Missing Remote - Your source for everything home theater & HTPC related

Integra Announces DTR-30.5 - "First" AV Receiver with Built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth

Andrew Van Til — Thu, 16 May 2013 17:02:58 +0000

While I wish that they would do more to officially embrace a position in orchestrating the home theater it is still interesting to see how AVR OEMs evolve their products. At least from Onkyo it appears to be the year of integrated Wi-Fi & Bluetooth - which is a nice get. I'm not that interested in their custom integrator (CI) targeted Integra line personally because I don't need the CI features (or the associated price tag), but it is a great signal of where the consumer line will end up so well worth some attention.

Full PR after the click.

VidaBox LiivNAS Gets Rackmountable Dune Edition

Andrew Van Til — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:17:23 +0000

When it comes to no-hassle media playback it's quite easy to recommend picking up one of Dune HD's media streamers. They provide a simple "just works" content experience, but there is still some work to do when it comes to unified file storage and delivering a rich, navigable UI. Which is where VidaBox comes in with the "LiivNAS: Dune Edition".

The rackmountable NAS's 500GB of storage is a bit limited out of the box, but as that's fixable we'll agree to look the other way when considering its support for bi-directional control with metadata and MyMovies integration. No word in the PR (after the click) on the hardware/software inside, so the $1700 price tag could be on the high side (although to be fair, not to the CI market), but if you'd rather not DIY - convenience is a feature worth paying for.

InfiniTV 6 PCIe - InfiniTV 6 ETH

Night Rider — Mon, 13 May 2013 18:10:49 +0000

InfiniTV 6 PCIe = $299

InfiniTV 6 PCIe is the most advanced internal cable TV tuner for the PC. With six tuners that require just one CableCARD™, InfiniTV 6 PCIe turns your desktop PC into a killer cable box and DVR. Never run out of tuners again when recording your favorite shows! If you want whole-home TV and DVR, simply pair your PC with one or more Ceton Echo media center extenders or an Xbox® 360 and enjoy live TV and DVR recordings on any TV set in any room. You can even start watching a show in one room, pause it and resume watching in another. Replace your expensive cable boxes and enjoy premium cable on TV sets throughout your home! With a Ceton InfiniTV your PC becomes that nirvana entertainment box you've always wanted. Have all your media -- TV, DVR, music, photos, videos and Internet media services -- available from one awesome device.

InfiniTV 6 ETH = $299

Kwikset Announces Updated Connected Deadbolt

Andrew Van Til — Wed, 08 May 2013 03:09:56 +0000

No Home Automation (HA) is really complete without connected deadbolts making it possible to manage access. Which is exactly why I have the original Kwikset Z-Wave locks in my home. Frankly, I'm a big fan and there's a lot to like about the locks, especially SmartKey which lets you re-key the locks whenever you want without involving a locksmith. There is one thing that I'm not in love with though; it doesn't have a full numeric keypad which dramatically decreases the number of possible codes. I'm sure that Kwikset heard this complaint from a few sources because they will be selling an updated version later this year which addresses it.

Unfortunately, there's no word on price yet (I did ask) so hopefully they keep it consistent with the current generation. Full PR after the click.

HD Guru Reviews/Loves Panasonic TC-P65ST60

Andrew Van Til — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 13:18:31 +0000

Panasonic's ST line of plasma display panels (PDP) usually win the cost/benefit valuation for HDTVs, but it looks like this year they also topped last year's best display. This is great news not just for 2013 ST buyers, but also hints at the good-things-to-come from the VT & ZT models.

Panasonic’s ST60 models fall smack in the middle of their 2013 plasma line. Below it are entry level models and above it, the VT60 and ZT60 lines with a new drive system and every Smart feature Panasonic offers. The ST60 series is packed with the latest Smart apps, streaming services, Skype video (with accessory camera sold separately) a new GUI “home screen”, 3D and oh, the best overall image of any HDTV we’ve ever reviewed.
HD Guru

Intel Next Unit of Computing - DC3217IYE

Andrew Van Til — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 21:39:46 +0000

With a 17 watt integrated processor graphics (IPG) in a four-by-four inch chassis, Intel’s Next Unit of Computing (NUC) is of obvious interest to home theater PC (HTPC) enthusiasts. This footprint and low-power consumption, coupled with Intel HD 4000 graphics, promises to deliver an incredibly capable client system. It is small enough to hide away, or place discretely next to the other little-black-box content consumption devices; its laptop CPU doesn’t make much fuss either. This does not come cheap however, with the commanding a $300 MSRP for what is essentially a “bare-bones” system. You will need to add RAM, an mSATA SSD, and, strangely, a power cable to make it go; let’s find out if it lives up to the potential or ends up just an expensive curiosity.

Panasonic Prices 2013 Lineup, Crushes Dreams, Kills Puppies

Andrew Van Til — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 15:03:57 +0000

OK, they didn't really kill any puppies (that I know of), but it certianly feels that way because they won't be building better plasma display panels than the 2013 crop. It's unclear what this means exactly - hopefully we'll still be able to buy them until OLED's production issues are sorted.

Update:

According to the HDGuru (who asked Panasonic), they aren't stopping PDP research. I'm confused.

The bad news? While Panasonic's plasma manufacturing will continue, The Verge reports VP Kiyoshi Okamoto confirmed at the event that development has ceased on its plasma models, although some engineers have been shifted to work on OLED displays. We'll see if its recovery efforts and technological developments lead to new large-size OLEDs anytime soon, but for now it appears we're seeing the last of its efforts to push plasma technology forward.
Engadget

Yale Real Living Electronic Touch Screen Deadbolt with Z-Wave

Andrew Van Til — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 12:54:03 +0000

Even those without a Home Automation (HA) system can appreciate the value in a keyless entry option for the home, but the real value for a lock like the Yale Real Living Electronic Touch Screen Deadbolt is realized by leveraging Z-Wave to integrate it in a HA system. After doing that, it unlocks a wide array of actions that simplify home security; offering features like: conditional access, short term key codes, and automated responses to lock and other device events. Other Z-Wave locks offer the same automation features, but the YRD220-ZW full numeric touch screen and excellent build quality set it apart. The additional features demand a premium versus competing devices; let’s find out if it is worth it.

Intel Announces Media SDK for Linux

Andrew Van Til — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 23:14:22 +0000

Today Intel announced at the North American Broadcasters show that they will be releasing a version of the Media SDK (MSDK) for Linux. For those who don't know, the MSDK is the software layer that enables Quick Sync (QS) hardware accelerated video decoding and encoding. Given the location of the announcement Intel is probably targeting MSOs to use this technology in their rendering servers, but it also has potential for applications in STB as well. All that said, I'm much more interested in how it will play in the Linux media server market for applications like XBMC + Plex. The implementation is not limited (like is is on pre-Windows 8) to display device enumeration so it will work headless, and coolest of all should be API compatible with the current Windows SDK - so porting existing apps will be straightforward.

The limited beta starts soon, so if you're interested in having a go make sure to sign up ASAP. I will be :).

XBMC Coming to GameStick Console

Matthew Miller — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 05:05:36 +0000

Ouya, the Kickstarter-backed, Android-powered game console is about to launch, and in addition to serving up games, Ouya will be serving up media via XBMC. However, Kickstarter has helped to fund a pair of Android-powered game consoles for this year. Competing against the Ouya will be the GameStick, a thumb drive-sized game console, and like the Ouya, the GameStick will be slinging media thanks to XBMC. GameStick's developer, PlayJam, has formed a partnership with Pivos to bring XBMC to their diminutive console. Pivos has a close relationship with the XBMC team having hired two XBMC developers specifically to help develop an Android version of the media center application for the Pivos XIOS DS Media Player, so it is certainly a good company to hook up with for adding XBMC support.

This deal is happening by way of an official partnership with Pivos Technology Group. "Working with Pivos and the XBMC community to integrate a world class media center into GameStick is a major step forward in our ambitions," said PlayJam CEO Jasper Smith.
Destructoid

Intel Drawing Closer to IPTV Service, Deals with Content Providers

Matthew Miller — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 03:58:53 +0000

Intel announced last March that they were working on developing a "virtual cable provider", offering subscription TV services over broadband to Intel-powered set top boxes. Now, Bloomberg is reporting that Intel is finally close to securing deals with a number of major content providers to help launch the service. Intel's proposed service would roll up live TV offerings, online DVR funtionality, and on-demand content in a manner in which traditional cable and satellite subscription services could never match. It's not impossible to imagine that content providers might see such a service as an antidote to growing discontent with rising subscription TV rates, but it's also difficult to imagine networks such as CNN and NBC that are owned by companies that also own cable service providers rushing toward an Intel backed a la carte future.

Intel is betting it can create a more flexible service, delivered through consumers’ broadband accounts, that gives subscribers more choices over the channels they receive and offers an easier-to-use electronic programming guide, Huggers said. The service would offer live channels and on-demand programming.
Bloomberg

Hulu Possibly Up for Sale Again

Matthew Miller — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 03:19:22 +0000

Hulu's board spent a good chunk of 2011 shopping the company around to potential buyers. In the end, the company gave up the effort, but evidently Hulu's investors have started to feel the itch to sell again. It sounds like the board is approaching a potential sale in much the same way they did last time, quietly talking to potential suitors to guage interest before going public with their intentions. Unfortunately, the same problems might be plauging the board's efforts, in particular concerns about the length of contracts securing content for Hulu and dysfunctional investors who can't decide whether they are comfortable selling the company to each other lest they give a potent future weapon to a competitor. Hulu has shown steady subscriber growth and certainly commands significant mindshare, but has failed to make the transition to a must-need service like Netflix.

The board sounded out several possible buyers as part of an internal strategic review begun recently, but it has not received a formal offer, one of the sources said on Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the discussions were private.
Bloomberg

OpenELEC 3.0 Released

Matthew Miller — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 02:56:55 +0000

It seems like just yesterday that the OpenElec team announced that they were hard at work on OpenELEC 3.0 and were ready for people to begin beta testing. The final release of OpenELEC 3.0 is now available. OpenELEC 3.0 is based on the ambitious "Frodo" release of XBMC and actually ships with the recently released 12.1 version of XBMC which rolled in a number of improvements and bug fixes submitted by the OpenELEC team, particualrly for XBMC's new AudioEngine. With version 3.0, OpenELEC becomes the first XBMC distro with full XVBA support for AMD GPUs and with dedicated builds for Intel, Nvidia ION, AMD Fusion, Raspeberry Pi, Apple TV, Xtreamer, and the Arctic MC001 that the OpenELEC team recently partnered on, OpenELEC 3.0 is the most versatile release of the XBMC distro to date. Unfortuantley, for some of us, the release of OpenELEC 3.0 will also be somewhat bittersweet as the team has announced that this will be the penultimate release for 32-bit ION and Intel systems. My first generation ION nettop gained a new lease on life with OpenELEC, but its days may finally be numbered.

The OpenELEC team is proud to release OpenELEC 3.0.0
OpenELEC 3.0 is built to support XBMC Frodo 12.1 and almost every part of the core OS has been updated and improved since the 2.0 release. The project now supports a broader range of mediacentre hardware than ever before, including dedicated OS images for the budget friendly Arctic MC001 and ultra-low-cost Raspberry Pi systems.
OpenELEC

Plex for iOS v3.1 Now Available

Matthew Miller — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 02:23:12 +0000

The Plex team has released a fairly major update to Plex for iOS, bringing the iOS version's featureset up to par with the Android version. The two biggest features are the enhanced filtering that was first introduced with Plex/Web and the mobile media server. With the mobile media server, a device can be used as a Plex server for sharing media with Plex clients, creating a Plex server that one can take on the road. There are also the usual assortment of bug fixes to accompany the other new features which include variable scrubbing speed sliders for all media and the addition of the experimental universal transcoder.

Ever since the all new Plex for Android was released, iOS users have been wondering when they’d be able to enjoy some of the new features on their devices, and we’re incredibly happy to say that day has finally come.
Plex Blog

HBO Go "Could Evolve" Into a Broadband Subscription Service

Matthew Miller — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 02:01:10 +0000

HBO has established itself as one of the premier television content creators in the world, and although the company has developed a streaming solution with HBO Go, they have jealously guarded their cable subscription revenue stream by refusing HBO Go to anyone who does not already subscribe to HBO and by refusing to license their content to other streaming services such as Netflix. To date, the only exception to this model has been HBO Nordic in Scandanavia. However, recent comments by HBO CEO Richard Pepler suggests that the company might be starting to court the possibility of potentially offering HBO Go as a standalone service for broadband subscribers. Yes, that is a whole lot hemming and hawing there. HBO finds itself in the unenviable position of trying to leverage HBO Go to gain new subscribers without creating a backlash among cable service providers who count on the draw of HBO to help sell their ever more expensive TV subscription services. The first step in this transition probably won't be the complete untethering that many cord cutters would like to see, but HBO has to start somewhere.

With such a move, HBO could risk stepping on the toes of the cable providers who pay heavy subscription fees for the exclusivity HBO commits to. But then, cable providers and broadband providers are often two arms on the same body (Comcast, Time Warner). If HBO could transfer its subscription fees to broadband bills rather than cable ones, there could be a situation amenable to all parties.
Ars Technica