MC Extender

Avocent's MPX1550 wireless HD video extender supports higher bit rates

Nicr — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 03:00:46 +0000

First came the Emerge MPX1000, and this March, we were treated to the altogether upgraded MPX1500. Now, Avocent has introduced the (sort of) predictably titled successor, the MPX1550. This unit looks almost identical to the iteration that came out in March, though it does posses a new antenna on the front an……

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Windows 7 to natively support DivX and transcoding?

Nicr — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 03:00:44 +0000

Currently getting 3rd party codecs like DivX and Xvid working within Windows Media Center has worked well enough with 3rd party solutions, but the next best thing is native support. We’d already gotten the official word that H.264 support was included in Windows 7, but a tipster has lead us to believe th……

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Matsushita Electric becomes Panasonic, like, for real

Nicr — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 03:01:05 +0000

We've been hearing that Matsushita was jonesing to become Panasonic for months now, but at long last, the company (companies?) has finally pulled the trigger. As of October 2008, Matsushita Electric Industrial Company has become Panasonic Corporation, and its stock ticker symbol on the NYSE has been chang……

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VidaBox's RoomClientHD streams Blu-ray, other 1080p content to your HDTV

Nicr — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 03:01:05 +0000

First things first: you’ll supposedly need an actual VidaBox Media Server in order to work with the RoomClientHD. Granted, we imagine there are some workarounds out there, but we figured we go ahead and burst a few bubbles early before getting hopes up too high. That being said, the 2-inch tall RoomClien……

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Samsung’s MediaLive probably almost available now.. maybe

Nicr — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 22:12:19 +0000

Samsung’s MediaLive: the Ultimate HDTV Accessory, Bringing Digital Content from the PC to the Big-Screen

Combines Microsoft’s Extender for Windows Media Center Technology
with Samsung High Design and Cutting-Edge Functionality for a New Era
of Home Entertainment
RIDGEFIELD PARK, N.J.–(Business Wire)–
Samsung Electronics America Inc., the leader in the U.S. digital
television market, lets consumers view PC-content on a Samsung HDTV
with the retail launch of the company’s MediaLive adaptor. Samsung’s
MediaLive delivers digital content (including HD content) in real-time
from Windows Media Center on a PC running Windows Vista Home Premium
or Windows Vista Ultimate operating systems to the big screen of a
Samsung HDTV via a wireless or wired home network. From photos, music,
feature films, home movies, and live and recorded TV programs,
Samsung’s MediaLive is the ideal plug-and-play complement to most
2008-model Samsung HDTVs.

“The PC is quickly becoming the hub for entertainment in the home
and Samsung’s MediaLive gives consumers the freedom to enjoy and
manage movies, photos, and music on the bigger screen of an HDTV,”
said John Revie, Vice President of Visual Display Marketing at Samsung
Electronics America. “Samsung’s MediaLive opens up a constantly
expanding world of content for consumers, adding yet another
connectivity option to the latest Samsung HDTVs.”

Easily connected to an existing wireless or wired Internet
connection, Samsung’s MediaLive allows PCs running Windows Vista or
Windows Vista Home Premium to stream a personal movie, photo, music,
and video collection to any 2008-model Samsung HDTV in the home with
an HDMI-CEC connection. With the ability to display content at up to
Full HD resolution and support for a range of video, audio, and image
codecs such as AC3, H.264, JPEG, MPEG2, MPEG4, WMA, and WMV, consumers
will be able to enjoy an impressive variety of video and audio files
using Samsung’s MediaLive. Instead of crowding around a 15-inch PC
monitor to share their latest music or movies, users can transfer the
same PC content in real-time and share it on a 50-inch HDTV with a
group of friends. One PC can stream content to up-to five Samsung
MediaLive boxes connected to a TV through a home network - providing
total access to entertainment from most 2008-model Samsung HDTV’s in
the home.

Beyond streaming personal entertainment, Samsung’s MediaLive gives
consumers access to a wide range of entertainment options including
online services such as Vongo, MovieLink, Showtime TV, XM Radio, and
FOX Sports, as well as the ability to browse through top news stories
from Reuters and NPR. Additionally, in the U.S., Windows Media Center
features the Internet TV beta program, which offers access to viral
videos, news stories, movie trailers, sports clips, cast interviews,
movie concerts and more. For access to live and recorded TV through
the Samsung MediaLive, a simple TV tuner can be connected to the PC,
turning it into a powerful DVR with the ability to watch and record
favorite television shows and movies. In conjunction with FOX Sports,
consumers are able to access SportsLounge to quickly view up-to-date
sports scores, statistics and schedules - a perfect tool for any
fantasy sports fan.

“Microsoft is pleased to be working with an industry leader such
as Samsung, which shares our commitment to expanding TV entertainment
options through Windows Media Center,” said Ron Pessner, General
Manager of the Connected TV Division at Microsoft Corp. “We’re seeing
the industry recognize the value of delivering these types of
integrated solutions that allow consumers to extend pictures, music
and more from their Windows Vista Home Premium- or Ultimate-based PC
to the TV.”

Employing the simple-to-navigate user interface and integrated
electronic program guide of Windows Media Center, content browsing and
playback is easily controlled using the arrow and enter buttons
available on either the included MediaLive Simple Remote, or the
Samsung HDTV’s remote control.

Using the included mounting bracket, the compact device can be
easily mounted to the rear of select Samsung flat-panel TVs for a
clutter-free home theater setup. Operational commands are sent to the
MediaLive via the HDMI-CEC port for a high quality, single-cable
connection to the HDTV. The device connects to a PC via a RJ45
connected LAN cable, or wirelessly through a built-in 802.11 a/b/g/n
receiver.

The Samsung MediaLive will be available in August 2008.

-0-
*T
Specifications
—————————-
                                             MediaLive
———————————————————————-
Online Content               — Windows Media Center online media
                               content providers
———————————————————————-
Audio                       — WMA, MP3, AC3
———————————————————————-
Video                       — WMV, MPEG2, MPEG4, H.264
                             — HDMI-CEC output
                             — Replay
                             — Down & Play of recorded TV program In
                              PC
                             — AV Streaming with PC (Server)
                             — AV Streaming with PC (Client) - WMV,
                              MPEG2 file Streaming
———————————————————————-
Photo                       — JPEG
                             — Zoom in/out, Rotation
———————————————————————-
Input and Output            — DC Power
                             — USB 2.0 Slave
                             — USB 2.0 Host
                             — HDMI-CEC
                             — Ethernet (RJ45 LAN cable)
———————————————————————-
Works With                   — 2008-model Samsung HDTVs 450 series
                              and higher, LCD, Plasma and DLP
———————————————————————-
Dimension (W X H X D, mm) — 270 x 48 x 155
———————————————————————-
Weight                      — 1.8 kg
———————————————————————-
Estimated Selling Price     $200
———————————————————————-
Availability               August 2008

The Samsung MediaLive Digital Media Adapter gets a date

Nicr — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 03:00:41 +0000

We hate to admit it, but the longer we have to wait for something, the more anxious we get. So it should be no surprise that after nine months, we can't wait to check out Samsung's new Media Center Extender. We got word last week that the little guy was available for pre-order on Best Buy, but the la……

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Samsung's MediaLive Digital Media Adapter really coming soon?

Nicr — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 03:00:36 +0000

Hey, Sammy — bet you thought we forgot about that little MediaLive Digital Media Adapter of yours, huh? For everyone that had, let us bring you back up to speed. After launching under a different name at CES 2008, this puppy was officially revealed in the summer. Unfortunately, the supposed August ship date……

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D-Link DSM-330 media streamer gets Flash video support — Hulu on your TV

Nicr — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 03:00:37 +0000

D-Link's $230 DSM-330 media streamer has always been among the most flexible set-top boxes out there, and it's just gotten even better, with the latest DivX Connected server software bringing Flash video support to the device. It's not quite browse-and-play — every site requires a specific plug-……

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Tributaries' HXMini5 extends 1080p HDMI signals up to 100 meters

Nicr — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 03:00:33 +0000

Forget 130-feet — how's about 100 meters? The new long-range solution from Tributaries (dubbed HXMini5) extends Full HD video (with audio) just over 300-feet with no loss of quality or reliability. The box can sling 1080p/60Hz HDMI signals up to 100-meters and 1080p/120Hz up to 55-meters, and of course,……

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AudioQuest's Series 10 HDMI cable takes 1080p 115-feet with no extender

Nicr — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 03:00:33 +0000

Taking your HDMI signals a few hundred feet isn't a problem if you're kosher with dropped a few Benjamins on an extender, but AudioQuest has a better idea — just make a cable that can take said signals further. The Series 10 HDMI cable is making its grand entrance at CEDIA this year, and thanks to so……

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