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

Disney Movie Club Redux

Mike Patnode — Fri, 25 May 2012 15:50:37 +0000

So just about a year ago I wrote up an article on how to get 10 Disney BDs for about $13 each. A year later shows you how slow the BD market is as Disney has lowered the commitment to just 3 more movies at the regular price and allows you to knock off one of those in the original offer for 8.95.

Teaser Image:

Fox files suit against Dish for AutoHop

Mike Patnode — Fri, 25 May 2012 14:50:47 +0000

So if your first thought was: "How can they get away with that?" when you saw the Dish commercial skip announcement, it seems the answer is going to be: "Not easily".

We were given no choice but to file suit against one of our largest distributors, Dish Network, because of their surprising move to market a product with the clear goal of violating copyrights and destroying the fundamental underpinnings of the broadcast television ecosystem.
The LA Times

Perhaps all the Comskip developers will soon need to sublease some office space from Slysoft.

News Article

Teaser Image:

Big Week for Plex: Local Media Agent, New Releases, Sony Google TV

Matthew Miller — Tue, 22 May 2012 10:16:47 +0000

The folks behind Plex have been busy this last week. First up was the release of a new Local Media Agent to make it easier to add custom posters and background art to the TV library. I tend to be picky about my metadata, especially the images I use, and few things drive me crazier than software that overrides my choice of artwork or refuses to allow me to specify my own artwork when none is available online, so this will be a welcome addition.

TheTVDB might not have a show, or maybe you want to create a completely custom section to organize your home videos into seasons and episodes. We just pushed a new Local Media Agent (which you’ll automatically get in the next few hours), that makes it really easy!
Plex Blog

Of course, that was just the beginning of the new releases as Plex Media Server and the Plex desktop client both got updates as well. There are a ton of bug fixes for both, particularly for the Mac OS X versions, as well as several new features. Plex Media Server undoubtedly got the most exciting new features with the addition of a new media analysis scanner that should result in better transcoding later and the feature I am most looking forward to trying out: support for non-DRM iTUnes video and iTUnes U. I still like to download my video podcasts, but have had little luck finding a 10 foot UI-friendly way of displaying those podcasts with the embedded metadata.

The media server analyzes your media for a few reasons: In order to extract a thumbnail, and to glean details about the exact format and codecs in the file. The latter is critical in order for players to determine what files they can consume without transcoding, which can be Direct Streamed (remuxed), and which need to be transcoded.
Plex Blog

Finally, the last bit of Plex news comes not from Elan and his team, but rather, courtesy of Sony. Sony has let slip that they will be shipping their forthcoming Google TV devices with the Plex app pre-installed. With Plex pre-installed, Sony's Google will be better prepared out of the box to handle local media and offer another outlet for accessing online streaming content. Sony's device will receive a customized version of Plex and there's no word yet on how it differs.

Sony hearts Plex: The CE maker will deliver its next generation of Google TV devices, scheduled to be released in the U.S. and beyond this summer, with the Plex app pre-installed to give users simple access to local media and add cloud media sharing to the Google TV platform.
GigaOm

Comcast Shows Off New X1 UI

Matthew Miller — Tue, 22 May 2012 09:29:09 +0000

It's been several months since we last heard Comcast chatting up their new settop box UI. At the time, the new UI was codenamed Xcalibur and Comcast was hinting at the ways they were looking to integrate the app experience from mobile platforms with a revamped high-definition live TV and DVR interface. Evidently, things are about to get real. Comcast took to the Cable Show in Boston this week to not only show off the new interface, now called X1, but also demonstrate that the new UI is really just part of a complete software platform. X1 aims to combine traditional live TV services with streaming and on-demand video services, along with extended information apps for displaying things like weather and traffic and integrating other services such as Pandora and Facebook. I wouldn't count on seeing a Netflix app anytime soon, but it certainly appears that Comcast is hoping to leverage software to expand and enhance Comcast services more rapidly in the face of growing streaming media competition. Folks interested in home automation will also be interested in checking out Project Dayview, a dashboard for the TV or computing devices that consolidates information and tasks from all of a subscriber's Xfinity services, including remote DVR control and home security monitoring.

Comcast SVP Marcien Jenckes tells us that there are two parts to the rollout of X1. The first is geographical: it's coming to Boston on May 30th, then five to ten major markets before the end of the year. The goal is to get coverage in all of Comcast's market by mid-2013. The second part of the rollout is penetration into Comcast's customer base. At first, the platform will be limited to Xfinity Triple Play customers, i.e., voice, video, and broadband subscribers. But Jenckes says that they eventually want to shift all of their television customers over to the platform.
The Verge

Dune HD TV-301A Universal FullHD Network Media Player

Mike Garcen — Mon, 21 May 2012 16:12:40 +0000

We reviewed one of the higher end Dune HD media players last year and were very impressed with the quality and abilities of the unit. However, the cost of that one was $250, pricing it out of the market for lots of folks. Dune has listened to their consumers and up for review is a more affordable, $169 media player that shares a lot of the benefits we covered. Wifi version is available for $10 more FYI.

Dune HD recently released the TV-301 in two flavors, the TV-301A and the TV-301AW which is basically the same as the first but also features a built-in Wi-Fi adapter coupled with an external antenna. The TV-301 series are also amongst the first to feature the latest HD decoding chipset by Sigma Designs, the SD8671 which may not be their most powerful decoding solution to date but it comes really close. That aside i was somewhat surprised (in a good way) to see that the TV-301 series also feature a nice easy-swap 2.5" HDD bay which is certainly not something we see a lot with media players since most manufacturers prefer 3.5" drives. Of course the TV-301 is as big as an 3.5" hard disk drive so an 2.5" easy-swap bay was a one way for Dune HD and i am honestly glad they decided to take it. But let's take a closer look and she what else you can expect from the latest network/hdd media player to hit the market by Dune HD.
NikkTech

Samsung BD-D6500 3D Blu-Ray Player Review

Mike Garcen — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:09:44 +0000

As more companies continue to battle for the Blu-ray player in your living room, so too do the features increase as the costs reduce. Samsung has the benefit of having a full line of products and are starting to leverage those between their different products.

The trend is continuing. Blu-ray player competition is getting fierce and we all will be reaping the rewards of cheaper players that will continue to do more with every generation. Samsung's BD-D6500 is a good example of a player that only last year has the features of a model that would have easily been US$100 more
TweakNews

Pulse-Eight Motorola NYXboard Hybrid Wireless Keyboard and IR Remote

Andrew Van Til — Mon, 14 May 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Not long ago it was easy to lean primarily on a traditional remote control – universal, of course -- relegating the keyboard and mouse to the audio & video (A/V) cabinet, closet, or other locale of last resort –dragging it out just for occasional maintenance or troubleshooting. However, as over-the-top (OTT) content providers such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu and YouTube have become more pervasive, the traditional remote can no longer provide enough functionality as we transition to a search, browse and consume environment. Those hesitant to make space on the coffee table for a “normal” sized wireless keyboard alongside the aging universal; or clinging fervently to the dream of a single remote to manage everything, require something small with the flexibility to control multiple heterogeneous devices. Few options meet these requirements, but the number recently increased with Pulse-Eight bringing out a new home theater PC (HTPC) remote from Motorola. Operating as a 2.4GHz wireless keyboard and providing infrared (IR) learning capabilities in a convenient one-handed form factor the NYXboard Hybrid checks the right boxes, but with the last option offering similar features found lacking it is critical to dig deeper.

DISH Adds Automated Commercial Skipping “Auto Hop” Feature To Hopper DVRs

Andrew Van Til — Thu, 10 May 2012 13:50:22 +0000

I'll forgive you if you need a few minutes to check for flying pigs (I certainly did) after discovering that a major MSO has enabled [limited] automatic commercial skipping on their best DVR. Now it's not quite the same as we in the HTPC community have grown accustomed to since it only applies to PrimeTime Anytime content viewed after 1AM ET, but it is a HUGE step towards actually providing useful features to their customers.

Plex Media Server v0.9.6.1 Now Available

Matthew Miller — Thu, 10 May 2012 07:40:01 +0000

The last release of the Plex Media Server brought the beta platform to version 0.9.6 and added some pretty big features, including DLNA and Silverlight Smooth Streaming service support. The new release pushes the version number slightly higher to version 0.9.6.1 and does offer several new features including support for the Netgear ReadyNAS Duo v2 and more streaming choices over 3G, but nothing quite as headline-grabbing. Instead, this release is much more focused on squashing bugs. Many of the fixes are related to DLNA and SLSS, but there are are also the usual round of general fixes for issues with things like subtitles and transcoders.

We’re happy to announce a new release of the Plex Media Server; this is a followup to the last beta release, which was the first to support DLNA and Silverlight Smooth Streaming, and fixes a number of issues in those areas, along with some other things.
Plex Blog

Warner Bros. Offering 1080p Movies on iTunes

Matthew Miller — Thu, 10 May 2012 07:18:37 +0000

When Apple announced the third-generation Apple TV back in early March, the company also announced that iTunes would begin offering 1080p movies and TV shows. A number of big studios were quick to begin hawking their even more high-definition wares, but two conspicuously absent studios were Warner Bros. and Fox. Fortunately, Warner Bros. has finally decided to get on-board the 1080p bandwagon, and evidently with both feet as some big titles are already available including The Lord of the Rings and Sherlock Holmes. I know that a lot of folks aren't quite ready to give up Blu-ray in favor of digital downloads, but at least the iTunes offerings have become a bit more varied.

Right now it seems that Warner's 1080p titles are only available in the US, and the UK and Canada are yet to offer 1080p videos at all. This will come as good news to owners of the updated Apple TV, as it broadens the range of content easily accessible from the 1080p-capable device, and films are $14.99 to buy or $3.99 to rent.
The Verge

Comcast Adds WatchESPN Access, Live Streams Coming Soon for XfinityTV.com

Matthew Miller — Thu, 10 May 2012 06:56:00 +0000

Comcast has announced that subscribers now have free access to more live sports content via the WatchESPN web and iOS apps. Unfortunately, the Android app is not currently supported. WatchESPN offers access to live streams from ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, and ESPNU, along with special content for college football and basketball. Comcast also expects the WatchESPN live streams to be available through Comcast's own XfinityTV.com site later this week. The addition of WatchESPN is part of a new 10-year deal that Comcast signed with ESPN's parent company, Disney, earlier this year and Comcast is not so slyly suggesting that we can expect to see more online streaming access for other Disney owned channels later this year.

Comcast and ESPN are making good on their promise to bring live sports to iPads and other devices, announcing today that Comcast subscribers can now log in to ESPN’s WatchESPN mobile and web apps. And coming soon, ESPN will be making its live TV streams available through Comcast’s XfinityTV.com web portal.
TechCrunch

Aperion Audio Announces ARIS DLNA/Play To Speaker System

Andrew Van Til — Tue, 08 May 2012 17:04:52 +0000

With six drivers, four amps and Aperion Audio's reputation for quality speakers the ARIS looks like a great way to push music around the house using DLNA. The PR (after the click) does not specify what codec/containers or DRM schemes (if any) are supported though - although the W8 "certification pending" is promising because I've heard that it supports "protected" audio over DLNA - so like most things, we'll have to wait until June to find out how it performs.

Senator Al Franken Concerned that XFINITY TV on Xbox Live May Violate Network Neutrality

Matthew Miller — Tue, 08 May 2012 03:53:23 +0000

A few days before releasing the XFINITY TV app for the Xbox 360, Comcast posted a FAQ regarding the app. For many folks, the most interesting tidbit was Comcast's announcement that XFINITY TV on Xbox Live usage would not count against Comcast subscribers' bandwidth caps. Comcast's reasoning was that all of the data transmissions were occurring on Comcast's private network and not being sent over the Internet. Indeed, that FAQ went on to point out that the Xbox app was unique and that this exemption did not apply to apps on other platforms or to PC browser access.

Nevertheless, Comcast had to know that the decision would raise some eyebrows. Senator Al Franken, a longtime net neutrality advocate, decided that raising his eyebrows was not enough and has written a letter to the FCC and the Department of Justice urging the agencies to re-examine the NBC-Comcast merger, of which Franken has been a staunch critic, citing the XFINITY app as one example of how Comcast seems to be working to circumvent the conditions of the merger. This comes on the heels of Netflix CEO Reed Hasting's pointed complaints in which he described Comcast's move as "not neutral".

Franken concludes: "I am concerned that these sorts of delays always inure to the benefit of Comcast and give Comcast further incentive to challenge any aspect of its compliance with the merger order." He's also "very concerned" about Comcast’s announcement last month that its Xbox Live television streaming would not count against existing data caps. Comcast argues the video is "being delivered over our private IP network and not the public Internet."
Ars Technica

LG Set to Release Google TV Sets in Late May

Matthew Miller — Tue, 08 May 2012 02:53:42 +0000

Google was looking to give their Google TV platform a boost at CES this year and at least one new hardware manufacturer pledging their support was LG. In particular, LG was showing off a Google TV-powered smart TV along with a special version of the motion-sensitive LG Magic Remote Control with a QWERTY keyboard. It has been a few months, but LG is finally ready to try selling their Google TV sets later this month. The new TVs will reportedly be available for sale the week of May 21. There are no firm details on how extensive LG's lineup will be or on pricing, but it does sound like we can expect multiple models. Google TV seemed ready to gain some momentum with the announcement of Google TV 2.0 and with a strong showing at CES, but the delay in bringing that new hardware to market has quieted the buzz considerably, so it will be interesting to see if LG's new hardware actually attracts any attention in the mainstream.

The executive didn’t reveal any details relating to screen sizes or pricing, although according to PC World, the South Korean firm has previously said that its Google TV-powered lineup would include LG Cinema 3D displays between 55 and 84 inches (diagonal), a 3D conversion engine that can turn any 2D TV show or movie into a 3D spectacle, and an LG Magic Remote including a QWERTY keyboard.
TechSpot

Microsoft Offers Yet More Details on Windows Media Center and DVD Playback in Windows 8

Matthew Miller — Tue, 08 May 2012 02:31:35 +0000

Microsoft's recent Building Windows 8 blog post regarding the availability of Windows Media Center in Windows 8 raised almost as many questions as it answered, particularly regarding the unexpected connection between WMC and DVD playback. To help sort through some of the questions that their blog post raised, the Windows 8 team has followed up with a FAQ that attempts to clarify the relationship between WMC and DVD playback capability and to further refine Microsoft justifications for moving away from WMC and only making it available as a premium upgrade for select versions of Windows 8. There is not a whole lot new information here that could not be gleaned by reading between the lines in the original blog post and there is still no word on pricing for the WMC upgrade, but Microsoft is taking a more definitive stance on the limited future they envision for WMC. If you like to get a glimpse behind the scenes on the business end of Windows development, then the most interesting questions relate to how Microsoft and OEMs handle the licensing of codecs for things like DVD playback.

With the evolution of device form factors (tablets, thin and light, etc., none of which have optical drives) and change in media consumption patterns from optical disks and broadcast TV to online (Netflix, Youtube, Hulu, etc.), we concluded that we would no longer make DVD and broadcast TV capabilities available in all Windows editions, simply because the feature applies to a decreasing number of PCs sold. Instead, those capabilities will be available only to customers that want it via Add Windows Feature (aka Windows Anytime Upgrade).
Building Windows 8