These 1080p-capable Inteset media centers not only have a 7.1 channel surround sound, they have both Blu-ray and HD DVD support with a hybrid drive built right in. They also support Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD and DTS audio, which is great since you probably won’t have enough cash left over after you buy this to get another media center. Couple that with two HDTV (over the air, not cable) and two SDTV tuners, and you’ve got a media center capable of replacing much of your current entertainment system. Having both Blu-ray and HD DVD, even in a mid-’90s styled box, is nothing to complain about. [Inteset via Cepro]
Asus is showing off their new dedicated Media Centre PC over at Computex, the DAV Center A33. The brand-new revision to the D22 has two interesting upgrades: a front-row LCD on the face, and an integrated amplifier for front, rear and possibly centre channels, so you don’t have to use an external receiver if that’s enough power for your audio jones.
With the recent launch of CableCARD Vista Media Centers, many people are reconsidering buying (or upgrading to) a high definition DVR. But with all the different choices and various benefits and drawbacks of each, it’s hard to choose the one that’s right for you.
Do you go with a cheap $9 a month rental from Comcast and put up with all its flaws to save money? Do you plunk down a couple hundred bucks and a monthly fee for a TiVo Series 3 because it just works the way you want it? Do you go all out and spend a couple grand for a Vista Media Center that has every single extra feature you could possibly want in a PC? Or do you go to the other extreme and build your own MythTV/SageTV/XP Media Center machine out of spare parts?
Here are the ten things you should know before you decide.
I want to record high def cable TV, at full resolution. So there are only a few choices: TiVo Series 3, a Vista Media Centre PC with Cable cards, or a rental box from the cable company. I realise that this list has a price spread of a few bucks a month to rent the cable company DVR to several thousand dollars to get the PC, but let’s ignore that for a second.
I compared the TiVo and Vista machine with Cable Card this week. And I think you’ll be surprised to know that the Media Centre PC has a better user interface when it comes to recording shows, channel surfing, and watching TV. And playback of music, videos, and photos. The TiVo’s OS just feels aged compared to the slick Vista Media Centre interface. Did that surprise you? I just wrote that Microsoft’s interface is better than the TiVo’s. Madness, I know.
galleryPost('tivovsmcecc', 8, 'TiVo Series 3 vs Vista Media Centre');
The Media Centre is better my almost all measurements. But for reasons I don’t fully comprehend, I used the TiVo more. It’s mysterious, but maybe I can shed some light on why:
Hey home theater PC lovers! Those of you who are still waiting around for CableCARD-enabled machines in order to get high-def cable in your home theater setup don’t have to wait much longer, since these CC machines are finally shipping.
If you wanted to get a sneak peek at what you’re going to get with these systems, check out our exclusive first hands on with Niveus’s systems back in April. We’ll have more coverage on these soon as well. – Jason Chen
newVideoPlayer("NiveusClip_gawker.flv", 520, 410);
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Gallery [Gizmodo]
A reader claims he just participated in a survey for a wireless remote from—probably from Logitech—that looks like it’s in the final design stages. The tipster claims the keyboard is probably going to be branded either the “Slice”, “Keymote”, or “Digital Living Keyboard” under the DiNovo line.
Of course, this is a survey and all of this stuff is probably not even close to being final, but it’s a nice sneak peek into what Logitech could be thinking about doing. See the full specs after the jump.
Green PCs don’t come very often, so it’s no surprise enano’s new e2 caught our eye. Enano claims their new Ecossential PCs are 95% quieter, 80% more energy efficient, and 65% cooler than your typical desktop.
That doesn’t mean they’re wimpy, though. The e2s can still run with the big dogs, packing up to 4GB of RAM, a TV tuner and built-in wireless. If you want something with a little more oomph (meaning something with one of the new Core 2 Duo chips) you’re better off waiting for this bad boy. Otherwise, treehuggers can start lining up for the e2s now. Just don’t forget your plastic. They range from $1,100 to $1,800. – Louis Ramirez
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The HP Pavilion m8010y Media Center (better known as the media center that swings both ways) is now available at the HP store. This is one of the first “box PCs” that can be customized to include a Blu-ray drive as well as an HD DVD drive. The bare minimum specs (including the two drives, processor upgrade and GeForce 8500GT to support the drives) make the final price $2149, but wait, there’s more! HP has a $150 mail-in-rebate bringing the final price down to $1999. Two grand isn’t a price I particularly get excited about, but the fact that HP, of all companies, has a dual-format media center perks my ears. Thanks, Vincent! –Travis Hudson
Product Page [HP]
Update: Bloops. I misread. This media center actually has a combo drive capable of doing Blu-ray, HD DVD, DVD and CD. There is no need for the second drive. This correction changes the final price to $1,800 after rebate. Thanks for the corrections, commenters.
Bose recently sent their new in-car media centre to regulators at the US Federal Communications Commission for testing. The car they sent it in? A Ferrari 612 Scaglietti. Bose sure knows how to wow ‘em, eh? You can’t distract us from your product, Bose, no matter how much you try!
Their Media Centre uses Gracenote and AMG metadata to figure out what exactly it is you’re listening to, and loads up with maps from Navteq. It also has a TV tuner, which is sure to be one of the more dangerous additions to the car-electronics lineup in some time. –Adam Frucci
Bose Filing [FCC]
