I’ve been in a bit of a motherboard funk ever since Intel announced that they were leaving the business. While other OEMs make solid kit, none have embraced the the HTPC niche in the same way that Intel has. It looks like that may be changing though, because it looks like ASUS may have picked up the mantle with their […]
Read moreI’m not surprised by HDTVTest’s finding that 97% of people could correctly identify a 4K display vs. 1080p, but I have to admit that they did it at 9′ on a set of 55″ displays was surprising. In my experience it’s only really obvious after 65″. They were fairly scientific in setting up the test to ensure it was as […]
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Nothing can deliver the raw capability of Gigabit Ethernet when it comes to pushing large amounts of data around the home. Unfortunately, in many homes it just is not practical to pull Cat-6 through the walls, so other methods must be found to enable the demands of a fully functional media consumption network. Where many other low-installation-effort home networking technologies […]
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Over the last few years Fractal Design has cultivated a reputation for delivering intelligent, quiet, and well-built PC cases that do not require breaking the bank. With solid steel construction, ample storage options, and three hydraulic bearing Silent Series R2 fans (2x 120mm, 1x 140mm) included, we should expect the ARC MINI R2 Micro-ATX case to continue this tradition. However […]
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One of the frustrating things about many desktop motherboards is that they don’t come with a built in TPM module. I can understand why, as this is more useful for enterprise and mobile installations. Many do come with the necessary header, like the Intel DH87RL, but I haven’t been able to find a module to plug into it. Until now… […]
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Normally I wouldn’t get to excited about a new player app, but with the just announced alpha of Media Browser Theater claiming support for madVR, lav Filters and Reclock there is a lot of potential to marry a slick media browsing UI with the consumption chops to back it up. I haven’t had a chance to look at the code, […]
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We we travel it’s not uncommon for my kids to gather around one of the tablets to watch a little Netflix. So I can completely understand the use case for a speaker kit like the FAVI Boomerang. Not only does it provide better, directional speakers it also removes the who-get-to-hold-the-tablet problem :). Full PR after the click. Wrap Your […]
Read moreHDTVtest makes a compelling case for why Panasonic would stop making plasmas, but I can’t help but feel that OLED isn’t quite ready to replace it in their display lineup. I want to believe that OLED and 4K are their path forward, but I have to wonder if it’s not more about Panasonic’s health as a company than anything else. […]
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There have been rumors that Panasonic was done with plasma floating around for quite a while, but it’s official now. They’re done. The lines are shutting down and, come March, we won’t be able to buy a new Panasonic Plasma Display Panel (PDP) anymore. If it had been any other vendor, we would have paused for a moment of silence […]
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Selecting an efficient power supply unit (PSU) can have a significant affect on system power consumption. I’ve never taken the time to compare bronze and platinum rated PSU, so it was nice to see a quick comparison between the two. To be fair, it wasn’t controlled enough to make any broad conclusions (a larger sample size would be required for […]
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