All Articles Tagged Media Center

Julie Jacobson | 10/16 02:52 PM, 9 Comments

Boxee’s new Boxee TV could be a game changer with its $99 price point, dual HDTV tuners, input for antenna or basic cable service, electronic programming guide (EPG), pre-loaded apps and – the kicker – a DVR that records TV content automatically to the cloud for access from virtually any Web browser. The service costs $14.99, and it is truly unlimited. Conceivably, you could record two channels simultaneously all day every day. It definitely has the potential to triumph in cord-cutting circles, but there’s one big drawback: You cannot record… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 05/07 05:48 AM, 6 Comments

Last month, we learned Microsoft would not include Windows Media Center in the default version of Windows 8. Now we learn the company is dropping DVD playback software from the new OS. Consumers who want these two features will either have to pay Microsoft for an upgrade package or find alternative solutions. Windows Media Player will continue to be offered in all versions of Windows 8, but without DVD playback capability, reports PC World. And since Media Center is absent by default in Windows 8, users won’t have TV tuner… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 04/17 08:50 AM, 20 Comments

Just when you thought Windows Media Center was dead, Ceton Corp. and DTS announce a new Media Center Extender that delivers streaming media from a Windows 7 PC to multiple TVs in the home. The product, called Ceton Echo, is being introduced at the NAB show 2012 this week. Windows Media Center has fallen in and out of favor as a DVR and streaming media system. Proponents like the extensibility, the user interface and the lack of monthly fees; detractors say that PCs are too unstable as an entertainment solution,… View this story

Eyal Kattan | 06/08 09:14 AM, 3 Comments

There has been a lot of controversy over the release of Microsoft Windows 8. Will it succeed? Is it doomed for the same faith as Windows Vista? As we all know, Windows Vista failed to catch the attention of the market. OK, maybe it caught too much attention – negative attention – and was rejected by both home users and companies. Many would say Windows 7 is what Vista should have been, as Windows 7 was crowned as the most selling Windows OS ever within one year of its launch… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 11/24 06:26 AM, 23 Comments

Microsoft gave up on Windows Media Center almost two years ago, and we should really just get over it. But the neglect of the once-vaunted platform continues to tug at the heartstrings. Now comes Evoluce, a German multitouch development firm that illustrates the sad state of WMC in a new mockumentary called “Windows 7 gets ‘Minority Report’ Treatment.” In the YouTube video, a user navigates Media Center using gestures. One hand waves around like a mouse, while the other hand pushes to "click." In this way, the user can navigate… View this story

Robert Archer | 11/11 11:12 AM, 6 Comments

VidaBox's TouchClient20 ($2,999) all-in-one Media Center touchpanel offers a lot for the price. Over the past couple of years, as many companies have separated themselves from Microsoft's Media Center, VidaBox has hung in there. The small, tech company has wrangled new and interesting products from the platform, including its innovative TouchClient20 all-in-one device. VidaBox's TouchClient20 ($2,999) combines the standard functions of a 20-inch HDTV with the functionality of Media Center and streaming media. Features It's easier to list what the TouchClient20 doesn't do than what it does. The full Media… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 09/20 05:08 AM, 9 Comments

Niveus Media, one of the early champions of Windows Media Center, has discontinued its line of WMC-based hardware, including Media Center PCs and extenders. Back in 2003, when WMC – then known as Media Center Edition – showed some promise as a living-room PC, Niveus began making products that compensated for the platform’s shortcomings. The pricey Niveus boxes employed high-performance processors, quiet fans, and special software that masked the bad stuff that comes with Microsoft territory. For a few years, WMC was all the rage in the custom installation market,… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 06/25 09:13 AM, 0 Comments

S1Digital P250 thin client Media Center Good news, S1Digital owners. Your ProLine Series Media Centers will be able to play 3D Blu-ray movies via an update in July. All products in the line (S800, P600 and P500) will support the format so users can enjoy an extra dimension on any 3D-enabled TV with active shutter glasses, according to the company. The entire ProLine has been “refreshed” with more internal storage, and the P600 and P500 have been upgraded to support lossless audio bitstreaming of DTS Master Audio and Dolby True… View this story

Arlen Schweiger | 06/24 10:25 AM, 0 Comments

We love it when Microsoft and Apple play nice. Sometimes it takes some third-party intervention to bring the corporate giants together, so fans of one can still use the other’s products if need be. That’s what VidaBox has done with its media server controls. The manufacturer of Microsoft Windows Media Centers has jumped on the iPad bandwagon, debuting its iPad Media Center controls this week at the Asian Pacific CEDIA Expo; the company says it’s the first “to offer such a solution for Windows-based Media Centers.” “We’re all absolutely thrilled… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 04/08 11:11 AM, 0 Comments

VidaBox may be the first server manufacturer to take advantage of Escient’s demise, but others will surely follow. This just landed in my inbox: VidaBox Announces Discount & Trade-in Programs for Former Escient, Axonix, and Xperinet Dealers For dealers who want to trade in their existing equipment, VidaBox will be offering a $500 credit for any VS-100 or VS-200 system, or a $250 credit for any VC-1 system for up to 3 units. Alternatively, former authorized dealers of the three brands who need media servers for upcoming projects can receive… View this story