In an effort to provide Niveus Media Server and Niveus Storage Server – Cargo Edition owners a higher end movie experience, Niveus Media has integrated the ability for people to download HD quality feature films from HDGIANTS’ movie collection directly through the company’s Niveus Movie Library application. The Niveus Movie Library, for those unfamiliar, is a proprietary movie management application that aggregates and displays stored — and now… available — movies along with high-res cover art and detailed metadata. According to the press release attached below, all movies downloaded from the service will be accessible from the system they were downloaded to as well as Media Center Extenders and other network PCs. Unfortunately, there’s no word on pricing for each HD title, but a preview of the selection can be viewed here.

CORRECTION: Just got an email from Niveus stating the following: “The movies are not downloaded via Niveus Movie Library (or any medium for that matter). The customer orders the movie package from the dealer and HDGIANTS sends the dealer a hard drive with the content. The dealer then loads the content onto the customer’s server and it is integrated into the Movie Library.” Sorry, folks. The press release gave me a different impression after reading it. However, now that we’re getting clarification on how the process works… too bad it’s not the case as previously thought (in regards to downloading HD movies directly through the Niveus Movie Library application).

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After the demise of Ricavision, all hopes for a Windows SidesShow remote for Windows Media Center seemed lost (most MCE users were holding out for the RICA100 or VAVE100). Well, folks, Philips apparently stepped up to the plate a while back (May 2007 according to Amazon.com) to fill the niche and didn’t make a big deal about it. In fact, the product only mentions that it’s SideShow capable in the product’s help file. Go figure? In any case, SideShow functionality has been tested by Derek Flickinger and it seems to be working great. The Philips SRM7500 is currently selling for around $110 at Amazon.com and other retailers (list price: $199.99). MORE »

Ever wish you could convert your large external USB storage drive into an NAS server? Well, Addonics says you can easily for $55. Just plug your USB drive to the back of this peripheral and connect the adapter via Ethernet to your router and you’re good to go. The Addonics NAS Adapter essentially converts your drive instantly into a network SAMBA share accessible by any Windows, Mac, or Linux PC. What’s more, users can FTP to their drive as well as use it as a BitTorrent appliance or print server.

UPDATE: Missed this let gem from the product page feature list: “Can be set as a UPnP AV server to share photo/music files stored on the file server with XBOX 360 video game consoles connected to the LAN.” Whoa, Mama! MORE »

Ouch! Like the title says… DirecTV has nixed plans for releasing their highly anticipated satellite TV tuner for Windows Media Center. Reason: just same lame excuse about missing the August 2008 Windows Media Center update and not wanting to hold off until the next update release from Microsoft to come around. With that said, though, Windows 7 users in the future may still get a similar product when the time is right. Full email notification below — courtesy of ZDNet. MORE »

MyHomeServer.com has posted a video review of the Linksys WVC210 Internet Camera that some of you folks might find interesting. The camera features pan/tilt functionality, microphone and speaker inputs, dynamic DNS, and the ability to provide video streams to cell phones or PCs. While watching the video I started getting ideas on how my condo complex could make use of a few of these for added safety and surveillance. Hmmm. I might have to bring it up at my next HOA meeting.

Talk about a get gift idea for under $70! C. Crane’s Digital FM Transmitter [Amazon] is a pretty sweet little peripheral that allows users to transmit audio from any device with a standard headphone jack to a nearby FM radio receiver. So, if you’ve ever wanted a drop dead simple way to tap into internet radio from your PC or audio from an MP3 player to your living room stereo, kitchen tabletop radio, or even your car stereo (optional adapter), the C. Crane Digital FM Transmitter is the ticket. The product requires 2 AA batteries and needs to be set to an unused FM frequency between 88.3 MHz and 107.7 MHz to work. Weight: 5.8 oz. Size 3″ W x 3.5″ H x 1″ D [via]

Ever wish you could access many of your USB peripherals wirelessly? If yes, Cables Unlimited has a unique $129 solution that you might be interested in if your a Windows XP or Vista user. The company’s Wireless USB Kit is a receiver and transmitter duo that is designed to work with a single USB device or with many at once via a USB hub up to 30-feet away. The catch is that only one user can have access to the paired device(s) at a time and the product can only support non-isochronous peripherals. In other words, the kit does not support USB webcams, speakers, or microphones. [via]

Western Digital (WD) is today unveiling their new HD media player that’s designed to work with the company’s line of My Passport portable drives, as well as third party USB storage devices. The stand alone unit connects directly to your TV or HDTV and provides media center style navigation and playback of photos, music, and videos. Prospective buyers will also be happy to learn that the WD TV HD Media Player provides an HDMI connection and resolution support up to 1080p. Suggested retail price is $129.99 and is available now at select retailers. MORE »

It wasn’t that long ago that Microsoft introduced Surface to public. Originally, it was thought that it was going to be rolled out to consumers in some fashion and to businesses for infotainment purposes. As luck would have it, only hotel chains, cellular service providers, casinos, and other companies have been able to get there hands on these touch screen computer tables. Well, that may soon change. According to istartedsomething.com, Microsoft has been surveying some of its users to gage interest on a hypothetical consumer variation of the Surface table codemamed “Oahu.” In the survey, Microsoft details how Oahu would work, common uses, and example form factor applications. Interestingly, the company is pegging the price point to $1,499. Below are some snippets from the survey. MORE »

The average consumer makes their first entry into the integrated world through the remote control. It is no wonder then that the remote manufacturers are producing low cost universal remotes that will entice said average consumer. What is surprising is that Logitech has not made a big deal about their newest remote, the Harmony 510 Universal Remote. The 510 is a carbon copy of Logitech’s Harmony 550 with a different color scheme and a few button changes. The 510 also steps down from 15 controllable devices to 5. This leads to a more streamlined control and programming arc for those who are still new to universal remotes. Logitech does have an impressive control database of over 225,000 devices from over 5,000 manufacturers so the 510 should control most any device created in the last 10-15 years. The MSRP for the 510 is $99.99, but it can be found in many places on the net for under that amount. If you’re savvy enough to be reading this, the 510 is probably not the right remote for you due to the low number of devices it controls. It would however, be a perfect gift for the not-so-techie friend/relative that you want to drag into the new millennium. Remember, the holidays approach.