If you’re the DIY type who likes to build their own HTPC and home media server, you might be interested in what James has created. Basically, he’s combined Windows Vista Media Center and Windows Home Server systems inside one PC enclosure powered by two separate Micro-ATX motherboards. In his setup, James also stashed in an Ethernet hub, two power supplies, and a handful of hard drives to boot Vista and backup his media. All in all, a pretty wild setup as you will see in the attached video. [via] MORE »

AMD today announced the introduction of the ATI Radeon™ HD 4550 and ATI Radeon™ HD 4350 graphics cards, the latest additions to the award-winning ATI Radeon™ HD 4000 series graphics line up. These feature-rich graphics cards deliver exceptional gaming and HD multimedia performance at value prices. Both cards are based on the same technology found in the celebrated ATI Radeon™ HD 4800 series, including support for the latest DirectX® 10.1 games and superior HD multimedia capabilities.Delivering mainstream-class performance at a value price, the ATI Radeon HD 4550 graphics card plays demanding game titles previously unplayable by cards in this price segment², and for less than USD $59 for a 512MB memory configuration. An even more incredible value, the ATI Radeon HD 4350 graphics card is the ideal introduction to the ATI Radeon HD 4000 series, priced for less than USD $39 for a 256 MB memory configuration, giving gamers and multimedia enthusiasts more features than products available from the competition today.³ MORE »

NETGEAR®, Inc., a worldwide provider of technologically advanced, branded networking solutions, today launched its new family of Wireless-N networking solutions to make it even simpler for consumers to upgrade their home networks to enjoy the performance, security and range provided by Wireless-N technology. The new NETGEAR Wireless-N Router (WNR2000) and Wireless-N Router with Built-in DSL Modem (DGN2000) deliver the performance necessary to support the simultaneous use of bandwidth-intensive applications including Internet surfing, Internet telephony, online gaming, and high-definition video streaming, along with Quality of Service (QoS) to ensure the right prioritization of simultaneous traffic. MORE »

Among the top designated marketing areas (DMAs), San Francisco, Miami and Los Angeles are the most connected cities, based on home networking adoption, according to new research from MultiMedia Intelligence. A wired or wireless home network allows consumers to connect multiple PCs and printers, and to share Internet access among computers. MORE »

Wow! It appears that Sprint XOHM service is setting itself up to be a true competitor to traditional cable, DSL, and cellular data service providers. According to the company’s marketing material, subscribers can opt for the “Pick 2” program for only $50/mo (limited time offer) and get WiMAX service for two device types (i.e. home modem, laptop data card, or a WiMAX enabled mobile device). Now that’s hot (as Paris would say). Dave Zatz thinks this is a great deal too and points out that a single 3G data card service alone runs about $60/mo. MORE »

Ever wish you could show off all your digital camera’s video clips as easily as you do your photos on VMC? Well, guess what? chandler72 has released a free Beta app called clipShow on Microsoft’s CodePlex that does just that. What’s more, users can create playlists, play clips by date / tags, or set clipShow to rotate through random clips at timed playback intervals (30 / 60 / 90 seconds) or their entirety. [via]

UPDATE: I see that Stuart at The Media Center Blog has posted nice walk-through and review of clipShow. Give it a look — lots of screenshots provided.

Looks like Intelliremote got a bit more intelligent. The developer of Intelliphone has, as you can see in the screenshots, added virtual keyboard and mouse functionality to his app that I’m sure many people will appreciate. Sure, it’s cool to have all the MCE and Universal Remote buttons available to you via your iPhone / iPod Touch interface, but these two latest additions bring Intelliphone just about on par with a hardware solution like the $149 Logitech diNovo Mini, but for only $24. [via]

Here’s another reason to look at VidaBox’s line of Digital Home products when you’re considering making your next purchase. The guys at VidaBox have custom built a mini, near silent extender client for their VidaBox Server called RoomClientHD. The funny thing is that it’s really a mini Windows Vista PC running Home Premium. However, what’s not funny, but seriously cool, is that it’s capable of streaming Blu-ray movies from the server at full 1080p and can upscale DVDs to HD. Further details provided in the press release below. MORE »

Nero, creators of liquid media technology, has solved one of the most common problems facing consumers today – too many devices and too many types of digital content in a range of file formats that are simply not compatible. With the introduction of Nero Move it, even the most non-technical consumer can quickly and easily convert music, videos, and photos from one file format to another for use across a broad range of portable devices. Nero is empowering users to take control of their music, photo and video libraries and is making liquid content distribution, anytime, anywhere and on any compatible portable device and online community a reality. MORE »

Nero, creators of liquid media technology, and TiVo Inc., the creator of and a leader in television services for digital video recorders (DVRs), announced today the unveiling of Nero LiquidTV | TiVo PC. This new offering revolutionizes the way consumers experience television by offering an enhanced TiVo DVR experience directly from the PC. MORE »