January 2005 archive
My Movies 1.1 Update For MCE 2005
Posted: Monday, January 24, 2005
I was checking out Chris Lanier’s Blog and notcied there is a new update to My Movies. The key new features include:
- the importing of DVD Profiler content
- supports multiple files, if you create a .m3u or .wpl playlist file
- all covers are now converted to thumbnails
- “online” icons are put on online covers
- support for .ts and .dvr-ms files
If you haven’t already installed this MCE 2005 add-on, you must do it now! There is nothing like instant, disc-less viewing of movies! Looks like I’m going to need to buy more hard drives… those 400gb ones are looking very tempting.
- My Movies 1.1 available - DVD Profiler support
OmniPro II Now Supports Russound CAV 6.6
Posted: Monday, January 24, 2005
Well folks, it’s official. HAI has announced they will be offering an upgraded firmware chip that adds support for Russound’s CAV 6.6 multiroom audio controller. The OmniPro II can now be used to control on/off, volume, muting, and source selection for each of the audio zones. The feature I’m most looking forward to using is the ability to control the CAV 6.6 by “OmniPro II modes”. For example, you can have it play your favorite music at a certain preset volume and time or you can incorporate it into a system preset so when you select “Party Mode” the A/C turns on, the disco ball starts spinning and the lights dim. Yeah Baby! The upgraded firmware is expected to cost $75 (M.S.R.P.) and should be available early next month.My Attempt At Home Automation Using .NET and Flash
Posted: Wednesday, January 19, 2005
So I’m almost done with the construction of my new home, it has been 2 years of actual construction and 2 years of planning. Overall, I am very happy with the results. High on my list was to design and install a complete home automation system in the house. I wanted to develop a system that is both cost effective and robust enough to expand over time. Most proprietary systems like Crestron and AMX are tailored to the ultra rich and for the non-tech savvy folks. I’m a geek, so I want a system that exposes every little hook so I can do whatever I want. I don’t want to be charged more money if I want to add a feature. My goal is really simple. There is no need to automate a toaster or have a TV screen built into my refrigerator. I believe a “smart home” should be just that. Smart. It should be bright enough to know when I’m in proximity. Lets say I pull into my driveway and open the garage door at 10pm. The house should turn on the lights leading to my bedroom at 45% brightness. If I turn lights on after midnight, to get a drink of water or go to the bathroom, the switches should know to only turn the lights on 25%, as I don’t want to be fully awakened. Heating and cooling should be zoned and controlled via the panels and remotely using a telephone (dial-tone controlled and/or HTTP). The audio and video should be able to be distributed and controlled in any room of the house. There shouldn’t ever be a need to buy multiple DVD players for each room. A video server will play a major part in the house. The idea is to keep the system simple enough so it’s easy to control and smart enough that you never really need to touch it.
Our lives are very cyclical. Think about it. We wake up around the same time Monday thru Friday. We come home around the same time. Weekends are maybe different, but typically follow a regular schedule. Maybe some weekends you wake up Saturday morning, walk to the local coffee shop, then return home and watch a movie. A good system should be able to learn. A good system should be able to adapt. I never want to have to touch a light switch (or panel) unless I want to manually override them, like to set a particular mood.
I could go on for hours discussing my ultimate vision of the perfect home automation solution, but that’s not the point of this post. I’d like to show my current attempt at home automation. I decided to build it using the Microsoft .NET platform. I have to give props to Microsoft for developing a platform that is so easy to build a product around. The beauty of the platform is that one can write programs easily for both the PocketPC and Windows realm. It’s a very, very powerful architecture. Now, when it’s coupled with Macromedia Flash for the UI layer, one can design clean and reusable interfaces that keep a consistent look and feel across devices.
My first step was to see how hard it was to write a program for the PocketPC platform. Since my next phone will be a based on this platform, and since the Flash Player 6 is available on the PocketPC, I decided to design an architecture that embeds my Flash UI on top a native PocketPC application. I used an old Toshiba e740 with built-in WiFi to test my prototype on. The UI was easy to port over to the PocketPC because I already had a full screen version of the Flash UI (the house will have two 10” airpanels, one 15” airpanel, and a 15” in-wall touchscreen). That is one of the main benefits with using Flash as the UI layer. It is easy to scale and position the elements for display on different size panels. All of these panels will have the same full control of the house and will be on a closed network. When I am near my house, the PocketPC phone will notice when my wireless network is available. The application sends out a UDP message, much like the uPnP discovery model and handshakes with my home automation server. Looking for certain credentials. I can even lock it to my phone’s serial number. Once everything is good to go, it will launch and display the Grouse Control Center application (pictured above). I will then need to enter an authorization code which is encrypted and sent back to the controller. Once authenticated, I will have control of certain elements of the home. Elements like cameras, security system, lighting, climate, audio/video, and system status/alerts.
The hardest part is finding the time to complete the whole system. But, this is something I have thought long and hard about and with technology getting more accessible, I will be able to expand it as I see fit. Something I feel I could never do with a Crestron or AMX controller… certainly not for the same price.
When I get closer to finishing the system, I’ll post my complete vision to home automation and if I successfully achieved what I wanted to. Heck, I might get sick of the whole thing and go back to standard toggle light switches and an old-school rotary dial thermostat.
Onkyo’s “Future Proof” Flagship Receiver
Posted: Wednesday, January 19, 2005
I love my Pioneer VSX-59TXi, I even went thru the hassle of upgrading all the DACs in it, but this Onkyo TX-NR1000 looks pretty sweet. It has all the input and outputs you’d expect from a flagship unit. The unit is THX Ultra 2 certified and plays back the major encoding formats like THX Surround EX, DTS 96/24 and Dolby Pro Logic IIx. The only flaw I see is the missing playback capability of Windows Media Audio 9 Professional encoded media. I do like that it features HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) inputs (2) and output which seems to be the standard input on all new HDTV displays. The unit is rated at 150 watts-per-channel, that should be plenty good for your dedicated screening room (you could always add external amps to the unit).
The TX-NR1000 is the first home theater receiver that also has serious upgrade potentional. The rear of the unit houses modules, so the idea is that if you need more inputs or outputs, or a new processing format is released, the unit can either be upgraded via firmware or a module can be swapped. I love the idea of this and hope they actually release upgrade modules for the unit at prices that make sense. The TX-NR1000 retails for around $4k and should be considered if you are in the flagship receiver market.
- Onkyo USA TX-NR1000
Ultimate Ears UE 5c
Posted: Monday, January 17, 2005
I was looking for some new in-ear headphones this weekend and stumbled across a company called Ultimate Ears. They are the inventors of those hearing aid looking contraptions that sometimes fall out of the artists ears when they are dancing and singing live on TV. Upon further investigation, I found out that Ultimate Ears is well known in the professional world. This IS the ultimate in-ear stage monitor, because they wouldn’t be the “ultimate” is they didn’t have that VERY impressive client list (see link below).Most of their lines are tailored for the celebrity performer, but they recently released the “affordable” UE-5c, which was specifically made to complement an iPod or other portable devices. These in-ear headphones aren’t your typical earphones, each set is custom fabricated for you ears. In order for you to get a pair of these beauties, you need to schedule an appointment with your local hearing-aid center and have them make impressions of your inner-ear. Then, you send those off to Ultimate Ears and they create a set of UE-5c’s for you (and only you). If you wear headphones often, like 5+ hours a day, or can’t find a pair of earphones that fit your ears perfectly, then you need to get a pair custom made… no exceptions. Just be prepared for the $550 price tag, which is “a small price to pay for living like a rock star”.
— Dual Driver: Single Hi/Single Low (Balanced Armatures)
— Passive Crossover
— Sensitivity: 119db @ 1mw (+ or -3db)
— Frequency Response: 20 Hz to 16k
— Impedance: 21 ohms
— 1/8” Mini connector
— Full hard material for durability
— Replaceable cables in clear, beige, brown or black. 46” or 64” lengths available.
- The Impressive Client List
- Ultimate Ears UE-5c
The Deluxe Greasecar Conversion Kit
Posted: Thursday, January 13, 2005
With all this talk about Diamonds and 390hp Supercharged Range Rovers, I thought I better post about something more practical. Well, here it is… The Greasecar Vegetable Oil Conversion System from GreaseCar.com. Say goodbye to that black gold and hello to frier gold. This fuel modification system turns your diesel vehicle into a vegetable oil running machine in any climate. I hear it makes your car exhaust smell like a McDonalds during the lunch rush… It will set you back about $795 clams, uh, french fries…
- Greasecar Conversion Kit
[ Thanks Stephen “Lode Fizzle Televissle” Lodefink ]
Industrial Diamonds, A Man’s Best Friend
Posted: Thursday, January 13, 2005
My dad is a general contractor, so I been around tools all my life, however, there is one tool I’m really fond of — the diamond blade. It can be used to cut solid stone like butter. In a grinding form, it can be used to grid and polish hard materials to a mirror like surface. It’s really an amazing tool. Up until recently, you couldn’t buy a diamond blade for a very low price. I think I bought a cheap Imported 10” wet cut blade for around $15. How do they do this? Do they use real diamonds? Depends who you ask…Most, if not all blades use industrial diamonds. The invention of this chemical vapour deposition (CVD) technique for “growing” industrial diamonds was introduced way back in the 1980’s.
You are probably wondering why I’m writing about this on my blog… well, industrial diamonds are making their way into our home theaters. Yup, that’s right! B&W announced at CES that they are updating their Nautalus 800 line to included the “D”. The “800D” model line will feature a diamond dome tweater.
The diamond is deposited directly onto a tungsten, molybdenum or silicon, so it can be removed later, leaving the freestanding diamond layer (or diamond done). The diamond itself is polycrystalline and of high purity (maybe your lady might be o.k. with your buying diamond tweater speakers rather than an engagement ring?). Because the properties are tightly controlled, the diamond materials grown by the CVD process can actually outperform natural diamond in many applications.B&W worked closely with Element 6, based in Ascot, UK to develop this special diamond tweater. This is the first time such a profile has been manufactured in diamond and the design was patented. Kudos to B&W (they have always been my favorite speaker company) for doing something that is both a technology first and just flat out cool. I probably won’t be able to audition a pair in my media room, but I try to go to my local high-end B&W retailer for a listen. The 803D will retail for about $4k ea.
- B&W
2006 Range Rover Sport
Posted: Tuesday, January 11, 2005
I should be posting about some new gadget or the new Mac Mini (announced at MacWorld today), but instead I’m going to comment about the newly announced Range Rover Sport. I was speechless when I first saw it… WOW! To be honest, I wasn’t too keen on the LR3 (Discovery 3)… there’s something about the rear-end design I don’t care about. So far there isn’t one design element that I don’t like on the Range Rover Sport. I think Land Rover is going to have a huge success with this one. The Range Rover Sport is not only going to be the most sexy looking SUV on the road and trails, but it’s going to be jam packed with technology and power.
I talked to my local dealer and they are hoping to see the vehicle as early as April. I don’t have pricing yet, but I expect the RRS to be priced around $55k, for the normal powered V8, and probably $65k for the supercharged 390hp 4.2-liter V8 engine — IMHO, that’s much power for a SUV, buy a Porsche 911 if you want speed… not a SUV!
If you look closely at the photos, you will notice that this Rover has all the best design elements from both the LR3 and Range Rover. The interior will wrap more than we are used to with Land Rovers, but I think it’s something we all can get used to. Over the next few weeks/months we should be finding out more details… I think this may be my next truck!
- More Photos
- AutoBlog.com — Range Rover Sport just nice to look at
DIY: For The Love Of NIXIE
Posted: Friday, January 7, 2005
So a few posts back I wrote about how I was getting into NIXIE’s (Numeric Indicator eXperimental-1). Well, I took the easy way out and bought a CHRONOTRONIX IN-18 NIXIE Clock. My friend Stephen Lodefink, or as I like to call him, “Lode Fizzle Televissle”, has designed and built his own NIXIE clock case (pictured above). He made the beautiful case out of Cocobolo rosewood, plywood, and aluminum. NIXIE tubes come in all different sizes and styles, but for this clock (still not named), he used the end lit Z560M tubes. I wish you guys could see this clock in person, the wood and craftsmanship is amazing!
- More Lodefink NIXIE Clock Photos
Oh, and here is a photo of the clock I ended up buying… It uses the big IN-18 tubes. Enjoy.
Welcome to mavromatic! My goal is to bring to your attention the latest DIY projects, the greatest home automation and home theater products. As well as, the occasional offbeat entry, to spice things up a bit. 
