Author Archives | Kevin
Kevin - who has written 163 posts on Floppyhead - Digital Media and Home Theater Computers.
Arcsoft TotalMedia Theatre: New Blu-ray/HD-DVD software for media centers
Over the last year, the clear leader in Blu-ray and HD-DVD playback on a computer has been Cyberlink’s PowerDVD Ultra. Finally, this month someone else has thrown their hat into the HD realm: Arcsoft with their release of TotalMedia Theatre. According to Arcsoft, TotalMedia Theatre supports Blu-ray discs, AVCHDs, CDs, VCDs, and a variety of [...]
Continue reading...Auzentech HDMI X-Tension Supports HDMI 1.3 and Dolby True HD
Friday, January 18, 2008
One of the more interesting CES press releases that flew under the radar was Auzentech’s announcement of the HDMI X-Tension. Sound cards have always been the weak link in an HTPC set-up, especially with the lack of HDMI 1.3 and Dolby True HD/DTS HD support. The HDMI X-Tension will be the first [...]
Continue reading...SageTV and HDHomerun | Setting Up Clear QAM
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
I recently purchased a HDHomerun (about $170) to watch and record unencrypted television shows from my cable provider. My cable modem is right next to my computer so I just added a splitter and connected a coaxial cable to the HDHomerun and cable modem. Setting up the HDHomerun requires two steps: 1) find unencrypted [...]
Continue reading...Sony TP25 HTPC | A Useless Design
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Sony announced the replacement to the VGX-XL3 media center pc, which is the dual CableCard TP25. The VGX-Xl3 was a sleek machine that looked like a high-end A/V component. It’s main flaws were the lack of an adequate video card and having only one digital cable tuner, instead of the expected two. The [...]
Continue reading...CyberLink PowerDVD Ultra | BD-Video Profile 1.1 Certified
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Cyberlink PowerDVD Ultra. the only viable option for watching Blu-ray or HD-DVDs on a computer, has been certified by the Blu-ray Disc Association to support playback of BD-Video Profile 1.1 specification. From the press release: CyberLink PowerDVD Ultra featuring support for BD-Video Profile 1.1 format allows the playback of high-definition movie content with multiple [...]
Continue reading...MediaPortal 2 Preview Release Now Available
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
MediaPortal is an Open Source application ideal for turning your PC into a media center PC. The latest version of MediaPortal has been released as a “preview” version. From the website: MediaPortal II is a total re-write of the core application and plugin system. A new core framework allows all parts of the system to [...]
Continue reading...‘Jackass’ Movie to Test Internet Video Distribution
Friday, December 14, 2007
Jackass 2.5, starring Johnny Knoxville and his band of merry men, will be launched on the Internet on December 19 and will be subsequently released on DVD. Instead of being a straight to DVD release, it is a straight to Internet release. According to the Associated Press: Blockbuster Inc. will present “Jackass 2.5″ free of [...]
Continue reading...Digeo Announces Moxi TV for PC
Friday, December 7, 2007
Some interesting news broke today regarding Digeo’s Moxi, a high-end DVR about to hit the retail market. In addition to a standalone hardware version of the Moxi, Digeo will be release a PC software version as well. From Digeo’s press release: Moxi TV for PC offers the same award-winning Moxi Menu and a new, [...]
Continue reading...Dell to Make Digital Cable Tuners Standard on New PCs
Thursday, December 6, 2007
According to PCMag, Dell is planning on re-entering the Digital Cable Tuner market by this summer. Currently, Dell is not offering consumers the option to buy DCTs since the XPS 420 is not approved by CableLabs. Dell’s new strategy will be a slight deviation from most OEM’s. DCTs require two things: 1) an upgraded BIOS [...]
Continue reading...Optoma Releases HD803 | 1080p Projector Less than $2600
Sunday, December 2, 2007
I try to pay close attention to the price of 1080p projectors. My ultimate plan is finish my basement and use a ceiling mounted projector as part of my home theater set-up. Several manufacturers are shipping 1080p projectors for around $2500. Optoma is the latest company to join Epson in the 1080p with [...]
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Thursday, January 31, 2008
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