|
|
The Digital Lifestyle Video Show is a video accompaniment to The Media Center Show. Featuring videos of Media Center applications and coverage of this years CES show
-
HP are launching a new Media Center Extender products called the MediaSmart Connect. It is not just a Media Center Extender it is also a digital media adapter that can stream content from both Vista and XP. One thing I like is from the Connect UI content from multiple devices are pooled together so if you go in to videos you can see videos from your Media Center PC, Home Server and other devices such as laptops. In this video I unbox the pre-production unit, I take a look at setup, Windows Media Center performance and the Connects own user interface which is very slick.
|
-
-
I final setup my HP MediaSmart Windows Home Server. I recorded the process which from start to finish took under an hour,  thankfully for you I edited this down to around 20 minutes. The video shows how simple it was setting up the Home Server especially considering it's a headless unit. HP have added some extra software on top of the standard OS like iTunes serving and photo sharing plus a task pane for getting the server setup
Sorry the video is a bit dark at the end, I think I need to get some lights!
|
-
I have been recording music with my HP TC1100 Tablet PC for a while so I thought it may be interesting to show how well the Tablet PC form factor works for me. Since using the tablet I use more virtual instruments and my other keyboards are being used more as controllers for the PC. Using the Pen with music software feels more natural that using a mouse and keyboard. You will also be able to see from the video how the tablet PC fits on the top of my keyboard stand as a integral part of my music system.
To connect the Tablet PC to the rest of the system I have a EDIROL UM2 USB midi controller and a EDIROL M100FX USB mixer, the M100FX is a great piece of kit as it's not only a mixer it's also the sound card for the Tablet PC as the onboard sound card does not have enough power to do the real time audio processing.
So here is a short look at how the Tablet PC works for me
Technorati Tags: Tablet PC, Music
|
-
-
Now that I have the video out on Linksys' DMA2100 I thought I would try the DMA2200. This is the big brother of the 2100 and includes an upscaling DVD Player. (You can read my first impression in here)
This video shows the unboxing of the DMA2200, the setup process and getting it working with my Media Center system.
|
-
I was about to packup the Linksys DMA2100 and unbox the 2200 when I thought it would be interesting to compare the Extender function of the Xbox 360 with the Linksys DMA2100. So with both extenders connected up to my TV I made a side by side comparison of the two users interfaces. I tried standard TV and some hi def content.
My next video will be the unboxing and setup of the DMA2200
|
-
-
This is my last video from the 2008 CES. Tim Cutting from Niveus and I walked the show floor looking at Extenders and had some fun searching for Sideshow devices.
Lookout for a Niveus product announcement at the end where Tim mentioned a free application from Niveus
In the video we looked some Niveus products, Media Center Extenders and one one Sideshow device we could find.
The URL for Companion is here. http://niveusmedia.com/software/Companion/companion3.html
|
-
This is a very short video looking at Samsung's Media Center Extender. Samsung's Extender only works with selected models of their TVs so I tried to find out some more information, I managed to get quick chat with a PR guy on Samsung's booth. I wasn't allowed to film the face of the PR guys so that is why there are lots of shots of the Extender 
Hopefully I can get more details for a future show
|
-
When I looked at Sony's Bluray Media Center System I thought the load time of Bluray movies was slow and that put me off it a little. So I was impressed with Cutting Edge PC'S new Media Center System on show at CES. In this video we look at HD-DVD and Bluray performance on their system, which was very good.
You can find out more at CuttingEdgePCs.com and I will be interviewing them in a couple of months for The Media Center Show
|
-
At CES Linksys where showing off their new Extenders and part of the demo was of home security using mControl from Embedded Automation. Say take a look at this video all running on an Extender showing off IP security cameras.
There is a bit of flickering on the screen when showing the TV, it could be a 50hz/60hz problem but I never saw it with any other TVs
Only a few CES videos left to post :) 
|
-
At CES I interviewed Alex Thatcher from HP for the The Media Center Show. While I was there I recorded some video of HP's new Media Center Extender and their latest Media Center TV. In the video I show the user interface of HP's own MediaSmart software and how well Media Center works on it. Check out the video and make your own mind up
|
-
I wasn't able to do a full video review as I would have liked, for some reason Ricavision would allow audio interviews and not video. You would think they want to show off their latest remotes! Anyway I did a sneak video of the remote and the interview will be out Thursday on The Media Center Show
Sideshow functions on a remote are great is does seem expensive to me at $349
You can buy online at www.ricavisionplix.com
|
-
While everybody crowded around the Microsoft Surface demos I talked to Microsoft's Robotics team next to the Surface guys. They are doing some interesting stuff with Robotics and automation.
Robotics Studio has a great visual tool for developing Robot applications and it's not just about Robotics. You can also use it with home automation as David Lee explains in the video he can control his TV with it. I can see some opportunities for Media Center development, the visual tool uses building blocks based on events and you can drag and drop the blocks around. Imagine having it linked with home automation, so when you press Play in Media Center the software can detect it, turn the lights down, close the blinds and have your Robot bring you a drink
They also have an Robot emulator so you don't have to own any hardware to get started
Robotics Studio is a free download at MSDN
|
-
While walking the floor with Richard Miller (a Windows Media Center MVP) we found Fuze Media's booth. They have an interesting whole home system that combines parts of Windows Media Center with some of there own code. It adds distributed audio and video and removes some other elements of Media Center. Richard was impressed with the streaming of Live TV to multiple systems (PC based), watch the video form more info
So Richard and I asked Fuze about their system
|
-
The biggest crowd as CES was around the Microsoft Surface demos. So I pushed through the crowd and grabbed some video. I liked the puzzle and the phone store demo. Later this year the tables should start showing up in T-Mobile stores in the US
|
-
I posted this on my blog, but I forgot to post it here and I know a lot of people subscribe to this feed for videos, so here it is.
This is a sneek video I did while on the tour of the NextGen Home at CES yesterday. The tour takes you around a home all connected together with Home Automation from Life|ware, Media Center and Lutron lighting control.
The home is staffed by actors each showing Media Center and Home Automation if differing situations. This video is of the living room showing off home automation and Media Center. It's a bit cheesy but its fun and they did a good job showing off the features without going technical
|
-
The Digital Lifestyle.com video show is sponsored by Embedded Automation
10ft Media make Media Center systems for consumers and businesses, they even install systems in dentists. A few weeks ago they were on The Media Center Show and we chatted about their systems. In this video I take a look at one of their systems, I hooked it up to my 50" Sony LCD TV and my Denon AV receiver.
So take a look at the video where I look inside and outside the unit
|
-
I love the new Zune update and one of my favorite features is the easy syncing of Recorded TV from Media Center. So in this video I take a look at how the feature works and what it looks like on the Zune.
There are a couple of minor things I would change, like having a "Send To Zune" option in Media Center Recorded TV, but overall the new feature does work well. You can also see my detailed look at the speed of conversion in this blog post.
|
-
The Digital Lifestyle.com video show is sponsored by Embedded Automation
In this video I take a look at Tranquil's T7-HSA Home Server. This is a headless and fanless Windows Home Server.
Tranquil were one of the first to market with Windows Home Server and this is a great example of the simplicity of the platform
This recording was streamed live November 6th thanks to everyone that joined in the live session, it made it a very interactive session and you can catch more live sessions at live.TheDigitalLifestyle.com
T7-HSA Tranquil Harmony Home Server is available at Tranquil's online store
Price: £338.00 (Excluding VAT at 17.5%)
|
-
Watch this video in HQ WMV (I am testing a download service from Blip.tv so let me know if you have any problems)
Specialtech.co.uk sent me a Omaura TF8 Home Theatre PC chassis to look at, and it was interesting to compare it to the Sony Xl302 Media Center PC I reviewed a couple of weeks ago. So in this short video I talk a look at the case and see how it would fit in with a AV rack. I also take a sneak  peak inside the unit.
Thanks to SpecialTech for the review unit.
Price: £131.48 , inc VAT 17.5%, for TheDigitalLifestyle.com readers if you pre-order the case you get free shipping, tell them you came from here.
I would also like to welcome mControl as the new sponsor for The Digital Lifestyle.com Video Show
|
-
Watch this video in HQ WMV
Vidabox are known for the premium Media Center systems and in this video I take a look at their latest wireless keyboard. It's a lightweight remote keyboard with trackball (800dpi) and is very nice to use. The keyboard never misses a beat unlike my Microsoft Media Center remote keyboard (which also has a totally useless mouse pointer). It comes with it's own USB receiver that uses a radio signal rather than RF so there are do dead spots. Have a look at the video you will see how it compares with the Microsoft keyboard and some of my other videos. It retails at $69.99 from Vidabox's online store.
Wireless Keyboard with Trackball Specifications:
· 30-foot (10m) wireless range
· Compact form factor with integrated 800 dpi optical trackball pointing
device and mouse buttons
· Auto-shutoff feature preserves battery life
· Requires 3 AA batteries (alkaline or rechargeable - included)
· Battery Life: Two (2) month stand-by time
· High performance, high frequency wireless allows minimal dropped
signals/dead zones
· Premium anti-dust keyboard pouch included
· Dimensions: 12.83" x 5.04" x .97" (326mm x 128mm x 24.72mm)
· Weight: 1.13lbs (512 grams)
More information from Vidabox 
|
-
-
-
This show looks at the settings used for Recording TV and how to optimize Media Center to not fill up your hard disk with recording while ensuring that you don't miss your favorite shows.
This video will be great for new Media Center users and experienced users may find some settings they had forgotten
Taken from my book "Using Microsoft Windows Vista Media Center"
|
-
Nial Ginsbourg posted a video of his great new application "Big Screen Photos v2" on MSN Soapbox. Nial kindly allowed me to host a high quality WMV version to show the program off in all its glory and a lower quality WMV version for people unable to view the Soapbox version
For more details checkout Nial's blog post
 Format: wmv
Duration: --:--
|
-
I recently got hold of a Samsung Q1 Ultra Mobile PC and have been impressed by its media capabilities. So I have made a short video looking at three different options for consuming media on the UMPC. First up is the Origami Experience, a program by Microsoft designed for the UMPC form factor, then I took a look at running Windows Media Center on a UMPC and it works surprising well. Finally I looked at using Orb's 10 foot interface on the UMPC which is a great way of getting your Media Center content on to your UMPC over the Internet
I used this guide to share Recorded TV from my Media Center PC to the UMPC
|
-
Part 2 of 2
This is part two of my look at Windows Home Server. In part one I looked at the Windows Home Server console and this week I am looking at restoring a file from a backup, the web based user interface and remote access functions.
For more info on Windows Home Server listen to The Media Center Show #97
 Format: wmv
Duration: 08:08
|
-
Part 1 of 2
I have been interested in Windows Home Server since it was announced at CES and so as soon as I could get hold of the beta bits I did. In this video I walk through the features of the Windows Home Server console, looking at Shared Folders, Users accounts and Backups.
In part 2 I will be looking at restoring items from a backup, taking a look at web based UI and the remote desktop functions.
More info on Windows Home Server on this weeks Media Center Show - The Media Center Show #97 - Todd Headrick on Windows Home Server
 Format: wmv
Duration: --:--
| |
|