Hi all, I thought I would start a series of off-topic random blogs. If you don't like off-topic content sorry, but feel free to ignore :). I also apologize for typos, grammar, etc...these are quick 5 minute blogs.
A little background...lately I do the bulk of my development on a MacBook or MacMini. It offers the best of all worlds, at least in my humble opinion. Very stable hardware, a stable operating system, a good collection of free or cheap essential software (Adium, iTerm2, FreeRDP, Homebrew, Growl, Sublime Text 2) along with useful native applications like Mail. I digress, my essential software may be a different post.
I do the majority of my work using Sublime Text 2 (even in Windows using MSBUILD in lieu of VS.NET) and iTerm2 but I also need access to Windows 7, Windows 8 and Fedora 17 for different builds. While I have different build slaves running on my Hyper-V 2012 server I also use Parallels Desktop for Mac so I can be self contained. This is great but a few tweaks can really make it a powerful yet simple development environment, and that brings me to the point of this blog post.
Using symlinks, both in Windows and Linux, you can simplify management of common config files like .gitconfig, .ssh, .bash_profile, etc. Parallels does a lot of the work for you so we'll start with that. If you haven't already, install "Parallels Tools" on your virtual machines. You can do that from the Virtual Machine menu.
Disclaimer: I think most know this already but I work for Ceton and this is a shameless plug. But hopefully it is still helpful to any brave enthusiast willing to risk death threats (it happens, I know) from their significant other by using a "Consumer Preview".
Almost two months ago we brought you NASA TV for Media Center in honor of the final flight of Space Shuttle Discovery.
Tomorrow Space Shuttle Endeavour embarks on mission STS-134, taking off from Kennedy Space Center - Launch Pad 39A at 3:47 p.m. EDT. As a reminder for you space geeks out there we've updated NASA TV for Media Center to a higher quality (still not great) feed and added a few additional feeds. This is also the 2nd to last shuttle launch which occurs in June so don't miss it.
Similar to the NASA TV for Media Center I released earlier today, Starz Live for Media Center builds upon the discovery of others.
Earlier in the year TheGreenButton forum member geetarzan posted an easy method to watch Starz Live in Media Center. After my release of NASA TV for Media Center I received a request from mcewinter asking if I could do the same thing for Starz Live. Ask and thou shall receive...well for easy stuff that is
A few weeks ago space shuttle Discovery embarked on its final flight. In honor of the event Pete Brown from Extreme Windows Blog and The Green Button posted, or as it were reposted, how to watch the NASA TV stream within Windows Media Center.
As you can see from Pete's post, the ability to add NASA TV to Media Center via the ASX stream was initially shared with the community by buellpilot back in 2006! This add-in, NASA TV for Media Center, is a natural evolution to that same basic idea.
Just a quick screenshot to show "proof" of Live TV using a Ceton InfiniTV over Remote Desktop via RemoteFX.
What is interesting about the screenshot, at least to me, is that I took it of a RemoteFX Remote Desktop Protocol (rdp) session from another RDP session that was connected via VPN over the WAN.
I'll be following up with a full overview of RemoteFX. If you listened to today's podcast you we talked about it a little bit. I do not believe it is a valid architecture for HTPC usage, at least not yet, but it is extremely cool technology. It is just too expensive, both in hardware and software, to be used. It most cases it makes more sense to get a low power Intel Core i3-2100T or AMD Zacate (if it proves a valid HTPC choice), you'll save money and energy consumption.
If you have any questions feel free to ask, I'll try to answer each in my RemoteFX follow up. I'll go over what hardware I am using and what I am using it for.
While this is not my first time in Vegas, it is my first time attending CES. I really don't know what to expect. What do I bring? How do I act? Do I resist the urge to gamble all day and night? What if I follow in Jeremy's footsteps and lose my wallet? As sad as this may sound to some, this will be my first trip without my beautiful wife (who spoils me rotten) since before our wedding. I'm without my better half--the normal half.
I envision myself in that episode of Malcom in the Middle where the mom leaves Hal alone with the younger boys for a few days for the first time while she takes care of their elder son Francis. Will I digress? Where will I find killer bees? I know I will be among fellow tech geeks but do I let my inner geek run rampant? What the hell does that even mean?
Update: Ceton has informed me that the reason the current InfiniTV4 driver sets their network interface to Public is due to a potential tuner discovery issue. Ceton is looking into how to safely change it to private.
I'm going to keep the tool available to allow users to reset the InfiniTV4 interface back to public. I'm going to keep mine at Private to do some additional troubleshooting.
TheGreenButton member RandomRage asked whether it was normal for the Ceton InfiniTV4 to be put into Public network category.
While it is normal, it did bother me so I wrote a quick utility to change the network category to Private.
Ed Bott's blog on How to update Intel drivers automatically reminded me that I've been meaning to write a blog on Intel Management Engine Interface (MEI) and why you should install it.
I'll keep it short and simple. If you are using an Intel 5 Series Chipset (H55\H57) paired with a compatible Intel Core i3 or i5 for onboard graphics you need to install Intel MEI for HD Audio bitstreaming. You can download it from Intel® ME: Management Engine Driver for Intel 5 Series Chipset-Based Desktop Boards. HD Audio bitstreaming will NOT work without it. A bit frustrating since it isn't well documented and most enthusiasts tend to install the bare minimal drivers to prevent bloat.
The reason why is a little more complicated but basically PAVP 1.5 is a function of the Intel ME firmware that is only exposed when the corresponding interface, Intel MEI, is installed.
There are a few other benefits in Intel MEI but for HTPC enthusiasts that is the primary benefit. This is also not limited to Intel branded motherboards. Intel, Zotac, ASUS, Gigabyte, etc. H55 and H57 boards all require it.
This is neither new news (it was released last week) nor HTPC news but I thought it was worth mentioning nonetheless that “Microsoft Security Essentials v2” is available for download.
Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) v1 was my preferred anti-virus application and v2 makes significant improvements without adding bloat. I know many HTPC enthusiasts prefer to ignore anti-virus protection on their HTPC. I can't blame them, I've never had a virus and typically smart computing practices negate many of the risks but with Microsoft Security Essential there really is no reason NOT to run it.
I was determined last week to hold off on any Black Friday purchases but thanks to Aaron (swoon) I ended up buying The Lord of the Rings Blu-ray box set from Target.com. Or so I thought...
It was an incredible deal at $7.99 + S\H + tax, especially as it was not advertised as a Black Friday deal. There were no disclaimers of limited quantity available or any other signs of a bait-and-switch style promotion. I purchased the box set and within minutes received my confirmation e-mail.
Just a friendly reminder to not trust Comcast billing when performing CableCARD self-installs.
I've had my InfiniTV4 setup since day 1 of release (well a couple days before) and two ATI DCTs before that. Each time my wife went to the local Comcast office and picked up a CableCARD for a self-install. She even did the initial pairing with Comcast over the phone. My Comcast bill would increase by $1.50 for each additional CableCARD past the initial one (here in Houston you get one “free” Digital Cable box and one “free” CableCARD per account.)
It probably comes as no surprise to many that I am long overdue for updates on many of my Media Center add-ins. It has been a hectic year trying to juggle everything that life has thrown at me, but things are finally starting to settle and I am ready to get back to my partially complete projects.
Update: We have a new location in downtown Houston. I apologize for the late notice, if you have registered for the event you will be receiving an e-mail from me shortly.
Ever wanted to unleash the power of a PC on your home entertainment experience? Want to create one seamless entertainment solution for your TV that gives you one interface for TV, DVR, Internet-based content, music, pictures and more? Looking for a great ways to make sure all your content is backed up and safe? Ever wanted to build your own Home Theater PC or really take advantage of that sweet HDTV you recently got? Got questions for the experts? Then this is the meet-up for you!
Connect with other digital entertainment and digital living enthusiasts in and around Houston, and have a chance to check out some of the latest products when you join us for a few hours of presentations, demonstrations and hands-on time with the latest Windows features and related hardware that make next-generation entertainment experiences possible today. Plus, have a chance at winning some great prizes and giveaways!
Over the last three weeks I have received quite a few e-mails from concerned readers that Hauppauge may have "dropped" development on HD PVR support for Windows Media Center. The last beta drivers, v1.0.28201, were released a little over two months ago, July 21, 2010, and we haven't heard much since then.
I'm happy to report that development is alive and well. Read on for whats new.
Let me start with a disclaimer, this does not pertain directly to home theaters, it is a simple lesson in my own humility. And when it comes to technology, I very much dislike feeling stupid. Read on if still interested, otherwise check out some of the new reviews.
Now that the Ceton InfiniTV 4 has been released, are four CableCARD tuners just not enough? The My Channel Logos (MCL) Development Team has answered your prayers (well complaints).
First, let me start off with an apology. I've been burning the midnight oil but still have some tests left for Part II of my Ceton InfiniTV 4 review. It is getting there and if you do have any questions, please ask.
With the delay in Part II and consequently Part III I wanted to share some hopefully helpful hints for a successful install.
So what is new? Honestly not much. Before you question my sanity let me explain. The currently available beta driver, 1.0.28171, is fairly stable and works as intended. For those that are already using the beta, there simply isn't much to add.
What they did add is huge for those hesitant to try the beta, in particular they have 1- added support for external blaster applications; 2- added the ability to toggle whether channel changing stops the encoder and flushes the internal queues or not to.
I am a 64-bit fanboy, but for those using 32-bit versions of Windows 7 this means you can continue using firewire channel changing via Tim M. Moore's FireSTB or any command line based channel changing method you currently use with DVBLink.
For those sticking with the internal HD PVR blaster, you can optionally choose to continuing using it in addition to an external blaster application. This can help troubleshoot any channel changing issues that may occur by logging channel change requests.
For existing beta users there are a couple of fixes and new options. The most prominent being the ability to toggle whether channel changing stops the encoder and flushes the internal queues or not to. What does this mean? By default the drivers will stop encoding when changing channels, this can cause a delay in Windows Media Center and consequently the dreaded low signal error. You now have the option to turn that off.
On a negative note, the external blaster application is currently only available via manually editing the various registry settings. If that isn't improved by the public release I will provide an easy tool to configure the various settings.
There are a few other settings available so I urge you to read the upcoming release notes in detail. If you have any questions please let me know.
A big kudos to the Hauppauge team working on the HD PVR for Windows Media Center support. It is clear that they are listening to feedback and making progress towards an official Windows Media Center driver.
Update
I've gotten the OK from Hauppauge to share the change log. Please note that it is subject to change.
As a consequence of George’s [Skirge] well deserved ridicule in this week’s Blu-ray Releases thread, I realized I was a sucker for epics and I am guessing George is as well (*cough* Waterworld *cough*). You may further mock me for leaping from Waterworld and Dances with Wolves to timeless classics such as The Battle of Algiers, Lawrence of Arabia, Spartacus, Ben-Hur and Braveheart but I did just that. While reminiscing, my mind wandered to thoughts of what other epic films I would like to see made.
I realize everyone’s definition of what entails an “epic” film will vary but here is my list.
Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson
Imajica, by Clive Barker
Stranger in a Strange Land, by Robert A. Heinlein
God of War, video game series
The Stars My Destination, by Alfred Bester (no Jumper was not good enough)
Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card
The Dark Tower Saga, by Stephen King (broken into at least 3-4 movies)
What book, video game, comic book, graphic novel, cartoon, etc do you want to see turned into a movie?
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This is neither new news (it was released last week) nor HTPC news but I thought it was worth mentioning nonetheless that “Microsoft Security Essentials v2” is available for download.
I was determined last week to hold off on any Black Friday purchases but thanks to Aaron (swoon) I ended up buying The Lord of the Rings Blu-ray box set from Target.com. Or so I thought...
