Anthology Solutions, Inc., maker of the Yellow Machine™ Terabyte Class FailSafe Media Servers, today announced that the Yellow Machine is also the optimal hub for digital content in the home. By storing and serving digital music, photos, HD video and games to the digital home, the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA)-compliant Yellow Machine now enables consumers to play content on the broadest range of digital media players. Available today, the Yellow Machine software version 3.3 with Digital Entertainment Power Tools, can help preserve the large and growing digital libraries of TiVo® and Microsoft Media Center users. New RapidReady Startup also allows consumers to simply connect their network cables, power up and enjoy thousands of hours of content. MORE »

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For anyone that regularly reads PC Magazine, the term “perfect” rarely comes up and deservedly so. So few products ever hit the goldmine of pricing, styling and functionality. That’s why, when reading the review of the Winbook Jiv Mini MCE PC I was taken aback by the statement that the Jiv Mini is “the perfect home-theater PC.” Yes - perfect. And from a company whose name is not Sony, HP or Dell no less. MORE »

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In a follow up to his “Thoughts on MCE beta feedback” post, Matt Goyer (remember he’s a project manager in the eHome division at Microsoft) answered some of the more nagging questions MCE users have been inquiring about. But the following Q&A really peaked my interest: “Q: Will I be able to buy a cablecard reader off the shelf, a video card off the shelf and be able to playback [OCUR] content? A: No.” Ouch. MORE »

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With the recent release of Fabrik on the Maxtor Fusion [check prices] network storage drive – an incredible front-end that lets users manage their media through a cross-platform (i.e. Windows, Mac, Linux) browser interface, generates custom code for embedding content into websites and email messages, and other innovative tasks – I decided to contact Fabrik for a product demonstration. The following video is recorded at the Fabrik headquarters in San Mateo, CA with chairman & founder, Keyur Patel, who personally gave me an overview of the company’s strategy and a hands-on demonstration of his ground-breaking product. MORE »

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NETGEAR, Inc. a worldwide provider of technologically advanced, branded networking products, today announced the execution of a definitive agreement to acquire SkipJam Corp., a leader in integrated software for home entertainment and control. NETGEAR’s acquisition grows its strategically important digital home entertainment and control business by significantly strengthening NETGEAR’s software ability to expand its multimedia product portfolio. MORE »

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Frustrated by all the mis-information and tired of repeating himself on various forums, Matt Goyer, a Project Manager in Microsoft’s eHome division, has publicly posted a current working feature-set for Vista MCE and outlines current hurdles and future advancements for the platform. Lets just say it’s a definite “must read” if your weighing your options in upgrading from MCE 2005 to Vista MCE. MORE »

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Fluendo, leader in GNU/Linux and Unix multimedia solutions, is expanding its offerings with the Elisa Media Center solution. Elisa will be a full-featured Media Center solution targeted at both desktop and embedded systems. MORE »

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Curious to see what the Vista Extender UI on the Xbox 360 looks like? Ian Dixon just installed the latest build of Vista (5472), reconfigured his XBOX 360, and was pleasantly surprised to see the new Vista interface in action. Ian says, “The setup was very simple, it seems slicker that the XP version and maybe a little quicker. Once up and running it looks exactly like Media Center running on Vista, with the new UI and sounds.” Click here to see the video demo.

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Today TiVo announced that they have officially launched an Audience Research and Measurement Division that will offer advertisers and agenices “for the first time, second-by-second data and analysis on DVR viewing of advertising content.” So, does this mean TiVo will now drop monthly subscription rates with their new revenue stream? Nope. Too bad. Knowing that TiVo is making money off of user activity seems like an even exchange to me. How about letting me keep my activity private since I’m willing to pay my dues. Oops… I’m guessing I don’t have that option either.

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We’re having an internal discussion that would be fun to get reader feedback on. Early this morning Om Malik posted a story on how Linux may/is/will be the winner in the “Digital Home” since it’s embedded in many of the popular connected devices and set-top boxes we use on a regular basis. I have no argument there. But then he makes a rather bizarre statement related to ABI Research’s recent study: MORE »

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