Leaked benchmarks of AMD’s upcoming Ryzen CPU look very promising. The system used in the review again used a basic MSI A320 AM4 mainboard with no overclocking and 16GB of 2400MHz DDR4. We really want to know at this point what the Ryzen chips would do when crammed into a high-end board with high-end RAM and overclocked. There are a […]
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If you have DSL at home the new ASUS DSL-AC88U provides an integrated approach to providing internet connectivity from a single device. What makes this guy particularly interesting is that it also has a WAN port, so if you decide to drop the DSL when cable comes to down you won’t have to eBay it. Also, while it’s not mentioned […]
Read moreReference designs aren’t intrinsically news, but since they are an essential tool to enable product flexibilty (i.e. smaller OEMs can play too). I think it’s worth highlighting this announcement. Afterall, who doesn’t want to see a plethera of 4K 60Hz 4:4:4 devices; creating a more competative market :). Valens and Lattice Semiconductor Partner to Deliver HDBaseT Reference Design to […]
Read moreIt’s not a huge drawback if you only use your Ethernet network for A/V, but if you have other goals HDBaseT’s exclusive use of the HW is a limitation. Or, was a limitation. Because the technology will now work over IP networks. Now it will probably take a while for product to hit the market, so we’ll be sure to […]
Read moreSilconDust promised it, and it’s certainly taken longer than expected, but if you’ve been waiting for protected CableCARD content support from the HDHomeRun DVR you can finally dive in. If you have an XBox One, or are one of the lucky Windows 10 users where it works. Details are a bit light on what separates the have/have nots on W10, […]
Read moreIt looks like those UltraHD Blu-ray drives from Pioneer will come with a copy of CyberLinks UHD support PowerDVD (huzzah!), with retail copies available for purchase sometime later. CyberLink didn’t mention how much said retail copy would be, but they did note that only the latest (and greatest) Intel Kaby Lakes would be able to handle it – more details […]
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It should come as no surprise that the first OEM with UltraHD Blu-ray drives will be Pioneer. It is news that there will be two models ranging from ~$200-$300, and only Windows 10 will be supported. Should go nicely with that copy of PowerDVD. Ultra HD Blu-ray (UHD BD) discs hold 4K video content and the new drives use Serial […]
Read moreIf you’re not planning to use your HTPC as a gaming rig, opting for a full-height chassis is a waste :). Finding the right low-profile HSF to cool the CPU can be a major challenge though… If you’re in that boat, Anandtech has a look at three different height coolers that might make the selection process easier. Whether the focus […]
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I prefer to build my own HTPC, but not everyone has the time or desire to do that. Fortunately companies like Steiger Dynamics provide options, including three new Kaby Lake models announced at CES. With different sizes and configs they should have most use cases covered… Encased in the award-winning hand-brushed aluminum LEET Mk2 and MAVEN Mk2 chassis, LEET and […]
Read moreAnother CES, another set of NUCs announced. I must say I also like the darker chassis, but it concerns me tha tthe renders don’t appear to have CIR built in. If that is the case, it would be a big minus for their HTPC use. Early generation NUCs were interesting, though not necessarily exciting due to their limitations. However, NUCs […]
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