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Engadget HD got some shots of PowerDVD 9, or rather what we now know is the extent of the “native” Media Center Blu-ray integration announced CES.  Native is a bit of a stretch as I figured it might be.  Instead of native playback we now have a native MCML UI that launches PowerDVD (a la Play Movie, TotalMedia, etc).  It’s a start, I guess.  I’m not really that impressed with what is being offered.  On the plus side, word is video decoding is pretty top notch which is good to hear. If I can ever find time I’ve got to … Continue reading Short Bits: Power DVD, Sage TV, Updates

Ricavision is officially dead now, but Phillips is sort-of taking their place with the SRM7500 SideShow Remote.  Hardly the eye candy that the Ricavision was, but at least it is shipping with a much lower price tag.  Clear downside here is the screen which will limit functionality. The Holidays are here and that means deals for you on Media Center plug-ins.  Up until January 15 you can save up to 40% off on Big Screen applications.  Speaking of deals, how about getting a free DV cam?  Microsoft has launched their Media Center Consumer Video Testimonial Program at The Green Button … Continue reading Short Bits: SideShow Remote, Big Screen Savings, Video Testimonial Program, More

Today Microsoft officially launched their MSNBC News beta in Media Center to the world (err, I mean US and Canada).  This was actually something that popped up on one of my beta machines a few months ago, but when I asked about it Microsoft said I wasn’t even supposed to have it, and thus I didn’t blog about it.  Much like the Internet TV Beta, access the new application can be found on the TV + Movies strip. Ian Dixon and Brandon LeBlanc have some screenshots up on their respective blogs.  These out-of-band “feature” plug-ins might be Microsoft’s hope to … Continue reading Microsoft Launches MSNBC News Beta

Easily search through entire media catalogues and select Internet content utilizing the unified Niveus Search tool, now available for download. Milpitas, CA – September 26, 2008 – Niveus Media, Inc. announces beta availability of the new unified Niveus Search, which enables easy retrieval of content accessible across the local network and Internet. The patent-pending Niveus Search offers Windows Vista ® Media Center users an easy-to-use, 10’ interface that provides an all encompassing scan of both the Media Center and Internet sources. No longer do Media Center users have to scroll through lengthy catalogues trying to locate a certain movie, TV … Continue reading Niveus Brings Unified Search To Windows Media Center

Niveus Movie Library Goes Primetime! Version 1.5 is enriched to offer high-res cover art (including Blu-ray) and support for a wider catalogue of movie sources, such as disc-in-drive… and more! Denver, CO – CEDIA Expo 2008 – September 4-7 – Booth #850 – Designed exclusively for Niveus Media customers, the Niveus Movie Library is a robust movie management tool that aggregates an entire movie collection into one distinct and intelligent interface. Upgraded to accommodate a growing number of movie sources, Niveus Movie Library 1.5 now features: disc-in-drive support; a 10’ interface for backing up movies to the Niveus Media Server; … Continue reading Niveus Media @ CEDIA: Movie Library, 8 CableCARD, 10 Extenders, Home Server

Version 1.5 is enriched to offer high-res cover art (including Blu-ray) and support for a wider catalogue of movie sources, such as disc-in-drive… and more! Denver, CO – CEDIA Expo 2008 – September 4-7 – Booth #850 – Designed exclusively for Niveus Media customers, the Niveus Movie Library is a robust movie management tool that aggregates an entire movie collection into one distinct and intelligent interface. Upgraded to accommodate a growing number of movie sources, Niveus Movie Library 1.5 now features: disc-in-drive support; a 10’ interface for backing up movies to the Niveus Media Server; and expanded metadata with high … Continue reading Niveus Movie Library Goes Primetime!

VidaBox Partners with Charmed Quark Systems to create vAutomation™: Complete Media Management & Automation Solutions for the Mid-to-High-End AV Market Westbury, NY – September 2nd – VidaBox LLC proudly presents its new line of automation and media management packaged solutions called vAutomation™, powered by Charmed Quark Controller (CQC), the popular control and automation system from Charmed Quark Systems, Ltd.  As an extremely powerful, professional-level software package, CQC allows mid-to-high-end custom integrators to offer automation solutions with the features, flexibility, and extensibility formerly found only on more expensive and proprietary systems. “One of our goals has always been to simplify every … Continue reading VidaBox’s vAutomation Platform Tightly Integrates Media Center & Automation Technologies

This edition ripped straight from CE Pro…It seems Niveus Media is done with pushing their recently developed Niveus EDGE Extender.  The might have been Xbox 360-based Extender (sans gaming) is out and the HP MediaSmart Connect is in.  Interesting turn of events for something that must have taken a lot of time and money to complete. Niveus is also updating their Movie Gallery adding support for better metabase, higher resolution cover art, and a 10-foot disc ripping client which seem popular these days. Life|ware is also set to make a splash at CEDIA with a new iPhone control application that … Continue reading Short Bits: Life|ware & Niveus at CEDIA

New Module Makes Power Monitoring and Control Within Reach of all Homeowners Surrey, BC – August 20, 2008 Today, Embedded Automation announced its mHome Power Management Module. The mHome Power Management Module, which provides real-time energy usage information and control functionality, is available as an add-in to Embedded Automation’s mHome products, including the award-winning mControl Digital Home Software and soon to be released mPanel Digital Home Portal. Initially supporting the TED (The Energy Detective) energy monitor, the mHome Power Management Module will scale to support other power measuring devices and future technologies such as “Smart Meter” solutions. The mHome Power … Continue reading Embedded Automation Announces mHome Power Management Module

Hanover MA, Aug 13, 2008, Inteset, has updated its Movie Collection server module to fully support Blu-ray movies.  One of the major selling features of the Inteset media server has been its ability to store, search, and play back movies seamlessly within the Windows Media Center interface using the proprietary Movie Collection module. Inteset has offered this feature to its dealers for years and has now improved the capabilities by adding full Blu-ray support. In addition, movie profile lookups are simpler than ever. The system will scan the inserted DVD or Blu-ray disc to identify it, and then retrieve full … Continue reading Inteset Movie Collection Module Now Supports Blu-ray