Nate and Jay's Media Search

DiNovo Edge for Mac

2008-11-24T13:25:00.001-05:00

Jay reminded me that this came out.
For anyone with a Mac Mini as your media center, this is looking like a pretty good keyboard.

http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/keyboards/keyboard/devices/4429&cl=us,en

If you've seen the DiNovo Mini, you'll be disturbed by the lack of an "alt" key. I know I was.

Remote Buddy

2008-11-20T08:38:00.002-05:00

I was very exited when a bunch of my best friends got me a Nintendo Wii for my birthday. I've played some games, learned how to golf and bowl, and now it's time to start seeing what else I can get out of this puppy.

For starters, I decided to research the use of the WiiMote as a mouse for my Mac Mini.
Some quick research turned up a cool program called "Remote Buddy".

This will be the first program I will test out. I'm sure there are other, more free versions out there, but this one seems pretty slick at first glance. I'll write up a more in depth-review when I get some more time with it.

For now, it's time to see what I can get out of the 30-day trial.

Firewire recording from the Cable Box to the Mini Pt 2

2008-05-16T19:40:00.002-04:00

Ok so a few more bits of info here...I got a response from Cyberlink and none of their apps will open a .m2t file. So scratch that idea.

I also put a post on the xbmc.org forum about .mt2 files playing in XBMC and found out some good info. If you create a file called Advancedsettings.xml and save it to the /user/library/Application Support/XMBC/UserData directory you can get XBMC to include .m2t into its accepted file formats. Here is what you put in Advancedsettings.xml:

.m2t|.msts

Enter XBMC and play your hi def recorded content! Now if I can only find a way to contact someone from Verizon to ask why CBS and ABC are flagged Copy Once!

Firewire recording from the Cable box to the Mini

2008-05-15T12:06:00.002-04:00

Over the past couple days I have been testing the AVCbroswer and AVCvideocap apps provided in the the Apple FirewireSDK. Once I figured out the quirks of how the program interacts with the cable box, operation was pretty simple. The big thing was figuring out which channels are marked Copy Freely by FIOS and which channels are marked Copy Once.

The copy freely channels can be viewed in AVCbrowser through VLC and recorded with AVCvideocap and played back in VLC. When you tune in to a channel that is copy once, the video freezes or stays black. When you try to record a copy once channel with AVCvideocap it creates a files that cause VLC to show an error. The purpose of copy once is to tell 5C compliant devices (e.g. HDDVRs from Verizon) that they are allowed to copy the program once and that's it. Unfortunately, there are no apps for the Mac that are 5C compliant. I ran into an app for windows called Power DVD that supposedly has the proper compliance to be able to playback copy once programming. I am not sure if it will only playback on disc or if it will play a computer file. I have sent an email to Cyberlink to find out.

Now regarding which channels are copy freely on FIOS. Here's the list and it's not pretty:

Channels 1 - 49: copy freely
All Digital Channels: copy once.

HD Channels:
802 - PBS - Copy Freely
803 - WSBK - Copy Once
804 - CBS - Copy Once
805 - ABC - Copy Once
806 - CW - Copy Freely
807 - NBC - Copy Freely
808 - FOX - Copy Once
825 - TNT - Copy Once
826 - ESPN - Copy Once
827 - ESPN2 - Copy Once
828 - NFL Network - Copy Once
829 - NESN - Copy Freely
830 - Comcast SportsNet - Copy Freely
833 - HDNET - Copy Once
834 - HDNET Movies - Copy Once
835 - UHD - Copy Once
836 - HD Theater - Copy Once
837 - Wealth - Copy Once
838 - National Geographic - Copy Freely
839 - MTVHD - Copy Freely
840 - FOODHD - Copy Freely
841 - HGTV - Copy Freely
842 - A&E - Copy Once
845 - Lifetime - Copy Freely
846 - Discovery HD - Copy Freely.

So out of 25 HD channels only 11 are copy freely. The thing that is really not cool is that CBS and ABC are copy once. From everything I've read, local network stations are suppose to be copy freely. I am going to email customer service and see if I can get some info regarding this. On an unrelated note, I am also going to drop a note on the XBMC forum to see if there are any plans to support .mt2 files.

Record from HD DVR on Mac

2008-05-10T17:38:00.001-04:00

Record from your HD-DVR

Bluetooth keyboards, read this!

2008-03-19T07:30:00.002-04:00

Gotta make this quick.
I was checking out Logitech's site and they have a cool new keyboard called the "DiNovo mini". Looks perfect, but I'm darned if I can find the "alt" key!

Anyway, best deal on DiNovo Edge is from our good friends at B&H:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/477162-REG/Logitech_967685_0403_diNovo_Edge_Wireless_Bluetooth.html

Until 3/30 you can get a $75 rebate putting the keyboard at $99!!

Bluetooth Proximity

2008-03-15T22:56:00.001-04:00

I saw this post on using bluetooth proximity tools to control OS X.

Yes, this is something I will look to do somehow:
http://hollington.ca/technocrat/?p=44

Input device for the mini

2008-03-14T14:55:00.004-04:00

Now that it has pretty much been decided that we're going with the Mac Mini, I decided it was time to figure out which input device I am going to use. I think I have settled on the Logitech Dinovo Edge. It is a full keyboard with a touchpad, left and right mouse buttons and a dedicated volume control. Unfortunately there are no OSX drivers for it but I found a link on avsforum.com to a guy's blog who uses the Dinovo edge with his mini, http://5thirtyone.com/archives/751.

In his blog he states that the main problem is that it's a windows formated keyboard so your command and option keys will be swapped. Not to fear! I came across this Quick Tip on cnettv.com about remapping keys on a windows formated keyboard, cnettv.com clip.

Now the main issue is that this freakin keyboard lists for $199! Amazon has it listed at $157. However I think I may take my chances on ebay. I have seen a few "buy it now" listings for $129, albeit with the usual overpriced ebay shipping of $20. I think for something like this I would take a chance on an auction in the $60 - $80 range for a used version. I have seen a few auctions around that price range.

Edit: If I have to, I will settle for this.

Mac Mini 2.0Ghz processor

2008-03-13T21:57:00.004-04:00

A little research into the Mini shows the processor info below.
Nothing you didn't know, but at least I've got all the info.

I believe this is the processor in the 2.0Ghz mac mini:
http://processorfinder.intel.com/details.aspx?sSpec=SL9SL

Looks like this is the fastest one you could stick in there:
http://processorfinder.intel.com/details.aspx?sSpec=SL9SD

Intel doesn't show any other processors at this FSB speed, so the 2.33Ghz is probably the fastest it will get. The processor looks to be in the $700 - $800 range on various sites.
Not worth the money for the 300Mhz. Might be worth an upgrade in the future when the chip is like $89!

http://computers.pricegrabber.com/processors-retail-box/m/24516372/

High Definition Content Playback on the Intel Mac Mini

2008-03-11T16:21:00.003-04:00

I came across this blog about the Mac Mini's ability to play high definition content. It is not a "how to" but rather theory behind the feasibility of HD playback and future improvements that could be made to increase HD playback capability.

http://blog.kozubik.com/john_kozubik/2008/03/high-definition.html

Xbox Media center ported to OSX

2008-02-29T10:10:00.003-05:00

A team of developers have ported the Xbox media center to OSX. Read more about it here: http://www.osxbmc.com/

There is a clip of how it works on youtube, http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=tGdihkA5FK4

This looks very promising. It looks to be very customizable.

Medialink, PS3/ Mac media streamer

2008-01-07T19:50:00.000-05:00

According to Nullriver, it'll be releasing its MediaLink application later this week, which it says has been "designed from the ground up for the PS3" and provides "true integration with the Mac. I checked out their site today and it looks pretty decent. No mention in the supported formats section about .VOB, video_ts or mpeg_ts. It also will not stream itunes DRM files to the ps3. They actually suggest getting around the DRM by burning all of your itunes music to a CD and reimporting them all as mp3.

MediaLink by Nullriver

What will cartoon's do?

2008-01-02T21:59:00.000-05:00

Ok, so the lights are definitely not on somewhere. It's 2014 and you have an idea, but since light bulbs are "outlawed" you won't have a cartoon bubble with a light bulb in it. Instead, you will have an LED or perhaps a flourescent bulb bar. Can't you just see it?

I guess someone thought changing the light bulb is the answer to our energy issues.
Sure, I'm in favor of conservation and energy savings, etc. But why isn't congress focusing on better ways to generate energy? Why is it that we have not focused on fixing the laws create obstacles for wind energy farms?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119923837885161397.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

PS3 plays VOB files

2007-12-31T12:36:00.000-05:00

I saw a couple of articles about using "Twonky" as a DLNA server to stream VOB files (the guts of your video_ts folder) to PS3.
Looks like this has worked, but a recent PS3 firmware update (2.0) broke the functionality. A subsequent fix (2.01) seems to have rectified the problem

Twonky is pay-for, but a quick search for other DLNA servers, PS3, and VOB files shows that this may simply be a new feature in the DLNA servers.

Articles on playing vob files with Twonky:
http://www.twonkyforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=15314&sid=1d5278f21cda91e037cba5c04449d417
http://www.twonkyforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=4215&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=

Link to Twonky:
http://www.twonkymedia.com/index.html

5 Steps to output Dolby Digital from Quicktime Player

2007-12-08T12:24:00.000-05:00

I saw this and didn't want to lose the link

Output dolby digital in Quicktime player

Nice NAS

2007-10-30T21:31:00.000-04:00

Fantom Drives has some NICE nas devices. Check out the cool case with 1,1.5,and 2TB versions.
Should work well with Mac, PC or linux. USB2 on a SATAII drive makes nice connectivity.

The system appears to be linux based, which means it's probably not FAT32!

http://www.fantomdrives.com/drivedetails.asp?id=137

FastMac Blu-Ray Drives

2007-10-06T14:19:00.000-04:00

FastMac provides "performance" upgrade for Mac computers. One of the items they just released is a blu-ray writable drive upgrade for the Mac mini. The price ($999.99) is 3x more than I would want to pay and writing 50GB at 2x would take forever but the idea is cool nonetheless.

Fast Mac Blu-Ray upgrade for Mac Mini

Media Center software for Mac

2007-09-28T00:29:00.001-04:00

I think I have found the media center software I am going to try first when I get the mini. It is called Xhub. You can find it at www.snarb.tk. The other two I was looking at are CenterStage (www.centerstageproject.com) and MediaCentral (www.equinux.com).

CenterStage looks like it is going to be absolutely sweet but it will probably never get finished. It is an open source project that the developers work on when they have time. I downloaded a zip of screenshots and the graphics are incredible. I'll try it when it is completed.

MediaCentral's list of features is impressive. The few screenshots they have on their site have not thrilled me though. The thing MediaCentral has going for it is Skype integration.

Xhub looks like the real deal. The graphics aren't as good as what CenterStage will look like but after reading through the forums, the feature set looks sweet.

El Gato!http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

2007-09-09T22:53:00.000-04:00

Check out the Elgato HD home run box. This is an HD streamer from the guys that make some very popular HD (ATSC&QAM) tuners!

Also, they make a pretty sweet looking H.264 encoder offloader!

Mac firewire HDTV viewing

2007-09-04T23:24:00.000-04:00

On the enormous thread on avsforum about Mac firewire recording, I read about how to watch live TV through firewire on the mac. The thread is so big, I didn't want to lose it.

Post:
Try the following modified version of AVCBrowser in conjunction with VLC.

Get a copy of VLC and copy it to your Applications folder.
Run AVCBrowser.
Find the source device in the AVCBrowser window, and open the device control panel.
"Open" the device using the upper-right button in the device control window.
Select the "Panel" tab on the device control window.
Push the "Start Viewer" button.
Watch TV.
You can use the other Panel control buttons to change the channel on the source device, etc.

What AVCBrowser does is:
Launch VLC and have it listen on a particlar UDP port.
Makes a connection to the source device's firewire output, and starts receiving a stream.
Opens an IP socket on the local-node/port.
Streams the data over to VLC.

Gyro Media Center Keyboard / Mouse

2007-09-01T13:32:00.000-04:00

This mouse has a gyro in it so you can wave it around like a Wiimote.
You can also get it with a keyboard so that you can fully operate your HTPC. OSX Vista and (I believe) Linux compatible.

I saw this thing in CompUSA yesterday. It looks pretty cool.
100' range!

LINK

Using VGA instead of HDMI for HTPC

2007-08-31T22:15:00.000-04:00

Here's a decent thread on 123macmini.com that has convinced me to use VGA when I get my mac mini.

One problem with MacMini

2007-08-27T07:26:00.000-04:00

I see that a lot off folks like the Mac Mini for a home media center. I can understand why, it's small, it's cool and you can probably run OS X on it. But, until Apple shoves a BluRay or HD-DVD drive in there, it won't be able to be an all-in-one box.

LinuxMCE

2007-08-27T07:22:00.000-04:00

Linux Media Center Edition is a compilation of various projects that attempts to bring together the best options offered by most MediaCenter suites out there.
Linx MCE Website

Check out this LINK for a GoogleTube video demoing the features. This is of course a "canned" demo so take it with a grain of salt, but the features look pretty good. *Note. I watched this last night, but for some reason I couldn't view it today. Not sure why.

What's cool is how well it integrates with multi-room end units.

Check out HERE for hardware info.

Connecting cable box to Mac Mini

2007-08-26T18:10:00.000-04:00

According to this thread on avsforum, this guy was able to connect his Mac mini to his comcast motorola HD cable box. He used some software called AVCvideocap.

I found some info about AVCvideocap.
One of the things that kind of concerned me is where it says the files size is 100MB per minute. So without re-compressing an hour show it would consume 6GB!

Also found this bit of information on another forum:
Don't know your specific unit - but if you download FirewireSDK from apple developer support, it includes freebies like AVCbrowser, AVCvideocap, virtualDVHS etc. Assuming your DVR unit has a firewire port enabled (my comcast motorola has one), you can hook up your mac by firewire and AVCbrowser now should be able to identify it, and AVCvideocap should be able to record mpeg2 streams when you play back your content on your DVR. Just to rub it again, 1 min of Hi def content will be about 120MB. And for playback on a standard dvd player you would have to edit it, which will be a very processor intensive task as well. My mac mini 1.4ghz records stunning quality hi definition content in real time without dropping a single frame! The best part is you can schedule it work like a PVR, it can change the channel of your cable box at a particular time to record a particular show and stop at a particular time! One CAVEAT to remember is this will only work on unencrypted channels like the broadcast channels - other cable only channels are usually encrypted and you might record something but won't be able to playback - at least not yet!

Here is a site with step by step instructions.

Free NAS Software

2007-08-25T23:06:00.000-04:00

I found this free NAS software on the 123macmini.com forum. It is appropriately called FreeNAS. The description on their site says:

FreeNAS is a free NAS (Network-Attached Storage) server, supporting: CIFS (samba), FTP, NFS, AFP, RSYNC, iSCSI protocols, S.M.A.R.T., local user authentication, Software RAID (0,1,5) with a Full WEB configuration interface. FreeNAS takes less than 32MB once installed on Compact Flash, hard drive or USB key.

Check it out and let me know what you think. www.freenas.org

Hard drive prices

2007-08-25T20:50:00.000-04:00

I was looking on Tiger Direct today at hard drive prices. They have a Hitachi sata-300 500 GB drive for $109.oo. They have a Hitachi 750 GB sata-300 for $219 and a hitachi 1 TB for $399. For the price of the 1 TB you could almost buy four of the 500 GB drives.

Update: 4 port sata pci raid card, $149.99

Podcast: Using a Mac Mini as a video server

2007-08-25T15:02:00.001-04:00

HT Guys from HTguys.com talk about how to take your mac mini and turn it into a video server. There is good info about software and storage ideas.

Podcast

More details on Sony's new PlayTV

2007-08-22T15:29:00.001-04:00

More details on Sony's new PlayTV

From engadget.com

IF this comes to the US, then my decision may be made. My biggest problem now with the PS3 is the crap browser they have. The fact that you can take any program that you record on the PS3 and transfer it to a PSP is money. The only thing sony needs to do know is put a hard drive in a PS3 so I wouldn't have to spend a ton of money on those Memory Stick Duos (fat chance).

Sony also announced a video download service for the PSP.

Super Strong PS3!

2007-08-21T12:57:00.000-04:00

No Red ring of death for the PS3, check this out:
Link

The PS3 is SofaKing Reliable!

CableCARD-equipped Dell XPS 410 desktops now available

2007-08-20T10:01:00.000-04:00

CableCARD-equipped Dell XPS 410 desktops now available

From Engadget.com

FUZE unveils whole-home media system

2007-08-16T10:51:00.000-04:00

FUZE unveils whole-home media system

From Engadget.com

PS3 Firmware update

2007-08-12T16:51:00.000-04:00

Looks like Sony keeps pushing out these little firmware updates for features, bugfixes, etc.

The latest (1.9) allows you to set a wallpaper for the XMB:
http://www.us.playstation.com/ps3/network/updates?DCMP=ILC-PS3_1304&LINK=PS3SU

PS3 to receive Tuner, DVR capabilities

2007-08-01T11:24:00.000-04:00

PS3 to receive Tuner, DVR capabilities
From Engadget.com

Combo HD-DVD/ Blu-ray drive

2007-07-20T08:51:00.000-04:00

LG's 2nd gen Super Multi Blue Blu-ray / HD DVD hybrid drives and plans

From Engadget.com

Tivo Series3?

2007-07-19T23:20:00.000-04:00

Has anyone checked out Tivo Series3?
It's HD, it'll let you view in multiple rooms, and it will let you create your own on-line streaming channel. But the thing is $800!
That's a big chunk. I think I'd wrather dump the $600 on PS3 and get BluRay, a sick gaming console, and one of the most powerful computing platforms available to normal people!

Some Sales numbers after E3

2007-07-19T22:15:00.001-04:00

I just saw this:
http://ps3.qj.net/Console-and-game-sales-the-day-after-E3/pg/49/aid/97971

Looks like PS3 may be picking up now that they're getting into a bigger market with the price drop.

If the 60gig is going away and it's benefitted from the price drop, it may make sense to buy one now. It has the Emotion engine for PS2 legacy games, and a smaller drive is easy to upgrade. Why not go for the lesser version? I think the big question is what other hardware changes are in the 80gig version? It would make sense for Sony to rev the mainboard and add some improvements, but has anyone been able to detail these yet?

Media Center Requirements

2007-07-19T22:07:00.000-04:00

Well, we've been talking about this home media center stuff, now lets define it.
I've added a "requirements list" to the left side of the blog page.
These were the first few things that I came up with. Jay, please add and modify as you see fit. This will certainly help with the decision making.

HTPC Links

2007-07-19T22:02:00.000-04:00

htpcnews.com
avsforums.com
htpcforums.com

MythTV
BeyondTV
SageTV
Freevo
Orb

Time to lay it out there

2007-07-15T22:52:00.000-04:00

Ok, so I've been reading the posts and all are great. I know that this blog has focused mainly on Xbox360 and PS3 because these are the commercial packages out there. For the price, you get a killer gaming system plus home media and access to online content.

But what about the non-gaming options? I like to play video games, but honestly now that I have a job and a family it's hard to find the time to game. Also, PS3 and Xbox games are like $60 at BestBuy. I'm sure there are probably deals out there, but that can get pricey fast.

I think I'm going to start trying to contribute some info on non-game console options.
Options such as computer based home systems that offer more towards customization, home automation, DVR, and centralized home media. Sure PS3 & Xbox are trying to get there too, but right now the main consumers of these units are gamers, not mom or dad looking for a way to connect everyone in the house.

Here are the options and I'm sure this list will grow:
Commercial:
Tivo Series 3
Window Media Center Edition
Apple Front Row
??Others??

Open Source:
MythTV
iTheater

I know that each of these presents their pro's and cons. With a homebrew system you now become responsible for weeding through the myriad of hardware options as well as becoming the administrator of the system. For most geeks, this is ok because the setup is part of the fun. But for someone who wants to have something that just works, the commercial options are all they really have.

I think I'm going to dig into this a little to see what the best options are out there for MythTV and others. MythTV has been around for a while, and there's a lot of good hardware out there now that's not that expensive. If a mini-itx board will power the encoding/decoding necessary for HD (forgetting the DRM /encryption issues) then I would probably be happy with that.
The potential of using my widescreen TV as my main computer monitor brings a nice feeling of home media integration. The flexibility of something more open than PS3 or X360 is appealing.
Instant weather or traffic info is great for the morning rush out the door. Hopefully, the constant family photo screensaver on my HDTV will help reduce the number of holes I need to put in my walls for picture frames. And the possibility of seeing real-time e-mail alerts, RSS feeds, or (God help us) MySpace updates only helps less technical buy into the whole project.

I think it's time to start laying out all of the options and coming up with a list of pro/con for each.

Cordless Media Keyboard

2007-07-14T21:45:00.000-04:00

Cordless Media Keyboard

Bad news for the new PS3 price drop

2007-07-14T21:34:00.000-04:00

It turns out that the only reason Sony dropped the price on the 60 GB PS3 is to phase it out. They have no plans for a two price strategy in the US market. Long story short, they stopped making 60GB PS3s and when retailers are out of them, that will be it for the $499 PS3. The only option then will be a $599 80 GB PS3.

60 GB Ps3 Discontinuation confirmed
From Kotaku.com (warning: beware of 4-letter words)

Replace/ Add a hard drive easily to PS3

2007-07-14T20:45:00.000-04:00

Team Xecuter's Hard Drive Xtender replaces PS3 HDD with your own
From Engadget.com

Xbox 360 vs PS3...what to do

2007-07-13T17:23:00.000-04:00

After talking with a friend who has an Xbox 360, and is an unapologetic Microsoft fanboy, I am again on the fence between the PS3 and the Xbox 360. I guess it all comes down to the pluses and minuses.

PS3 Pluses:
-Comes standard with Blu-ray
-Comes with a larger hard drive
-Can use a PSP to get your media anywhere

PS3 Minuses
-Limited game titles

Xbox Pluses:
-Online gaming superior
-More title available
-Xbox live
-Media Center interface seems better (my opinion)

Xbox 360 Minuses
-HD DVD sold as a separate accessory
-Smaller hard drive

What else can be added to this list? Also, what I want to know is why no one is talking about the media center capabilities of these machines? Probably because their are more gamers than media guys like me!

Engadget story about another PS3 price cut
Cnet.com Video of the updated PSP
Engadget interview with Peter Moore, Head of Xbox
Engadget Interview with Kaz Hirai and Jack Tretton, Presidents, Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc., and America

Is PS3 the way to go for on-line movies?

2007-07-12T14:49:00.000-04:00

DVD is dead. Blu-ray, hd-dvd, it's all a waste of time. While static media has its place, downloading movies is the way it will be done in the future. You can do it with appleTV, Comcast, FIOS, Netflix, and Xbox360. Sony will surely do it with PS3 as well.

So what does this mean for the content you can get? Sony as a content distributor may have a hard time making deals with Disney, or Paramount because they are competitors. Does this mean that Apple and Microsoft are in the right place because they are content provider neutral?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/07/12/nmicrosoft112.xml

Can't stream network media to PSP

2007-07-12T12:41:00.002-04:00

So I found out today that you can only stream media to your PSP if it is physically on your PS3 hard drive. I have to think that it's a matter of time until someone figures a way to get around this. What about connecting a large external drive to your PS3 and having all your media reside there? I found this post on PS3forums.com talking about connecting external drives to the PS3.
http://www.ps3forums.com/showthread.php?t=83445

This of course brings up a few questions. The main one being, if all of my media resides on a external drive connected to the PS3, can I still access that media on my network? If my only goal is to be able to access my media anywhere with a PSP then this may be a good idea. However, I like to have all of my data organized and a traditional file server that can be accessed anywhere in my house seems like the better thing to do.

Can I stream from a PS3 to a device other than a PSP?

2007-07-11T17:40:00.000-04:00

Streaming to PSP is great, but now that means I need to buy a psp.
I wonder if the media streaming from the PS3 to the PSP uses a standard format? If so, then it may be possible to get that stream on something other than just a PSP.
The other thing is that a post I saw somewhere else said that the streaming is done by the PSP registering with PS-ONline and then talking to your PS3 that way. This could be a problem if you don't have a psp.

Hmmm.

Let the search begin!

2007-07-11T17:20:00.001-04:00

The search for the perfect home media center platform has begun. Let the posts be posted!