Coming in August 2008, digital media company Cirgon will begin selling a Fedora Linux-based HTPC dubbed Encore Media Server. The Encore will be an exciting addition to any HD-based home theater setup, providing playback and management of music, photos, and 1080i HD video. MORE »

It’s been revealed that Amazon will soon be launching a new streaming video service in addition to its current service offering. The buzz from Amazon CEO, Jeff Bezos, is that the service will operate on a pay-per-view basis.

Unlike their other video service, Amazon Unbox, the new service will not require the user to download a rented or purchased video. Instead, the new on-demand service will stream the Amazon video instantly. No word yet on whether the new streaming service will still rely on the same proprietary Windows XP/Vista desktop player or if the service will play videos through a browser, which would increase Amazon’s customer base by including Mac and Linux users.

When this new service debuts, Amazon will enter into a market already dominated by rival services like NetFlix and free services such as Hulu. [via]

Automated Home reports that Apple has selected home automation technology company iControl to receive part of the $100 million in Venture Capital set aside for the iFund. The new Home Security 2.0 product from iControl will be ported and expanded to operate on the iPhone.

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There has been a lot of buzz lately surrounding the streaming of Netflix’s Watch Now movies to your HTPC and Xbox 360. With just a small registry tweak, you can now watch those movies on unlimited machines. MORE »

Arcosoft Inc. has launched a new edition to their TeVeStream product line, TeVeStream CaptionSeeker. Back in April of this year we brought you the news of their CaptionSaver software product that will convert recordings made with Windows Media Center to WMV and SAMI. In doing so, captions are preserved with the recording instead of being lost. The new CaptionSeeker software allows you to index and search recorded media like never before. MORE »

A few weeks ago I stumbled upon what might just be the most interesting home automation setup that I have ever seen. The Emergency Party Button is exactly what the name suggests. In the event of a party catastrophe, you simply arm the device using the activation key and then smash the big red button with the palm of your hand – instant party! MORE »