What doesn’t SageMC do? It can now be used from touchscreen just like the custom Media Center installations, take that Microsoft! 😉 The SageMC Touchscreen Interface plugin adds a control bar to SageMC intended to provide touchscreen users with the following touchscreen buttons:: Back, Home, Stop Play/Pause, Skip back/fwd, Skip back2/fwd2, Record, Sleep, and Fullscreen. Also, in the Video […]
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With the release of the next chapter in the Daniel Craig reboot of James Bond coming to theatres this Friday (Nov. 14th), I thought I’d put up a list of my favorite Bond movies. It gets pretty hard to pick, and I’ve actually made two lists one of my top picks as an adult, and one with an eye to […]
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So folks you’re sold on Blu-ray, and you want to connect your new Blu-ray enabled home theater PC to your killer sound system, but which way is best? what are the trade-offs? Let’s chart the Blu-ray audio formats first so you get an idea of what formats are used on Blu-ray, which formats are mandatory, and so on. Then we’ll discuss the ways to connect your HTPC’s audio to […]
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I got inspired the other day to delve into one of the pervasive questions in Windows Media Center lore: the question of switched digital video (SDV) for CableCARD equipped Media Center PCs. The solution that is being put forth is the Tuning Adapter. The Tuning Adapter mediates between a unidirectional CableCARD device and an SDV enabled cable system. I’ll describe how […]
Read moreHalloween is just around the corner, and Dave Zatz of zatznotfunny.com found a fun little indie short film about a man, his TiVo, and how it changed his life… {youtube}akl3I5tYy2g{/youtube}
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Looking for some new display hotness? Have about 7 grand to burn? The lucky devils at The Tech Lounge got to see a new Mitsubishi DLP set that uses lasers, aptly named the Mitsubishi LaserVue 65". The fellas were quite impressed as it went up against the widely acknowledged champion of displays the Pioneer Kuro Elite plasma. The review includes pictures of the stunning contrast and especially […]
Read moreWhat has Toshiba been up to since the death of HD DVD? Well supposedly developing a kick-ass standard definition upconversion technology called XDE (eXtended Detail Enhancement). Ultimate AV put the first DVD player to utilize this new tech through its paces and wasn’t too impressed, especially when you consider it costs $150, which is most of the way to a […]
Read moreScore one for CableCARD customers that got screwed by SDV: Multichannel News The Federal Communications Commission proposed to fine Time Warner Cable and Cox Communications for moving some channels from their broadcast lineups to switched digital video groups—rendering that programming inaccessible to non-operator-supplied devices like TiVo recorders. In notices issued Wednesday, the agency’s Enforcement Bureau said Time Warner Cable Oceanic’s Oahu […]
Read moreMotorola insider and blogger Mari Silbey has nice summary of the current state of HD cable and digital services adoption. Media Experiences 2 Go A lot of HDTV owners are still very confused. Leightman claims that a lot of people with HD sets are not even watching HD content. They don’t have HD service, haven’t switched to HD channels, or are […]
Read moreDid you know Samsung 2008 model TVs have a special “blue only” mode? This lets you use the THX Optimizer or color test patterns from discs like DVE without the need for special color filter glasses. When shopping for an HDMI receiver watch for the key words like: "HDMI repeater", "HD Audio LPCM 7.1-channel reception","HDMI processing". Also if the specs mention Dolby […]
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