It has only been a couple of weeks since the XBMC team announced that they were entering the feature freeze stage of development for XBMC 12, codenamed “Frodo”, and the first beta is already available. The new version of Frodo is bringing some highly anticipated changes with the XBMC AudioEngine offering official HD audio support, live TV and PVR support, […]
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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, […]
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When I first saw reports of Intel’s Next Unit of Computing (NUC) it seemed like the perfect little HTPC, although the price (~$400) was a bit off-putting. As it turns out, not only will it be getting Intel HD 4000 (madVR, yum) and an ULV IVB but will only cost $300-320. More importantly it will be easy to get one […]
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It is has been a long time coming, but the Ceton Echo Windows Media Center Extender is now available for pre-order for $179. Pre-orders will be taken exclusively at Newegg and carries a listed release date of 11/30/2012. Ceton is stating that pre-orders will be fulfilled on a first ordered/first shipped basis. Making the deal even sweeter, Newegg is including […]
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The XBOX 360 has ruled the Windows Media Center (WMC) extender market since it killed off third-party completion with the release of Windows Vista, but for many the brutish gaming console’s size, appetite for electricity, and unpleasant noise levels made it unwelcome in the A/V stack. With a lithe chassis, miserly power consumption, and a modern system-on-a-chip (SOC) offering the […]
Read moreWhile those in the forums continue to debate the reasons to jump to Windows 8, the folks at SiliconDust know you well enough to at least be prepared if you do. They have posted instructions for both their CableCARD PRIME as well as their ATSC-QAM products on their site. Just click on the appropriate link below. PRIME: http://www.silicondust.com/support/hdhomerun/instructions/primewmc8/ATSC/QAM/DVBT: http://www.silicondust.com/support/hdhomerun/instructions/wmc8/
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Verizon and Redbox have already indicated that they hope to launch their Redbox Instant streaming service in the next couple of months, but other than stating that they plan to focus on movies rather than TV shows, the companies have not said much about the content they plan to offer. That’s beginning to change. Warner Bros. is the first major […]
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The recently announced Boxee TV is hitting the store shelves of the world’s largest retailer, Walmart. The Boxee team was teasing that they had lined up a major exclusive retail partner for the Boxee TV, and it sounds like Walmart won’t just be selling the Boxee TV, but will be helping out with some major promotion as well. In all […]
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As the glue in a well-equipped home theater, the audio video receiver (AVR) is a natural hub where audio and video processing can be consolidated into a single device alongside other functions like over the top (OTT) IP services. Onkyo has embraced this ideal with the 135 watts per channel TX-NR818, which offers decoding support for all of the modern […]
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There are a number of reasons why XBMC has risen to prominence and established itself as a premier media center frontend, including its rich codec support, platform versatility, and integrated media libraries, but perhaps the biggest reason is its exstensibility. There are hundreds of skins and add-ons available for XBMC to add new features, tap into new content, and […]
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