The last release of the Plex Media Server brought the beta platform to version 0.9.6 and added some pretty big features, including DLNA and Silverlight Smooth Streaming service support. The new release pushes the version number slightly higher to version 0.9.6.1 and does offer several new features including support for the Netgear ReadyNAS Duo v2 and more streaming choices over 3G, but nothing quite as headline-grabbing. Instead, this release is much more focused on squashing bugs. Many of the fixes are related to DLNA and SLSS, but there are are also the usual round of general fixes for issues with things like subtitles and transcoders.

We’re happy to announce a new release of the Plex Media Server; this is a followup to the last beta release, which was the first to support DLNA and Silverlight Smooth Streaming, and fixes a number of issues in those areas, along with some other things.

Plex Blog

Comcast has announced that subscribers now have free access to more live sports content via the WatchESPN web and iOS apps. Unfortunately, the Android app is not currently supported. WatchESPN offers access to live streams from ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, and ESPNU, along with special content for college football and basketball. Comcast also expects the WatchESPN live streams to be available through Comcast's own XfinityTV.com site later this week. The addition of WatchESPN is part of a new 10-year deal that Comcast signed with ESPN's parent company, Disney, earlier this year and Comcast is not so slyly suggesting that we can expect to see more online streaming access for other Disney owned channels later this year. 

Comcast and ESPN are making good on their promise to bring live sports to iPads and other devices, announcing today that Comcast subscribers can now log in to ESPN’s WatchESPN mobile and web apps. And coming soon, ESPN will be making its live TV streams available through Comcast’s XfinityTV.com web portal.

TechCrunch

A few days before releasing the XFINITY TV app for the Xbox 360, Comcast posted a FAQ regarding the app. For many folks, the most interesting tidbit was Comcast's announcement that XFINITY TV on Xbox Live usage would not count against Comcast subscribers' bandwidth caps. Comcast's reasoning was that all of the data transmissions were occurring on Comcast's private network and not being sent over the Internet. Indeed, that FAQ went on to point out that the Xbox app was unique and that this exemption did not apply to apps on other platforms or to PC browser access.

Nevertheless, Comcast had to know that the decision would raise some eyebrows. Senator Al Franken, a longtime net neutrality advocate, decided that raising his eyebrows was not enough and has written a letter to the FCC and the Department of Justice urging the agencies to re-examine the NBC-Comcast merger, of which Franken has been a staunch critic, citing the XFINITY app as one example of how Comcast seems to be working to circumvent the conditions of the merger. This comes on the heels of Netflix CEO Reed Hasting's pointed complaints in which he described Comcast's move as "not neutral". 

Franken concludes: "I am concerned that these sorts of delays always inure to the benefit of Comcast and give Comcast further incentive to challenge any aspect of its compliance with the merger order." He's also "very concerned" about Comcast’s announcement last month that its Xbox Live television streaming would not count against existing data caps. Comcast argues the video is "being delivered over our private IP network and not the public Internet."

Ars Technica

Microsoft's recent Building Windows 8 blog post regarding the availability of Windows Media Center in Windows 8 raised almost as many questions as it answered, particularly regarding the unexpected connection between WMC and DVD playback. To help sort through some of the questions that their blog post raised, the Windows 8 team has followed up with a FAQ that attempts to clarify the relationship between WMC and DVD playback capability and to further refine Microsoft justifications for moving away from WMC and only making it available as a premium upgrade for select versions of Windows 8. There is not a whole lot new information here that could not be gleaned by reading between the lines in the original blog post and there is still no word on pricing for the WMC upgrade, but Microsoft is taking a more definitive stance on the limited future they envision for WMC. If you like to get a glimpse behind the scenes on the business end of Windows development, then the most interesting questions relate to how Microsoft and OEMs handle the licensing of codecs for things like DVD playback.

With the evolution of device form factors (tablets, thin and light, etc., none of which have optical drives) and change in media consumption patterns from optical disks and broadcast TV to online (Netflix, Youtube, Hulu, etc.), we concluded that we would no longer make DVD and broadcast TV capabilities available in all Windows editions, simply because the feature applies to a decreasing number of PCs sold. Instead, those capabilities will be available only to customers that want it via Add Windows Feature (aka Windows Anytime Upgrade). 

Building Windows 8

Yamaha has been slowly rolling out their 2012 RX-V series receivers over the last month or so. The latest additions to the line-up are the new RX-V673 and RX-V773WA, priced at $649.95 and $849.95 respectively. Both models will include 4K-Passthrough, Apple AirPlay support, a low power ECO Mode, and network support for DLNA and Internet streaming as well as app controllers for iOS and Android devices. The RX-V773WA strives to justify its heftier price tag by also including a Wi-Fi adapter and an improved multi-point version of YPAO, Yamaha's room calibration system. Perhaps the most interesting feature for these new models is a subwoofer level adjustment that Yamaha promises will boost bass without adjusting the crossover point or negatively impacting sound quality.

The flagship RX-V773WA model also features an improved YPAO room calibration system, YPAO R.S.C. (Reflected Sound Control), which offers automatic multi-point room measurement to determine speaker positioning. The RX-V673 offers YPAO R.S.C. for automatic single-point room measurement. The YPAO system now reportedly ensures more accurate room measurements by confirming the subwoofer is fully responding before making audio adjustments.

HomeTheaterReview

I wasn't expecting much when sitting down for Dish Network's CES 2012 press event, but that skepticism was amply dispelled after the Hopper/Joey whole home DVR system was announced. Obviously, Dish wouldn't be the first company to say one thing, and release something bearing only a cursory resemblance to the initial promise so it was critical to wait until someone had a chance to really put the devices through the wringer before celebrating the first whole home, fully integrated MSO provided DVR system. With Ben only hesitating to recommend it to those with full-on HTPC (e.g. Windows Media Center) systems or TiVO the first in-depth review (that I've seen anyway) casts it a winner. Of course there's always more nuance to any product than can be summed up in a single sentence; so make sure to head over to Engadget for the full writeup.

Overall, the Hopper is exactly what you'd expect a DVR to be: about the same size and weight, and adorned with a glossy finish that will easily blend into your home theater setup. On one end there's a USB port (with two more 'round back) and on the other is a door, behind which you'll find a smart card slot and a few essential buttons like power and reset. Finally, two LEDs sit in the center to indicate when the box is on or if it's recording. Thankfully, neither of these is distracting or crazy bright. There are still a few hardware features yet to be explored, like Bluetooth for headphones and Zigbee for remote control (currently that feature only works with the included remote). There's an IR input for legacy programmable remotes, but no HDMI-CEC to simplify setup or IP control to integrate with home automation controllers. The other hardware feature coming soon is an optional over-the-air tuner, which we consider a requirement for anyone who watches PBS (Dish doesn't carry PBS HD, don'tcha know).

Engadget