Time Running Out On Using Windows Home Server and Tranquil Special Deal for Windows Home Servers

Andrew Edney
-
1

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.

sqa5h_hi_thumb2

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 :

  • 2GB Memory
  • 2TB Low Energy HDD (32MB cache)
  • 4x spare HDD slots
  • Server recovery pack
  • 3 year warranty

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

UWHS30001210A

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.

Plextor Launch A New NAS Device

Andrew Edney
-
1

Yesterday Plexor launched a new NAS device, called the Plextor PX-NAS4.

PX-NAS4 FRONT (High Res)PX-NAS4 LEFT (High Res)

PX-NAS4 LEFT OPEN (High Res)

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.

Windows Small Business Server 2011 Webcast

Andrew Edney
-
1

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.

DVBLogic Launch EPG Collector Plug In

Andrew Edney
-
1

Yesterday DVBLogic launched their EPG Collector Plug-in.

DVBLogic logo (3)

EPG Collector is a Windows package for collecting the EPG data from DVB streams in EIT, MHEG5, OpenTV, MediaHighway and FreeSat formats.

  • EPG grabber for DVB broadcast data
  • Processes EIT, MHEG5, OpenTV, MediaHighway1 and 2, FreeSat
  • Supports DVB-S, DVB-T and DVB-C with DiSEqC switching
  • EPG Centre GUI for setting up parameters with comprehensive tuning files
  • Creates XMLTV compliant file
  • DVBLogic TVSource plugin for seamless collection

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.

Amulet Voice Remote Control for Windows Media Center Price Reduction

Andrew Edney
-
1

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.

IMG_3020

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.

BYOB Episode 24 Out Now

Andrew Edney
-
1

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.

BYOB300

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.

Hard Drives Explained – A Supplement to BYOB Podcast #24

Timothy Daleo
-
7
Hard Drives Explained – A Supplement to BYOB Podcast #24

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.

BYOB

BYOB Podcast #24

http://homeservershow.com/byob-episode-24.html

.

Conventional Hard Disk Drive Sermon

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

 Hard Drive Sermon

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

.

Hard Drive Form Factor

There are three mainstream types of hard drive form factors. These drive types are:

  1. Desktop – 3.5” form factor – Speeds vary
  2. Laptop – 2.5” form factor – Speeds vary
  3. Enterprise / Server – 3.5” form factor usually with 10,000 RPM speeds with SCSI or SATA connections. These drives are typically used only for server backplanes and usually not in a home consumer environment. Some hard drives like the WD VelociRaptor series are actually 2.5” drives encased in an aluminum heat sink. I have a 300GB model and they are now affordable.

Connection Types

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
  • AKA IDE/EIDE by WD, Seagate and others were PATA, eventually also called Ultra ATA
  • Two devices on one ribbon of 80 wires (40 each device) with 18” length max
  • If you had two drives on one ribbon you had to designate one as a master (devices 0 and 1)
  • Connections were different for laptop drives and desktops
  • Four devices max per standard PATA controller
  • Four pin Molex type power connection +5 (red) and +12 volt (yellow) wires
  • ATA-6 (the last mainstream adopted spec) is at 1 Gbit/s – PATA drives are just old technology.

PATA desktop and laptop drive

Hard Drive Sermon

SATA
  • 7 wires with one meter max length
  • Connections are the same on laptops and desktop drives
  • One cable per drive
  • Fifteen pin power with +3, +5 and +12v
  • SATA provides NCQ (Native Command Queuing) if both the controller/chipset and the hard drive support it. Now think of a record player again, if you tell your drive you want to get songs 4, 8, 2 and 1, NCQ will read the songs 1, 2, 4 and 8 based on the location of the data. Not the best analogy of course but I hope you get the idea. Just think of NCQ as a 10% performance boost in your system.

Jumper in use on WD Advanced Format SATA drive used in Windows Home Server

Hard Drive Sermon

.

Wires

Red new. Grey old. Need I say more?

Hard Drive Sermon

BYOB Podcast Live Recording Available Now

Andrew Edney
-
3

Last week saw the first Live BYOB Podcast – for those of us that couldn’t make it, the recording is now available.

BYOB300

Here is what the guys (including our very own Tim Daleo) say about the recording:

Enjoy a recording of the first BYOB live question and answer show.  This is the show that took place on November 27th.  We address a variety of questions from storage, media center, cases,  and of course the drive extender issue.  Thank you to all that participated and we look forward to having many more next time.  Hope you enjoy and of course get your questions ready for the next time.

As usual, you can listen to this show here.

WHS Phone App for Windows Phone 7 Released

Timothy Daleo
-
19
WHS Phone App for Windows Phone 7 Released

WHS Phone is a new Windows Phone 7 app for Windows Home Server. You can connect to your server and browse files, stream music, view photos, and much more. This app is available now in the Windows Phone 7 Marketplace for $3.99. Use Zune Marketplace to check it out!

WHS Phone App

App Purchase from Zune Marketplace

The app is available for your Windows Phone 7 through Zune. The price is $3.99.

WHS Phone App

Download the WHS Add-In

Once you install the WHS Phone app you will need to install a matching WHS Phone Add-In to your Windows Home Server. You can download the Add-In at:

http://www.whsphone.com/Download

Once you are up and running you can listen your music:

WHS Phone App

.Browse photos

WHS Phone App

.Check on your WHS Health

WHS Phone App

.And even look at the Shares.

WHS Phone App

.

You can visit PJ Development’s website directly at:

http://www.whsphone.com/

.

Video Demos

.

Let us know what you think of the WHS Phone App!

The Digital Lifestyle Show 283 Angry Andrew

Andrew Edney
-
6

Ian over at the Digital Lifestyle.com has just released the Digital Lifestyle Show podcast 283, and this week its mainly me talking about the removal of Drive Extender from Windows Home Server Vail and HP’s decision to leave the Home Server market.

DLS Show

Here is what Ian has to say about this weeks show:

It’s good to be back and thanks to Andrew and Garry for covering for me last week. Unfortunately this weeks news has been dominated by the bad news around Windows Home Server and Andrew is not happy. But we do have good news around Freeview HD working in Windows Media Center and other news

Links from this weeks show:

And as usual you can listen to the show here!

Lots of drinks for people tonight – its one drink for mentioning UsingWindowsHomeServer.com and 2, that’s right, 2 drinks for mentioning NOTUsingWindowsHomeServer.com.

FireCore Release aTV Flash (black) Beta

Andrew Edney
-
1

Yesterday FireCore, those guys behind the aTV Flash software for the Apple TV, released a beta for aTV Flash (black) for the 2nd generation Apple TVs.

atv_flash_black

Here is what FireCore have said about the beta:

At long last we’re proud to announce the release of the first beta version of aTV Flash (black) for the new AppleTV. This version features a number of exciting features, with many more to come. It took a bit longer to complete than anticipated, but it’s a great start to what we hope will be a powerful software suite for the new black AppleTV.

During the beta phase we will be working to improve current features and add new ones, so we would appreciate any feedback you may have. More info on how to submit feedback can be seen near the end of the post.

Read on for more details on what’s included and how to get the beta.

Compatibility

The first version of aTV Flash (black) is compatible with the 4.0 AppleTV software only. The new 4.1 software requires a few adjustments but we plan to have compatible version available soon.

Update: Currently aTV Flash (black) is for Mac only. We plan to have a Windows compatible version within the next few days.

Pricing

aTV Flash (black) will be available at the discounted discounted price of $19.95 during the beta (pre-order) phase. Once the final version is ready for release the price will return to the normal level of $29.95. The original aTV Flash is also being reduced to $39.95.

What’s in the beta?

  • Surf the Web – Experience the web in all its glory and stream HTML5 video from many popular sites (note: not all HTML5 sites supported yet).
  • Discover New Music – Find new artists you’ll love by accessing Last.fm radio stations, artist bios and slideshows.
  • Plex Client – Stream media from Plex Server running on your Mac. (big thanks to quiqueck for putting this together)
  • Info on Demand – Keep track of current weather and news feeds on your AppleTV.
  • One-click Updates – Install, remove or update plugins in a snap through the native AppleTV interface.

What’s coming soon?

  • Go Beyond iTunes – Enable playback of additional media formats.
  • Access Media Anywhere – Stream media from most NAS devices.
  • Much, much more…

How do I get it?

  • Current Users – aTV Flash (black) is available as a free upgrade. After logging into your account you will have an extra download link for aTV Flash (black). Your normal aTV Flash license and download links will remain unchanged. Additionally any available renewal specials can also 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 the beta.
  • Beta Signups – Those that signed up for the beta will be receiving information on how to download and install the beta via email. We’re working hard to get this done ASAP so please be patient.

Have you tried it yet? Watch out for the UWHS review soon.

DVBLogic Version 3.2 Suite RC1 Out Now

Andrew Edney
-
1

Today DVBLogic have released their DVBLogic version 3.2 suite at RC (Release Candidate) 1. Download it now before they release an update.

DVB

Here is what they say about this release:

DVBLink 3.2 RC1 is available!
DVBLink for IPTV and DVBLink for Dreambox are also now available as 3.2 RC1!
What is new/fixed from beta 3:
General
– Fixed: pop-up asking to synchronize channels immediately after wake-up (when pressed Yes all channels are deleted)
– Fixed: Guide information not updating properly after standby
– Fixed: “DVBLink addin not responding” pop-up when EIT or xmltv EPG information contains a single program
TVSource:
– Fixed: accented e and E characters not displaying correctly when ISO6937 default DVB codepage is used
– Added: possibility to specify custom PID for packets carrying EIT information (via eitscanner_config.xml)
Network Pack:
– Added: New IPhone/IPad user interface with full web-interface functionality
– Added: High resolution (native) IPad streaming
– Fixed: Need to reload DVBLink webpage in IPhone browser to start playing back a new channel
Important!! Version 3.2 is incompatible with version 3.1 or earlier. This means that you must upgrade all of your DVBLink products to the new version!
How to install:
– New installation: run msi installation files. Install DVBLink server first, followed by the DVBLink source product installation and (eventually) Network Pack installation.
– Upgrade: run enclosed bat files. Upgrade DVBLink Server first, then DVBLink source products and then (eventually) Network Pack and Network Client(s). This will preserve all your channels and settings. You will need to re-enter server IP address after upgrading client.
The versions of all binary files (exe and dll) should be 3.1.0.103.
For the additional information and things to know please refer to beta 1, 2 and 3 announcements:
viewtopic.php?f=52&t=11163&start=105#p32037
viewtopic.php?f=52&t=11249&start=90#p32469
viewtopic.php?f=52&t=11319&start=150#p32844
DVBLink TVSource v3.2 RC1 can be downloaded here:
http://www.dvblogic.com/download/Trunk/ … e32RC1.zip
DVBLink For IPTV v3.2 RC1 can be downloaded here:
http://www.dvblogic.com/download/Trunk/ … V32RC1.zip
DVBLink For Dreambox v3.2 RC1 can be downloaded here:
http://www.dvblogic.com/download/Trunk/ … B32RC1.zip
DVBLink Server Network Pack v3.2 RC1 can be downloaded here:
http://www.dvblogic.com/download/Trunk/ … k32RC1.zip

We only joked recently on the Digital Lifestyle Show podcast that there hadn’t been an update for a while Smile

If you are not sure what this is, and you want to learn more, you can check out our two how to guides –

How To Install and Configure DVBLink Server and TVSource v3.01 and

How To Install and Configure DVBLink Server Network Pack v3.01.

CNET to the Rescue: Slicing and dicing mass storage – Recommended Podcast

Timothy Daleo
-
2
CNET to the Rescue: Slicing and dicing mass storage – Recommended Podcast

I usually do not post about other podcasts, but in light of our WHS drama I thought many of you would enjoy listening to another opinion on mass storage. Rafe and Dong Ngo talk about NAS, Windows Home Server and other hard drive solutions for the home.

CNET to the Rescue

The podcast is a few weeks old but worth the 40 minutes!

http://www.cnet.com/8301-31361_1-20023160-254.html?tag=mncol;title

CNET to the Rescue

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Tim

Using Windows Home Server and Tranquil PC Special Offer

Andrew Edney
-
2

With the news today 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.

sqa5h_hi

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 :

  • 2GB Memory
  • 2TB Low Energy HDD (32MB cache)
  • 4x spare HDD slots
  • Server recovery pack
  • 3 year warranty

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

UWHS30001210A

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.

1...1,5381,5391,540...1,626Page 1,539 of 1,626