Archive for February 2010
Our first home-grown content is now live, and where better to start than with An Introduction to the Media Center.
As this is our first piece we’ll be very keen for any feedback, so please feel free to comment or email us – they will be very much appreciated.
Articles · Introduction · MCE · Media Center
Small form factor specialists Shuttle have recently launched a pair of new designs, one a new all-in-one system based around the ‘PineTrail’ Atom combined with NVIDIA ION2 graphics, the other a G41 based XPC introducing their J1-series chassis.
The Shuttle XS35 is a tiny 1-litre chassis utilising the Intel Atom D510, with its dual 1.66GHz cores, the Intel NM10 Express Chipset, and NVIDIA’s ION2 graphics processor for an extra 3D and HD performance boost. At present though Shuttle have not announced details regarding the systems pricing or other hardware details.
Regardless it shall be interesting to see if the Atom D510 and ION2 combination gives it enough performance to make it a cost effective media solution.
Next up the SG41J1 aims a little higher up the performance ladder. This barebone chassis looks along the lines of the more traditional Shuttle XPC designs, and features an Intel G41 equipped motherboard, capable of taking Intel’s Celeron, Pentium and Core 2 range of processors.
Unfortunately A/V connectivity appears to be a little limited, with just VGA and analogue 5.1 outputs respectively, but the J1 chassis design is able to accommodate a full height, dual slot graphics card for those who want more in the way of graphics power. Alternatively a single slot graphics card could be paired up with a PCI TV tuner or sound card.
Interestingly, and in a divergence from previous generation XPCs, the J1 chassis design is compatible with the ITX form factor, so users needed worry about not being able to upgrade the system once it reaches the end of its useful life – a main bug-bearer for many a user of previous generation XPCs. H55 and X58 variants are due out later this year.
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Microsoft updates Windows 7 Media Center
No comments · Posted by James Thorburn in Software
Microsoft today released several non-security related updates to Windows 7 including three related to Media Center.
The February 2010 Windows Media Center Cumulative Update for Windows 7, provides improvements for digital cable card and Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting (ISDB) users, backwards compatibility for some Windows Media Center extensibility applications, and fixes for those using the Hijri calendar.
The second fix, for Extensibility applications that provide TV playback stop responding in Windows Media Center of Windows 7, provides a fix for extensibility applications when there are no TV tuners available to handle a tuning request.
Finally the third fix is an update is available for third-party extensibility applications that start DVD playback in Windows Media Center for Windows 7 , which should help alleviate issues with some DVD applications becoming non-responsive.
With any luck these fixes may help with those porting add-ons from Vista MCE to Windows 7.
MCE · Media Center · Microsoft · Updates · Windows 7
Welcome to MCE-Pro, a new website dedicated to Media Center and Home Theatre PC’s.
Please visit in future, or subscribe to our RSS feed, as we shall be adding articles, reviews, and guides to the site shortly.
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Home Theatre PC · HTPC · MCE · Media Center · Microsoft · RSS · Welcome
