Hasta La Gadget!

Windows Media Center users still in shock over the indefinite hold placed on Ceton’s Q DVR / Blu-ray player finally have some good news, as the company has officially revealed the details of the Echo extender. Now ready to go on sale around Thanksgiving, the Echo Windows Media Center Extender is looking much more polished than the demo unit we saw at CES, and Ceton says the final unit is actually 72 percent smaller, or 1/4 the size of the Xbox 360’s power brick. The smaller size is not the only benefit to those looking for an alternative to the gaming console as an extender, as it claims to be 90 percent more power efficient, rated at less than 5 watts and should be much quieter to boot. In the beta period it’s lacking some features that should be ready upon release like 1080p video, web browsing, and support for MPEG-1 / WMV9 codes, with more features promised in future updates.

Like any Media Center Extender, you’ll need a properly equipped Windows 7 (or 8, once it’s released officially with the Pro Upgrade) PC to run the show and an Ethernet cable drop since there’s no WiFi, but this tiny box promises multiroom access to live and recorded TV, plus your personal media library. We’ll have to wait for some hands-on time with a beta unit to find out if it lives up to the hype, but if you’re looking to squeeze some more life out of the WMC platform this may be just the boost you’re looking for. Check out the gallery for more pics or the source links for detailed specs, while confirmed beta testers should select the third link for relevant information like a $20 price drop.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

Ceton’s $179 Echo Windows Media Center Extender is ready to go on sale ‘around Thanksgiving’ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Oct 2012 05:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After releasing one long-awaited update back in April, venerable media PC platform MythTV has quickly pushed out another update to version 0.26. The changelog isn’t particularly long this time around, though it does claim HTTP Live Streaming playback and recording, some clock tweaks and the requisite performance improvements. With that wrapped, the team has already shifted its focus to the next version, 0.27, which it says should be a more exciting release. It’s scheduled for release in April of next year so we’ll mark our calendars — in pencil, not pen.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

MythTV updated to 0.26, hints at ‘more exciting’ 0.27 coming next year originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Oct 2012 21:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Remember those Foxconn built nano PCs that surfaced back in May? The giant manufacturer recently made them official, detailing a few unexpected tweaks in a Russian language press release. Now decked out in a sleek black finish, the nettops will sport the same I/O, but one image courtesy of FanlessTech hints that DVI might be thrown into the mix despite lacking a mention in the official press release. The AT-5250 model won’t be walking the Cedar Trail with an Atom D2700 as originally planned — instead, its sights are set on a 1.86 GHz D2550. On the other hand, the AT-5600 will pack a Radeon HD 6320 alongside the anticipated AMD E450 APU. Surpassing their presumed sub-$200 price tag, they’re set to ring up at $260 and $280, respectively, when they launch this September. Journey past the break for the translated press release.

Continue reading Foxconn fanless nano PCs get priced, dated and tweaked

Foxconn fanless nano PCs get priced, dated and tweaked originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 07 Jul 2012 18:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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