Posted in Guides, HDTV, Media Center on February 14th, 2007 1 Comment »
Most people assume you need either cable or DirecTV to get high definition television channels. In every major city in the U.S., the major television networks broadcast in high definition (1080i or 720p). Reception of this high definition signal is free and requires two things: an ASTC HD tuner and an antenna. [...]
Posted in HDTV on February 4th, 2007 3 Comments »
With an antenna and an ATSC tuner, receiving high definition (HD) over the air is free and is perfect for watching primetime television and sporting events, especially since most sporting events are broadcast in HD. If you have a HDTV, there is no need to pay for cable when you can get crystal-clear reception [...]
Posted in HDTV, Media Center on February 1st, 2007 4 Comments »
I am confused. The purpose of a CableCard reader is to allow people to record high definition television. In theory, if I have a CableCard reader, I do not need a cable box. So why would I want an external CableCard reader that attaches to my computer? Let me get this straight: [...]
Posted in HDTV, Media Center, Vista Media Center on January 29th, 2007 2 Comments »
Microsoft has its sights set on your living room with the release of Vista, the latest version of Windows. High definition programming is the wave of the future, and Vista’s media center offers support for the next generation of DVDs, HD-DVDs and Blu-ray discs, and cable high defintion channels through CableCard. In order to ensure [...]
Posted in HDTV, Media Center, Vista Media Center on January 28th, 2007 1 Comment »
digg_url = http://digg.com/software/Is_Microsoft_relying_on_DRM_cracks_and_piracy_to_sell_media_centers; Microsoft has its sights set on your living room with the release of Vista, the latest version of Windows. High definition programming is the wave of the future, and Vista’s media center offers support for the next generation of DVDs, HD-DVDs and Blu-ray discs, and cable high [...]
Posted in HDTV, Media Center, Vista Media Center on January 16th, 2007 2 Comments »
Windows Home Server is an upcoming operating system from Microsoft, and appears to be an important cog in Redmond’s attempt to dominate your living room. With features aimed at the home user, WHS could be an interesting addition to the “digital” home. From Microsoft’s Press release:
Delivered on hardware from leading partners, Windows [...]
Posted in HDTV, Media Center, Vista Media Center on January 13th, 2007 2 Comments »
Snapstream is currently working on updating BeyondTV (which is a program that lets you watch HDTV on your computer) to be fully Vista compatible with Beyond TV 4.6, testing. Currently in beta, the updates will extend beyond just Vista comptability with bug fixes of FSGUI cpu spikes, static/video distortion/audio distortion at the [...]
Posted in HDTV on January 3rd, 2007 1 Comment »
I have a co-worker who purchased a HDTV for several thousand dollars but was not actually watching high definition programming. She and her husband were uncertain about how to get HD programming and they did not want to pay the extra monthly fee from their cable provider. Surprisingly, this anecdote is representative of a [...]
Posted in HDTV, Vista Media Center on December 12th, 2006 2 Comments »
The main new feature of Windows Vista Media Center is the addition of CableCARD support. By using CableCARD, you will be able to view high definition television through your computer. Recently, I have been using an indoor antenna to receive high definition broadcast television on my Dell 24″ widescreen monitor. With my [...]
Posted in HDTV, Media Center, Vista Media Center on December 2nd, 2006 3 Comments »
Microsoft’s Vista is an important step in the evolution of the media center and the home theater computer since it will support CableCARD and HD DVD’s ‘Managed Copy.’ I have discussed Vista’s CableCARD implementation alot on this site but have not talked at all about HD DVD support. So exactly what is ‘Managed [...]