Niveus and Lifeware are developing the first and only Media Center products that support eight CableCards and 10 Media Center Extenders, doubling the capacity of other Windows Media Center machines.

For everyone else, Media Center supports only four CableCards and five Extenders (active Extenders, that is – only five can be used simultaneously).

Both Niveus and Lifeware have worked with Microsoft to enable these capabilities, which are not part of the new Media Center TV Pack or any formal Microsoft program at this time.

Lifeware's solution, dubbed "High Density TV" is the LMS-810, which supports two internal CableCards and up to six external CableCards (via the Lifetune Server LTS-600).


Lifeware's Lifetuner with six CableCards

Niveus, on the other hand, relies solely on external CableCard boxes. "We've gone completely outboard with tuners, especially because…

On-Q/Legrand, known primarily for its structured wiring systems, is coming out with a sweet new whole-house music/communications system called Unity.

The system combines whole-house music, intercom and CCTV functionality into an elegant touchscreen interface, with an option for TV-based access.

Hard to believe that such an elegant product is coming from a purveyor of cable and metal cans, but it's true.

When On-Q was acquired by Legrand in 2005, it picked up a cousin in BTicino, another Legrand property. Based in Italy, BTicino produces lighting controls, intercoms, and other communication systems – all with classic European styling.

"You'll finally see style showing up in our products," said Steve Schoffstall, On-Q VP of marketing last year at the Electronic House Expo, where the company debuted its new selective call intercom system.

Earlier this year, On-Q combined its stylish new designs into an umbrella brand called The…

The patents are filed, and Chief Manufacturing is now poised to launch the thinnest thin TV mounts ever.

The company gave CE Pro the first look at its new family of Thinstall flat-panel mounts called Thinstall Universal, available in tilt and fixed models.

Chief's original Thinstall mount – the one you see in the advertisements with a penny shown for reference – were pretty thin, with a depth of only .49 inches.

The problem was that the product was made for a single display, the Hitachi Ultra Thin TV.

The new models are universal, which is a good thing given all of the ultra-flat TVs now on the market.

Plus, they're even thinner than the originals, leaving only a .39-inch gap between the back of…

When a center channel simply cannot be installed in the right place, Destination Audio's new ALW583 in-wall speakers can effectively create a center channel from the left and right speakers.

Sometimes it can be darn near impossible to install a center speaker in the right place, what with wall framing, fireplace mantles, furniture and other obstacles.

In those instances, Destination claims that its ALW583s "can adequately provide a discreet center channel from the left and right front speaker without the use of a separate center channel speaker.”

How does it work? Marketing director Daren Egan explains to CE Pro:

The ALW583 has two sets of inputs. One input is for the upper section which includes the two woofers and upper tweeter. The other input is for the lower woofer and tweeter section. When used in a pair, the left ALW583 is wired to both the left and center channel outputs of the surround receiver or amplifier. The…

Panasonic appears be the first company to present a live demonstration of a tru2way television hooked up to a compatible cable service.

At CEDIA Expo 2008 in Denver, the CE manufacturer will show a tru2way plasma connected to the local Comcast cable system, which supports the new interactive service.

"This is off of the real cable head end," says Richard Green, president and CEO of CableLabs, the cable consortium that has been working for about six years on two-way interactive cable. "As far as I know, this is the first real demo."

Among big CE players, Panasonic was the earliest and most enthusiastic supporter of tru2way (formerly OpenCable or OCAP), which will presumably replace the one-way CableCard solution.

"The difference between tru2way and CableCard TV is quite dramatic," says Bob Perry, Senior VP, Panasonic Display Company. "A tru2way television is actually a computer of sorts. When you activate your television on a local cable…

The dilemma: You crave NetStreams touchscreens to go along with your DigiLinx IP-based A/V distribution system, but you don't have the budget.

The solution: NetStreams' new TouchLinX TLA250 touchpad.

A small OLED window on the TLA250 displays metadata from audio sources and feedback for home control.

Most of the real estate, though, is consumed by a sexy glass faceplate with capacitive touch controls. Beneath the glass … the consumer's choice of colorful slicks that can blend with any décor.

"I can’t tell you how many times I’ve talked to a designer who has lamented the ugly faceplates that electronics provide," says Sanjay Castelino, NetStreams VP of marketing.

In the case of the TLA25, there are no faceplates.

The unit ships with black, white, almond and light-almond background options. Users can order any of over 1,000 Pantone colors if the standard palette doesn't fit the bill.

"This…

NuVo made a splash two years ago when it introduced the sexy new ControlPad touchpads for its Concerto and (more recently) Essentia multiroom audio systems.

Now the company is bringing the same functionality (and more) to a handheld wireless controller about the size of a cell phone.

As with the ControlPads, the wireless unit displays metadata on the screen, whether music is streaming from a PC (via MusicPort), AM/FM tuner, satellite radio, iPod or some other source connected to a Concerto or Essentia system.

"It has all of the functionality of the keypads and more," says NuVo CTO Rick Kukulies.

The "more" has to do with multizone control. Unlike the ControlPads, the wireless device can control any zone of the house – a necessity since the unit is mobile, unlike the in-wall keypads.

The wireless unit features the same bright OLED display as its in-wall counterparts, helping…

Control4 is going squarely after the makers of RF universal remotes with its most affordable control system yet – the $499 HC-200.

Like most RF remotes in that price range, the HC-200 includes an RF hub and a handheld remote – both utilizing ZigBee wireless technology, a hallmark of Control4 solutions.

Unlike other similar solutions, though, Control4's product is also a whole-house controller that can operate lights, thermostats, matrix switchers, amps, security systems and other products from Control4 and partners.

Likewise, the hub can communicate two ways with other Control4 interfaces including touchscreens and keypads.

Of course, the big thing that Control4 has that RTI, URC, Logitech (Harmony), UEI and other remote providers don't have is a TV interface. Using the HC-200 remote, users can access their music library, browse movies in a connected DVD changer, set the thermostats, and perform other home-control feats via the TV interface.

The system can also…

Lifeware is launching an all-in-one Lifemedia Server (LMS) that packs Windows Media Center, a 5.1 surround-sound amplifier, and ZigBee control technology into a single box.

The new LMS-170 series of media servers will debut at CEDIA Expo 2008.

"We think it's perfect for a single room," says Lifeware CEO Seale Moorer. "This is our in-and-out-without-a-doubt box."

Moorer says that Lifeware, developer of home automation solutions based on Media Center, has received many requests lately for ZigBee mesh-networking capabilities. Rather than rely on a ZigBee dongle ("I don't like dongles; they're messy," says Moorer), Lifeware decided to build the technology into a new entry-level box that also includes surround sound.

In particular, says Moorer, many Lifeware dealers are integrating Media Centers with ZigBee-enabled lighting controls from Centralite. With ZigBee built into the LMS-170 line, the servers can communicate…

Crestron has a Cat 5 switching solution that apparently fixes everything that is wrong with HDMI, from switching lags to HDCP authentication to distance limitations and more.

The technology is part of Crestron's new DigitalMedia line, which includes the DM-MD8X8 and DM-MD16X16 switchers in 8x8 and 16x16 configurations, respectively.

The switchers are modular solutions with card slots that accommodate virtually any type of input.

A full selection of switcher input cards, wall plate transmitters, and room controllers provides extensive connectivity throughout the home, supporting a complete range of analog and digital signal types.

DigitalMedia manages all of the different signals and devices, matching each source’s output to the capabilities of the selected display(s) without using scaling or compression.

Crestron claims that very signal is preserved in its native video resolution and audio format, ensuring a lossless signal path throughout.

The DigitalMedia…