What is Windows Home Server?

The Home Server Show 106

Andrew Edney

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Sep 24, 2010

Dave and the guys over at the Home Server Show have released show number 106.

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

News on Windows Home Server, a recap of the St. Louis meetup, and an alternative to mControl in the forums. It’s the Home Server Show, Episode 106. There is no shortage of news for this show and we also go over the video podcast of the St. Louis meetup. Check the home page of homeservershow.com for the video of the meetup. Lastly, we go over mControl again for Dave’s sake with Timothy Daleo. Check the forums for a potential alternative to mControl that is in the works.

mControl

mControl Alternative in the forums

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade Family Pack (3-User)

Advanced Admin Console

Adding an mControl Module to Windows Home Server on a Friday night

Another mControl for Windows Home Server Giveaway
Adding mControl to Windows Home Server on a Friday night

So given that Tim is on the show, that has to count for a few drinks, right?

As usual you can listen to the show here.

RipNet Windows Home Server Add-In Now Free of Charge

Andrew Edney

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Sep 24, 2010

5

RipNet Windows Home Server Add-In Now Free of Charge

This week we had the first review of the RipNet add-in for Windows Home Server and Media Center from Tranquil, and late last night Tranquil announced that they were giving away the WHS add-in free of charge.

Our in depth hands on review can be found here.

Ok, so what does this mean? Well, the RipNet package you buy from Tranquil contains a Media Center component, an iSCSI component and a Windows Home Server component. Some people have commented that they use different software to do elements of what RipNet can do and thus it is expensive, so Tranquil has listened, and are giving the Windows Home Server add-in away for free.

So if you already have the other components then all you need is the free add-in and you are sorted. Just remember though, if you don’t already have those other elements then you will need to get them.

Here is what Tranquil are saying:

RipNet, the rather nice and easy to use iSCSI based service, that transforms the way you can rip your CD / DVD / Blu-Ray discs directly from your Media Centre to your Windows Home Server (running a suitable ripping service, such as My Movies for Home Server, or AVA Media for Home Server) without having to leave your lounge, is now available – as we have already posted.

Learn more about the full version here

This post is to share with you that Tranquil, the company behind the AVA Media brand, are releasing the Windows Home Server Add In for free to any user that may already have a suitable iSCSI target on another PC/Server.

Of course the Add In (RipNet) could also be used to take advantage of an a second server / PC on the LAN serving up an iSCSI target – as a new HDD or CD/DVD drive. If the iSCSI target was a HDD or array of HDDs, this of course could be a very neat way to backup HUGE files / folders from the WHS machine to a second machine – using very fast and reliable iSCSI technology. The network HDD / array should be seen as a ‘local’ HDD on the WHS machine.

To request a free copy of the WHS Add In – just drop a quick email to free.iscsi@tranquilpc.co.uk, with the word ‘FREE’ in the subject field

Enjoy

Have you use it, or anything similar? Let us know what you think.

Sonos Wireless Dock Announced

Tech

Andrew Edney

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Sep 23, 2010

1

Today Sonos announced a new iPod accessory called the Sonos Wireless Dock.

We reviewed the Sonos kit a few months ago and loved it and so it is really great to see that Sonos are now providing some additional kit to play back music stored on an iPod or iPhone.

And don’t forget the forthcoming iPad Controller app.

Here is the full press release:

Sonos Introduces the Sonos Wireless Dock

New Sonos iPod accessory will be available at the end of October

Hilversum, The Netherlands – September 23, 2010 – Sonos, the leading developer of wireless multi-room music systems for the home, today introduced the Sonos Wireless Dock (WD100), an accessory for the award-winning Sonos Multi-Room Music System. With the Sonos Wireless Dock you can now play all of the music stored on an iPod or iPhone in every room of the house. The Sonos Wireless Dock will be available for £99 at the end of October.

“The Sonos Wireless Dock is the perfect accessory for our music loving customers who own an iPod or iPhone and want to enjoy the music stored on them in any or every room of the home,” said Phil Abram, President, Sonos, Inc. “This new dock reinforces our mission to provide our customers with access to all of the music on the planet, including everything available on an iPod and iPhone in the home.”

The Sonos Wireless Dock accesses all of the music stored or playing on an iPhone or iPod and sends it wirelessly to Sonos ZonePlayers throughout your home – before converting the music to analogue – guaranteeing the best possible audio quality.

The Sonos Wireless Dock is compatible with the following devices: iPod touch (1st, 2nd and 3rd generation), iPod classic, iPod nano (3rd, 4th and 5th generation), iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G and iPhone, and has been certified by the developer to meet Apple performance standards.

For more information about Sonos or to locate an authorised Sonos dealer in your area, please visit www.sonos.com.

Is this something you are going to use?

Hands On Review of AVA Media RipNet for Windows Home Server Add-In

Andrew Edney

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Sep 22, 2010

29

Hands On Review of AVA Media RipNet for Windows Home Server Add-In

Here we have a hands on review of the new AVA Media RipNet add-in for Windows Home Server and Windows Media Center from Tranquil.

It’s only been a week since we exclusively revealed a new add-in called RipNet. Well now it is out and we have been using it in earnest.

There are two offerings from Tranquil – the RipNet Add-in and the RipNet plus AVA Media CD/DVD ripping software. If you already have the AVA Media software, for example, if you have a Tranquil Windows Home Server, then you would only need the RipNet add-in.

Here is how Tranquil describe RipNet:

RipNet is a innovative system that links your Media Centre optical drive to your Home Server, to provide a network based ripping service.

If your Home Server has the AVA Media disc ripping Add In already, and you also have a Media Centre or PC running Win7 Home Premium, you can now select to play the disks, as normal, on the PC or automatically rip them to your Home Server. The ripping process is as simple as insert the disc, wait and when it is ejected the process is complete.

There are two parts to the system, a new Home Server Add In, and a Media Centre (Win7 Home Premium) Add In.

And here is how they describe the AVA Media CD/DVD ripping software:

Your music can be copied either to lossless music formats such as Windows Media Audio Lossless or FLAC, and/or to highly compressed Windows Media Audio or MP3 files, or a combination, allowing you to store a primary format for in-house playback, and a secondary format for mobile devices.

Your Video disks can be copied to either VIDEO_TS formats for DVD’s, ISO format for DVD or Blu-ray, or a Media Centre Extender compatible MPEG-2 format for DVD’s, or you can copy both to a VIDEO_TS format as well as an MPEG-2 format for DVD’s, allowing the full VIDEO_TS structure to be played on the main Media Centre, and the MPEG-2 file on your Media Centre Extender.

The Movie Monitor will automatically identify movie folders in your Windows Home Server’s video libraries, and add high quality meta-data to the titles, making the meta-data available to several numerous Media Centre software products, as well as storing a folder image for the movie folders when browsing the folders with Windows Explorer.

The data is be stored directly in the movie folder as an XML file, front and back cover image files, as well as a folder.jpg file, making the data openly available to any program that supports them, including My Movies, Media Centres DVD library, using the “DVD library Connector etc.

See what AVA Media can do in this short movie

There are three parts to the system, the AVA Media Home Server Add In, the RipNet Home Server Add In, and a Media Centre (Win7 Home Premium) Add In.

For this review we will only be looking in depth at the RipNet add-in, but we will briefly mention AVA Media.

Installing RipNet to the Media Center

Just run the setup program on your Media Center. There is both a 32bit and a 64bit version of the software so make sure you get the version that matches your Media Center.

And that is it!

AVA Media RipNet Add-In for Media Center

If you now fire up Media Center, you will notice a new entry on the Menu called AVA Media.

If you click it you will be asked to enter your licence key which was provided when you purchased the add-in. Type it in and click Save.

You will then have the choice between Disk – Shared (Rip mode) or Disk – Local (Play mode).

Rip mode is what you want to set it to if you want to rip (kind of obvious) but just make sure you set it back to Play mode if you want to actually use the drive to watch something on Media Center.

If you have more than one optical drive in your Media Center then you will be presented with the choice of which one to use.

TV Signal and Your PC – A Supplement to BYOB Podcast #13

Timothy Daleo

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Sep 22, 2010

4

TV Signal and Your PC – A Supplement to BYOB Podcast #13

When we consider buying a TV Tuner for our PC we see terms like NTSC, ATSC and PAL. What do these terms mean? What type of tuner do I want? What is a dual tuner? What countries have what signal? Do I get HD? Why did my picture not go to HD after the digital transition. What is Switched Digital Video? If you have had these questions check out this article!

This article is based on the outline I created for BYOB Podcast Episode 13. I have added some pictures and additional information as it applies to this post.

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Analog Signal – NTSC

Most countries still run analog signal. When we talk about analog, you talk about SD signal. Worldwide, you are talking about NTSC, PAL or SECAM signals in countries broadcasting up to 576 lines. For standard definition in a standard 4:3 aspect ratio, NTSC countries are 640 x 480 while PAL countries are in 720 x 576.

This analog signal is the variable amplitude continuous signal with which most of us grew up. I am not going to get into the details, but NTSC, PAL and SECAM are analog. Analog is only SD and since HD signal cannot be transmitted over analog, many countries are converting. While the majority countries still offer analog signal, most developed countries are in the process of converting to digital. Canada should be digital by 2011 and the UK completed in stages by 2012. As for us here in the United States, there are some low power stations out there still in analog but all of the high power OTA broadcasting was converted to digital in 2009.

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Digital Signal – ATSC

Digital signal is separated into HD and SD signal also know as High Definition (HD) and Standard Definition (SD). The resolution is what determines this format. Resolution is measured by the vertical lines, so 1080 is actually 1920 x 1080 and 720 is 1280 x 720. Standard definition also exists in digital form in 704 x 480, 720 x 576 or 640 x 480. Just because the signal is digital does NOT mean it is HD.

Although most of the rest of the world is slowly converting from analog, they do have other digital formats. Whilst the United States has ATSC, my brother Andrew Edney in the UK gets channels that are in DVB-T. South America has ISDB-T and China has DMB-T/H.

So what is digital signal? It is a transmission of information. For example, in North America, this transmission of data is up to 19 megabits (2.375 megabytes) from a broadcaster. Now, the broadcasters do not need all of this bandwidth for one HD channel so sometimes they put SD channels out within the same bit rate. For example, in Los Angeles, our NBS channel is 4.1 and they have enough bandwidth for a SD 4.2 and a 4.3 channel. We call this multiplexing. This special type of service is available since digital signal takes up less bandwidth.

Just like always, an antenna then receives this digital signal and then your digital TV tuner decodes the signals and shows you Dancing with the Stars.

Not all antennas are created equal. You can find all shapes and sizes that will fit your application.

Go to this site for really great information on antennas and signal strength in your area.

http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx

Now, you may also get your TV signal from a cable provider or a satellite dish. Digital cable is a different beast. Up until 1989, the cable companies were supplying analog signal. Motorola changed all of that by creating the digital signal for cable. This was a great advancement for cable. As I mentioned before analog takes up much more bandwidth than digital signal. In fact, the cable companies are now getting about 10 SD digital channels in the same space of one old analog channel.

Therefore, once Motorola showed they could convert analog to digital, the cable companies created a completely new set of digital services. Services such as telephone, internet, PPV and interactive menus were all now possible with digital cable. As I said before, you can only get HD with digital, so the old analog cable was SD. Think of this concept kind of like a plate on your kitchen counter. If you were to place a bunch of marbles, or analog signals, on top on the plate, you would maybe fit a couple hundred marbles right? Now, get rid of most of the marbles and use BB’s, which represent the digital signal, and you can fit thousands. In fact, some of those BB’s are not digital TV at all. Some are phone, PPV, internet, menus and On Demand type services. But why give all of the BB’s to every house? Switched Digital Video is the cable companies software that controls what BB’s you get in your cable.

Let us take a few minutes and talk about Switched Digital Video and why you should be aware of it.

Media Browser 2.2.8 (codename Orion) Out Now

Andrew Edney

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Sep 22, 2010

1

Media Browser 2.2.8 (codename Orion) Out Now

Yesterday also saw the release of the new version of the Media Browser – codename Orion.

Media Browser is a media aggregator plugin for Media Center that takes your recorded, digital, or ripped media and presents it in a simple, easyto use interface. Media Browser prides itself on delivering a fast, intuitive, mediarich experience for the whole family.

Highlights

Automatic metadata retrieval
Streaming latest online trailers
Media bookmarking (resume play)
Support for external players
Vodcast support (video rss feeds)
Third party plug-in architecture
Automatic updates
Custom view layouts
Multiple themes
Create random / full folder playlists

I love Media Browser – I have been using it for ages, and frankly I wouldn’t run Media Center without it!

Here is a brief run down of some of the updates – you really want to check out the complete changelog for more information:

Highlights:

Extended MediaInfo support with improved performance, detection and flexible custom image management through ImagesByName. Have a look here for details.

Various fixes for the High Quality Thumbnail plugin, improving performance and reliability

Default theme has been improved. Some new features have been added and various bugs have been squashed

Actor roles are now supported for TV Series through both Internet Providers as local metadata.

Internet Providers now fetch studios for movies and tv shows

Media files can now be deleted properly right after they have been played

The configurator interface has been cleaned up and offers some new options including additional extensions for external players

Complete Changelog:

To see a full list of the tracker topics for these changes, have a look here.

Important Notes:

All Media Browser supporters will now have access to 3 very awesome plugins: Trailers, CoverArt and the pearl theme, you should get an email with your supporter key in the next few days.

Several plug-ins will require upgrades to work with this version. Be sure and check all your installed plug-ins for available updates.

It’s recommended to clear the cache after updating to Orion. Media Browser will likely rebuild anyway and SQLite users can benefit from a new optimized SQLite database file

You can download the latest version from here.

You also might want to download and use Media Center Master as well with Media Browser – they work great together.

Do you use these? If not, what do you use and why?

Media Center Master Version 1.26.26110.406 Released

Andrew Edney

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Sep 22, 2010

3

Media Center Master Version 1.26.26110.406 Released

Peter Souza IV has just released version 1.26.26110.406 of his excellent software Media Center Master, and apart from a number of bugfixes, the biggest change is that there is now both a free and a premium version.

Here is how Peter describes Media Center Master for those of you who don’t know what it is:

Smooth, powerful interface to organize your media collection.
Support for the built-in Windows Media Center Video Library strip (dvdid.xml) as well as MediaBrowser extension (mymovies.xml).
Movies, television, and adult title search from a variety of configurable meta data sources.
Built-in, fully-automated episode torrenting from multiple sources. Keep your T.V. series updated through the internet for free.
Full meta-data editor with tools to automate movie and T.V. episode renaming.
Theatrical trailer downloader with options for automatic re-encoding.
Extendable fetcher system allows other programmers to write fetchers — sample source code included in the forums.
Configurable to download actor/actress thumbnails and movie/T.V. posters, fan art, backdrops, and banners.
Flexible post-processing allows command-line operations after a movie title has been fetched — works great with Stark Covers.
…and a whole lot more…

I have been using MCM for a while now and I think it’s a great product. I haven’t tried the new premium version yet, but I will. If you have Media Center, and you want a tool to help you to organise your collection, this is certainly the one to use.

There are quite a few bugfixes in this release – take a look at the release notes:

Release notes
v1.26 September 18, 2010 build 26110.406

Media Center Master is now a licensed product with both a free and premium version. Please see this licensing page for full details.

Issue #102: fixed: Download Missing Trailers tool supports nested folders now.

Issue #157: duplicate of issue #178.

Issue #172: fixed: thetvdb.com fetcher no longer downloads multiple posters for a season, occassionally downloading a banner over the poster.

Issue #175: fixed: clearing meta data and then clearing it again (or performing other kinds of actions) no longer shows errors.

Issue #178: fixed: blank meta data (no LocalTitle in mymovies.xml or SeriesName in series.xml) will cause Media Center Master to display blank entries in the media list that show errors when interacted with.

Issue #179: fixed: T.V. shows with ampersands was causing ampersand code to display in media list and other media applications.

Issue #180: fixed: movie list cache was not being written to disk on exit, so cleared titles were not staying cleared properly (and other oddities).

Issue #182: fixed: uTorrent manager was showing errors and generally not working.

Issue #188: fixed: multiple backdrop support is no longer dependent on fetcher priority.

Issue #189: fixed: multiple backdrops aren’t being downloaded upon certain circumstances (like no backdrops at all at one source, or if one fetcher didn’t match the movie title, but the other fetcher did). Additionally, multiple backdrop support handles failures with backdrop downloading much more gracefully now.

Issue #190: fixed: adjusted for isohunt.com HTML change.

Issue #192: fixed: Media Center Master resized and repositioned its layout several times on start-up, causing it to appear to flicker and dramatically reducing usability for a few moments across network connections.

Issue #193: fixed: absolute episode numbering at thetvdb.com was not working properly. It now works when ‘treat SEE as AAA’ is turned on.

Issue #195: fixed: left/right pane sizing was causing layout issues if Media Center Master was closed while its window was maximized.

Issue #2: added: the download parser now supports specials (when labeled using thetvdb.com’s “season 0” method).

Issue #155: added: media list columns are now selectable (right-click the columns and you can toggle on/off visibility for any column). Column visibility is persistent and will save between launches of Media Center Master.

Issue #171: added: when using XBMC meta data generation, T.V. show posters and banners preference is now configurable.

Issue #174: added: video/media information XML support for MediaBrowser 2.2.7+.

Issue #181: added: added a tool to undo the XBMC wide T.V. show posters (restoring folder_bak.jpg).

Issue #185: added: the media list filter is no longer case-sensitive.

You can learn more about Media Center Master, and download it from here.

Windows Media Center, 2010 Fall Television and HomeRun Tuners

Timothy Daleo

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Sep 21, 2010

21

Windows Media Center, 2010 Fall Television and HomeRun Tuners

The new Fall season of American television has started and there is a veritable cornucopia of great shows available for recording in Windows Media Center. Why use Windows Media Center? Monday night has three great shows all on at 10:00 PM. How are you going to record three or more shows at once? Read on to find out.

Standard HD DVR Recording

For those of you with HD DVRs from your cable company, you can usually only record one or two shows at once. I have a Moxi DVR from Charter so I know. Bummer.

Notice: Although I have yet to return the Moxi box, I have a HTPC behind the TV and a Roku in the cabinet!

The DVR from Direct TV also only has two tuners. Even for those of you with a TiVo, you can only record two shows at once.

http://www.tivo.com/products/tivo-premiere/premiere-compare.html#tab

Now, I have also heard the AT&T U-Verse DVR has four tuners. Here is what AT&T has to say about that:

Four channels can be recorded to the DVR or viewed simultaneously, up to 2 can be HD subject to availability. Total Home DVR functionality available for up to 8 TV’s and requires a receiver for each additional TV at $7 per month each. Access to HD programming requires $10 monthly HD Technology Fee. HD Premium Tier available for an additional $5 per month.

Really AT&T?

http://www.att.com/u-verse/explore/offer-details.jsp

Got Verizon Fios? They use Motorola DVRs so you are in the same boat as most cable companies.

http://www22.verizon.com/ResidentialHelp/FiOSTV/Receivers/Equipment+Issues/Top+Questions.htm

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TV Tuners and HD Recording

With Windows Media Center and two SiliconDust HomeRun Dual Tuners you can record up to four HD shows at once. In addition, with the new WMC tuner hack from TunerSalad you could actually record even more!

I have three SiliconDust HDHomeRun dual tuners on my network. This means I have six tuners available at any given time. I have two tuners dedicated to cable signal and four tuners dedicated to over the air (OTA) signal. I live in Los Angeles so I get many OTA channels including the major networks. I also have a ATI CableCARD tuner that records premium content but lets just stick with the standard tuners for this article.

I have all three HDs on a shelf high up in my garage. They only draw a 6 watts of power each, so leaving them on 24-7 is not a lot of electricity.

You can read about the installation of these tuners at:

https://moviesgamesandtech.com/2010/03/01/installation-of-two-hdhomerun-dual-tuners-on-a-friday-night-part-one/

I also have one dedicated dual core computer with Windows Media Center that I leave on 24-7 for recording. I do not use a keyboard, mouse or monitor with this PC. This PC is just made to record but you could easily use your HTPC to do the recording.

This PC cost me $230 to build and the three tuners (bought separately over the last year) cost me about $120 each on average. Refurbished units are my choice since there are no moving parts.

https://moviesgamesandtech.com/2010/08/16/building-an-under-cabinet-htpc-on-a-friday-night/

If you think about how much you pay per month for your DVR, then you probably realize that in under two years you could have bought the tuners and built a PC!

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Video for Setting a TV Series to Record

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Windows Media Center Interface

Once you have tuners on your network (or in your PC if you choose that route) you can set recordings. As you can see below, I had all of the shows ready to record for Monday night. More than eight shows in one night. I love Windows Media Center. Seriously.

I even have THREE shows recording at once. Is this great or what?

Once the shows record they are automatically moved to my EX485 through the Media Connector.

And once the shows are on your Windows Home Server you can watch them from any PC in the house. You can also use Home Group for those of you without servers!

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Windows Zune Conversion

Once all of my TV shows have been recorded, Windows Media Center will not only move them to the server, but it will also make a 720 Zune formatted copy for me. This means I can now sync my Zune to watch these movies or even copy them directly to my netbook for watching while on the road. SWEET!

You can see it takes a while to process the video, but I am sleeping anyway!

I woke up this morning and all of my shows were waiting for me!

NOTE: CableCARD tuners have Copy Protection on certain shows and the Zune downsize will not process those shows.

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Windows Media Center and Remote Desktop

To make changes or schedule more shows I can Remote Desktop to my HTPC at any time using the Windows Home Server website. I can make changes and adjust settings as needed. Remember though, that WMC does support video playback while using Remote Desktop so you cannot watch over RDC.

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Windows Server code name Vail

Since I am testing Vail I also move the Zune copies to my Vail machine so I can watch them with Silverlight over the web. SWEET!

NOTE: The Vail Media Connector is not fully developed in this version of Vail so I do not use that interface at this time.

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Conclusion

I cannot say enough great things about Windows Media Center but I can easily say too much. Most of you have used it in some form or another so I really would suggest trying networked tuners and recording.

Tim

Firecore Release aTV Flash 4.2 for the Apple TV

Software

Andrew Edney

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Sep 21, 2010

0

Firecore Release aTV Flash 4.2 for the Apple TV

Firecore have today released version 4.2 of aTV Flash for the Apple TV.

aTV Flash is a user-friendly software package supercharges your AppleTV, unleashing a plethora of new functionality. Don’t worry about the technical details – aTV Flash is simple to use and safe for your AppleTV. Installation is a snap and doesn’t require any physical changes to the AppleTV.

Ian, Garry and myself have talked about aTV and Apple TV a few times over on the Media Center Show.

Here is the press release which talks about last.fm which is included in the 4.2 update:

HIGHLANDS RANCH, CO – 9/21/10 – aTV Flash version 4.2 has been released. This version brings a robust, certified Last.fm app to the AppleTV.

Last.fm for AppleTV provides a rich, visually engaging interface that allows you to experience your favorite music like never before. Includes support for streaming Last.fm radio, artist bios, artist artwork and scrobbling recent plays back to Last.fm.

As always, aTV Flash includes robust support for additional media formats that are not typically supported by the AppleTV. These formats included AVI, MP4, WMV, VIDEO_TS files, and many more. Additionally it adds a fully integrated WebKit based web browser, and the ability to expand the storage capacity through the use of an external USB hard drive.

The 4.2 version of aTV Flash is now available at: firecore.com/atvflash

Microsoft Release Beta for Small Business Server 7

Software

Andrew Edney

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Sep 21, 2010

6

Today Microsoft have released a beta for their forthcoming new version of Small Business Server – currently codenamed SBS 7.

SBS 7 is an update to the traditional offering with a refresh of the components inside, designed specifically to provide small businesses with a complete IT solution for their business needs. It’s perfect for small businesses who already have a server or prefer to use email and collaboration tools hosted directly on premise.

Here is the full announcement:

I am very pleased to announce that Windows Small Business Server “7” (SBS7) Public Preview is available for download.

Built on Windows Server® 2008 R2, this exciting new edition of the all-in-one solution server for small businesses will include Microsoft® Exchange Server 2010 SP1, Microsoft SharePoint® Foundation 2010, and Windows Software Update Services. Small business customers will find significant security and management enhancements over previous versions, as well as much richer features for providing file-and-print, email and Internet services to employees.

Together with Windows SBS code name “Aurora”, available to download here since August the 16th, SBS7 is dedicated to providing small business customers with a highly manageable, low complexity solution to help cut costs, save time and be more efficient. SBS7 offers on premise email and collaboration suite functionalities that Aurora’s customers can add through online services.

SBS7 also offers a great opportunity for small businesses with prior versions to upgrade their servers and to simultaneously take advantage of the advancements in security, reliability, and connectivity technology. For this reason, SBS7 offers enhanced migration tools, extensive pre-migration checks, and prescriptive guidance included in the software.

Furthermore, with SBS7, small businesses gain the freedom to securely access all of their communications from virtually any Web-browser or mobile device — getting more done wherever they are with the integrated Exchange Server 2010 and Microsoft Outlook® Web Access (OWA) capabilities.

Customers using SBS7 will also have the opportunity to view, edit, and share Microsoft Office documents online with SharePoint Foundation 2010 and Microsoft Office Web Apps. As the online companion to Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel(R), Microsoft PowerPoint(R), and Microsoft OneNote(R), Office Web Apps gives users the freedom to access documents from virtually anywhere.

To learn more about Windows Small Business Server “7”, you can visit our SBS site.

The preview release is available on our Connect site and can be downloaded now. If you haven’t already signed up for the preview, you can visit our Connect site and get signed up. We have also setup a Connect feedback form to capture your reaction to the product, bugs and suggestions as well as a newsgroup where you can discuss the preview with other beta testers.

All the pieces are in place, so don’t wait any longer. Download the preview and start testing with us!

Kevin Kean
General Manager
Windows Home and Small Business Server team

Blu-ray 3D Disc Playback Comes to the Sony Playstation 3

Andrew Edney

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Sep 21, 2010

1

Blu-ray 3D Disc Playback Comes to the Sony Playstation 3

Today Sony released the 3.50 update to the PS3 system software which brings with it support for Blu-ray 3D disc playback, as long as you have a 3D TV.

Here are more details on the update:

The PS3 system software update (v3.50) is adding support for Blu-ray 3D Disc Playback, and it will be released shortly.

Additional new features in the 3.50 update include:

Facebook Integration: Developers will be able to create PS3 games that have more interaction with Facebook. Once compatible PS3 titles are available, PS3 users can choose to access public information on Facebook – including user name, profile, uploaded photos and friends list – to enhance their gameplay experience.
Grief Reporting Function: Users can send claim reports directly from the XMB for any inappropriate messages they receive from other PlayStation Network users. This feature is accessible from the option menu of the messages list in the FRIENDS category.

For more details and instructions on how to update the system software for the PS3 system, please visit http://www.us.playstation.com/PS3/Features/SystemUpdate.

VLC Player for the Apple iPad Out Now

Software

Andrew Edney

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Sep 20, 2010

2

There is now a version of VLC Player available for the iPad – and it’s free!

One of the things that has been discussed a few times by Ian Dixon, Garry Whittaker and myself on the Media Center Show is media playback on the Apple iPad. Well that great piece of software, VLC Player has now been released for the iPad and is available to download now, for free, from the Apple App Store.

I’m downloading now!

What do you think of it?

More information can be found on the Applidium website.

Advanced Admin Console Add-In for Vail – First Look – Video Edition

Timothy Daleo

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Sep 20, 2010

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Advanced Admin Console Add-In for Vail – First Look – Video Edition

Andreas Miceli has released a preview to his new version of the Advanced Admin Console Add-In (AAC) for Windows Server code name Vail. This new version looks great and Diehard and I did a video showing some of the important features for this Vail Add-In. Read on to find out more about this great addition to Windows Server code name Vail.

Background

As Vail continually works toward a future release, I have wondered when the Vail code would be stable enough for Add-In development. Many of you heard on the Home Server Show #105 about the major changes required for Vail Add-Ins. In addition, these developers usually do not get paid for all of the work required for creating and modifying Add-Ins so releases are at their time and discretion.

It is great news that Andreas has announced a preview to what many of us consider a “Core” V1 Add-In for Windows Server code name Vail!

Andreas M’s Windows Home Server AddIns

Andreas writes:

About the Advanced Admin Console AddIn
The Advanced Admin Console AddIn is an award-winning AddIn for the Windows Home Server platform. The first AAC beta was released in January 2008 and has since then become one of the most successful AddIns for Windows Home Server with an estimated user base of 18,000 users worldwide (source: http://www.home-server-addins.com/archives/330). In the “We Got Served Reader Award 2009” poll AAC was voted the “Best Windows Home Server Add-in” (source: http://www.wegotserved.com/2009/12/31/we-got-served-reader-awards-2009-the-winners-announced/).
The AAC vNext Technical Preview has been developed from scratch in order to fully harness the new features and capabilities available in the Windows Server Codename ‘Vail’ and ‘Aurora’ operating systems from Microsoft.

Beta Testing Consideration

Want to submit your name for consideration as a tester for the Beta? head over to Andreas website to post your name at:

http://www.home-server-addins.com/

You can find out more about Andreas on his blog at:

http://www.home-server-addins.com/about

Key Features for the Advanced Admin Console Add-In Preview for Windows Server code name Vail

Windows Explorer Access

Web Browser Integration

Desktop Access

Full Drive Access

Network Access and Remote Desktop Connection Support

Let’s See Some Video

Installation Video of the Advanced Admin Console for Windows Server code name Vail

Installation of the Advanced Admin Console for Windows Server code name Vail

Conclusion

The Advanced Admin Console provides the clean interface, performance and the functionality we have to come to expect from an Add-In by Andreas. Once in Beta I doubt there will be many changes as this Add-In seems to be ready for prime time!

Thank you to Andreas and to Andrew Edney for allowing me to review this great Add-In.

Timothy Daleo

Synology Launch DiskStation Manager 3.0

Andrew Edney

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Sep 20, 2010

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After having the beta out for a little while, Synology have now launched DiskStation Manager 3.0.

Here is the full press release from Synology:

Synology® Officially Releases its Revamped NAS Server OS – DiskStation Manager 3.0, introducing Multitasking Web UI, Enriched iPhone® and Android® Experience, and Enterprise-level Features

Taipei, Taiwan—September 20, 2010—Synology^® Inc. today announced the official release of its operating system – DiskStation Manager 3.0 (DSM 3.0), ending its successful beta program that attracted over 15,000 enthusiastic users to participate since mid-August. Synology DSM 3.0 maximizes users’ productivity with a multi-tasking web UI, and mobility with enhanced iPhone^® and Android^® phone support. With Windows^® ACL integration, comprehensive iSCSI support and extended volume size capability, DSM 3.0 is ready to address enterprise-level challenges.

” DSM 3.0 has raised the bar for a NAS server’s operating system, ” said Derren Lu, CEO of Synology Inc. ” For the first time ever, Synology offers users a multi-tasking, dynamic-updating, and customizable UI that is akin to a full desktop experience except DSM 3.0 runs completely within a web browser. ” Users can now run several applications concurrently on desktop and switch between them. Dynamic loading saves users from the constant wait for refreshing the entire page. The desktop of DSM 3.0 is now customizable, allowing users to keep their favorite applications easily accessible and personalize the background to their own preference.

DSM 3.0 is completely revamped based on the award-winning DiskStation Manager 2.3 and includes:

Enriched iPhone and Android experience – The new smartphone application, DS photo+, allows users to upload photos or videos from their phones straight into and download from their DiskStations. DS audio turns their phones to remote control, allowing users to play music on the DiskStaions’ attached USB speakers through remote function.

Windows^® ACL support – Windows ACL allows access permission settings for each file object, providing a more granular file-level control, and a greater degree of flexibility in access permissions.

Comprehensive iSCSI support – DSM 3.0 now offers multiple cross-mapping between iSCSI targets and iSCSI LUNs for a more flexible virtual storage solution. It also offers multiple connections per session (MC/S) and multipath I/O (MPIO) to provide connection failover and load balancing benefits, stabilizing the iSCSI connection. To ensure file integrity, DSM 3.0 is compliant with the SPC-3 PR standard to support Microsoft® Windows Server 2008 Failover Clustering and other systems, such as VMware^® Virtual Machine File System (VMFS) or Oracle^® Cluster File System (OCFS).

Extended volume size capability – EXT4 file system is now supported allowing for volumes up to 1 exabyte, equivalent to 1 million TB; featuring greater stability, better performance, and reduced likelihood of file fragmentation, providing a well-structured base for enterprise-class data storage.

Surveillance Station 5 – This new surveillance application now supports more than 600 IP camera models, up to 5 megapixel resolutions, and is compatible with ONVIF and PSIA industrial standards. Surveillance Station 5 makes safeguarding property even easier to do by supporting live view with up to 36 channels in one layout. The Time Slicing feature splits a playing event into four equal lengths of video clips to quickly scan through a whole event.

DSM 3.0 additionally includes WebDAV support, IPv6 integration and more. For further details, please visit http://www.synology.com/enu/products/features/index.php

In addition to the DSM 3.0 official release, Synology premieres a groundbreaking backup application – Synology Time Backup.

Synology Time Backup

The beta of Synology Time Backup offers users peace of mind by backing up files and folders on DiskStation automatically and restoring files to a designated version. With versioning, files will be available in an instant while the backup finishes in the background. By scrolling through the timeline bar, users can view and restore historical versions effortlessly. Smart recycle helps to prevent the versions from filling up the hard disk space.

Availability

Synology DSM 3.0 operating system is free to download for users who own a DiskStation x07 series and onward. The supported models are:
DS411+, DS1010+, RS810+, RS810RP+, DS410, DS410j, DS710+, DS210+, DS210j, DS110+, DS110j, DS509+, RS409+, RS409RP+, RS409, DS409+, DS409, DS209+II, DS209+, DS209, DS209j, DS109+, DS109, DS109j, DS409slim, RS408, RS408-RP, DS508, DS408, DS108j, RS407, CS407, CS407e, DS207+, DS207, DS107+, DS107, DS107e

The download is available at http://www.synology.com/support/download.php?lang=enu

The live demo site is available at http://www.synology.com/enu/products/demo/index.php

The beta of Synology Time Backup application is free to download for users who own a DiskStation x08 series and onward that is running on DSM 3.0 or above. The supported models are:
DS411+, DS1010+, RS810+, RS810RP+, DS410, DS410j, DS710+, DS210+, DS210j, DS110+, DS110j, DS509+, RS409+, RS409RP+, RS409, DS409+, DS409, DS209+II, DS209+, DS209, DS109+, DS109, DS409slim, RS408, RS408-RP, DS508, and DS408

The download is available at http://www.synology.com/support/download.php?lang=enu