XBMC 11.0 Eden Beta 2 Now Available
Last Updated on Sunday, 22 January 2012 07:51 Written by Alan Sunday, 22 January 2012 07:51
It hasn’t been long since XBMC, named for Xbox Media Center, released their beta 1 of the Eden update. Now, fast forward about three weeks, and we have arrived at Beta 2 of the home theater computer software. XBMC is available for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Apple TV, as well as via a “live disc”. It’s probably the best competitor to Microsoft’s Media Center software, which comes as part of Windows. XBMC allows users to access and play pictures, music, and movies from any computer on your network.
Now with the release of Beta 2, very quickly on the heels of Beta 1, XBMC claims, “Since Beta 1, unencrypted bluray, dvd player, startup problems in OSX, airplay, subtitle issues, unofficial addon repository installations, and the frustrating TMDB scraper problems that have made it difficult for everyone to scrape new movies have all seen fixes.” That’s a lot of fixes rushed out in a very short period of time.
XBMC claims that the Beta 2 of Eden is very stable, but still gives the same warning that any beta software comes with. “The same warnings from beta1 still apply. Eden is quite stable already, but don’t forget that it is in beta. Builds for all platforms except XBMCBuntu are uploaded and ready to go.” You can get the latest XBMC build for your home theater computer by visiting XBMC Download.
Zotac Announces 3 New PC’s
Last Updated on Wednesday, 11 January 2012 09:20 Written by Alan Thursday, 12 January 2012 12:00
The market for home theater PC’s has largely been driven by user-built devices, with a few very pricey OEM boxes from hardware makers like Vidabox and Moneual. The home theater PC, generally referred to as an HTPC, usually runs Windows with Media Center enabled upon start-up and comes as a non-tower case which is designed to fit in a cabinet in your living room. Lately though, there has been a small but growing number of small form-factor boxes being used in living rooms.
Zotac is one of those small boxes that has been making inroads with the Media Center user base. Today at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas Zotac announced three new models of their Zbox mini PC’s. The Zbox ID80, ID81 and AD04 were all unveiled and all will likely prove to be popular with the HTPC enthusiasts. All three feature an external Wi-Fi antenna, integrated Bluetooth 3.0, and a bundled media remote with a USB IR receiver for Windows Media Center. These are all second-generation computers that are based, according to Zotac, on user-submitted feedback.
All three of the new Zotac boxes pack the same 2 GB of DDR3 RAM, USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports, S/PDIF audio out, Gigabit ethernet, and 6-in-1 card reader, and a 320 GB HDD, but vary in processor speed and graphics. All three boxes also come in a bare-bones model that allows the user to add their own RAM and HDD, and (if the previous model holds true) an OS.
Prices and availability dates aren’t yet know. However, Zotac devices usually range in the $200-400 area but, as of this writing we don’t have dates for the new boxes. You can visit them at ZotacUSA.
Remote Media Center Allows Access to Your Media From Android
Last Updated on Friday, 9 December 2011 08:04 Written by Alan Sunday, 11 December 2011 07:00
Remote Potato is a server for Windows Media Center and just recently they got a brand new Android app, well a new version anyway. Remote Media Center is currently the only Android app that works with Remote Potato and it’s capable of streaming all of the files on your Media Center PC to any Android device. Pictures, Music, Videos, Movies, even recorded TV are all available at your fingertips. Remote Media Center also allows Android users to change server options and browse the recording schedule.
Before you get started you will need to first install and set up Remote Potato on your Windows 7 Media center computer. Remote Potato is also compatible with Windows Vista and Windows XP, but if you want to use Remote Media Center for Android then you will need to be running Windows 7 on your home theater PC. Once you have Remote Potato installed and configured then you can access it from any web browser, but it’s not very practical for mobile devices since it requires Silverlight and most mobile operating systems aren’t Silverlight compatible.
Remote Media Center eliminates that restriction and also provides a simple user interface to all of your Media Center files. Just install the app, provide the your log-in details (IP address, port number and logon details) and you’re all set. All you need to access your media collection, plus configure your TV recordings, is included in the app, optimized for your device’s touch-screen interface.
Remote Potato and Remote Media Center for Android are both free to download and use. There is also an official iOS app, but it will set you back $6.99. To get started visit Remote Potato, to download and install it. Then, once that is set up, head over to the Remote Media Center download, or look for it it in the Android Market.
