media-center

How much would you be willing to pay for an attractive remote control that lets you interact with your media center PC even when your monitor or TV set is turned off? If you said upward of $250, have I got the remote control for you.

Sure, you can pick up a low end PC for less these days, but... yeah, I've got no but. That's just a lot of money any way you slice it. Still, if you've got $274 burning a hole in your pocket, you can preorder Ricavision's new VAVE100 SideShow remote control.

What makes the VAVE100 so special?

• Universal learning remote control capable of controlling over 20 different devices from 50 feet away via IR
  
• BlueTooth enabled with support for audio streaming
• 2.4 inch 240 x 320 pixel LCD display
• Windows Media Center support
• SideShow support (meaning you can use it as a secondary display for a Vista PC

The VAVE100 won't actually be available until late February. Ricavision is also announcing the VAVE50 remote control with support for Windows Vista Media Center, but no SideShow features. It's not clear yet how much the VAVE50 will cost or when it will be available for purchase.

[via Chris Lanier]

I don't even have a beta invitation to Hulu yet, and already I can tell you that the new online video service from NBC and FOX is a game-changer. Sure, you can't download episodes and burn them to DVD or carry them with you on your iPod. But because the service provides free ad-supported streaming episodes of a bunch of series you actually want to watch, Hulu could make a serious dent on iTunes, Amazon, Joost, and other services that let you watch videos on your PC.

And since Hulu is partnering with online video sites like AOL and MSN, you can already watch quite a bit of Hulu content today, even without a beta account.

But there's one thing you can't easily do with Hulu -- yet. And that's watch the videos on your TV. But something tells me that's about to change very quickly. When Microsoft launched its new "Internet TV" component for Windows Vista Media Center last month, we were impressed by the technology but a bit disappointed with the content options.

The only videos available were from the MSN Video site. That means it's a bunch of clips from popular programs, user-generated content, and a handful of music videos and concerts. There was a grand total of one TV series with full length streaming episodes available. And while I love me some Arrested Development, I was really hoping for a bit more.

As of this morning, there are 80+ series available on MSN Video. Not all of the shows are from Hulu. There's also some CBS programming, including 18 billion different versions of CSI. There's no way to access these shows from the Windows Media Center interface yet. But I'm guessing it's only a matter of time before these episodes start showing up in MCE.

Update: I just got an email from someone at MSN Video PR, and it appears Hulu content will not be available through Internet TV. I suppose NBC/FOX don't want to cannibalize DVD sales, but this is still pretty disappointing news.

If you're in the market for a new Windows Media Center-compatible remote control, it looks like you can pick up a new Ricavision remote for $30. Actually, you can get the remote for $7, but if you want a Bluetooth/RC6 infrared receiver too you'll have to find $30 in your couch cushions for the bundle.

We first heard about these new remotes from Ricavision way back in February, so it's good to see that they're finally shipping. But it would also be nice if Ricavision would get around to shipping the high-end Sideshow remotes they promised last year.

Sideshow is a new protocol that lets devices like internet tablets and remote controls interact with Windows Vista machines to display things like program guides, music playlists, and weather forecasts on an LCD display without turning on your PC monitor. Somehow we suspect Ricavision's Sideshow-enabled remote controls will cost a bit more than $30.

[via Chris Lanier]

Want to scare the heck out of your kids? While they're watching TV in the living room go ahead and open up your laptop in the office and start changing the channels on them. While I'm pretty sure this isn't what Niveus had in mind when they created their Media Center Companion software, it's certainly what I'd do. If I had kids.

The Media Center Companion lets you control access data like cover art, TV recording details, and photo thumbnails on any PC in your house. You can also use your second computer as a remote control for your media center. For example, if you want to play music from your media center without turning your TV on, just fire up the companion software on your laptop and select your playlist.

Niveus Media Center Companion is sort of like the grown up version of the company's Pocket Remote software.

Up until now, Niveus only made the companion software available to customers who had purchases Niveus media center PCs. But now the company has released a public beta version of the software that should run on any machine running Windows Media Center. The program is free while in beta, although we suspect Niveus will slap a price on the software when it's officially launched.

[via Missing Remote]

Sony appears to be killing is VAIO VGX-XL3 media center after less than half a year on the market. First announced in January, the XL3 has only been available since April.

There's no word on why Sony is pulling the product, but we're guessing it probably has something to do with low sales. Still, the XL3 was the only Sony media center PC that packed integrated CableCard support.

We doubt Sony is pulling out of the home theater PC market altogether, but it is possible we could see the company focus its efforts more heavily on the PS3 than standalone PC boxes. While the Playstation3 bears a high price tag for a video game console, it's significantly cheaper than the $3300 XL3, and you might already have one in the living room. Sony plans to launch a TV tuner attachment for the PS3 soon, and it might be reasonable to expect a CableCard add-on at some point down the road, which could turn the PS3 into a full-fledged HD PVR with built-in Blu-Ray support.

Niveus, Linksys, and D-Link have all announced extenders for Windows Vista Media Center. In other words, you can keep your PC in the office, configure it to download internet video, record TV shows, or do whatever you like. Then you can slap a smaller, quieter, cheaper box by your TV set and enjoy all of your digital media without moving the PC into the living room.

But if you've already got a DVD player, TiVo, and video game console sitting by your TV, the last thing you want to do is spend another $300+ so that you can plug yet another box into your TV.

HP may have the answer in the form of a combination TV/Media Center Extender. The company has announced that starting early next year, HP's 42 and 47-inch MediaSmart LCD HDTVs will be able to perform as full-fledged Windows Vista Media Center Extenders. In other words, you connect your TV to your home network and you can access all the media on your PC, as well as internet video using the Windows Media Center interface.

Of course, a MediaSmart TV will set you back a few bucks more than a typical media extender box. But if you're in the market for a new HDTV anyway, it might be worth taking a look at the HP models. Oh, and the best bit is that if you've already got a MediaSmart TV you won't need to buy a new one. The extender features will be available as a downloadable software update.

Niveus has released more details about its new Media Center Extender for Windows Vista. The new device, with the catchy moniker, EDGE packs a bunch of features, but seems to be missing a few essentials as well.

The EDGE includes a passive cooling system for silent operation, 3 USB 2.0 ports, HDMI/component outputs, and an ethernet jack. But there's no Wi-Fi. That's right, not only does this device lack any 802.11n support, there's no 802.11anything in there.

Niveus plans to release the EDGE in November, but there's no word on pricing. Considering Niveus tends to make high end boxes, we would expect the EDGE to cost more than the $350 D-Link and Linksys are charging for their extenders. But the lack of Wi-Fi has us scratching our heads.

Anything Linksys can do, D-Link can do better too. The same day Linksys announced its first "version 2" media center extender, D-Link followed suit with its DSM-750.

The DSM-750 is the newest member of D-Link's MediaLounge line. It includes the same software interface for streaming content from the web or from your networked PC to your television set. But unlike earlier MediaLounge products, the DSM-750 is designed to work with Windows Vista Media Center, meaning you can access recorded shows, online video, and just about anything else on your PC.

The new box will set you back $350. At that price, you might as well just go ahead and buy an Xbox 360. It'll act as a media extender, and I understand you can also play games on it.

Microsoft is rolling out the public beta of Internet TV for Windows Vista Media Center tomorrow. If you've got a machine running Windows Vista Home Premium or Windows Vista Ultimate, a new option should pop up inside of your media center interface, cleverly titled "Internet TV."

Windows Media Center already includes an online showcase section with access from content providers like Comedy Central, VH1, and MTV. But for the most part, those sites already have video content on their websites, and have simply designed a Media Center interface for accessing that video with your remote. Internet TV beta is a whole new platform for watching online video.

A few weeks after Niveus showed off its first "V2" media center extender, Linksys is following suit with its DMA 2100/2200 devices for Windows Vista Media Center users.

While Windows Vista has been around since the start of the year (and even earlier if you were in on the beta), so far the only media center extender released that works with Vista has been the Xbox 360. If you didn't want to buy an expensive video game console just so you could watch content from your office PC in your living room, you were out of luck.

But with Niveus, Linksys, and several other companies set to offer new extenders, things are looking up. We're expecting a few more product announcements during Microsoft's keynote tomorrow at the Digital Life Expo.

As for the Linksys boxes, the DMA 2200 includes an upscaling DVD player, which could make it a nice all-in-one box to stick in your TV cabinet. Both the DMA 2100 and 2200 will be available in November for an undisclosed price.

[via Engadget and Big Screen Blog]