Movies Games and Tech

Tranquil PC MMC-12 Media Centre Coming with HDHomeRun

Andrew Edney

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Mar 11, 2012

We have told you about the Tranquil PC MMC-12 Media Center, if you order one in the next few days you will get an HDHomeRun tuner for free!

This is what Tranquil said today:

HDHomeRun network tuners, allow you to enjoy TV services for any PC in the home, including your Media Centre, or laptops running Windows Media centre etc.

To learn more, just check out http://www.hdhomerun.com/products/models/hdhr3-dt/

The perfect compliment to the MMC-12

But don’t buy just yet! In the next few days, you’ll be able to get a Dual DVB-T network tuner, with any configured MMC-12 Media Centre from Tranquil, for FREE. These tuners are typically around £100, so the offer is very attractive, and you can even use more network tuners as you need them.

All MMC-12 Media centres are available with the FREE network dual tuner (except the no OS version).

Created for the discerning media centre user, the MMC-12 is the ultimate in HiFi style media centres.

Cut from a single piece of aerospace grade aluminium, and then carefully hand finished to a superb soft textured satin finish – the MMC-12 exudes quality in every way.

Watch Live TV, pause or skip back (choose your own type and number of tuners)
Record / playback and schedule record TV shows
Playback all media files – pictures, music, videos
Playback CDs, DVDs, and BluRay discs (subject to disc player selected)
IPTV (ie BBC iPlayer included)
… and much more.

There are no fans or other active cooling devices to disturb you, the MMC-12 chassis cools the CPU and other chips – resulting in zero noise (even with a 2.5″ spinning HDD fitted, the MMC-12 is silent).

What do you get

MMC-12 Media Centre
CPU – i3-2100T
RAM -4GB DDR3
HDD 80GB mSATA
CD drive – CD/DVD slot
Windows 7 Home Premium
HDMI lead
External PSU (19v DC) Universal 120-240VAC (50/60Hz)
Internal MCE IR RX and MCE remote controller
36 month RTB (return to base) warranty

Specifications

Learn more from here

My Movies How to Videos – What Else Should They Cover?

Andrew Edney

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Mar 11, 2012

2

My Movies How to Videos – What Else Should They Cover?

With the release of the latest version of My Movies, Brian and Rasmus have created some how to videos. Now they want to hear from you as to what other videos they should produce.

So if you have any idea, visit the My Movies website and let them know.

Toshiba Unveils the new Qosmio X870 Gaming Laptop

News
Tech

Andrew Edney

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Mar 11, 2012

0

Toshiba Unveils the new Qosmio X870 Gaming Laptop

Toshiba UK also unveiled its most advanced gaming laptop to date – the new Qosmio X870. Designed for gaming and multimedia enthusiasts, the X870 offers a first-class specification, with advanced graphics performance, incredible imaging technologies and a striking design creating an impressive and powerful package to satisfy even the most demanding user.

Qosmio X870 Specification

Latest Intel® processors
Next generation NVIDIA® GPUs
43.9cm (17.3”) TruBrite® Full HD screen with LED backlighting (1920x1080p, 16:9, 5ms response time)
Up to 2TB hard drive or hybrid drive SSD option
Optional Blu-ray™ ROM or DVD SuperMulti drives
Resolution+ upscaling technology
4x USB 3.0 including 2x Sleep-and-Charge USB
HDMI®, RGB connectivity
Gigabit Ethernet LAN
Bluetooth 4.0
Dedicated headphone port & microphone port with Sleep-and-Music
Full HD web camera with Face Recognition
Red backlit tiled keyboard
Large clickpad with multi-touch control
Harman Kardon® stereo speakers with Slip Stream technology, SRS Premium Sound 3D

The Qosmio X870 is powered by the latest Intel® processors, ensuring fast loading times and solid performance from a range of demanding applications. Generous RAM capacity guarantees that the most power-hungry games run smoothly, and also enables multiple task-intensive programs to run smoothly without a dip in performance. The inclusion of next-generation NVIDIA® graphic processors also contributes to incredible hi-resolution images and stunning 3D renders in both gaming and movie playback.

A stunning 43.9cm (17.3”) TruBrite® 3D screen displays games and movies in glorious Full HD quality (1920x1080p), providing incredible on-screen detail. The display’s LED backlighting provides crisp visuals, vibrant colours and sharp contrast, while Toshiba’s Resolution+ technology delivers optimum picture quality – enhancing sharpness, colour and contrast from Blu-ray, DVD and even web content to ensure all content is displayed with brilliant definition. A speedy response time of just 5ms all but eradicates screen lag, making the screen perfect for gaming, while a 120Hz refresh rate eliminates motion blur – ideal for the faster-paced visuals found in racing games, shooters or sports titles.

The Qosmio X870 enables enthusiasts to enjoy the latest HD and 3D content straight out of the box, thanks to a combination of an integrated 3D Blu-ray™ playeri and a pair of bundled NVIDIA® 3D Vision glasses. For users wanting to enjoy 3D films or play 3D games in larger groups, HDMI® connectivity outputs 3D content to any 3D TV for big-screen playback. Ordinary DVD content can also be instantly converted from 2D to 3D, breathing new life into existing DVD collections.

Exceptional sound quality is provided by four advanced stereo speakers designed by sonic specialists Harman Kardon™, which combine SRS Premium Sound 3D software and Slip Stream technology to ensure the laptop’s audio performance goes hand-in-hand with the striking visuals. As a result, all audio is crisp, dynamic and bass is distortion-free, even at full volume – providing a leading audio visual experience during games, movies and music playback.

Storage and connectivity, without compromiseThe Qosmio X870 offers next-generation storage for the most demanding multimedia enthusiasts. Up to 2TB of hard disk drive (HDD) provides a vast capacity for storing movies, tracks or digital images, while an optional hybrid drive combines a HDD with an additional solid state drive (SSD), providing advanced performance for gamers who want speedy loading times and faster booting.

An optional Blu-ray™ rewritable disc offers added flexibility – making it easy to back-up digital image collections, music libraries or multiple high definition video files in one place. Four USB 3.0 ports provide instant data transfer between compatible devices at speeds up to ten times faster than with USB 2.0, while the latest Wi-Fi standard support (802.11b/g/n) also ensures fast, reliable and secure wireless access – ensuring internet connections remain stable during online gaming, when streaming videos or downloading files.

The Qosmio X870 features an ‘Anodized’ dark aluminium design on the lid and along the palm rest, which is complemented by a stylish red trim. Additional red accents on the speaker grille and around the large clickpad contribute to a distinctive style, and an illuminated Qosmio logo on the lid offers the reassurance of a rich gaming heritage. Red-tinted, backlit tiled keys enable users to navigate the keyboard quickly and easily in low light.

The Qosmio X870 will be available from Q2 2012.

Toshiba Launches the ZL2 Quad HD Glasses-free 3D TV

Andrew Edney

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Mar 11, 2012

1

Toshiba Launches the ZL2 Quad HD Glasses-free 3D TV

One of the other big announcements at the 2012 Toshiba Product Preview this week was the launch of their new ZL2 Quad HD glasses-free 3D TV.

Specs wise, the ZL2 is a 55-inch beast, and will be the first commercially available 4K television at that size. The Quad HD means you get an amazing 3,840 x 2,160 resolution.

There is also in-built face tracking software that ensures you get the best possible viewing experience whichever angle you are viewing the TV from.

Having seen the ZL2 in action I can honestly say that the picture quality is stunning and I really want one!

The ZL2 will be available from Monday 12th March at a whopping retail price of £6,999. The exclusive launch location with be John Lewis in London’s Oxford Street, with Harrods selling it from later next week as well.

Are you going to buy one?

Toshiba Unveils New Blu-ray Player Range at 2012 Product Preview

Andrew Edney

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Mar 11, 2012

0

Toshiba Unveils New Blu-ray Player Range at 2012 Product Preview

This week UWHS was invited by Toshiba to see it’s 2012 Product Preview. Some of the new things on display were Toshiba’s new Blu-ray player range.

Toshiba UK this week launched its new Blu-ray player range, with a collection of models that support a wide range of leading entertainment features including online content access and connectivity, Full HD 1080p movie playback and captivating 3D performance. Representing Toshiba UK’s most comprehensive Blu-ray line-up to date, the range features four new models, including 2D and 3D options, as well as two models providing easy access to a range of online entertainment services.

Each new model delivers stunning Full HD (1920 x 1080p) resolution images, with crisp and clear detail and vibrant colours, with additional support for standard definition resolution upscaling, meaning existing DVD libraries can be enjoyed in near high definition quality. Selected models also offer 3D playback, allowing viewers to immerse themselves in a new world of in home entertainment, while a range of high quality audio formats, including Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby TrueHD, are also supported, delivering cinematic sound, to complement stunning image quality.

Enhanced connectivity gives users the freedom to playback a greater range of content. USB connectivity allows users to playback videos, images and music straight from a memory stick, while BD Live (Profile 2.0) support allows access to interactive movie features. For complete convenience Toshiba’s free remote control application for smartphones and tablet devices gives users the freedom to control their Toshiba home entertainment devices without a dedicated remote control.

Next generation entertainment, on-demand – BDX3300 and the BDX5300

Toshiba’s new BDX3300 and the BDX5300 Smart Blu-ray players feature a collection of the most popular online entertainment services ideal for users who want to access on-demand movies, videos, TV programmes and more. The BDX5300 also offers outstanding Full HD 3D movie playback, while built-in Wi-Fi® connectivity across both models provides easy, wireless access to home networks.

The newly added Acetrax Movies service gives viewers instant access to the latest blockbuster movie releases, allowing them to buy or rent movies directly from their living room, and built-in access to YouTube and BBC iPlayer allow viewers to explore a world of the most popular online video content. With Picasa access, photography enthusiasts can even enjoy their photos on the big screen, while DLNA Certified Digital Media Player support allows users to enjoy even more content from other devices in their home.

Next-generation performance, exceptional value – BDX1300 and BDX4300

The BDX1300 and BDX4300 blend outstanding Full HD 1080p viewing quality with exceptional value for money and are ideal for viewers looking to upgrade their home entertainment experience to Full HD (1800p) resolution. For those who want to experience a completely new dimension, the BDX4300 also plays the latest 3D movies.

The new Blu-ray models will be available from Q2 2012.

Toshiba Unveils New Large Screen TV Range at 2012 Product Preview

Andrew Edney

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Mar 11, 2012

0

Toshiba Unveils New Large Screen TV Range at 2012 Product Preview

This week UWHS was invited by Toshiba to see it’s 2012 Product Preview. Some of the new things on display were Toshiba’s new large screen TV range, and we got to see and play with them!

This week Toshiba UK unveiled a new entry-level range of large screen TVs, comprising three series that combine impressive image quality and performance with smart design and exceptional value. The new range includes a choice of 81cm (32’’) and 102cm (40’’) LCD and LED models, all of which are designed to provide a high-quality home entertainment experience at an affordable price.

The new line-up provides the perfect solution for those looking for impressive images and a flexible range of added features. Support for high definition (HD) content comes as standard across the range, while selected models offer a step up to the world of Full HD (1080p) resolution, allowing movies, TV shows, video games and photos to be enjoyed in glorious detail. All new models feature support for Freeview1 out-of-the-box, providing access to over 50 free-to-air TV channels via an easy-to-use, seven day Electronic Programme Guide (EPG).

Extensive connectivity options available on each model also expands the range of content that users can enjoy. Multiple HDMI ports provide instant connectivity to Blu-ray and DVD players or games consoles, and a PC input provides an instant link to PCs or laptops. The inclusion of a USB port also allows users to playback music, video and images stored on a USB stick.

The new BL series – LED images and affordability combined

The new BL series is the perfect choice for anyone looking to step up to LED technology at an affordable price, displaying content with rich colour, deep blacks and bright whites with stunning accuracy. HD (BL5 series) and Full HD (BL7 series) screens provide sharp detail on a choice of 81.3cm (32’’) and 101cm (40’’) screen sizes, and a slim, space-saving design makes it ideal for virtually any room in the home – whether wall-mounted or sitting atop a TV stand. A range of value-added features includes an integrated digital tuner for access to Freeview, while up to four HDMI inputs enables instant connectivity to Blu-ray players, DVD players and games consoles.

BL series – key features:
BL5:
81cm (32’’)
HD ready (1366×768)
BL7:
83cm (32’’) and 102cm (40’’)
Full HD (1920×1080)
Edge-LED backlight
Freeview tuner
2x HDMI ( 81cm), 4x HDMI (102cm), PC, SCART and USB port

Black finish as standard, with the 32BL505B additionally available in silver.

The new BV Series – Affordable Toshiba quality

The BV series is an ideal first model for consumers to enter the world of high definition.

Available in a choice of 81cm (32’’) and 102cm (40’’) screen sizes, both sizes offer a compelling viewing experience the whole family can enjoy. Images are displayed in HD resolution as standard, with selected models offering Full HD displays so users can enjoy sports, TV shows and movies in sharper detail. A built-in Freeview tuner offers subscription-free TV broadcasts, while rich connectivity options allow users to expand their entertainment experience to include Blu-ray players, games consoles and multimedia computers. Music tracks, videos and photos can also be displayed on the big screen in exceptional quality thanks to USB compatibility.

BV series – key features:
BV5:
81cm (32”)
HD ready display (1366×768)
BV7:
Full HD display (1920×1080)
81cm (32”) and 102cm (40”)
Freeview tuner
2x HDMI (81.3cm), 4x HDMI (101cm), PC, SCART and USB port
Customised viewing mode for gaming

All screen sizes are available in a black finish, with the 32BV504B also available in white and the 40BV705B available in silver.

The new DV series – quality images, complete convenience

The new DV series provides ultimate convenience for those on the hunt for a space-saving

TV offering premium image quality and flexibility. An integrated DVD player provides hassle-free movie playback on-demand, packed into an all-in-one slim and stylish design. Users can enjoy movies and videos, or listen to music and browse images directly from USB. Access to Freeview is provided by an integrated tuner, and a 720p HD resolution LCD display delivers images that are rich in detail and full of colour. A customised gaming mode also enhances the picture quality during gameplay, responding rapidly to movement to provide an excellent all-round experience.

DV series – key features:
81cm (32’’)
HD ready (1366×768)
Integrated DVD player
Freeview tuner
2x HDMI, 1x USB, SCART and PC inputs
Customised gaming mode
Seven day electronic programme guide
Choice of black or white finishes

The BV, DV and BL series are all available now.

WHS 2011 Add-in: Drive Bender Beta Updated to version 1.2.5.0

Andrew Edney

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Mar 10, 2012

0

Drive Bender, the add-in for Windows Home Sever 2011 that replaces Drive Extender, has now been updated to Beta v1.2.5.0 (beta 4 of the Tomcat release).

What is it?

Drive Bender is state of the art, single point storage pool technology for Microsoft Windows. Drive Bender presents multiple hard drives as a single pool of data storage, either as one or more drive letters, or a network shared drive. Drive Bender is able to do this with any drive recognized by Windows, including external drive such as USB, Firewire etc.

Expandability

Drive Bender also provides the user with the ability to seamless expand their storage pool by simply adding a new drive. Adding a new drive expands the pool by the size of the new drive. Existing data within the pool is redistributed to the new drive to ensure the pool remain balanced.

Drive merging and converting

Drive Bender also offers a merge capability, allowing users to take a drive that contains data, and merge that drive (and data) into the pool. In addition there is also a drive conversion feature. This can take and existing drive letter (mounted against a physical drive) and convert this into a pooled drive. Once completed, new hard drives can be added to expand the once fixed drive.

Data redundancy

To further ensure data safety, Drive Bender can automatically duplicate any file added to a Drive Bender pool. File duplication is determined at the folder level and occurs on the fly as data is being written to the pool. More importantly, files are only duplicated across physical drives ensuring maximum safety and data redundancy.

Non-destructive

One of the key Drive Bender features is its non-destructive file system technology. In short, this means that all drives within a Drive Bender pool are utilizing standard NTFS format and file structures. This is to such an extent that a drive can be pulled from the pool and read on any machine capable of reading an NTFS formatted drive. More over, drives attached to the pool can be done so without modification, if a drive is added (not merged) that contains existing data, that data will remain untouched.

Ease to try

Because of our non-destructive file system, taking Drive Bender for a test drive is easy. Simply specify the drives to be included in the pool, and you are ready go. The drives are not formatted (unless specified), the only change made to the drive is the addition of a folder that holds the contents of the pool and a small number of configuration files.

The technology

Drive Bender employs existing, proven kernel mode file system technology. Having spent many years developing kernel mode drivers, we are able to use this experience to great extent. The end result is a product whose performance will closely match that of the underlying drive.

The story

Early in 2010 we prototyped a Drive Extender style application with the view of releasing a product that would work with all versions of Microsoft Windows. However soon thereafter, Microsoft announced Vail (a new version of Windows Home Server) and a small business server product, codename Aurora, both of which contain their Drive Extender technology. Given this, and the possibility that Drive Extend may well make its way to other Microsoft platforms, we shelved the project.

However later that same year, Microsoft announced that they would be dropping Drive Extender from all their products (including Windows Home Server 2011), leaving the door open for Division-M to resurrect the Drive Bender project!

What’s new in this release?

This is the forth and final beta of the Tomcat release. We are looking at Tomcat going gold in late March… with a couple of added surprises

Release v1.2.5.0 beta (2012-03-09)
– Bug fix: During an upgrade from v1.2.x, it is possible that a drive could be added to the pool more than once.
– Update: Check disk feature is now available to volumes.
– Bug fix: An exception can occur during drive removal causing the final process (pool validation check) to be aborted.
– Bug fix: A number of minor file balancing issues including file count tracking.
– Update: Improved handling of queued tasks.
– Bug fix: Under certain conditions the driver can deadlock.
– Update: File read / write performance improvements.
– Update: Drive Bender licenses can now be deactivated.
– Update: License manually activation is now supported.

Download the Windows version
Download the WHS version
Download the client version

UWHS Giveaway: Win tickets to see John Carter in 3D at the BFI IMAX in London – The Winners

Windows Home Server

Andrew Edney

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Mar 10, 2012

0

In another of our giveaways we offered three sets of family tickets for a screening of the new film John Carter in 3D at the BFI IMAX in London. Now it’s time to announce the winners.

What is John Carter?

A war-weary former military captain, John Carter, is inexplicably transported to Barsoom (Mars) where he becomes reluctantly embroiled in a conflict of epic proportions. In a world on the brink of collapse, Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realises that the survival of Barsoom and its people rests in his hands.

Oscar-winning director Andrew Stanton (Wall-E, Finding Nemo) has created a sweeping action adventure, re-mastered into stunning IMAX 3D.

More on the BFI IMAX

The BFI IMAX is a luxury 500-seat (including wheelchair spaces), state-of-the-art, large-format cinema on the South Bank.

The screen is more than 20 metres high (nearly the height of five double-decker buses) and 26 metres wide.
A 11,600-watt digital surround-sound system
An IMAX projection system (the most sophisticated motion-picture projection system in the world).

Working together, these elements immerse viewers in larger-than-life images and ultra-realistic digital sound, making them feel as if they are literally “in the picture”.

The IMAX building
It was opened in 1999 and was made possible thanks to £15 million from the Arts Council of England’s Lottery Fund.

It was designed by award-winning architect Bryan Avery of Avery Associates Architects

The multi-storey, glass-enclosed cylinder, illuminated by coloured lighting effects at night, serves as a beacon to the revitalised South Bank.

So what is the prize?

We have three sets of Family tickets for John Carter in 3D at the BFI IMAX in London at a screening of your choice from the 17th March onwards for as long as the film is running.

A set of Family tickets consists of 2 adults and up to 4 children.

You are responsible for your own transport costs, and popcorn though – sorry!

And the Winners are……

We chose the winners completely at random from all of the entries, and here there are:

Anna Fernandes

w0lfiesmith

StellarRocker

Well done guys, I will be in contact with each of you about your prize.

And thank you again to BFI for the tickets.

And keep an eye out for the next giveaway which will be starting very soon.

Windows Home Server 2011 Answer File Tool

Andrew Edney

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Mar 10, 2012

0

Windows Home Server 2011 Answer File Tool

This tool allows you to create and edit installation Answer Files for Windows Home Server 2011. You can easily create files for a custom installation, easily bypass system requirements checks and configure customised disk partition schemes.

This tool is written by my friend and fellow MVP Robert Pearman, and if you want to do a custom installation of WHS 2011, Rob has taken all the hard work out of it for you.

Download the Answer File Tool from here

My Movies for WHS Download Video

Andrew Edney

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Mar 10, 2012

1

Brian has posted a video on using My Movies for WHS Downloads, and it’s worth taking a look.

Take a look at the video below:

Have you tried it yet?

New iPad Sells Out Online now 2-3 weeks dispatch

Apple
News

Andrew Edney

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Mar 10, 2012

1

New iPad Sells Out Online now 2-3 weeks dispatch

If you want to buy the new iPad when it’s released next week you will have to go and physically buy one as it’s now sold out online for release day!

Currently the online Apple Store is showing the dispatch date if you ordered one today as 2-3 weeks!

Did you order one? Let us know….

Beeb@30 – Tickets on sale now!

Andrew Edney

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Mar 9, 2012

2

Yesterday we talked about the Beeb@30 event that will take place later this month, and now the tickets are on sale.

What’s it all about?

The Computer Literacy Project was a BBC-led initiative to improve computing education in Britain. A new series entitled The Computer Programme was planned for 1982, and the corporation wanted their own machine to accompany it.

A number of British computing firms were approached to produce a machine to the BBC’s own specification. The contract was awarded to Acorn Computers, whose own Atom replacement machine, the Proton, was adapted to satisfy the criteria.

The resulting BBC Micro became the machine of choice for schools up and down the country, backed by the then Conservative government’s own desire to make Britain lead the world in computer education.

Thirty years on, the BBC Micro is fondly remembered as being the computer that started a generation of careers in IT. It also begs the question – what did the Computer Literacy Project achieve, and how does it compare to how computing is taught now?

Beeb@30 will be a celebration with a twist, with the people who made it happen just over thirty years ago.

The event will take place in Cambridge on the 25th March, and tickets are now on sale.

The agenda currently looks like this:

10:00 Event opening – meet and greet.

10:45 Introduction and opening talk – “A Museum for Cambridge” by Hermann Hauser.

11:00 The people who made it happen – Q&A

13:00 Lunch – with live music by Terry Gray.

13:40 Cutting of the official Beeb@30 cake.

13:55 A Slice of Raspberry Pi – The true successor to the Beeb?

14:35 Live music – Fred’s House

15:15 Retro Computing – The Beeb Lives On – A talk by Richard Gellman.

15:50 The Legacy – Hack to the Future and a teaching perspective. Alan O’Donahoe.

16:30 Closing announcements.

16:35 Live music – Viva Express.

The tickets are priced at £78 and can be purchased from here. A Guest Pass will entitle you to all of the above entertainment, as well as an opportunity to meet the people themselves. A buffet lunch is included, as well as a complimentary glass of wine and a slice of birthday cake!

WindowSMART 2012 Beta Available

Andrew Edney

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Mar 9, 2012

0

WindowSMART 2012 is a SMART client for Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2. All are welcome to participate in the public beta, and no registration is required.

WindowSMART 2012 is a SMART disk monitoring for Windows Vista, 7, Server 2008 and Server 2008 R2. Its function is nearly identical to the Windows Home Server add-in Home Server SMART 2012, and they share about 90% of the same code.

WindowSMART 2012 consists of two main components, a user interface and a service. The user interface is where you can see the health of your disks, view detailed analysis and configure settings. The service, on the other hand, runs continuously, monitoring your disks at pre-determined intervals (default 10 minutes; you can change this). The service can send email notifications when problems are detected. You do no need to be logged into the computer for the service to run.

Features in WindowSMART 2012

NEW Instant notification on iOS devices using Prowl
NEW Instant notification on Android devices using Notify My Android
Solid State Disk support – HSS can report correct SMART data for the following SSD controller manufacturers (note this is being tested by the community)
- Indilinx (seen in Crucial and Corsair)
- Indilinx Everest (seen in OCZ Octane)
- Intel
- SandForce (seen in Kingston, OCZ, Patriot)
- STEC
Works with disk pooling software Drive Bender and StableBit DrivePool.
- Default setting not only ignores virtual disks, but hides them from the UI (since they have no SMART data anyway).
You can ignore individual problems on disks and also un-ignore (resume) them, either on an individual basis or for all problems on all disks.
You can ignore entire disks (and resume them as well) – useful for hiding flash drives and media card readers, as well as disks that you know are showing incorrect information (rare, but it’s been reported).
Improved the ability to stop, start and restart the service.
Shut down or reboot your computer from within the UI.
Send alerts via email.
Bug Report Helper – runs a small self-test to detect installation problems and provide details to help in troubleshooting.
Continuous disk health monitoring by an always-on service.
- Monitors health of attributes and will generate alerts when a failure condition (threshold is met or exceeded) is detected.
- Monitors disk temperature and airflow temperature, and generates alerts when unacceptable temperatures are detected (airflow temperature is flagged in HSS 2012 only).
Customizeable temperature thresholds for Warm, Hot, Overheated and Critical.
Temperature display can be shown in Celsius (default), Fahrenheit and Kelvin.
Proactive alerting when changes occur on certain “super critical” attributes such as bad sectors, spin retries and end-to-end errors, even if they have not actually “failed.”
List of physical disks shows status icons for an “at-a-glance” view of disk health.
Each attribute shows a colored icon in addition to a status message relative to its health.
Double-click any SMART attribute to learn more about that attribute on the selected disk.
Supports most IDE/PATA and SATA controllers that expose SMART data via standard Win32 IOCTL calls or WMI.
Supports most USB and FireWire enclosures that expose SMART data via standard Win32 IOCTL calls.
Allows you to clean up data from “stale” disks — disks you’ve removed from the server.
Allows you to perform a manual polling of the disks for the latest data, rather than waiting for the service to poll them again.

Learn more and download the beta from here

WHS 2011 Add-In: Home Server SMART 2012 version 2.2.3.8

Andrew Edney

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Mar 9, 2012

2

WHS 2011 Add-In: Home Server SMART 2012 version 2.2.3.8

Dojo North Software have just released version 2.2.3.8 of their Home Server SMART 2012 add-in for Windows Home Server 2011. And it’s codenamed Red Jumpsuit Apparatus.

Home Server SMART 2012 is the second-generation add-in for SMART disk monitoring for Windows Home Server. The first generation product, Home Server SMART, is designed to be used on Windows Home Server, which is colloquially known as Windows Home Server “v1.” Home Server SMART 2012, formerly known as Home Server SMART 2011, is designed to run on Microsoft’s Windows Server Solutions family of products, which consists of Windows Home Server 2011, Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials and Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials.

Home Server SMART 2012, or HSS, is installed into WHS 2011 (I’ll use WHS or WHS 2011 to collectively refer to all Windows Server Solutions products) through the use of a WSSX installer file. The WSSX file can be run on the server itself, or from a client connected to that server via the Launchpad. HSS consists of two main components, a user interface and a service. The user interface is where you can see the health of your disks, view detailed analysis and configure settings. The service, on the other hand, runs continuously, monitoring your disks at pre-determined intervals (default 10 minutes; you can change this). The service can raise WHS alerts and send email notifications when problems are detected. You do no need to be logged into the server for the service to run.

Home Server SMART 2012 has all the features you knew and loved from Home Server SMART for WHS v1, plus a bunch of new features.

Features New to HSS 2012

Works with disk pooling software Drive Bender and StableBit DrivePool.
- Default setting not only ignores virtual disks, but hides them from the UI (since they have no SMART data anyway).
BitLocker Drive Encryption integration – encrypt, decrypt and manage all of your volumes, whether or not those volumes have a drive letter – you can even enable the BitLocker server role from within the add-in!
- Allows you to encrypt drives that participate in drive pools.
- Allows you to hide disks that cannot be encrypted, decluttering the UI.
- Allows you to make use of an HSS helper service to unlock BitLocker-encrypted USB volumes at boot time when those disks participate in disk pools. This can help ensure the disks are ready for use when the pool is started.
You could ignore individual problems on disks in HSS for WHS v1, but now you can un-ignore (resume) them, either on an individual basis or for all problems on all disks.
You can now ignore entire disks (and resume them as well) – useful for hiding flash drives and media card readers, as well as disks that you know are showing incorrect information (rare, but it’s been reported).
Improved the ability to stop, start and restart the HSS service.
Shut down or reboot your server from within the add-in.
Send alerts via email.
Bug Report Helper – runs a small self-test to detect installation problems and provide details to help in troubleshooting.
Don’t use, and don’t plan to use BitLocker? You can hide the BitLocker tab completely.

Features in HSS for WHS v1 and HSS 2012

Continuous disk health monitoring by an always-on service.
- Monitors health of attributes and will generate alerts when a failure condition (threshold is met or exceeded) is detected.
- Monitors disk temperature and airflow temperature, and generates alerts when unacceptable temperatures are detected (airflow temperature is flagged in HSS 2012 only).
Customizeable temperature thresholds for Warm, Hot, Overheated and Critical.
Temperature display can be shown in Celsius (default), Fahrenheit and Kelvin.
Proactive alerting when changes occur on certain “super critical” attributes such as bad sectors, spin retries and end-to-end errors, even if they have not actually “failed.”
List of physical disks shows status icons for an “at-a-glance” view of disk health.
Each attribute shows a colored icon in addition to a status message relative to its health.
Double-click any SMART attribute to learn more about that attribute on the selected disk.
Supports most IDE/PATA and SATA controllers that expose SMART data via standard Win32 IOCTL calls or WMI.
Supports most USB and FireWire enclosures that expose SMART data via standard Win32 IOCTL calls.
Allows you to clean up data from “stale” disks — disks you’ve removed from the server.
Allows you to perform a manual polling of the disks for the latest data, rather than waiting for the service to poll them again.

Learn more and download from here

MOVIES, GAMES AND TECHMOVIES, GAMES AND TECH

MOVIES, GAMES AND TECHFashion Trends and Culture

What do you get

Specifications

Next generation entertainment, on-demand – BDX3300 and the BDX5300

Next-generation performance, exceptional value – BDX1300 and BDX4300

The new BL series – LED images and affordability combined

The new BV Series – Affordable Toshiba quality

The new DV series – quality images, complete convenience

What is it?

Expandability

Drive merging and converting

Data redundancy

Non-destructive

Ease to try

The technology

The story

What’s new in this release?

What is John Carter?

More on the BFI IMAX

So what is the prize?

And the Winners are……

Anna Fernandes

w0lfiesmith

StellarRocker

Features in WindowSMART 2012

Features New to HSS 2012

Features in HSS for WHS v1 and HSS 2012