MAVROMATIC » media

Meridian Sooloos Control 10

Danny Mavromatis — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 17:25:56 +0000

If you are sitting pretty well financially in these times then why not stimulate the economy by purchasing a Meridian Sooloos Control 10 ($5000)? Meridian is known for their audiophile speakers and processors and now have gotten into the digital media space thanks to the purchase of Sooloos. The Sooloos System is made up of a storage unit, a playback unit and an interface device which together give you greater quality and control over your digital media. The Control 10 is one of the many ways to control the system and offers a 17″ LCD touchscreen that displays your media in an intuitive way. You can also access the system via a web browser, iPhone/Touch and Crestron system.

For more information about the Control 10 and Meridian’s Sooloos Media System click here.

Meridian Sooloos – Get In Touch With Your Music

Netflix Now Officially On Windows Media Center

Danny Mavromatis — Wed, 20 May 2009 16:25:52 +0000

Netflix is now on Windows Media Center. You can find it listed under the TV + Movies section, titled Netflix. The video part of the application is powered by Silverlight which means they are not using the native MCML architecture?? I never understood why there was a whole different UI markup language for MCE, but I digress, the great thing about this version of Netflix player is that it also allows you to search and queue!

However, the biggest issue is that it does not work on Windows Media Extenders! I guess that’s why all the manufactures are dropping out. I just don’t understand the reasonings behind things like this… MSFT creates a pretty cool architecture, gets manufactures to create the products, then on the software side there are all sorts of limitations. First, it was you cannot stream DVD’s due to legal issues, fine. Now, you cannot play Netflix via extenders… why? Because it’s in Silverlight?

Here’s more on MCE supporting Silverlight - Windows Media Center Brings Netflix To Consumers Using Silverlight

[ Via Gearlive: Netflix officially comes to Windows Media Center ]

R.I.P. – Windows Media Center Extenders [WTF?]

Danny Mavromatis — Tue, 19 May 2009 04:57:36 +0000

Oh the shock and awe… what is happening to my world? Seems like I’m picking all the wrong technology lately. First HD-DVD, now Windows Media Center Extenders. Apparently, everyone (Linksys, HP, Niveus, D-LINK, Samsung) that makes an extender is dropping their product line. That leaves loud, noisy XBOX 360’s to connect to our Media Center’s remotely. Good thing I stocked up on these when they were down to $50.

Does this mean CE devices (televisions and devices) will come standard with this technology or is MSFT killing this platform — please say it isn’t so!!!! As Patrick Norton from Tekzilla would say, “I’m going to go weep softly in a corner now.”

Engadget - Linksys discontinues Media Center Extenders, hardly anyone notices

PREVIEW: Bitwise Control BC4 “Multi-Tool”

Danny Mavromatis — Tue, 05 May 2009 00:42:44 +0000

I just received a Bitwise Control BC4 so I can add support for it to Myro:Home. I plan on doing a full video review of this unit once I release 1.0.3 (this release is a pretty major one as it includes significant performance enhancements!) In the meantime, here’s a little bit about the BC4:

“The BitWise Controls BC4 modular design allows you to select from several plug-in expansion I/O modules. Now you can tailor each install to the job’s specific control and monitoring needs.

Whether you’re using a web front end, mobile phone application or integrating with a residential or commercial control system, the BitWise Controls BC4 turns commands into actions. Our extensive two-way command set makes it easy to integrate with a variety popular control systems and networked user interfaces for maximum flexibility. “

• Flexible communication options - choose from TCP, UDP, HTTP and RS232 based on the needs of each install

• Simple to learn - One command set covers all I/O modules and devices to be controlled

• Built-in monitoring - On board temperature sensor and two-way command protocol

• Reliable - US designed and built, the BC4 is backed by 20 years of mission-critical experience

• Field upgradeable firmware - you don’t need to return a product to base to install new features

• Commercial-grade - The BC4 features a rugged and well-shielded 20ga steel enclosure

• Deploys anywhere - The 4.5” x 5” x 1” unit can be wall, shelf or rack-mounted

For more information check out: Bitwise Controls

Samsung (MR-00EA1) MediaLive Windows Media Extender

Danny Mavromatis — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 01:23:33 +0000

Samsung has finally released their MediaLive module which is essentially a Windows Media Extender. The great thing about this is that it works seamlessly with all Samsung Series 4 and up displays. It supports wired (Ethernet) and wireless (802.11b/g/n) networks and includes a remote, power adaptor and HDMI cable. And for $190, this is a great price, however, if you don’t have a Samsung or don’t care about the seamless integration, you can get a Linksys DMA2100 for about $100!

- Samsung Media Live MCX

- Linksys DMA2100 MCX

VidaBox RoomClient HD Blu-ray Extender

Danny Mavromatis — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 22:58:50 +0000

One of the drawbacks with a Linksys Media Extender is that it doesn’t have a built in Blu-ray player. Vidabox just announced and released the RoomClient HD Blu-ray Extender. This does everything you expect it to do… with a price tag of $2999.

- VidaBox RoomClient HD Blu-ray Extender