Details are a bit sparse, but it appears that the recent KB3004394 patch breaks content protection on Windows Media Center for all CableCARD / Digital Cable Tuners (DCT). Early word was that it affected all platforms, but Silicondust says it’s safe for Windows 8+. So if you’re running Windows 7 probably best to skip that one for a while.
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If, like me, you’re not really sold on putting everything in The Cloud. Relying on remote storage for all of your security camera footage is a concern so it is nice to see D-Link address this with a local endpoint for its IP surveillance cameras. $350 is a bit pricey, but as a device targeted more towards the small business […]
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Fractal Design makes outstanding cases for not a lot of money. No matter which one we review the outcome has always been the same – solid, well designed, and a great value. So it is great to see them iterating the focused-on-silence Define series with the new R5 which will only run $110-120 depending on whether you want a side […]
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There are many different types of home theater PC (HTPC) enclosures; with most falling somewhere in the spectrum between a throw-everything-including-a-big-O’-GPU-in-the-box and the small-silent-discrete varieties. Supporting only Thin-ITX motherboards the $160 Perfect Home Theater (PHT) T-ITX-6 is firmly located in the latter category. That’s not to say that expansion is strictly limited to just an optical disc drive (ODD) however, […]
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Back in April, we took a look at the 5-Bay NAS N5550 from Thecus, which was one of their first NAS units including an HDMI port to allow hybrid functionality by combining the reliability of a NAS with some of the features of a dedicated HTPC (home theater PC). With conventional hard drives reaching 6TB these days, support for five […]
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It isn’t safe to call it a glut, but we are increasingly spoiled for choice when it comes to 802.11AC routers. Choice is never a bad thing so it was great to see D-Link bringing an AC1900 (1300Mbps 5GHz + 600Mbps 2.4GHz) entrant, the DIR-880L, into the fray. At $175 street ($209 SRP) this wireless router/bridge is $10-$20 cheaper than […]
Read moreThere was a time when the whole ZigBee v. Bluetooth (BT) question would have been kind of silly. BT was very capable, but its power characteristics made unsuitable for the types of devices that a Home Automation (HA) protocol like ZigBee is intended to address. That has changed significantly over the last couple years, with BT LE (Low Energy) taking […]
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The rapid expansion of products in the Home Automation (HA) space this year has been amazing. As the “Internet of Things” gains ground, OEMs who have only dabbled in the past are focusing more on delivering holistic solutions. Today, NETGEAR becomes one of these vendors with their Arlo product line. Currently this only manifests as wireless video monitoring solution that […]
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For me, the most interesting thing about 802.11AC Wi-Fi comes down to bandwidth. While it can’t quite deliver the same speed and bullet-proof reliability as a full Cat6 wired installation, its capability comes at a fraction of the cost and much greater flexibility; dropping in an AC1750+ router + media bridge enables the same kind of “heavy” media consumption possibilities […]
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Fractal Design is best known for their outstanding PC chassis, but they also sell power supply units (PSU). I’ve haven’t had the pleasure of playing with one of theirs, but if it even comes close to the experience I’ve had with their enclosures it will definitely be on my shortlist the next time I need a modular PSU. Key Features […]
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