What is Windows Home Server?

SageTV V7.0.10 Beta Released

Andrew Edney

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Jun 4, 2010

The latest beta release of the popular SageTV application has been released.

So what is Sage TV (in case you haven’t heard of it)?

SageTV lets you enjoy your favourite TV shows and online video when you want, wherever you want on any TV, PC or Mac!

Browse, search and watch all the latest online video from Google Video from the comfort of your couch with SageTV Media Center V6.

Enjoy the most popular online videos, news, movie trailers, TV shows, comedy, music videos and more at the push of a button on your remote control.

Below are the detailed release notes for V7.0.10:

SageTV V7.0.10 Beta 6/3/2010

Core Updates

1. Fixed issue where new searching for miscellaneous Airing fields (such as Season Finale, Series Premiere, etc.) did not work with the regex search functions
2. Fixed some timing issues in the effects animation system that could cause incorrect renderings on the Main Menu
3. Fixed potential exception error when saving the Wiz.bin file due to customizations setting null values for certain fields where they weren’t expected
4. Disable doing file format detection on startup for any files in the database that don’t have a valid format already. This can slow down some startup scenarios a lot if they happen to have a fair amount of files that can’t have their format detected properly.
5. Fixed bug where playing back a SageTV recorded file with embedded metadata will fail if done from the Browse Media Files menu and the file was not imported into the SageTV database.
6. Added property setting “ui/disable_freetype_fonts” which defaults to true. If set to false, then Freetype font loading will not be used and all fonts will be loaded using the same technique as in V6 (useful for enabling bidi text support)
7. Fixed bug where in rare cases an expired image from the cache could be returned without being refreshed
8. Fixed bug where file paths in .m3u playlists files that contained directory recursion (i.e. ..) did not import properly
9. Using the ‘Back’ command when an OptionsMenu is open will now close it. This behavior can be disabled by setting the UI-specific property: ui/back_closes_options_menus=false
10. Added property “wizard/search_media_formats” which defaults to false. If set to true, then calls to SearchSelectedFields(Regex) will also search the media format information if the ‘misc’ field is specified to be searched.
11. Fixed bug where the ‘hit rectangle’ for mouse detection wasn’t handled properly if an effect translated an items position (this manifested itself as clicking on the OSD after a screensaver occurred caused the first click to hide the OSD instead of reacting to the button press)
12. Fixed bug where zoom effects didn’t update the clipping region properly if animations were turned off (visible in the video library)
13. Fixed bug in core listeners for scroll up/down/left/right events so that sibling components of scrolling panels can process the events as well. (since paging controls for scrollable panels need to be siblings instead of being inside the scrollable component itself)
14. Fixed bug where tuning the HDPVR sometimes had a large delay associated with it (cause was due to a delayed format detection)
15. Added optimized format detection for WAV files
16. Updated JCIFS library used to be the same as the one used on the HD200
Windows Updates
1. Fixed bug in the DirectX renderer on Windows where clipped shapes weren’t always clipped properly (manifested itself with the OSD timebar going all the way to the left of the screen sometimes)
2. Fixed leak in the DirectX renderer on Windows where if FSE allocation of the renderer failed at startup we didn’t cleanup the devices allocated in that process
3. Fixed bug where ISO mounting on Windows through VirtualCloneDrive did not work properly in service mode
4. Fix crash on switching OGG audio in the new demux
5. Fixed bug where ID3 tags weren’t skipped properly in the Windows DirectShow source filter (caused MP3 playback to fail sometimes)
6. Fixed issue with volume control in Windows Vista/7 where the control wasn’t logarithmic so only the top end of the volume slider was actually useful.
7. Added the JDIC desktop components to the WHS installer so web pages can be launched if the UI is being run locally on the WHS machine
Extender Updates
1. Force media extender and placeshifter clients to use the default UI when the server is upgraded. This can be disabled with the wizard/revert_stv_on_upgrade=false property setting.
2. Disable displaying of the closed captioning text if we don’t cover at least 50% of the screen in both dimensions (fixes bug where CC shows up badly when the video is in a preview window)
Studio Updates
1. Added support for using SageTVClient context names to execute API calls on a SageTVClient from the SageTV server. The sage.SageTV.apiUI() call is used to do this; and the context names can be retrieved using the API call GetConnectedClients().
2. Fixed bug where MouseClick event listeners didn’t propogate the events properly if not consumed
3. Fixed issue with trailing/leading whitespace in the Configuration API call SetTimeZone()
4. Fixed the GetOverscanInsetXXX() API calls so that they return the correct value (their prior calculations were slightly off)
5. Updated Database API call SortLexical so that it can ignore prefixes such as ‘the’, ‘a’ and ‘an’ when doing a sort. This is controlled by the property ‘ui/ignore_the_when_sorting’. And the list of prefixes ignored is specified in the comma delimited list in the property ‘ui/prefixes_to_ignore_on_sort’.
6. Added Global API call GetUIComponentContext() which returns the UIComponent object that the API call is originating from (see documentation for more details)
7. Added Plugin API call GetPluginCreationDate(Plugin) which returns the creation date specified in the plugin’s manifest
8. Updated Plugin API call GetPluginModificationDate(Plugin) so that if no modification date is specified in the plugins’ manifest, it’s creation date will be returned
Plugin System Updates
1. When there are STVI plugins active for an STV; also search for images relative to the STVI locations as well instead of just the STV location.
2. Added variable FullReindex[boolean] to the ImportingCompleted event
3. Added new event: PluginStarted (called when a plugin is started by being explicitly enabled after startup, will not be called when all enabled plugins are started at startup) – vars: Plugin
4. Added new event: PluginStopped (called when a plugin is stopped by being explicitly disabled before shutdown, will not be called when all enabled plugins are stopped at shutdown) – vars: Plugin
5. Added variable Reason[String] to the MediaFileRemoved event. The possible values are Diskspace, KeepAtMost, User, VerifyFailed and PartialOrUnwanted
6. Fixed bug where the MediaFileRemoved event could end up getting fired multiple times for a single deletion of a MediaFile
7. Fixed bug where the MediaFileRemoved event could end up getting fired multiple times for a single deletion of a MediaFile ( , I realized now that this one is in there twice, but it’s so coincidentally funny I had to leave it )
8. Fixed bug where STVI plugins were not allowed to be installed unless they were compatible with the currently loaded STV.
9. STVImport specifications in plugin manifests no longer need to have any path relative information. The installation sequence will automatically find the file location when it extracts it.
10. Added properties setting “debug_core_events” which default to false. If set to true, then debug logging information will be output for every event sent from the core to every plugin. Useful for tracking down plugins that hang or slow down the plugin event queue.
STV Updates
1. Updated recommended extender firmware versions – HD100: ‘20100212 0’; HD200: ‘20100518 1’, and included info about using beta firmware in the newer firmware recommendation shown the user.
2. Displayed some plugin type names using more user friendly wording: ‘Standard’ is shown as ‘General’; ‘STV’ as ‘Full UI’ or ‘Full UI Package’; ‘STVI’ as ‘UI Mod’ or ‘UI Modification’.
3. File Browser: added “Enter Network Path” option in options slide-out when browsing network paths.
4. Indented episode title on 2nd line of single-column airings lists to match indentation for 2nd line of grouped items.
5. Fixed display of imported videos on search results menu.
6. Sorted recording groupings so that the Info area on SageTV Recordings menu matches sort order when viewing that group of recordings on the next menu.
7. Changed Detailed Setup -> Advanced optons: ‘SageTV Application Package’ to ‘Set Full UI Package’; ‘Import SageTV Application Package’ to ‘Import UI Modification’.
8. Bold/Italicize title & episode text listed in the info area for Fav/MR and Watched airings, to match airing lists.
9. Don’t include DVD duration in video browser when the DVD has a description, unless the duration is known.
10. Fix display of long channel numbers in upper OSD area and make sure the last digit is displayed after auto-accepting the entered numbers.
11. After installing an STVi plugin, call EnablePlugin() to make sure it is enabled.
12. Fixed overscan compensation calculations for widget positioning & sizing.
13. Plugin options dialog: If an update is available for an installed plugin, add option to ‘View Upgraded Plugin Details”.
14. Added Detailed Setup -> General -> Animation Options -> “Cycle through subgroup items” option to enable/disable cycling through each item in a group that has focus. Default: disabled.
15. Main Menu: Online top level item now has default action to jump to the Online Services menu. Also added a copy of the Weather item to the Online Services menu.
16. Added next/prev song icons to the music playback bar shown on some menus when music is playing. Also: can now click on the song info on the bar to jump to the playback menu.
17. Fixed constant flashing refresh issue when the parental control confirmation dialog was displayed over the top of the recordings options dialog.
18. Added more space between logo & tip text in footer.
19. Added options to set the number of rows and font size on the Recording Schedule menu.
20. Main Menu: updated mouse event handling to work better with touch screens.
21. When creating a list of TV categories, add the name from the ‘alternate_movie_category’ property, if it exists.
22. Fixed issue where renamed SageTV Recordings menu views would be displayed incorrectly if user returned to the Main Menu by using Back after renaming a view.
23. When digital channel scan receives DONE code, set progress bar to show it is 100% complete.
24. When using the Home command, force the Main Menu to display with all of its submenus closed.
25. Added options to set number of columns & rows and font size in the SageTV Recordings and Search Results menus. The number of rows & font size is tracked separately for single & multi column modes.
26. Left justified text displayed on top of multi-column thumbnails.
27. The number of rows & font size is tracked separately for single & multi column modes in the photo, music, and video browsers.
28. When configuring scheduling lookahead, show the acceptable range of values as 1-14.
29. Allow all clients to use the “Exit SageTV” option on the Main Menu.
30. Changed some uses of GetShowTitle() to new GetMediaFileRelativePath() API call since some imported media no longer had the relative import path as part of the title field.
31. Changed entry of Slideshow Transition Duration to be in seconds instead of tenths of a second.
32. Renamed default theme from “Standard SDTV” to “Standard”.
33. If the currently selected theme no longer exists when loading a theme, then revert to the default theme.
34. Added Detailed Setup -> Customize -> “Ignore Leading Articles During Text Sorting” option. The option can be enabled/disabled and the list of leading article words to ignore can be edited. Note: Remote UIs use server properties for these settings. Menu cache is cleared so this will affect already-visited menus.
35. When installing a Theme plugin, check if a new theme was found. If so, ask to switch to it. If multiple new themes found, display the full theme selection dialog.
36. When removing or upgrading a theme plugin, reload currently used theme in case it was affected.
37. Removed Info command listeners & Info option for music & video playlists since they no longer jump to a new menu to view a playlist’s segments.
38. Don’t ask to restart or resume playback of a recording if the airing is currently airing or still recording.
39. Fixed playback & other menus’ links to old style navigation menus for Setup & Library commands.
40. Playlist segment options: if the segment’s media is missing, added note that playing the playlist may allow SageTV to relink to the media.
41. Fixed Main Menu text size issue when focus transitions are disabled.
42. Changed min number of images per row in imported media browsers to 1; was previously 2.
43. Fixed height of recording/import dir items on recording/import dir config menu.
44. Added shuffle/repeat options to the playback options dialog when playback is a video playlist. Put these options for videos & music on the left side of the dialog, below detailed info button.
45. Plugin options dialog: moved Close to the top of the button list.
46. Plugin list: When viewing installed plugins, added slide-out option to disable all plugins.
47. Changed active category marker from gray to light blue.
48. Main Menu: fixed mouse navigation when the option for focus follows mouse movement is disabled.
49. Plugin List: Added confirmation dialog to confirm option to reset a plugin’s configuration settings.
50. Properly centered the text on buttons with icons.
51. When asking the user whether to restart SageTV due to plugin changes, mention that plugin changes requiring a restart may result in those plugins being marked as Failed until SageTV is restarted.
52. If an STVI change creates a need to reload the UI & the user delays the reload, remind the user when the plugin listing menu is entered.
53. Added plugin type category bar item allowing viewing All plugins.
54. Plugin List: Added filter to only display plugins with updates available.
55. Plugin List: Added option to sort by plugin name, author name, or most recently changed.
56. Fixed BG image for plugin menus.
57. Fixed scroll bars to handle scrolling associated area when that area does not have focus.
58. If Hulu Desktop app is lauched, pause any currently playing media.

So as you can see thats a lot of updates and fixes!

If you want to check out the new beta, click here: http://forums.sage.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=48954

Home Server Show Podcast Show 93 Out Now

Andrew Edney

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Jun 3, 2010

0

Dave and the guys over at the Home Server Show have released show number 93.

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

The Home Server Show 93

In today’s episode we show a little love to the home builders and the original version of Windows Home Server. We talk a little bit about business use and the new HP x310 but mostly about parts, and builds. We go over a few forum posts including a monster of a case and build with 52 Two terabyte drives! There is also a new website in town that we briefly go over. Enjoy 93.

Add-In: Home Server Sync Pricing Revealed

HP Announces the StorageWorks x310 Data Vault

Add-In: Cloudberry Backup 1.5

New website: AddingApple.com

So Tim, how many beers this week?

As usual you can listen to the show here: http://homeservershow.com/the-home-server-show-93.html and you should check out Dave’s new site, AddingApple.com.

Synology Showcases VMware Ready DiskStation and Unveils Time Backup Application at Computex 2010

Andrew Edney

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Jun 3, 2010

0

This week at Computex 2010 Synology have unvailed a new backup application for its DiskStation NAS boxes.

Here is the full press release from Synology:

Synology^®Showcases VMware^®Ready DiskStation and Unveils Time Backup Application at Computex 2010

Taipei, Taiwan—June 1, 2010—At Computex 2010 opening today, Synology^®showcased VMware^®ready DiskStation and unveiled Time Backup application. Full-featured DiskStation and its latest operating system, Synology DiskStation Manager 2.3 (DSM 2.3) will also be demonstrated.

Synology VMware ready DiskStation and Full-featured DiskStation

“We are pleased that Synology DiskStation DS1010+ has achieved VMware Ready certification and offers a robust and affordable solution as a VMware shared storage. In conjunction with VMware, the Synology DS1010+ delivers a reliable yet power-saving solution for VMware virtualization deployments,”said Rosiel Lee, product manager of Synology Inc. “Being compatible with Microsoft^®Hyper-V and Citrix^®XenServer, Synology DiskStation further strengthens its support for virtualization environments,” added Lee.

Synology 10-series DiskStation ranges from 1-bay, 2-bay, 4-bay, and 5-bay models, featuring enhanced excellence in their engineering designs and upgraded platforms, and comprehensively offers low power consumption and scheduled power on/off for energy savings and low total cost of ownership. Selected DiskStation models are equipped with hardware encryption engine that offloads the encryption calculation task away from the main CPU, helping to maintain a proficient level of file transfer speed. In addition, the Synology DX510 and RX410 work with selected Synology DiskStations to offer scalability for easily doubling storage capacity. All models are shipping with the award-winning operating system, the DSM 2.3.

New Time Backup Application and Synology DSM 2.3 Features

Synology continues to enhance its DiskStation user experience by delivering rich features with intuitive user interface. The upcoming Synology Time Backup application is no exception. Time Backup offers users peace of mind by backing up files and folders on DiskStation automatically with snapshot and versioning features, and by restoring files to a designated time when needed with flashback feature. Snapshot backup feature works in the background right after initiation; users can browse the backup task and continue working while the backup is still in process. Versioning feature keeps the historical editions of the same file on an hourly basis or depends on users’ configuration. Historical editions can be retrieved easily on the thoughtfully designed UI. Flashback feature enables users to slide on a timeline to select a specific time to restore data.

Synology DSM 2.3 brings to its full roundup of features even more ways to easily manage disk volumes with Synology Hybrid RAID (SHR) that simplifies the RAID setup by optimizing the disk capacities with data protection when varying-sized hard drives are used. EZ-Internet wizard walks users through all the complex settings in order to establish Internet connection to the DiskStation such as port forwarding and DDNS. AES 256-bit shared folder encryption is supported to ensure data security. A surveillance iPhone app–DS cam allows iPhone^®, iPod^®and iPad^®users to live view the IP cameras, take snapshots, and view recorded events on Surveillance Station whenever network connection is available.

Availability

Currently available DiskStation models: DS110j, DS109, DS110+, DS210j, DS209, DS210+, DS409slim, DS410j, DS410, DS710+, DS1010+, RS810+ and RS810RP+.

DSM 2.3 comes with all newly shipped DiskStations and the free upgrade is also available at:
http://www.synology.com/support/download.php?lang=enu

Synology at a Glance

Founded in 2000, Synology is a young and energetic company dedicated to developing high-performance, reliable, versatile, and environmentally-friendly Network Attached Storage (NAS) products. Our goal is to deliver user-friendly solutions and solid customer service to satisfy the needs of businesses, home offices, individual users and families.

HP Launch StorageWorks X300 Data Vault Windows Home Servers

Andrew Edney

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Jun 2, 2010

3

Today HP have released a new group of Windows Home Servers known as the StorageWorks X300 Data Vault.

Here is what HP has to say about the X300:

Overview

Are you doing nightly backups? Is it easy for you to share files across your business? Don’t you have more pressing concerns than how to backup and share your data?
The HP StorageWorks X300 Data Vault provides a simple and inexpensive solution for a small business to store, secure and share data for under $600. Based on Microsoft Windows Home Server, it provides a user-friendly interface with easy installation and management. The HP X300 Data Vault provides you with automated backup for up to ten PC clients and Macs on the network while providing additional protection features like folder duplication and online backup. The X300 offers both local and remote file sharing via a custom URL which is accessible from any web browser. It also comes with three empty bays for internal storage expansion and also offers external USB and eSATA ports for additional external expansion. Store it, secure it, share it.

What’s new

Lower price point under $600 for 1 TB capacity model
Intel 1.6 GHz Atom Dual Core processor
Focus on key data protection features for small business
Reliable disaster recovery with KeepVault online backup

Features

Simple Data Protection
Ideal for businesses with ten or less PC and Mac clients, the HP StorageWorks X300 Data Vault provides full system protection. The HP Data Vault automatically backs up each client every day without you having to manage the process.

Once installed, your HP X300 Data Vault will allow you to consolidate your data for both PC or Mac clients supporting backups onto a single device. This consolidation makes your storage process both efficient and easy to manage.

You get peace of mind with simple automated daily backups. Install the client software on any PC on your network and the HP X300 Data Vault does the rest. Daily backups are reviewable as individual files. You can open any backup and restore a single file or multiple files.

The X300 provides onsite backup for PCs and Macs. However, your irreplaceable data is vulnerable to disasters like theft, fire, and flood. KeepVault online backup provides reliable disaster recovery. Protecting files on the Data Vault, as they change, to secure online servers.

Protect your business by protecting your most important asset: your data.

Simple Data Sharing

Share files on the local network via the HP StorageWorks X300 Data Vault. Create shared folders based on your business needs. Access your Data Vault from any internet connected computer. Use the remote computer like your own PC.

Create a custom web address of your choosing. Access your HP X300 Data Vault through your custom web address from any internet connected computer. Web addresses are registered through TZO.com an HP partner.

Most online services charge a monthly fee to access your files. With the X300 and a custom domain from TZO.com accessing your files is free for the first year and costs a nominal fee each year after.

The local and remote file sharing capabilities on the HP X300 Data Vault provide for more efficient business collaboration.

Protection of Critical Files Means Data Security

The HP StorageWorks X300 Data Vault lets you choose which file folders are the most important. With the ease of a mouse click, you can tell the X300 to duplicate that folder to a second hard disk drive. If a hard disk drive was to fail, your data will still be safe on the second hard disk drive.

Access to shared file folders can be easily managed through a mouse click. Set Read/Write, Read Only or No Access privileges for each user, to each shared folder. Users login and authenticate, with a password, to access the HP X300 Data Vault shared folders or PC applications.

The HP X300 Data Vault comes with a trial version of McAfee Anti-Virus software which you can choose to install. You can also use your existing anti-virus software to easily scan the HP X300 Data Vault.

Expandable to Meet Your Growth Needs

Expand to 7 TB or more internally and up to 15 TB or more with external storage options. The HP StorageWorks X300 Data Vault supports hot-swapping of hard disk drives which means that to add capacity you do not need to power down the device. The X300 grows as your business grows.

Four USB ports and one eSATA port are available to add additional storage.

As we get more information we will post it, and hopefully we can get our hands on a unit for review shortly.

CloudBerry Backup for Windows Home Server Version 1.5 Released

Windows Home Server

Andrew Edney

-

Jun 2, 2010

2

An update to the CloudBerry Backup Add-In for Windows Home Server has been released.

Here is what CloudBerry has to say about the update:

CloudBerry Lab has released CloudBerry Backup version 1.5 — an application that allows users to backup their data online to their Amazon S3 accounts.

Disaster recovery planning is often times an afterthought that comes to light when disaster strikes. Very seldom do companies fully recover from loss of critical data which could lead to loss of business. CloudBerry Backup provides a powerful Backup and Restore product designed to leverage Amazon S3 reliable and secure online storage to make your disaster recovery plan simple, reliable, and affordable.

Newer version introduces a Simple Mode that enables users to create exact copy of their data on Amazon S3 and allows accessing that data with any S3 compatible tools.

Reduced Redundancy Storage (RRS) enables users to store data in S3 at a 33% discount to the standard pricing in return for a reduced level of durability. Newer version of CloudBerry Backup allows users to take advantage of RSS by specifying appropriate settings.

Asia Pacific region has been recently added to the list of AWS supported regions allowing businesses with customers based in Asia leverage AWS’s cloud infrastructure. With new release of CloudBerry Backup users can back up their data to the data center located in Asia Pacific region.

CloudBerry Backup is also available as a Windows Home Server (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/windowshomeserver/default.mspx ) add-on.

It integrates with the WHS console and offers scheduled backup to cloud storage, hosted on Amazon S3.

CloudBerry Backup is designed to work on Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7. Command line interface allows partners and advanced computer users integrate backup and restore plans with other routines.

CloudBerry S3 Backup for Windows costs $29.99(US) for a single-user license. Volume discounts are available. CloudBerry Backup will be offered without charge to students, educational institutions and non-profit organizations. You will continue to pay Amazon directly for their S3 charges.

For more information & to download the evaluation copy, visit our Web site at: http://www.cloudberrylab.com/default.aspx?page=cloudberry-backup

CloudBerry Backup for Windows Home Server is available at

http://www.cloudberrylab.com/default.aspx?page=backup-whs

HomeServerSync Add-In for Windows Home Server Pricing Revealed

Andrew Edney

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Jun 1, 2010

6

Today we are finally able to reveal the pricing for Tranquil PC’s HomeServerSync Add-In for Windows Home Server.

We have talked a lot about this forthcoming add-in from Tranquil over the last few weeks:

HomeServerSync Add In for Windows Home Server from Tranquil PC

Exclusive First Look at the HomeServerSync Add-In from Tranquil PC

HomeServerSync Website Now Live

And as we have hinted, there were things we were sworn to secrecy about, including the pricing.

Well I am very happy that the pricing can now be revealed.

HomeServerSync – pricing is revealed below.

The brand new architecture delivers not only unique features – very secure routed network paths, real time synchronisation, RAID protected off site backups etc – but also exciting ‘remote’ user features to keep multi-user family / small business user data up to date, all of the time.

The HomeServerSync Suite :

10x client licences for Secure Synchronisation from/to Home Server unit (local or remote)
10x client licences to access WHS functions – console/backups/shares (remote)
1x WHS console application licence (management/sync/backup control)
1x 100GB off site backup facility
1x User web portal for access/control

The annual subscription for the HomeServerSync package will be £139.00 / annum.

How does this compare (WHS applications only, with similar storage / feature sets)

WHS Appn	Backup	Sync	Multi Sync	WHS Console	WHS folders	Bulk Transfers	£/year	£ Lic’
Cloudberry	Y	N	N	N	N	N	£132	£20
K’Vault pro	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	£309	£0
HSS	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	£139	£0

Notes – all costs based on approx 60-80GB of off site storage uploaded and then incrementally increased by approx 5GB / month in first year. Comparison products reviewed @ exchange rate @ 1.5 USD/UKP.

E.OE HomeServerSync price includes VAT (Ex VAT = £118.30)

Additional blocks of 100GB (off site backup) are available @ £59.00 (incl VAT) / annum.
The costs for initial bulk upload / download (1TB max) are £49.00 (incl VAT) / transaction.

Discounted pre-launch orders (£79+VAT) are being considered – if you would like to learn more – please let Tranquil know (Tranquil will provide the T&C’s of any discounted pre-order)

So what do you think? Is this something you are interested in?

Expect a full review of the add-in and the service soon, which is officially available in July.

UPDATE: When you take out your subscription, use the Promo code U098 and instead of getting a 12 month subscription, you will get an extra 100 days free! So you will get 15 months for the price of 12 – now that is a good deal! See here for details.

2nd UK Media Center and Windows Home Server User Group Registration Now Open

Andrew Edney

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Jun 1, 2010

0

Ian over at the Digital Lifestyle.com has opened registration for the 2nd UK Media Center and Windows Home Server User Group meeting.

Last years event was a lot of fun: 1st UK Windows Media Center and Windows Home Server Usergroup Event and this years should be even better.

Rather than cramming everything into a few hours in an evening, the event will take place in the daytime on a Saturday.

There will be lots of interesting sessions, including some on Windows Home Server and Vail (I wonder who will be doing that?) 🙂

So why not come and join in – it should be a lot of fun.

Here is what Ian says:

We have now finalised (finally) the details for the June 12 Media Center and Windows Home Server event!

Last year we had an evening event where we tried to get through as much as possible in a short amount of time – based on your feedback we’ve moved to a whole day event running from 10am through to 4pm, to give presenters a lot more time to talk, more time for questions, and to allow us to have more varied topics for you to hear.

We’re also inviting a number of vendors this year, to show off their Media Center and Windows Home Server software and hardware, plus other digital home technologies. We have some great prizes to be won too, including a Microsoft Zune HD worth around $200.00, TV Tuners from Avermedia and a Sonos multi-room music system S5 Zone Player, worth £349.00!

Entrance is free, coffee and muffins will be available at 9.30am for a 10am start, and the prize draw will be held at the end of the day. The event is being held at “the studio” in Birmingham, which is in Cannon Street, within walking distance of New Street railway station, and with an NCP car park nearby. For travel information, click here.

We have a limited number of places available, so register early to avoid disappointment. We look forward to seeing you there!

Click here to register

ASUS Announce the Eee Pad and the Eee Tablet

Andrew Edney

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Jun 1, 2010

0

Today at Computex 2010 ASUS announced a number of new products including the Eee Pad and the Eee Tablet.

Eee Tablet – Taking notes has never been this easy:

The groundbreaking Eee Tablet amalgamates the best assets from both the notebook and e-reader formats and boasts an 8’’ Passive TFT-LCD touchscreen and a huge 10-hour battery life, to deliver students and mobile business users all of the function they need to stay productive throughout the day as well as a portable media player.

Sporting a 2450 dpi touch resolution screen, the Eee Tablet is one of the world’s most accurate and sensitive digital note taking devices. With the handy built-in notepad templates, users can store, sort, tag, organise and browse through their notes and make text annotations on-the-fly. For even faster information capture users can take advantage of the 2 megapixel camera to take detail images of presentation slides – then add their notes.

Once back at home or in the office, the Eee Tablet can be synced easily with a PC or notebook via USB or Micro SD, ensuring content and calendars are always up-to-date.

The Eee Tablet also facilitates easy and comfortable reading even over long periods, with lag-free text file page turns taking just 0.1 seconds—9 times faster than those of traditional e-readers.

Eee Pad – Pocket-sized computing at its best:

The ultra-slim Eee Pad has been designed for tech-savvy individuals who are always on the go. Acting as a supplementary Windows-based portable tablet PC, it allows users to keep everything they need – social networking, movies, video-conferencing – at their fingertips.

The 12” Eee Pad EP121 is a fully featured slate computer that serves as a multimedia player, e-reader, compact PC and Internet device in one slim package. Powered by a CULV Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor and the Windows® 7 Home Premium operating system, it handles multitasking effortlessly, enabling users to check their email and calendars, engage in video conferencing, and process Microsoft Word and Excel documents all at the same time. Offering two convenient modes of character input – an embedded virtual keyboard and a special docking-station-keyboard – the Eee Pad EP121 delivers more than 10 hours of smooth, continuous computing.

For those demanding even more mobility, the 10’’ Eee Pad EP101TC fits the bill at a pocket-friendly 12.1mm and feather-light 675g. Users can quickly access their favourite applications by adding them to the main desktop. The Eee Pad EP101TC runs on Windows Embedded Compact 7 – a complete toolkit with the latest Windows 7-based technologies and tools that create engaging user experiences and delivers connectivity to the Windows world.

There are no specifics yet on pricing or availability but they certainly look interesting.

Quick Review of the Plextor PX-PH500US Portable Hard Drive

Reviews
Tech

Andrew Edney

-

May 31, 2010

0

Plextor have a 500GB portable hard drive that can be connected via eSATA for quicker transfer speeds.

Having a portable hard drive can be useful for so many different reasons, including storing off-site backups of your data easily, or just carrying additional data around with you.

However, some of the biggest problems with portable drives have been the size of the drive (not the storage size but the physical size) and the drive speed itself.

Over the years I have used many different portable drives, and I have got the stage where a lot of the time I just accept that transfer speeds can sometimes be slower than I would like.

The Plextor PX-PH500US portable drive, as well as having a USB connection, also has an eSATA port on it, which means I can connect it up to most modern laptops, my desktop or even my Windows Home Server and get faster transfer speeds.

SPECIFICATIONS

Capacity : 500 GB

OS : Windows 2000/XP/Vista (works with Windows 7), Mac OS 8.6/9.x/10.x and higher

Interface : USB 2.0 / 1.1, eSATA

Transfer rate :
USB 2.0 Max 480 Mbps
USB 1.1 Max 12 Mbps

Weight : approx. 190 g

Dimensions : 81 (W) x 130 (D) x 17 (H) mm

Hard Drive : Buffer size: 8 MB
RPM: 5400

Fast Warranty
2 year (Collect & Return) Warranty in the EU, Norway and Switzerland; 1 year in other countries: Carry-in

WHATS IN THE BOX

Apart from the PX-PH500US drive, there is a USB cable, an eSATA cable, an installation guide and a black leather carrying pouch.

USING THE PX-PH500US

Connecting up the drive to my computer was simple. Because I wanted to connect via eSATA and the drive doesn’t come with a power supply, I still had to connect the drive to the computer via USB (in fact, via 2 USB connects on the cable). Might be worth investigating a power supply if you would prefer not to connect via USB at all.

When the computer found the drive, it showed as Toshiba – you have to love Toshiba!

On the drive itself is some Plextor software called PlexTools Professional LE, which is used for various tasks, and can be installed by running the setup program.

You can get all sorts of information about the drive via the tools.

Running some tests with HD Tune Pro showed some fairly good results, although nowhere near what Plextor say of up to 480 Mbs (but different equipment used will show different results).

FINAL THOUGHTS

The drive performed as expected and I was happy with the transfer speeds. I liked that Plextor included a carry pouch as the drive will easily become dirty or scratched without one just because of the materials used to create the drive.

Cost wise, the 500GB drive costs around £100, depending on where you look, so you are paying for the eSATA connectivity.

Newegg Offering Acer Easystore H340 Windows Home Server for $299.99

Andrew Edney

-

May 31, 2010

0

Today Newegg are offering the Acer Easystore H340 WHS for under $300.

You can see our review of the Acer Easystore H340 Windows Home Server here: In-depth Review of the Acer Aspire easyStore H340 Windows Home Server

Click here to go to the Newegg page: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16859321013&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10446076&PID=3300033&SID=

Don’t forget to use the additional offer code: EMCYSNW34 in order to get another $50 off (which brings it down to $299.99).

And on top of all that is it free shipping as well! Now there’s a bargain!

And as usual with the Newegg deals, they don’t last forever and when they are gone, they are gone!

Hands-On Review of the Aleratec 1:1 HDD Cruiser

Reviews
Tech

Andrew Edney

-

May 31, 2010

2

If you have ever needed to duplicate a hard drive or securely erase one without the need for a computer then the Aleratec 1:1 HDD Cruiser may be for you.

If you have a hard drive that you want to duplicate for whatever reason, you can connect it up to a computer and use software to make an exact copy. This takes time and also uses the resources of the computer. That’s fine if you only want to duplicate a single drive, but what if you wanted to make numerous duplicates of that drive – say to roll out a system for an office, or to duplicate a data drive? And also what if you wanted to securely erase drives when you had finished with them?

Rather than buying components for your computer and additional pieces of software to do the duplication and erasure, you might want to consider a stand-alone piece of equipment like the Aleratec 1:1 HDD Cruiser.

You may never have heard of Aleratec, so this is how they describe themselves:

Aleratec is a leading developer and manufacturer of “Prosumers’ Choice” solutions for the USB, HDD, Blu-ray, DVD/CD duplicating, publishing, recording, and digital imaging markets. Formerly known as Alera Technologies, Aleratec continues to set a higher standard in the industry by offering professional strength solutions at consumer prices.

Headquartered in Southern California, Aleratec’s exceptionally-skilled team of trained professionals has designed user-friendly, high-performance hardware along with intuitive software to assist corporations of any size with all their media technology needs. From copy cruisers to flash drive duplicators, Aleratec’s comprehensive line of innovative products enable businesses to cut costs, streamline workflow and increase revenues.

As pioneers in the CD recording industry, Aleratec is recognized worldwide as technology leaders with extraordinary on-target vision. Paving the way for the future of modern technology, they have envied marketing and sales track records which have consistently outperformed industry giants.

For years, Aleratec has served as a leading provider of disc duplicating and publishing solutions for specialized markets including government agencies, educational facilities, houses of worship and audio recording professionals.

Here is how Aleratec describe the 1:1 HDD Cruiser:

The Aleratec 1:1 HDD Cruiser duplicates Hard Disk Drives without a computer: an essential tool for installing new or upgrading multiple computer systems. It can also decommission computer systems by securely wiping all the data from hard drives with your choice of three comprehensive sanitization algorithms: a one-pass wipe, a three-pass wipe with verify, or a powerful seven-pass wipe as recommended by the Department of Defense 5220.22-M specification.

The 1:1 HDD Cruiser is a stand alone unit there is no need to tie up a computer for hours running complex software to duplicate hard disk drives. The 1:1 HDD Cruiser has a USB 2.0 port so any hard drives loaded in the machine can be accessed by a PC.

The 1:1 HDD Cruiser’s drive bays are equipped with quick and easy loading doors. Simply open the drive bay door to load or unload a drive. Slide the drive in the drive bay and close the drive bay door and high integrity electrical and data connections are made automatically. Each drive bay has Non Scratch SATA connectors designed for greater than 50,000 swap cycles minimizing worries about drive connection issues.

Aleratec produce versions of the HDD cruiser with various numbers of drive bays, but for this review we are looking at the 2 drive version, model number 350103.

WHATS IN THE BOX

Apart from the 1:1 HDD Cruiser itself, there is also 2 hard drive bay keys, a USB 2.0 cable, power cable, quick start guide and a CD containing the full user guide.

Quick Review of the PLDS eTDU108 Portable DVD-ROM Drive

Reviews
Tech

Andrew Edney

-

May 31, 2010

2

If you need a small and light external DVD-ROM drive you may want to take a look at the eTDU108 from Lite-On.

If you have a netbook then you probably don’t have any media drive with it (unless you have already purchased one). Lite-On have released a very small and lightweight DVD-Rom drive that connects via USB to your netbook, or any other computer, such as your Windows Home Server if you need to read disks.

SPECIFICATIONS

DVD Family

Read

DVD+R : 8X maximum by CAV

DVD-R : 8X maximum by CAV

DVD+R9 : 6X maximum by CAV

DVD-R9 : 6X maximum by CAV

DVD+RW : 6X maximum by CAV

DVD-RW : 6X maximum by CAV

Access time
1/3 Stroke: 170ms
Full Stroke: 300ms

Random Access 160ms

CD Family

Read

CD-ROM : 24X maximum by CAV

CD-R : 24X maximum by CAV

CD-RW : 24x maximum by CAV

Access time
1/3 stroke: 150ms

Full stroke: 300ms

Random Access: 150ms

Data Buffer / Burst Data Transfer Rate

200KB (Max) /

USB 1.1 123Mb/s

USB 2.0 480Mb/s

S / N Ration : > 60dB

MTBF (Life) : 60,000 POH

General
Environment

Operating : 5°C to 35°C; Relative Humidity: 10% to 80%

Non-Operating : -40°C to 65°C; Relative Humidity: 10% to 90%

Dimension : 141.8(W) x

WHATS IN THE BOX?

The only thing in the box is the drive itself – the USB cable is actually fitted underneath the drive (which you can see in the picture near the start of the review).

USING THE eTDU108 AND FINAL THOUGHTS

The eTDU108 is very light, so carrying it around in bag won’t be a problem, and it is small. A really nice addition is the USB cable fitted under the drive, all you have to do is pull it off and connect it up. This ensures that you don’t leave home without a cable (unless you didn’t put it back after the last time you used it).

I had no problems using it on several different machines and with several different types of media.

My only two negative comments on the eTDU108 is the noise it can generate when media is spinning and the speed. 8x is the fastest it will do, and that seems almost like the dark ages these days!

Price wise it is quite cheap – under £30 in the UK now and under $50 in the US, although you can probably find it cheaper by looking around.

The eTDU108 is available in both white and black.

Is this right for you? Only you can decide, but given that external writers are not that much more expensive, and are faster, you may want to look at one of those if you want that extra capability.

Review of the Tranquil PC T7-MP2 Media Center and Special Offer

Andrew Edney

-

May 30, 2010

10

Here we review the brand new media center pc from Tranquil PC – the T7-MP2 and we have a special very limited time offer for our readers.

Media Center pcs are great – they enable you to record and watch tv, listen to music, view photos and do so much more all from the comfort of your sofa in your living room or bedroom, or any other room in the house for that matter.

Tranquil have released a new media center pc, called the T7-MP2, and here is how they describe it:

Powered by the ION chipset from Nvidia, you can now enjoy HD movies etc with ease
Intel dual core Atom CPU ensures low energy consumption with excellent performance
Near silent operation – there are no fans to be heard, or suck in dust
Integrated Media Centre Receiver and Media Centre remote control
Tiny foot print – the size of a hard back book
Connect to almost any screen, HDMI (1.3) – DVI or VGA
and almost any audio player HDMI – SPDIF (Coax or Optical) – Analog
Expand storage with 6x rear USB2 ports and 1x eSATA port
Built in WiFi (802.11 b/g/n) and GigaLAN interface
Desirable quality – made from all extruded aluminium parts
Ideal for Media Centre Playback of your media files, web browsing etc
or Live TV / Recorded TV playback, or CD/DVD/BluRay playback – via optional USB devices
Runs Windows 7 Home Premium with Media Centre + IP TV services
Optional VESA TV bracket, to mount the T7-MP2 on the back of your large screen TV
(75×75, 100×100 or 200x100mm VESA mount points)

Enjoy new IP services from :
SKY Player – BBC iPlayer – ITV Player – Channel 4 Watch Online – FIVE Demand – etc

We have been talking to Tranquil about the T7 for a while now, and have been sworn to secrecy, and so were very happy when our T7 arrived earlier than expected.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Unit dimensions : 387 (w) x 356 (d) x 66 (h) mm

Unit construction : Aluminium and steel (typically >70% recycled materials)

System heat sink : Aluminium with custom heat pipe cooling system (TranCool3)

CPU : 64 bit ready Dual Core Intel Atom D510 (2 x 1.6GHz)

Chipset : Nvidia ION

Graphics : Nvidia GeForce 9xxx (up to 1920 x 1440)

Memory : 2x DDR2 667/800MHz (up to 4GB)

HDDs : 1x or 2x 2.5″ SATA

Colour options : Satin Black

Front panel : Power switch and Power / HDD activity LEDs / IR RX (suitable for All MCE remotes, not MCE keyboard)

Rear panel : 12V DC power in / 6x USB2.0 / 10.100.1000 LAN / Audio In / Audio Out / Mic In / COAX SPDIF / TOSLINK SPDIF / PS2 / HDMI / DVI / VGA / eSATA / WiFi / Power in

Weight : Base unit (nett) 4Kg

Power supply : External AC/DC with country specific power cord

Working temp : Maximum 48’C ambient

Mounting options : Desk or Wall

Power consumption : from 21W (base unit)

Acoustics : 17dBA (incl 1x HDD) or 0dBA with SSHDD

Software :

Windows 7 Home Premium
IP TV Add Ins
Video Decoder pack (incl MKV HD video)

WHATS IN THE BOX?

Apart from the T7, the box also contains a power supply, a full copy of Windows 7 Home Premium, a wireless aerial and a Philips Media Center remote control (complete with a Green Button).

Sony Dash Personal Internet Viewer Gets An Update

Tech

Andrew Edney

-

May 30, 2010

2

Sony’s Personal Internet Viewer, the Dash, is getting a software update.

Back at the start of April we talked about the Dash: https://moviesgamesandtech.com/2010/04/02/the-sony-dash-personal-internet-viewer/

Owners of the Dash have received an email from Sony telling them of a new update that will introduce some new features this month.

I still haven’t got my hands on one yet, and I know that Tim was disappointed that it couldn’t be mounted so he hasn’t got one yet either.

Have you got one? What do you think?

Here is what the email says:

Dear Valued Sony Customer,

Thanks for purchasing the new Dash™ Personal Internet Viewer. We hope that you’re finding it a fun and useful addition to your home.

As a connected device, we’ll constantly be improving Dash to better meet your needs. At the end of this month, we’ll send out our first over-the-air software update. This update will provide usability and utility enhancements, including:

• USB functionality for MP3 music playback and photo viewing
• A new theme called “Full Screen App” that allows your apps to scroll in full-screen mode
• Enhanced alarm functionality, including adjustable snooze duration for custom alarms and simplified one-touch alarm dismissal

When the update arrives, a black dialogue box will pop up on your Dash screen, informing you that an update is available. Simply choose “Now”, and after the download is complete, your Dash will restart with these improvements. (Quick tip: If you choose “Later”, putting your dash into Night mode and then resuming normal operation by touching anywhere on the screen will bring up the dialogue box again.)

Watch for other updates next month, including new themes and the addition of expanded Internet radio options. And remember, if you ever have questions about Dash, visit http://www.sony.com/dashforums. Also, be sure to join the Dash community at http://www.facebook.com/Sonydash.