htpc
Altec Lansing VS2620 Desktop Speakers Review
February 23, 2010
After deciding to use my laptop has a pretty much permanent home media set up, I decided that I would move my desktop speakers to provide better sound quality than the standard built in speakers when watching movies and TV shows. This left me short on audio in my Mac Mini (Other than the pretty much useless built in speakers). Therefore I went out on the lookout for some low budget desktop speakers.
After recently receiving some Altec Lansing iPod speakers and being sufficiently impressed, I must say I now have great loyalty to the brand. So you can imagine my delight at coming across a pair of desktop speakers that fit the bill perfectly, from the same company. Having looked around at alternatives from other well known brands such as Logitech, the difference in price was minimal, but the deciding factor in opting for the Altec Lansing VS2620 Desktop Speakers, was as much the aesthetic appeal as anything else.
Continue reading »SeeSaw TV Review (UK Online TV Service)
February 19, 2010
SeeSaw is a combination of already popular online TV services from BBC, C4 and FIVE. I believe this idea to have a great amount of potential when it comes to attracting visitors. With some good publicity and strong marketing, I’m pretty sure people would be swayed towards it for the simple reason that everything is in one place.
Given the choice, I think everyone would prefer it all to be on one site rather than having to flick between separate services from each channel – which was one of the driving forces behind the Kangaroo online TV service which got cancelled before launch, SeeSaw is what has been created from the ashes of that service.
But that’s just an idea, a principle, a basis to build upon. The real question is, how have they executed it? Well, after testing the site for a while over the past couple of days since it’s public release (after previously having tested out the SeeSaw TV Online beta), I have found the site to be an interesting addition to the UK online streaming TV landscape.
Continue reading »LaCie LaCinema Mini HD Announced (1080p Home Media Center)
January 25, 2010
The network media streaming market is continually developing with exciting new products being released year on year… Arguably the pick of the bunch in 2009 was the LaCie LaCinema Classic HD or perhaps the Dell Inspiron Zino HD, which took content from a computer and displayed it on a TV. Simple enough, but there were definite improvements that could have been made on the product.
The beginning of 2010 has seen the release of LaCie’s LaCinema Mini HD player which plays full high definition content at 1080p and bringing a welcome low-cost option to this particular market. The first noticeable feature of the Mini HD is the inclusion of built in 802.11n Wi-Fi alongside the standard ethernet port.
Continue reading »Boxee Box & Remote Control (QWERTY Keyboard)
January 21, 2010
If you’re a Boxee user, you’re going to love this little accessory that wasn’t given much attention alongside the new Boxee Box at CES! You may have guessed that I’m referring to the newly developed remote that you use with the Boxee set-top box, which not only includes your standard media buttons, but a full QWERTY keyboard on the back!
When using a system such as Boxee, navigation can sometimes be awkward, especially with lots of content. With the QWERTY keyboard built in to the remote, you’ll now be able to quickly search through your media content and find what you’re looking for in seconds, this is definitely something that I’d like to see more of as typing with a numberpad seems to take forever!
Continue reading »SeeSaw Online TV Service Beta – Register Now! (UK)
January 20, 2010
SeeSaw is an upcoming online TV service that will be launched in the UK in the next few months which will be aiming to provide its users with a variety of content, including British programming as well as international shows such as those from the US. SeeSaw will be presented in a high quality viewing platform which should allow viewers to enjoy a wide variety of popular TV programming on-demand, presumably in an iPlayer straming video kind of presentation.
VLC Remote iPhone App Review
January 16, 2010
I use VLC Media Player for all of my video playback, as it will play anything you throw at it with great support for many formats. When I heard that VLC had released an application on the iTunes AppStore to remotely control the VLC Media Player, I was very excited to see how it worked and despite some minor gripes I have with it, I wasn’t disappointed.
You’ll find two versions of the application available: a VLC Remote free version and a VLC Remote paid version for £1.79, or $2.99 in the US store. I’d recommend purchasing the full version, as it allows you to browse through your files on the selected computer, including any external drives (this is essential for me, as all my media is stored on my external hard drive) so you don’t have to leave your chair!
Continue reading »How To Get Dolby Digital Sound From A Standard PC/Mac Mini Audio Output
December 29, 2009
I use my Mac Mini for everything… Surfing the net, managing my humongous iTunes library, watching HD video files? You name it, I do it. Sitting next to the Mac Mini is my Sony DAV-DZ260 Home Theatre System (amazing amp) which outputs to a 5.1 surround sound system.
Ever since getting the Mac Mini, I’ve connected it to the amplifier with a standard PC audio cable, but this meant that when I was watching my downloaded TV or movies from iTunes or other sources, I could only get 2.0 stereo sound which wasn’t as good an experience as the 5.1 I got from DVD’s played through the system.
Continue reading »LaCie LaCinema Classic HD – 1080p Home Media Center Server
November 25, 2009
We’ve had VHS, DVD and Blu-Ray but I think the next big step forward is surely towards the world of the hard drive, and as they increase in number, ability and prominence and decrease in price and number of potential problems then we can expect to see them being accepted more and more.
And so the scene is nicely set for the LaCie LaCinema Classic HD which was released this week and boasts all of the features you would expect from as top of the range model including things like full High Definition playback, networking capabilities and the potential to act as a Home Media Server.
Continue reading »Dell Inspiron Zino HD – Small Media PC
November 18, 2009
What happens when you take a standard desktop computer, shrink into a neat, smooth, compact form just smaller than a shoebox and make it shiny and white? Well the Apple Mac Mini of course, but what if you then give it some more exciting colours, add a load more customisation and make it that little bit cheaper? The new Dell Inspiron Zino HD.
Looking a little like a Mac Mini that’s let itself go, the Zino HD was officially introduced to the world today boasting versatility “… enough to handle tasks from basic computing chores to driving a big-screen, high-definition video media centre” and colours to “add flair to any room in the home”. So with claims like that it’s definitely worth a look at.
Continue reading »Windows 7 Review – Part 6: Included Applications
October 24, 2009
When you use Windows 7, you may notice the lack of included applications compared to previous versions of Windows. You won’t find a messenger application or a movie maker without downloading them from Microsoft, but don’t worry! You still have Paint, Windows Media Player and Windows Media Center, the three applications that this article concentrates on. You may question why Paint is included in the list, as we’ve had it in every version of Windows since 1.0 in 1985, but it’s undergone quite a facelift that might get your attention…
