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Ian's digital lifestyle and Windows Media Center Blog
January 2008 - Posts
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Niall Ginsbourg has launched his new site http://bigscreenglobal.com and the public releases of Big Screen Photos v2 and Big Screen Weather v2 As I did with this weeks The Media Center Show next week I will be giving away a full copy Big Screen Photos Read More...
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Listen here Here are the final set of interviews from CES. In the press lounge I sat down with James Kendrick and Kevin Tofel from jkOnTheRun and MobileTechRoundup , they cover the world of mobile tech and we chatted about Wimax, UMPCs, Mobile Internet Read More...
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Tonight I had my first play with Linksys's DMA2100 Media Center Extender, so here are my first impressions. I have been using an Xbox 360 as an extender for nearly two years now and am very happy with it so going to be hard for the new Extenders to match Read More...
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Having waited for for Media Center Extenders to come to the UK for years today two have arrived at once! Linksys have sent me a DMA2100 and DMA2200 for a review. So I plan on unboxing and recording my first impressions tonight. Is there anything Read More...
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As I showed on this video and on last weeks Media Center Show Life|ware and Microsoft built three demo homes to show off Media Center, Home Automation and Life|ware at CES Channel 10 have have a video up showing Media Center and how it's integrated with Read More...
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As I have mentioned before I am a Samsung Q1 user and one program I never got work was Dialkey's (I wiped XP off and put Vista on) Today I watched a On10.net video showing off the new version which looks very nice, it has lots of addition features like Read More...
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Aaron Stebner has posted an interesting tip on using Group Policy to control the availability of Media Center. I normal would not bother with Group policy on my blog as I leave that stuff to my day job but this is interesting as enabling the setting stops Read More...
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As I blogged about here at the moment there is no easy way to link Media Center and Home server without some heavy config work. But according to Philip Churchill Windows Home Server blog Recorded TV Manager could be an answer. This is a addin for Windows Read More...
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On TheDigitalLifestyle.com we have a new blog by Ray Casey of Arestar (R*) . The Media Center in Aviation and Marine blog will focus on Media Center in a Marine environment. There is a lot of potential for Media Center in this environment, with home automation, Read More...
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Chris Lanier has an interesting post on the problem Media Center is going to have with HD content now HD-DVD looks in trouble. Read Chris' post for the details but it boils down to the fact that Microsoft has betted on HD-DVD and will not want to write Read More...
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smicale in the forums asks how other uses are integrating Windows Home Server and Windows Media Center in their home setups. I am interested to hear how people are using the systems to distribute their content around their home. One of the problems with Read More...
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Universal Remotes offer a way out of Remote Control hell so I thought I would try One For All's latest remote the Digital 12 (URC-7781). I was interested in this because of the Home Theatre Mode, more on that later. The first thing I did was set it up Read More...
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By Ian Dixon (18mb 50mins 428ec) Vote for the show on Podcast Alley Direct Download Link - Subscribe via iTunes - Subscribe via RSS At CES I visited the NextGen home ( see this video ), it was built to show off Media Center, Home Automation and Read More...
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This is a very short video looking at Samsung's Media Center Extender. Samsung's Extender only works with selected models of their TVs so I tried to find out some more information, and I managed to get quick chat with a PR guy on Samsung's booth. I wasn't Read More...
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I have been on the search for Sideshow devices having only managed to find a couple at CES. So when I had the chance to try i-Mate's wireless Photo frame with Sideshow I jumped at the chance. The device is an i-mate Momento 70 7-Inch Wireless Digital Read More...
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When I looked at Sony's Bluray Media Center System I thought the load time of Bluray movies was slow and that put me off it a little. So I was impressed with Cutting Edge PC'S new Media Center System on show at CES. In this video we look at HD-DVD and Read More...
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At CES Linksys where showing off their new Extenders and part of the demo was of home security using mControl from Embedded Automation. Say take a look at this video all running on an Extender showing off IP security cameras. There is a bit of flickering Read More...
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By Ian Dixon (18mb 53mins 40sec) Vote for the show on Podcast Alley Direct Download Link - Subscribe via iTunes - Subscribe via RSS Back with a full show after my CES trip and this is my first batch of interviews from CES. I have Todd Headrick from Read More...
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At CES I interviewed Alex Thatcher from HP for the The Media Center Show . While I was there I recorded some video of HP's new Media Center Extender and their latest Media Center TV. In the video I show the user interface of HP's own MediaSmart software Read More...
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I wasn't able to do a full video review as I would have liked, for some reason Ricavision would allow audio interviews and not video. You would think they want to show off their latest remotes! Anyway I did a sneak video of the remote and the interview Read More...
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While everybody crowded around the Microsoft Surface demos I talked to Microsoft's Robotics team next to the Surface guys. They are doing some interesting stuff with Robotics and automation. Robotics Studio has a great visual tool for developing Robot Read More...
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One of the interesting things I saw at CES was home automation linked to Media Center so thanks to Ted from Embedded Automation (more from him on future show) for sending me details of a new addin for mControl. Need to start a music playlist upon sunrise Read More...
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While walking the floor with Richard Miller (a Windows Media Center MVP) we found Fuze Media's booth. They have an interesting whole home system that combines parts of Windows Media Center with some of there own code. It adds distributed audio and video Read More...
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The biggest crowd as CES was around the Microsoft Surface demos. So I pushed through the crowd and grabbed some video. I liked the puzzle and the phone store demo. Later this year the tables should start showing up in T-Mobile stores in the US Watch via Read More...
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I have been playing with the BBC iPlayer and I thought I would post my experiences with it and Media Center. First I think the BBC iPlayer is a great idea, being able to catch up with shows is a nice but who wants to watch TV on a PC monitor? So this Read More...
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Samsung Extender for Windows Media Center Media Center was everywhere, here it was at the NextGen Home All in one PC's Sony UX running Media Center and Life|ware's Home Automation , as was the HP TouchSmart Transformers! D-link's Read More...
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I am back in the UK at last. To say I feel tried would be an understatement, I am knacked but that is CES for you, good job it's once a year! So before I get set for a couple of unplugged days, here are some items doing the rounds on the blogs Big Screen Read More...
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Thanks BMI , my flight back to Manchester has a nice 4 hour delay , good job I have the HP 2710p tablet and free wifi l am editing some of the interviews I have recorded this week and using the HP in tablet mode editing is easy and slate mode is much Read More...
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It's been a hard week, but fun. My feet do not want to walk any further! So before I head out to the airport I thought I would give my final thoughts. While there was nothing that made a big splash there was a underlying trend towards connected devices. Read More...
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This week I met up Microsoft's Hakan Olsson a senior product planner from the eHome team. I interviewed him and we talked Media Center Extenders, but I didn't know how much of a Media Center enthusiast he is. Checkout his home on the Channel 10 video, Read More...
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My final night at CES was at The Media Center Show dinner. Paul from S1Digital arranged for a room at the buffet in the Paris hotel, where we sat down chatted had some good food and a modest amount of beer. Lots of people including myself were heading Read More...
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By Ian Dixon (4mb 10mins ) Vote for the show on Podcast Alley Direct Download Link - Subscribe via iTunes - Subscribe via RSS This is a short show summing up CES before I fly back to the UK. I have recorded a whole bunch of interviews and will start Read More...
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This afternoon I interviews Kevin Tofel and James Kendrick from JKonTheRun , we chatted mobile tech news from CES and how Kevin and James were covering CES. James had a HTC Advantage which he was posting pictures live on to his blog, very cool stuff. Read More...
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This afternoon I was introduced to Cutting Edge PC's , they where showing off their HD-DVD / Bluray Media Center PC, as you can tell from the picture it's a nice looking devices but what impressed me most is how seamlessly the HD content integrated with Read More...
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Time for my first post of a CES press release, more details on the The Media Center Show as I interviewed Mike Seamans from Life|ware LIFE|WARE LAUNCHES THEIR FIRST ENTRY LEVEL LIFE|MEDIA SERVERS, INCLUDING the LMS-150 WITH DUAL CABLECARD TUNERS Read More...
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This is a sneek video I did while on the tour of the NextGen Home at CES yesterday. The tour takes you around a home all connected together with Home Automation from Life|ware, Media Center and Lutron lighting control. The home is staffed by actors each Read More...
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I have just come from a meeting with Paul McIntosh of Linksys and he showed me their range of Network devices. The first thing I noticed is that they seem to get digital lifestyle concept. Their new router is sleek and the built in Management Software Read More...
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OL I am getting tried now, 3 days of walking the halls and carrying my bag is getting to me, but it's worth it to see some of the cool stuff. Today I had a tour of Lifewares Next Gen Home. This is a simulated home setup to show off Home Automation, Lifeware Read More...
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There seems to be some confusion over Samsung's new Media Center Extender and what TV's it will work with, on the Microsoft and Samsung's stand they were not 100% clear. This morning I interviewed Hakan Olsson from the eHome team at Microsoft and he cleared Read More...
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I have just come from a demo of Microsoft Robotics Studio , you may think "What has this to do with The Digital Lifestyle" well for developers I think it could mean a lot. It's not just fun toys, it is a proper development platform for Read More...
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So another packed day at CES. This morning I talked to Todd Headrick from the Windows Home Server team about a year of Windows Home Server and what the newly announced Windows Home Server Power Pack is all about. I talked to Ricavision about the new Sideshow Read More...
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As Terry Walsh mentioned in today's The Media Center Show , Microsoft have announced Windows Home Server Power Pack 1 , this is an update for Home Server that will delivered automatically over Windows Update. Features include: The Windows Home Read More...
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The Media Center Show #138 CES Day 1 By Ian Dixon (9mb 25mins ) Vote for the show on Podcast Alley Direct Download Link - Subscribe via iTunes - Subscribe via RSS Welcome to CES! Last night I watched Bill Gates keynote from the Bloghaus, it was Read More...
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So here I am at Bloghaus watching Bill Gates final CES keynote. Bill opened by recaping on the last "digital decade" and the fact that this is last keynote by Bill. There was a nice humorous video showing Bills "last day" as Chairman Read More...
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I made it to Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show. The direct flight from Manchester was very good much better than the transfer problems I had last year. I am sat at the Bloghaus waiting for Bill Gates keynote to start, I am sure the jet lag will Read More...
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Looks like the CES press releases are coming thick and fast! HomeSeer have released a Vista Media Center UI to control HomeSeer-automated homes through Media Center HomeSeer Technologies announces the release of its Windows Media Center interface Read More...
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It's the time of year where tech journalist and bloggers flock to Las Vegas for The Consumer Electronic Show, I have had hundreds and hundreds of emails from exhibitors at CES all promising their product or service will be the "must see item of 2008", Read More...
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Every now and then I go through the Podcasts in the Zune Marketplace looking for new shows and today I noticed that lots of new Podcasts have been added to the directory, they could have been in for a while I haven't checked it recently. I pleased to Read More...
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HP's new consumer focused tablet PC the tx2000 looks like it will make a great Media Center PC. Unlike the the previous model (tx1000) this has a duel digitiser, which means you can use it with touch or active digitiser pen. So you get the best of both Read More...
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I managed to get some hi-res pictures of HP's new Media Smart Receiver. It looks a nice neat looking unit, I will be interested to see what the price will be Read More...
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HP have announced details of there 2008 MediaSmart products, just in time for CES. They have announced a new Media Center Extender, similar to the DLink and Linksys devices, it features wireless a,b,g and N, and supports XP as well as Vista (I guess that Read More...
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By Ian Dixon (18.2mb 53mins 00sec) Vote for the show on Podcast Alley Direct Download Link - Subscribe via iTunes - Subscribe via RSS Welcome to the first show of 2008, this week Zune MVP Jason D unn returns to the show to talk about the new generation Read More...
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Since I moved The Media Center Show to TheDigitalLifestyle.com back in March I thought it would make sense to move my blog on to the site as well. MSN Spaces has been a good home for my blog but it is better to have all my content on Read More...
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I just wanted to say Happy New Year to all readers. I hope you the new year is a good one for you, I am looking forward to seeing what 2008 brings See you at CES! 
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