Note: Tested…Windows 7 users should not waste their money. On XP and Vista I was a big fan of CoreAVC; however, I have been disappointed by CoreAVC 2.0 so I am not expecting much from CoreAAC 2.0 myself. But for those using a DirectShow based player without Media Foundation support CoreAAC may offer some benefits over the native DirectShow AAC decoder. Both […]
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Actiontec Ethernet over Coax MoCA Network Adapter Have you ever been in that situation where wifi just doesn’t cut it, forcing you to try other network solutions such as Ethernet over power line and wanted tear your hair out in frustration? Whether you have a HTPC, a network media tank, or a video game console system you’ve been to […]
Read moreThese types of weeks kill me, so I’ll keep it short…. MissingRemote’s Pick of the Week Brooklyn’s Finest I honestly haven’t seen this yet, but it’s got a fairly star studded cast. Who can pass up any Wesley Snipes movies these days as long as Vampires aren’t out trying to kill him? Just kidding, but seriously, this week’s selections are […]
Read more2008 was a long time ago, but it’s good to see these types of devices finally actually being released. Although still not available, here’s a review of how it handles HD content. I have to admit, at an MSRP of $900 it’s a bit concerning this review, but I’d love to get my hands on it for something more in […]
Read moreWe’ve had some forum posts in the past discussing this, and there really is no definitive answer. Laptops as HTPC make sense, after all we’ve been using some mobile parts in our systems for years (CPU, 2.5" HDD, etc). Using a laptop as your HTPC will work for some people, but there are some limitations to doing so (but that […]
Read moreI debated whether posting this news just given the numerous rumors that have stemmed about the AppleTV in the past few years, but figured this one might have some legs given it’s from a former Apple employee, and that it really makes sense. Such a plan falls in line with previous rumors that Apple would ditch the internal hard […]
Read moreI see news like this, and I miss having the full digital package less and less. Thank you ESPN3 for keeping me sane without cable! You have to love Comcast…first they say congratulations for being able to bring you such new features, then they bill you for it! Those who get the "Digital Economy" package will get a break. […]
Read morePretty cool first look at Arcsoft’s 3D plugin if you’re interested. Not surprisingly, it costs extra, but only $20. Probably not much value in this since there’s only a few 3D Blu-rays available today, but I’d imagine that list to grow soon. The 3D simulation is what I have tested and I have beeen remarkably impresed with. The extra depth […]
Read moreWe reviewed the original ASRock a while back, and it was a worthwhile offering for users who wanted a full computer instead of an extender device. Well ASRock has made a few changes and now offer one featuring the new Intel parts. It’s been one year since we last tested an ASRock HTPC: the ION 330 AMCP7A HTPC armed with the […]
Read moreI would have liked to have seen more on picture quality and a look how colorspace is handled between the different vendors, but overall Xbit does a good job of quantitatively measuring (IMO, their HQV HD scores are a bit generous) GPU performance for HTPC use. It is almost impossible to install longer graphics cards – such as ATI […]
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