Microsoft WMC is dead, done, dusted. But that doesn’t mean that HTPC DVR users have to give up on CableCARD, SiliconDust is trying to build a solution, and now JRiver has started a Kickstarter campaign to see if there’s demand for a second Copy Once capable solution. It’s day 27 of 30, and they’re looking for $100K (which sounds about […]
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Kodi has done a fantastic job of never staying still, but release 16 is looking like an especially changeful rev. With DX11, event logging, long press support, and slew of other features. Official betas are generally pretty stable, so I’ll be doing the upgrade over the weekend. Only three weeks ago we announced 15.2 which is the last release of […]
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Even though the Chromecast isn’t a great standalone media streamer, it certainly does a decent job for a standin. This is even more true when traveling, as long as you also pack a travel router. I wouldn’t spend £30 on one of these, but for £30-£20 (Play credit) = £10 the price is just about right for what it does. […]
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There was a time when SageTV ruled the earth. Of all the HTPC DVR client/server applications it was the most flexible, featured, and my personal favorite. Like all good things, it came to an end after Google bought the company and euthanized the consumer product. We thought it was the end, and it was, until the spirit of FOSS breathed […]
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If I’m honest, I don’t really get the camera aspect of this light switch. I mean it’s cool and all, but as a light switch is in a fixed location it might not be optimal to monitor the room from where it is. The $299 DKZ-201S is packed with environmental sensors though, so from that perspective it makes a lot […]
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This isn’t the first review of QNAP’s 5-bay 10GbE NAS, but I always enjoy SNB reviews because of the throrough attention to performance testing. Scrolling through QNAP’s extensive listing of NASes, you can find a product to meet just about any need. Our more recent QNAP reviews have included “SMB” class products, including the high-end TVS-471Turbo NAS and mid-class TVS-463 […]
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AMD has struggled mightly over the last few years to define a niche where they could be profitable and sell CPU+GPU (aka APU or IPG depending on your preference) at the same time. This “Godvarai” based APU (AMD’s term) runs $118, so in the middle of AMD’s Kaveri lineup. Over the past couple of years, AMD has slowly released their […]
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With twelve tuners, multi-room, and 4K the Sky Q looks pretty slick. 2016 is just around the corner too, so it will be interesting to see how well it works, and how much it will cost in a couple months (probably more than I’ll want to spend). Yes, this is the same Sky satellite TV provider in the UK that […]
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I’ve never really seen the appeal of ChromeOS. My computing needs tend to run a bit more towards the power user end of the spectrum, but if you have a friend or family member who just wants to browse the web and do a bit of email $85/£90 + HDMI equipped monitor might just do the trick. Powered by the […]
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Ever since my Nexus 7 (2013) died, I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect replacement. Problem is, every Android tablet sucks, every single one. Too expensive, too cheap, poor screen resolution, lacking in storage, or expandability. There was always something that put a solid line through every option I found. Oddly the NVIDIA Shield K1, either the original or […]
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