Chris Lanier's Blog

Monday, September 29, 2008 - Posts

• VidaBox RoomClientHD Supports Blu-ray & DVD Streaming in Full 1080p

  New VidaBox RoomClientHD™ supports Blu-ray & DVD streaming in full 1080p with HD audio support - all in a miniature, palm-sized package Westbury, NY - September 29th - VidaBox is proud to announce the new RoomClientHD™, a 2" tall, palm-sized media extender that provides Blu-ray & DVD streaming support for full 1080p and lossless audio codecs.  Designed to be easily hidden behind any HDTV, this breakthrough extender allows any room to get instant, on-demand access to any content stored on a VidaBox media server. "We're thrilled to finally offer an ultra-compact Blu-ray extender that dealers and customers alike have been asking for," says Steven Cheung, President of VidaBox LLC.  "Current Blu-ray players & extenders are the size of typical DVD players or set-top boxes, and may have slight unpleasantries like fan noise that stopped many installers from putting the equipment directly in the viewing area.  By combining advanced hardware design and our in-depth experience with Blu-ray streaming, we've been able to create the RoomClientHD, answering the prayers of integrators and customers alike. Blu-ray streaming starts with a VidaBox server, such as the new RACK24 system with up to 22.0TB of storage, where thousands of DVDs and hundreds of Blu-rays can be stored.  From here, extenders like the RoomClientHD can be installed to pull the content via standard CAT5e/6 cabling.  No complicated setup needs to be done, as the extenders are preconfigured to automatically detect the VidaBox server on the network, making multizone installs a plug-n-play process. "With only a 6" x 6" footprint, installers can cleverly hide the 2" tall RoomClientHD behind most HDTV panels," exclaims Cheung.  "With hardware support for full 1080p and new HD audio codecs like DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD, the RoomClientHD sets a new standard for high-end media extenders that provide a full set of features without any compromises in quality or experience." The RoomClientHD is available now, and comes with an option for a built-in Blu-ray disc drive for convenient local playback.  For more details and specifications on the RoomClientHD™ and VidaBox's comprehensive line of media servers, extenders, and complete entertainment and control solutions, please visit the company website at http://www.vidabox.com, or see them at International CES in the North Tower Suite H22-121! About VidaBox LLC VidaBox LLC is a digital entertainment and controls solutions company focused on manufacturing premium media centers, integrated home control & automation solutions.  VidaBox is on a mission to create user-friendly, stable high-performance Media Center systems that work right out of the box and integrate seamlessly with multizone audio and smart home technologies.  For more information, visit www.vidabox.com or call 1-516-730-7500. Cross Posted from Chris Lanier's Blog at http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/ Posted Sep 29 2008, 11:32 AM by Chris - Moderator with 4 comment(s) Filed under: Digital Media, Media Center, Blu-ray

• Niveus Brings Unified Search To Windows Media Center

  Easily search through entire media catalogues and select Internet content utilizing the unified Niveus Search tool, now available for download. Milpitas, CA – September 26, 2008 – Niveus Media, Inc. announces beta availability of the new unified Niveus Search, which enables easy retrieval of content accessible across the local network and Internet. The patent-pending Niveus Search offers Windows Vista ® Media Center users an easy-to-use, 10’ interface that provides an all encompassing scan of both the Media Center and Internet sources. No longer do Media Center users have to scroll through lengthy catalogues trying to locate a certain movie, TV program, song, etc. Utilizing the unified Niveus Search yields visual results of the electronic program guide, recorded TV, music, photos, videos, and web-based content, from sources such as Netflix, Flickr, and Live365 Internet radio. Additionally, for the less decisive that aren’t sure what to watch or listen to, by entering keywords of interest, Search will return a number of related results from across its sources. Accessing and using the Niveus Search tool is simple and can be easily accomplished with the use of only a remote control. By selecting “New Search” via the Search icon on the Windows Media Center strip, users can enter keywords with the remote control (T9) or the onscreen keypad. Search then reveals results in a compelling gallery, with cover art, movie posters, icons, pictures, or other supported visual formats. The user can then click play, slideshow, or schedule a recording based on the type of result(s) returned. Previous searches can be found through a Previous Searches icon on the Media Center menu. Now available via the Niveus Software Labs webpage, Niveus Search is being released as beta for all Windows Vista Media Center users for an undetermined amount of time to gather feedback, field results, and suggestions. Niveus will continue to release improvements to Niveus Search beta via the Niveus Software Labs and intends to release a production version of Niveus Search to the Windows Media Center community when ready. Niveus Search will be supported by the user community in the new Niveus Software Labs Forum. A gallery of screenshots can be viewed through the Niveus Software Labs by selecting the screenshots tab. For more information, please visit www.niveusmedia.com. About Niveus Media Founded in 2003, Silicon Valley based Niveus Media, Inc. manufactures award-winning media server hardware and software solutions, optimized to manage all HD entertainment in multi-zone applications. With the most advanced media servers, storage servers, proprietary software and service technologies, Niveus revolutionizes the aggregation, distribution, and enjoyment of today’s digital media. Cross Posted from Chris Lanier's Blog at http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/ Posted Sep 29 2008, 11:28 AM by Chris - Moderator with 2 comment(s) Filed under: Digital Media, Media Center