC. “As always, we listen intently to our integrators, and created this new, smaller version called TouchClient8™.  It has the same great features & connectivity options of the original design without any … Continue reading VidaBox Releases new TouchClient8 In-wall PC Touch Panel‏

VidaBox now offers pre-packaged whole house audio solutions complete with multi-room distribution systems Las Vegas, NV – CES 2009 – January 9-11 – Hilton Suite H22-121 – VidaBox LLC, a manufacturer of digital entertainment and control solutions, is proud to offer complete whole house audio packages.  Based on the VidaBox line of multiroom audio servers, these packages include NuVo® multiroom distribution and amplification equipment. “These new packages are a natural progression of delivering new features and better value for our dealer base,” states Steven Cheung, President of VidaBox LLC. “Most of our integrators are already using NuVo® and Russound® in … Continue reading VidaBox Now Offers Pre-packaged Whole House Audio Solutions with Multi-room Distribution Systems‏