The guys over at the BYOB podcast, including our very own Tim Daleo, will be doing another Live show next week, following on from the success of their last show.
You will be able to listen and join in with the live show on Saturday December 18th at 11am PST by clicking here.
So think of your questions and comments, and prepare to join in!
Yesterday FireCore, those guys behind the aTV Flash software for the Apple TV, hot on the heels of beta 1, released beta 2 for aTV Flash (black) for the 2nd generation Apple TVs.
Here is what FireCore have said about the beta:
We’re proud to announce the release of the second beta version of aTV Flash (black) for the new AppleTV.
A quick rundown of what’s included in beta 2 can be seen below. For full details and a first look at a brand new teaser video please view the full announcement here.
What’s new in beta 2?
- Full support for the AppleTV 4.1 (iOS 4.2.1) software.
- Added Windows compatible installer (requires Windows XP or later)
- Added optimized navigation when using the standard Apple remote
- Added search and url suggestion engine
- Added user-agent toggle setting
- Added streaming support for Australia, Canada, Germany, and New Zealand
- Improved version checking for app downloads
- Improved error handling during installation (no more mysterious password prompts)
- Improved Last.fm scrobbling
- Many additional improvements and bug fixes
How do I get it?
- Current Users – aTV Flash (black) is available as a free upgrade. Download links and any available renewal specials can be found in your account.
New Users – aTV Flash (black) is available for pre-order at a discounted price of $19.95. All pre-orders get instant access to all beta versions as well as the final version once it’s available.
Have you tried it yet? Watch out for the UWHS review soon.
Twonky has just released an update to its TwonkyServer software, bringing it up to version 6.0.30.
Here is how Twonky describe it:
Is your Playstation® 3 connected to your home network? Do you have a digital photo frame with a wireless Internet connection, or what about an Internet radio? Provide your favorite devices with that missing link to your computer’s music, video and photo collections. Download the popular, powerful TwonkyServer and truly experience the connected home.
TwonkyServer makes it possible for your devices to retrieve your media files from wherever they’re stored. Using your device’s remote and menu system, view your computer’s media library, or an online media feed, and just press play.TwonkyServer is available for Windows®, Mac® and Linux, so it will work for any connected home.
If you have Windows Home Server, you can still use TwonkyServer. View this install guide to see if it’s the right option for you.We even offer a mobile version of our server. Currently available free in the Android™ app store, TwonkyServer Mobile lets you serve music, photos or video from your phone to devices all around the home.
TwonkyServer is part of our TwonkyManager, so if you have a Windows PC and want many amazing features beyond what we offer in TwonkyServer, please see TwonkyManager.
You can choose your platform and download the updates from the Twonky website.
Here is what is included in the update:
Release Notes for TMS 6.0.30
————————————–
Changes
o added “Nokia Home Music” to clients.db
o On language change a database rebuild is no longer necessary
o Added mobile view to selectable views
o Renamed “simple default navigation” to “classic media navigation”
o Renamed “advanced default navigation” to “advanced media navigation”
o INI file can now accept mobile and folder view as default setting
Bug Fixes
-fixed: LPCM files are not working on PS3
-fixed: Duplicate content is displayed on enabling Aggregation.
-fixed: Reposition forward and backward is not working in case of WMA file on NETGEAR MP101
-fixed: Toshiba REGZA TV Cannot Play Any JPEG Contents except for JPEG_SM
-fixed: Thumnail view for gif files are not displayed while pulling the content from the server using WDTV live
-fixed: Sony Bravia Photos : Update ‘protocolinfo’ for JPEG_TN content.
-fixed: Json feed has broken links and thumbnails for online items
-fixed: Cleanup of navigation tree does not always work as expected
-fixed: Manual Rescan not working when scantime set to ‘0’
-fixed: Thumbnail view of JPEG files are not available on Samsung TV
-fixed: Pause/Resume is not working on Regza
-fixed: TwonkyServer reduces the resolution of some photos displayed on Denon receivers
-fixed: TwonkyServer can handle only 128 simultaneous CreateObject actions, which turned out to be too little
-fixed: Failure to find embedded albumart for a MP3 file with id3 v2.4.0 metadata (v2.3.0 works)
-fixed: Improve subtitle support for Samsung TVs
-fixed: Content name is not displayed properly if we use underscore in Wav files.
-fixed: Failure to send albumart for a MP3 file with embedded BMP
-fixed: Send default album art as fallback if embedded or external album art can not be sent
-fixed: Maxitems configuration property is ignored in some setups
-fixed: Add support for embedded albumart in MP3 files using id3 v2.4.0 metadata
-fixed: Pause/Resume is not working on Regza
-fixed: Several problems with duplicate detection
Known Issues in 6.0.30
– Twonky ignores the sort criteria upon search if the search is including several sub-folders. Sorting works if search is invoked on a container that only contains items.
Yesterday Apple released a new EFI firmware update that solves an issue some people had with blank screens on the new MacBook Air.
Here is the information Apple provide about this update:
About MacBook Air EFI Firmware Update 2.0
This update resolves a rare issue where MacBook Air boots or wakes to a black screen or becomes unresponsive. This update is recommended for all 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air (late 2010) models.
The MacBook Air EFI Update will update the EFI firmware on your notebook computer. Your computer’s power cord must be connected and plugged into a working power source. When your MacBook Air restarts, a gray screen will appear with a status bar to indicate the progress of the update. It will take several minutes for the update to complete. Do not disturb or shut off the power on your MacBook Air during this update.
Personally I hadn’t experienced this problem with my MacBook Air, but I’m more than happy to install the new firmware to ensure I don’t have it in the future!
Have you been hit with this problem?
Ian over at the Digital Lifestyle has just released show 284 – and as usual I am on it – although less talking from me this week, so I apologise for the drinking game followers!
Here is what Ian has to say about this weeks show:
Great show for you this week. Andrew, Garry and I discuss email sent in to the show including topics on whether we will ever see our vision of the connected lifestyle, the future of Extenders and distributing TV content. We also talk about topics hitting the blog in the last week including, Voice Control for Media Center, Apple TV,updates for DVBLink. My Movies and how I have got my Media Center system working really well at the moment.
Garry also has a special interview with Wire Free Hifi about their audio streaming solutions for iOS devices (and a listener discount offer at the end)
Links from this weeks show:
TDL Podcast App for Android
Amulet reduce the prices of their Voice Activated Remote Control
Review: Show WX Pico projector with laser technology
XBMC Dharma RC2 adds automatic updating and enhanced addon support
Simonsays – Free Voice Control for Windows Media Center
DVBLink 3.2 RC1! now available and with iPad streaming
Freeview HD – Windows Media Center Guide Data Tool (beta)
Virgin Media and Tivo
Media Center Play Next Add-in
aTV Flash beta for the new Apple TV now available!
Microsoft May Challenge Cable Companies With Pay TV Service Through Xbox
My Movies for Android Pro Released
WHS Phone App for Windows Phone 7 Released
As usual, you can listen to the show here.
The guys over at the Home Server Show have just released show number 115, and its a long one this week.
Here is what Dave says about this weeks show:
Episode 115 is ready for you after the guys take a week off for a much needed vacation. Actually, it was just bad luck that Dave’s vacation landed right in the middle of the biggest news period for Windows Home Server this year. This is a long show and there is plenty to digest. We have news, forums, the Orlando meetup, and plenty of Drive Extender and HP talk. Beware though, Dave has a cold and cough and is a bit cranky throughout! This was a fun episode actually. The live ustream chat was very helpful and interactive with the show’s content.
Server Transfer Manager for Vail
More UPS talk. I think we bring up batter backups every other show!
Battery Replacements for your UPS – Thanks to almock in the live chat.
Paul Thurrot on Drive Extender DE is DEad
Edd Bott on Microsoft communication foulups
Duplicate File Finder Review by MysticGeek
MyMovies for iPad – Complete retraction of previous comments by Dave. This is a must have for MyMovies owners.
As usual, you can listen to the show here or subscribe via iTunes or other source for ease.
Our friends at CloudBerry Labs have been in touch to say that they have just released a beta for their CloudBerry Backup Add-In for Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials (formally Aurora).
Storing your small business server data with CloudBerry’s backup solution is a smart move, but don’t forget about safeguarding your business itself. While focusing on tech infrastructure, set aside some time to explore llc services that can shield your venture at a legal level, ensuring that all aspects of your business are equally equipped and protected.
Here is what CloudBerry say:
Just about one week ago we announced the beta availability of CloudBerry Backup add-in for Windows Home Server code name Vail. Today we are pleased to announce the beta availability of CloudBerry Backup add-in for Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials code name Aurora. It comes with all the functionality available in our backup product line.
CloudBerry Backup for SBS 2011 Essentials code name Aurora will be priced along with our Server Edition product line and will cost $69.99 per installation. Existing customers can upgrade by paying the balance.
And if you have Windows Home Server Code Name Vail you can try the Vail beta version.
With the news last week that HP have pulled out of the Windows Home Server market, Tranquil PC quickly confirmed that they were still fully committed to Windows Home Server. We have worked out a special offer for UWHS readers who order a Tranquil PC Windows Home Server before the 12th December 2010 – so only a days left to take up the offer.
We have teamed up with Tranquil to offer the UWHS readers a £50 discount on the Tranquil SQA-5H 3000 Series 2 Windows Home Server.
We reviewed the SQA-5H-SAFE version earlier this year, and we loved it.
The price of the SQA-5H 3000 was £599 plus VAT, it has now been reduced to £499 plus VAT, and with the £50 discount for UWHS readers, this brings it down even more.
You will also get a free 18 month subscription to Home Server Sync, worth over £200 – so what are you waiting for!
Here is how Tranquil describe the SQA-5H:
The performance SQA Home Server. Fitted with 2GB memory and a single 2TB Low Power, Low Noise Hard Disk. This is powerful system for tomorrow’s demands. Tranquil can add additional low noise, low power HDDs for you, or you can add your own easily and quickly.
Features :
You can also configure a number of other options as well.
To order your SQA-5H-3000-S2 click here and don’t forget to enter the coupon code of
which will get you your £50 discount. This coupon code is only valid for the SQA-5H-3000-S2.
And hurry, this offer will only last until the 12th December 2010, so don’t be down about HP getting out of the Windows Home Server market, take this opportunity to buy a Windows Home Server from a company that is still committed to Windows Home Server, just as UWHS is.
Yesterday Plexor launched a new NAS device, called the Plextor PX-NAS4.
Secure, Safe & Speedy: The Plextor PX-NAS4 Device
PX-NAS4 offers high security, excellent reliability and massive storage space
December 6th, 2010 – Plextor have today announced the launch of the PX-NAS4 – their latest and highly convenient network-attached storage (NAS) device.
Renowned for high-performance digital media equipment, Plextor continue this trend with the PX-NAS4, which offers massive storage capacity with fast data access, high security, exceptional reliability and a surprisingly low power consumption. Such a perfect combination of impressive functionality and affordability makes the PX-NAS4 ideal for home office users and small-medium businesses.
The PX-NAS4 is available from December for approximately £397 inc VAT.
Key Features:
* Dual LAN Ports for Faster Data Access
* Up to 8TB of Storage across 4 Hot-Swap Bays
* DNLA 1.5 Compliant
* Features iSCSI for network sharing
* Secure data with password protection and encryption
* Multiple disk configurations
* Spare bay for replacement if a disk fails
* Snapshot Backup Utility offers mirror-image back-ups of data
* Uses 40% less power than traditional NAS devices
* Available with the Plextor ‘Fast Warranty Service’
High speed data access and sharing across networks:
The PX-NAS4 boasts dual-LAN ports to deliver a massive bandwidth with data access speeds of up to 2Gbps, and with DNLA 1.5 Compliance, the device will easily allow digital media to be shared or streamed to compatible devices (with a suitable router connection). With the added convenience of iSCSI, the PX-NAS4 is the perfect solution for sharing and supporting network storage over an existing low-cost set-up.
Huge, expandable storage capacity with added data security:
Using four hot-swap drive bays, the PX-NAS4 offers an ample 8TB of data storage space – and if that isn’t enough, it can easily be expanded using the built-in 2 x eSATA and 2 x USB ports for external hard drive connections.
Data stored on the PX-NAS4 is secure from unwanted access thanks to password protection and advanced volume encryption (using the AES 256-bit algorithm).
Safeguard precious data with added back-up options:
The PX-NAS4 offers multiple disk configurations: JBOD, RAID0, RAID1, RAID5 or RAID10, with a hot spare bay for immediate drive replacement if any one drive fails (RAID 1 & 5 only).
Snapshot Backup Utility is also bundled with the device, offering a method of backup which can that takes a mirror-image of the current state of the NAS, to protect and safeguard precious data.
Low power consumption for a greener office solution:
The PX-NAS4 is Energy Star compliant thanks to a modern and low-power consumption design. In full access mode, it reduces the energy demands to 58 Watts, and only 25 Watts in standby. The device requires only 60% of the power of a typical 200 Watt NAS, saving electricity and running costs and helping to provide a more eco-friendly environment.
Exceptional warranty terms offer complete peace of mind:
Unlike many others of its kind, the PX-NAS4 offers an added level of reassurance with the Plextor ‘Fast Warranty Service’ – a 2 year on-site warranty across the EU, Norway and Switzerland (1 year elsewhere) – so users can feel secure in the knowledge that their must-have device is covered for longer.
You can learn more about the PX-NAS4 from the Plextor website.
Would you like to learn more about Windows Small Business Server 2011 (formally SBS 7)? If so, Microsoft and HP are hosting a webcast later this week.
Here is what they have said:
As we move closer to the launch of the Windows Small Business Server 2011 family, Hewlett Packard and Microsoft want to provide you an opportunity to hear more about this product, how customers are using it, and how together with HP you can implement successful SMB solutions.
Please join us for an informative and entertaining Windows Small Business Server 2011 webcast on Thursday, December 9th at 8:00am PST. Meet with the Microsoft, HP, and the Partner community experts on SBS2011 and maybe even answer a question for an opportunity to win some prizes during our Q&A trivia sessions! This is a one day only event so register now so you can join us and
learn more about SBS 2011 through this special online update.
Register for the update by clicking here.
Join the Conference:
- Attendees URL: Click Here
- Toll-Free (Within US & Canada): (866) 294-0201
- Audio Pin: 7086
Don’t worry if you are not a Microsoft Partner, you can register to be one and it only takes a few minutes.
Yesterday DVBLogic launched their EPG Collector Plug-in.
EPG Collector is a Windows package for collecting the EPG data from DVB streams in EIT, MHEG5, OpenTV, MediaHighway and FreeSat formats.
EPG Collector v3.0 features DVBLink TVSource EPG plugin:
https://sourceforge.net/projects/epgcollector
This plugin is integrated with TVSource to perform EPG scans and EPG update automatically.
The DVBLogic plugin needs the TVSource software with EPG scan installed. To use the plugin install EPG Collector in the normal way and then use EPG Centre to create a separate parameter file for each frequency you want TVSource to scan.
Make sure you save the parameter files to the TVSource EPG directory. Once you have done this EPG Collector will appear in the list of EPG scanners shown by TVSource.
Support for the plugin will be provided here on Sourceforge in the Open Discussion or Help forums. However you may be redirected to the DVBLogic support forum if we feel it is a DVBLogic issue. We are not DVBLogic/TVSource experts or even users so our expertise is limited to the plugin and it’s interface to TVSource.
Our friends at Amulet Devices have been in touch to let us know that the Amulet Voice Remote Control for Windows Media Center has been reduced in price just in time for Christmas.
Here is how Amulet describe the device:
The Amulet Remote is the controller Windows Media Center owners have been waiting for. Access all your media instantly using simple voice commands and gestures. No more complex key sequences to remember.
- Select media by name (Channels, Artists, Songs, Movies, TV shows, photos)
- Multiple speaker profiles, selectable by voice (“This is Pete”)
- Audio responses to questions (“This is ‘Videotape’ by Radiohead from the album ‘In Rainbows’)
- Navigate TV guide by voice (“Record ABC Next Tuesday at 7 PM”)
- Flexible operation – use voice or buttons for most operations
- Instant access to video timeline (‘Skip to 1 hour and 10 minutes”, “Skip over ads”)
- Infra-red learning – teach Amulet to control any of your other audio visual equipment
How it Works?
- You pick up the remote and speak a command such as “Play Artist Rolling Stones”.
- The built-in microphone transmits your voice to the Amulet software in your Windows Media Center.
- The Amulet remote includes advanced position sensing technology, which means that Amulet only listens when you talk to it, not when you’re chatting with friends or family. Amulet understands your commands and ignores your conversations
The price has been reduced from $259 down to $199.
You can check out our unboxing here, and watch out for the hands-on review shortly.
The guys over at the BYOB podcast, including our very own Tim Daleo, have just released episode 24, and this one is all about drives, so if you want to learn more about them you should really listen to this weeks show.
Here is what they say about this weeks show:
Hard Drives Explained. Tonight Tim discusses hard drives in detail. We talk about the different types, the various technologies, as well as explain the terminology. As hard drives have become more and more important, it is helpful to understand a little bit more about them. Hope you enjoy the show an as always let us know what you would like to hear about.
Please check the accompanying post at: Hard Drives Explained – A Supplement to BYOB Podcast #24
And as usual you can listen to the show here.
In episode #24 of the BYOB podcast we discussed traditional hard drives in detail. Read on for an overview of the subject and some great information on hard drive specifications.
http://homeservershow.com/byob-episode-24.html
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Since 1956, the hard drive has gone from a mere 3.75 MB to 3.0 TB, and shows no sign of slowing down any time soon.
My Favorite Drives
Mass storage hard drives have changed over the years but the basic concepts still hold true for these spindle type hard drives. A spinning platter with a head that reads and writes data is the norm.
Some hard drives may have more than one platter, so think almost of a record player with multiple records on the turntable.
Image Courtesy of Wikimedia
There are three mainstream types of hard drive form factors. These drive types are:
There are two basic consumer types of hard drives. There are the older Parallel ATA drives and the newer Serial ATA drives. We call them PATA and SATA. Lets briefly review each one.
PATA desktop and laptop drive
Jumper in use on WD Advanced Format SATA drive used in Windows Home Server
Red new. Grey old. Need I say more?
