I've been keeping my eye on Digeo's Moxi Media Center and I can't help myself from drooling over the interface and features... It has dual-tuner Digital Video Recorder (DVR) which lets you watch one show while recording another or record two shows at once (also supports High Definition recording). Another great feature is the two-TV access, which lets you watch live or recorded shows on a second TV in the home. With the Moxi, you'll actually need less rack space because it also has a DVD/CD player built-in. The only flaws I see is the lack of satellite support and that it's not available in my area.

With the recent announcement of the MCE Beta program I wonder if it has to do with this Windows Media Center Extender? I think the next 6 months will bring us some pretty cool gadgets in the personal entertainment arena. The portable MCE, the MCE extender, and the next release of MCE will all probably happen around the same time. Exciting times ahead! Expect the Extender to ship late 2004 through a select set of hardware partners, including Alienware, Dell, Gateway, Hewlett-Packard, and Samsung.

TheGreenButton.com has posted that Microsoft selected and notified beta testers that they have been accepted to take part in the next generation of Windows Media Center Beta Program.

I'm actually looking forward to the next release and hope they get around to adding dual tuner support as well as HD playback and recording.

Last week I reported on ReQuests DVD video controller... well this device costs as much as a fully loaded Mini Cooper but, the Kaleidescape DVD server can rip 160 DVDs (expandable to 440) on it's internal drives and then stream the movie though the player anywhere in your house. You can watch multiple movies simultaneously and get details about the DVD all without getting up from your chair. The databases are automatically updated by the company's online system. A sign of where we should be heading in the near future...

I'm actually impressed with Microsoft’s WMVHD demo clips. Finally, we can watch 720p and 1080p assets on our high resolution projectors via a Windows Media Center or XP HTPC. Make sure you download some of the demos over at WMVHD and see for yourself what we've been missing.

What might be controversial is the implementation of DRM... because these clips are considered studio masters, Microsoft has DRM'd the assets. I know some might not like this idea, but I think they are heading down the right path with their transparent DRM model. Personally, I’m really not a supporter of strict DRM, but out of all the different models I’ve seen, this one makes a little more sense. We’ll see how all this pans out, but for now, just enjoy these HD clips.

Acoustiblok has created a 1/8" thick Sound Isolation/Blocking Material that's perfect for isolating a home theater. It's made from highly compressed vinyl and is very heavy... about 1.1lb per square foot, this dense material can reduce sound transmission by as much as 30db (depending on the frequencies). This material can also be used for quieting noisy drain pipes. If you are currently building a home theater, I highly recommend looking into vinyl sound barriers.