Media Server Rebuild – Part 1

I’m in the beginning stages of rebuilding my Windows Home Server box.  Feel free to check out my original blog for the current setup.  (Note that the blog hasn’t been entirely reformatted for the new site.)  There, I stated that my intentions were for my first media server to last a minimum of 5 years.  The fact that I’m writing this […]

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Silverstone Sugo SG06 Reviewed

I’ve been a fan of the cube or shoebox cases since Shuttle Computers was big on the small form factor scene. Most case manufacturers have at least one cube in their lineup, usually geared toward mini-ITX systems, however few manufacturers devote as many resources to reiterating those cube designs as Silverstone. The Silverstone Sugo lineup of mini-ITX cube cases are […]

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Microsoft Prepping Windows 8 Embedded

In the last year or so, the only version of Windows that seems to have given Windows Media Center a whole lot of love is Windows 7 Embedded. Windows Media Center was a showcase feature in Windows 7 Embedded Standard and pitched at set-top box OEMs. Windows 7 Embedded Standard even included OEM-only tools for customizing WMC’s start menu and […]

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Rumor Roundup: Google Music Launch *Updated*

Google Music

Google is expected to announce their iTunes competitor, Google Music, tomorrow. As has become de rigueur for major tech announcements, the interwebs have been crackling with rumors and potential leaks. When Google sent out the invitations for the announcement, there were already rumors circling that Google was having trouble finalizing agreements with the four major labels. At this point, the only […]

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Apple Flips the Switch on iTunes Match

The release of iOS 5 also brought the official launch of Apple’s iCloud service. From the start, one of the more anticipated iCloud features has been iTunes Match. With iTunes Match, iCloud users can store up to 25,000 songs online. The service costs $24.99 and requires the freshly released iTunes 10.5.1 which will scan your music library and match your […]

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Netflix Locks In Lionsgate UK Ahead of UK Launch

About a week ago we commented on Netflix gaining exclusive streaming rights to MGM’s first-run movies in anticipation of Netflix’s launch in the UK and Ireland. Netflix is looking for every advantage it can find against the deeply entrenched LOVEFiLM streaming service. At the time we suggested that we would likely hear about more such agreements. Turns out we didn’t […]

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VIA VE-900 Mini-ITX Motherboard Released

Intel isn’t the only CPU manufacturer launching new platforms. VIA recently announced the VE-900 Mini-ITX motherboard geared toward low-powered media PCs. VIA doesn’t get alot of attention these days, but they have been focused on small integrated systems for a while now. The Nano X2 processor and VX 900 media processor that team up on the VE-900 board probably wouldn’t […]

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Intel Launches Sandy Bridge-E CPU and X79 Chipset

Those crazy engineers over at Intel are at it again. They have officially launched the followup to Sandy Bridge, the Sandy Bridge-E, along with the new X79 chipset to support it. Sandy Bridge-E looks set to bring some nice performance increases, at least at the high end. Of course, these new Sandy Bridge-E processors aren’t likely to make their way […]

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MythTV Reloaded – Day 4

So far in this process of bringing my MythTV setup up-to-date I have upgraded my primary backend to 0.24 (but put the old hard drive back in so that it is compatible with the rest of the house running 0.21 still) and my primary frontend to 0.24 (but put in the old hard drive so people can still watch TV). […]

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