Media @ Home

Just 3 days after its release the i.TV becomes #1 in the App Store! And rightfully so — i.TV is one of the most beautiful, well thought through and feature rich applications I’ve seen in the App Store. And on top of it — it’s free, yes, FREE!

So, what is i.TV? (more…)

Velocity Micro signed an OEM deal with Fuze Media Systems in July, saying it would build and sell Fuze Media’s Windows Media Center-based entertainment solutions.

It’s part of Fuze’s effort to OEM its core technology to other manufacturers, enabling the software to be installed on other multimedia devices.

The CineMagix FuzeBox, which will be directly configured by Velocity Micro, features CableCARD support to watch and record digital content without a settop box or DVR. It uses the home’s network to simultaneously distribute audio to up to five different zones.
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Niveus Software Labs today released a new free Beta software called Niveus Search for limited testing by general public. Niveus Search is a plug-in for Windows Vista Media Center application that allows you to search across all your local media (including Music, Photo, Video, Recorded TV and even TV Guide) as well as few on-line sources such as Flickr, NetFlix and Live365.com.

The distribution consists of two components - the Niveus Control Server that allows remote access to Media Center and the actual Niveus Search plug-in, which after installation will show up in the main Media Center strip alongside TV+Movies, Sports, Music, etc.

The search process is very simple - select New Search from Niveus Search strip and type a few characters on your remote control or select keypad button to show “a-la iPhone” on-screen keypad (it has specific “.com” and “@” buttons, though I’m not quite sure why would you need them for searching your media files).

The Niveus Search strip also provides a Resent menu for quick access to your previous searches.

All in all Niveus Search could be a very useful little gadget especially for people with large media libraries.

The Niveus Search is available for 60 day trial download from Niveus Software Labs Forum. Free registration on the forum is required to download the file.

See the gallery for screen shots after the jump.
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Amazon is jumping to VOD (video on demand) bandwagon with its new service. With Amazon Video On Demand, customers can now instantly watch movies and television shows commercial-free on Macs or PCs. With this new service, customers will have the ability to enjoy instant playback of hit Hollywood movies and the latest TV shows.

To make it even easier for you to decide to rent or purchase a movie or TV show, the first two minutes of videos automatically play at no charge when you visit the product detail page. At any time during this 2-minute viewing period, you can choose to purchase or rent the title to watch it in its entirety.

 The Windows SideShow Team has announced the availability of 4 BETA Windows SideShow Gadgets that let you control Windows Media Center from a Windows Sideshow device. You can sign-up via Microsoft Connect to gain access to Beta Test these new Windows SideShow Gadgets.

Sign-up

I believe this link works 1 time per Windows Live ID (You must sign-in with your Windows Live ID to access Beta Programs on Microsoft Connect). You can submit feedback to the team working on these Gadgets on Microsoft Connect.

Here is the breakdown of the 4 Windows Media Center BETA Windows SideShow Gadgets and what they do:

• Now Playing: View what is currently playing in Windows Media Center (includes playback controls)
• Pictures + Video: Browse your Photos and Videos folders
• Music: Browse your Music folder and play any song
• TV: Look at what is on TV via the Windows Media Center Guide, Schedule Recordings, and View Recordings (in a Thumbnail view)

I downloaded and installed the Windows Media Center BETA Windows SideShow Gadgets on my Dell XPS 420 which has a built in Windows SideShow device on the top front of the system (the XPS MiniView). It’s pretty slick to be able to control Windows Media Center from a Windows SideShow device. I’m quite fond of the Now Playing Gadget myself and the TV Gadget. I utilize Windows Media Center as my primary DVR for recording TV. If you have a Windows SideShow device - definitely give these Windows SideShow Gadgets a try!

NOTE: These 4 Windows Media Center Windows SideShow Gadgets *are* currently in BETA.

Source: http://windowsvistablog.com

 SpeakerCraft was one of the first companies way back when to introduce a multiroom audio system that incorporated metadata from an iPod.

Now the company is taking its ties to Apple one step further with an iPhone interface for the MODE distributed-audio system. The interface is generated through an embedded Web server residing inside SpeakerCraft’s ERS 1.0 Ethernet-to-serial adapter. Since the interface is accessed through the iPhone’s Safari browser, there’s no software to install on the phone (or iTouch).

The ERS also dishes up an interface for standard PC/Mac Web browsers, allowing users to control the system from any iPhone/iTouch on the network.

Multiple interface devices can be used simultaneously to control different zones of the house.

“I hate to say it, but this is the beginning of the end for keypads,” says SpeakerCraft president Jeremy Burkhardt. “Soon any keypad that isn’t emulated on a device like the iPhone will be obsolete.”

The ERS 1.0 with the embedded software has an MSRP of $1,000.

Source: CE Pro

Niveus is now giving away a free version of its Media Center Companion, which allows users to access certain Media Center functions from third-party devices such as Ultra Mobile PCs (UMPCs).The version, called Companion Basic, works with any Media Center PC. Previously, Niveus made the software available only for use with its own media servers.Companion Basic has limited functionality compared to the full-blown version. The lightweight Companion only supports three tabs: My Music, My Pictures, and My Remote. The full version, on the other hand, enables access to virtually all Media Center functions, and allows users to control remote TVs connected to Media Center Extenders.Companion Basic does not support Extenders.

Late last year, Niveus revamped its Companion software, adding support for DVD changers and Extenders, among other new features.

Companion Basic can be downloaded free of charge by registered users at Niveusmedia.com.

Niveus is accepting user’s input on the software and new features, so go register at the forums, download the software, try it out and join the conversation with developers. 

Source: CE Pro
More Info: Niveus Media Center Companion

UPDATE (9/26): updated links to new Niveus sites.

TigerDirect has a great deal on 750Gb Maxtor OneTouch III external hard drive for all your digital photos, mp3 and high definition videos. The drive has such nice features as Automated OneTouch Back Up, System Rollback which restores your system to a point in time just before your system crashed, while keeping your current data safe and up to date, Maxtor DriveLock™ which password protects the contents of your drive for an extra measure of security and more.

Specifications
Capacity (GB): 750
Interface: USB 2.0
Spindle Speed (RPM): 7200
Buffer Memory: 16MB
Average Seek (msec): <9.0
Data Transfer Rate on USB 2.0: Up to 480 Mb/sec
Temperature, Operating (°C): 5 to 35
Dimensions: 5.3″ x 2.6″ x 8.5″

Available While Supplies Last.
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Pulse~LINK introduced its CWave® wireless HDMI system that enables the placement of an HDTV anywhere in the room, reducing wire clutter and simplifying connectivity between your media devices.

CWave is using an approach similar to German’s WiMAC only instead of the slower WiFi wireless using UWB (ultra wide band) chipset which enables simultaneous operation of Ethernet over Coax, 1394 over Coax and Wireless connections to your HDTV. This chipset backed with power grid support allows for several simultaneous HD streams on the network.

Devices enabled with the CWave® UWB PL3100 chipset allow HD/Multimedia content located anywhere in the home to be shared across the existing coax backbone with wireless networking connections in each room for Set-Top-Boxes (STBs), HDTVs, DVRs, DVD players, Media Center PCs, and other multimedia equipment. Unequaled data carrying capacity also enables interactive “Trick Play” capabilities (pause, fast-forward, fast-rewind) and menu navigation throughout the home.

Pulse~LINK has a nice intro video of CWave technology on their website.

 Cable clutter and interface problems will soon be a thing of the past. In the living room of the future, all devices are connected wirelessly and can be easily operated via the television set. Fraunhofer researchers and their industrial partners will be presenting the first solutions at CeBIT in Hanover on March 4 through 9.Thick instruction manuals, a confusing tangle of cables and endless different standards – trying to connect your flat screen, DVD recorder, MP3 player, surround system and computer to one another and get them to work is rather a complicated task. Help is on its way in the form of a project called WiMAC(at)home (Wireless Media and Control at Home).

In this project, which is being financed by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi), researchers are working on the wireless connection of electronic devices for broadcasting and entertainment in home networks. Among the partners in this consortium are Loewe Opta GmbH, the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS, Germany’s Broadcast Technology Institute (IRT), Nagravision GmbH and Weinzierl Engineering GmbH.

At the heart of the system is a novel TV set which unites several functions in one device. It serves as a digital media archive that can store music, videos and photos, and make them available together with live TV programs in the home network. Pay TV contents, too, can be distributed in a protected environment and in compliance with copyright regulations. The TV can even be connected to automated home systems, enabling heating appliances, alarm systems and air conditioners to be controlled via the screen. All devices in the wireless WiMAC(at)home network configure themselves automatically. New components are incorporated independently by means of Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) technology. The system is based on the specifications of the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA), a global collaboration between computer and consumer electronics manufactures who have set fixed standards for home networking. Thanks to these standards, it is possible to connect notebooks, surround systems, digital video recorders and TVs of different brands. (more…)