In the last year or so, the only version of Windows that seems to have given Windows Media Center a whole lot of love is Windows 7 Embedded. Windows Media Center was a showcase feature in Windows 7 Embedded Standard and pitched at set-top box OEMs. Windows 7 Embedded Standard even included OEM-only tools for customizing WMC’s start menu and […]
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Google is expected to announce their iTunes competitor, Google Music, tomorrow. As has become de rigueur for major tech announcements, the interwebs have been crackling with rumors and potential leaks. When Google sent out the invitations for the announcement, there were already rumors circling that Google was having trouble finalizing agreements with the four major labels. At this point, the only […]
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The release of iOS 5 also brought the official launch of Apple’s iCloud service. From the start, one of the more anticipated iCloud features has been iTunes Match. With iTunes Match, iCloud users can store up to 25,000 songs online. The service costs $24.99 and requires the freshly released iTunes 10.5.1 which will scan your music library and match your […]
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About a week ago we commented on Netflix gaining exclusive streaming rights to MGM’s first-run movies in anticipation of Netflix’s launch in the UK and Ireland. Netflix is looking for every advantage it can find against the deeply entrenched LOVEFiLM streaming service. At the time we suggested that we would likely hear about more such agreements. Turns out we didn’t […]
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Intel isn’t the only CPU manufacturer launching new platforms. VIA recently announced the VE-900 Mini-ITX motherboard geared toward low-powered media PCs. VIA doesn’t get alot of attention these days, but they have been focused on small integrated systems for a while now. The Nano X2 processor and VX 900 media processor that team up on the VE-900 board probably wouldn’t […]
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Those crazy engineers over at Intel are at it again. They have officially launched the followup to Sandy Bridge, the Sandy Bridge-E, along with the new X79 chipset to support it. Sandy Bridge-E looks set to bring some nice performance increases, at least at the high end. Of course, these new Sandy Bridge-E processors aren’t likely to make their way […]
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It doesn’t happen often, but I don’t currently have any Nvidia GPUs in my house and so I haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing the problem of WMC throwing a black screen during playback. If you have been experiencing black screen issues during playback on your Nvidia equipped HTPC, it might be a good idea to download Nvidia’s 285.79 drivers. […]
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Grooveshark has undertaken a major overhaul of their website and service to bring social elements to the forefront. The company says their first goal is to facilitate the creation of connections between music fans with increased social interactions. The next step will be to connect artists to fans. The revamped site includes artist pages that provide links to upcoming events […]
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Google has a digital music locker in beta, but rumors have been swirling for a while that Google has been working to put together a music service to compete with iTunes. It looks like Google is prepared to finally reveal their efforts. Google has sent out an invitation for November 16 referencing the Spinal Tap joke about loudspeakers that turn […]
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Over the last couple of years, as I have striven to build smaller and quieter HTPCs, I have come to appreciate the size and acoustic advantages of 2.5″ laptop hard drives. The smaller drive platters result in better performance at lower spindle speeds. The only thing you give up to a desktop drive is storage capacity, and even that advantage […]
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