Disqus - Latest Comments for umdivx

Re: What’s In Your Media Center?

umdivx — Fri, 19 Sep 2014 11:04:10 -0000

Been using HTPC's before they were called HTPC's and before MCE 2005 was available. I've had a few iterations of a HTPC over the years.

I started using a PC as a media playback/consumption device just after I bought my first HDTV in early 2004 (Sony rear projection LCD). I quickly learned that DVD's look horrible on HDTV's, especially when you were only feeding the tv 480i video. I then discovered the concept of using a PC to upscale your video (via software) and then became a very active member on AVSforums and it just grew from there.

Not long after MCE 2005 came out, and the concept of recording OTA HDTV and having a DVR became an obsession and that is when I knew I was hooked. I bought my first OTA antenna and OTA ATSC tuner and haven't looked back since.

My most "recent" build of my current HTPC is from 2008 (why fix what isn't broken?) which consists of the following:

AMD Phenom 9850 2.5ghz Quad core
8GB ram
250GB Samsung EVO SSD
2 x 3TB WD Black drives for DVR storage
Win7 Pro 64bit
Ceton InfiniTV4
Ceton InifniTV6
Silicon Dust HD Homerun (OTA tuning)

In the last 2 or 3 years i've delegated my HTPC as more of a "server" as it runs in a rack in my basement and is only connected to a 19" monitor and isn't directly feeding any TV's in my home. I have xbox 360's (4 of them) connected to each tv in my home. With the recent changes to xbox I now use the xbox's for Netflix, Prime Instant, and Media center extenders.

I run a very minimalistic setup (software wise) the only other software I have installed besides the Ceton companion software, is Comskip and DVRmstoolbox. I don't run anything like my movies, or media browser.

The reason I run a very minimalist setup is for stability, I want to make sure that every time I turn the tv on it just works. I don't want my system crashing because an update messed something up. I've been running it this way now for 4 years (headless "server" HTPC) and I have yet to have a crash, reboot, or time when TV wasn't available.

I've started to augment my Media Center usage with an Amazon Fire TV, I have a prime account and with all the backlog catalog of HBO shows and the recent price drop in the Fire TV I figured I'd give it a shot, now I have it rooted, installed XBMC onto it and I use that as another source to augment my media center DVR usage.

I will definitely continue to use Media Center as my main DVR until they take away cable cards or until I can get everything streamed online (including sports) any where and everywhere I want, so until that day comes Media Center will still be around in my home.

-Josh

Re: Year 7 Starts Now

umdivx — Sun, 20 Oct 2013 18:25:08 -0000

I really loved what you did for the Ceton app's, I still use them every day even if Media Center is practically stagnant. Sucks not to see anything new come out of the Ceton camp. Anyways I wish you well in your new endeavors and look forward to any new apps that you may develop in the future.

-Josh

Re: Day 1 Contest: Win a Nexus 4 8GB From Droid Life! #5daysofnexus (Updated: Winner Picked)

umdivx — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 18:13:14 -0000

Bonus please

Re: Entertainment 2.0 #131 : E3 Without Josh

umdivx — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 12:25:42 -0000

Police cut his cable line? What for?

Re: Spring Summer TV Premiere Guide

umdivx — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 08:44:26 -0000

thanks for the post. It's been hard work but thankfully to good docs, it is really easy to update the spreadsheet. And you are right, it is a lot of work.

Re: Everyone’s To Blame For The Xoom’s Low Sales Numbers

umdivx — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 08:10:52 -0000

You interact with a tablet exactly like any of the new existing smartphones. You interact with a ipad just like you would a ipod touch or a iphone. Same UI, same exact buttons.

Same goes for an android tablet (not counting Honey Comb) same exact UI, same interface, same way to negotiate a menu.

Yes you aren't making phone calls with them, but with apps like google voice you all of the sudden get texting, and voice mails you can play back with a tablet.

Also pretty much everyone who uses these tablets are using the same apps or want to use the same apps, web browsing (easier on the tablet w/ larger screen) then you get into apps like FB, Twitter, ect.. then you get games, and media, ect...

Everything we are doing now a phone is what we are going now on a tablet so don't see how its any different, just more convenient because of the larger screens.

I very rarely web brows on my android phone, only do when when I have to, but I web browse all the time on my android tablet and ipad, because the experience is that much better.

Don't know who you are trying to kid, but a tablet will not replace a full pc/laptop any time soon, you can't photo edit, or video edit, or re-compress/re-encode video, or full high res video game (read first person shooters) that a pc can provide. But we all know that is not what we use tablets for.

Tablets are a lap companion while on the couch when you don't want to lug your laptop with you, and convenience of the tablet is just more suitable for couch/tv use. Or on long commutes on a bus or train a tablet makes more sense than a laptop.

Re: Everyone’s To Blame For The Xoom’s Low Sales Numbers

umdivx — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 00:42:59 -0000

name one tablet that is stuck on 2.1??? Samsung tab is on 2.2 and can be rooted and rom'd to 2.3.3 if you're so inclined.

There isn't a technical ability for an intel based tablet to run anything beyond 1.6 period.

and what I mean by Chinese knock off, is those are the only ones running intel chipsets and suck on 1.6, and by that I mean Intel themselves didn't build, release or support android for that chipset. Intel had nothing to do with those tablets and running android on it.

Thing is I'm content with my tablet, i get all the apps I want form the existing market place, I'm running 2.3.3 I get flash 10.2 ect...

What do you get with your 1.6 tablet???

Re: Everyone’s To Blame For The Xoom’s Low Sales Numbers

umdivx — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 00:29:59 -0000

Sorry I should have clairified that any "real" android tablet, IE the Viewsonic G Tablet, Motorola Xoom, Samsung Tab that run's 2.2 and above and not some Chinese knock off running 1.6.

Not sure what tablets are stuck on 2.1, all the aforementioned tablets are all on 2.2 or above, my G Tablet is on 2.3.3 right now.

These Intel tablets that can run both windows or Android is just a marketing ploy and shouldn't have even been looked at once, I know I did my research and not once looked them over, they came out the door with 1.6 that should have been a red flag from the beginning.

Re: Everyone’s To Blame For The Xoom’s Low Sales Numbers

umdivx — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 00:25:11 -0000

the wifi only Xoom is still more expensive than a 16gig wifi only ipad 2, so why would you buy the xoom that costs more and has less apps? If the xoom was $299 ($100 less than the cheapest ipad) it'd sell like hot cakes.

Re: Everyone’s To Blame For The Xoom’s Low Sales Numbers

umdivx — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 00:22:51 -0000

yup, price. Again, my entire argument about this whole topic. If you can't have an apples to apples comparison, which the Xoom doesn't the reason it didn't sell is because for the same price you can get an ipad, so why wouldn't you right?

Re: Everyone’s To Blame For The Xoom’s Low Sales Numbers

umdivx — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 00:20:42 -0000

If you re-read my argument, was some folks here say what killed the Xoom was lack of "tablet specific apps" my contention, and always will be is that this a market of price, and always will be. Google/Motorola and everyone else can't beat Apple by features and do a direct 1:1 comparison. Price (lower) is what will beat the ipad and increase sales of android tablets.

Re: Everyone’s To Blame For The Xoom’s Low Sales Numbers

umdivx — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 00:11:12 -0000

As others have already commented, your intel tablet is a Chinese knock off to get money, all true tablets are either a tegra2 or a ARM based chipset, Intel isn't in the mobile chipset game like nvidia and ARM are, and why it'll never run more than 1.6

Re: Everyone’s To Blame For The Xoom’s Low Sales Numbers

umdivx — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 17:10:41 -0000

touch screen is a touch screen is a touch screen, how is a tablet any different than a smart phone? Same concept, just different pixel density that is it.

Re: Everyone’s To Blame For The Xoom’s Low Sales Numbers

umdivx — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 17:09:25 -0000

Perfect in the Android sense of the term, and yes I do own and android tablet, I've owned one longer than the Xoom has been out, Viewsonic Gtablet, since November last year. The Gtablet has the same Tegra2 hardware as the Xoom just different screen and memory. I've owned the Gtab longer than I've owned my ipad.

Re: Everyone’s To Blame For The Xoom’s Low Sales Numbers

umdivx — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 16:58:43 -0000

those 20 specific apps are Tegra based apps, while there are a few tegra based tablets coming out, not all of them are going to be tegra based (dual core, higher rez). My point still stands is that many if not all the existing apps are perfectly fine in a tablet environment. I can use FB, Amazon market, you name it apps and they all work perfect on my tablet now.

Re: Everyone’s To Blame For The Xoom’s Low Sales Numbers

umdivx — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 16:14:17 -0000

ummm do you have an ipad? download and install an iphone app, and full screen it, looks like complete shit.

Do the same on an andriod tablet and then come talk.

Re: Everyone’s To Blame For The Xoom’s Low Sales Numbers

umdivx — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 16:08:15 -0000

Have you even used an andriod tablet? you can't compare the ipad market to the android tablet market.

ALL and I mean ALL apps i use on a regular basis on my android phone, work 100% perfect on my android tablet.

There's way too much FUD going on around here.

Re: Everyone’s To Blame For The Xoom’s Low Sales Numbers

umdivx — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 16:03:56 -0000

But what you don't realize is that ALL existing android apps work perfectly fine on the tablet platform now. Yes there is the Tegra focused apps out there that take advantage of the platform, but you can still use, fully featured, existing apps from the rest of the android market place and they look good, and aren't "windowed" like they are on the ipad.

Re: Everyone’s To Blame For The Xoom’s Low Sales Numbers

umdivx — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 16:02:15 -0000

I don't buy devices based on product placement, or retail store exposure, and I am sure many technically inclined here don't either. So not sure why other keep bringing that up, its a moot point if you ask me.

Re: Everyone’s To Blame For The Xoom’s Low Sales Numbers

umdivx — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 16:00:02 -0000

I for one am not an apple bigot, not trying to start an Apple vs. Everyone else debate here. for me and I am sure many others it is about price vs. features. My wife, sister in law, and any of their friends all own android devices, and its not because they know the difference. They are all complete idots when it comes to technology, the only reason they own the android phones is because they can get access to facebook and emails ect.. and it didn't cost them anything.

Re: Everyone’s To Blame For The Xoom’s Low Sales Numbers

umdivx — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 15:56:44 -0000

Because for me, and others that have commented here it IS about price. I own a Zune, not because it is the best mp3 player out there, it is because it was the next best option and was hundreds of dollars cheaper and got me similar function.

Same goes for my android phone and tablet, price.

the only reason I bought the ipad I have, was because of price, $299 is hard to pass up on a tablet.

Re: Everyone’s To Blame For The Xoom’s Low Sales Numbers

umdivx — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 14:52:30 -0000

Jeremy,
I've got both the first gen ipad, and a viewsonic Gtablet android tablet, while it isn't a direct comparison to the Xoom it does give me some food for thought. While yes android doesn't have netflix or hulu it does have apps. EVERY single android market place app works on the android tablets, and they are scaled full screen with zero issues.

I can't take any iphone app, install it on the ipad, and get full screen without some blurry scaling issues.

Media integration, take a look a double twist, makes it damn easy to load and play and sync (via wifi with purchased app) to your android devices.

BTW i can play videos i recorded on my old black berry storm cell phone on my android devices too.

Re: Everyone’s To Blame For The Xoom’s Low Sales Numbers

umdivx — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 14:43:24 -0000

I think the biggest problem of all of this is price. The price is what killed the Xoom. If you are going to pay $600+ for a tablet, why the hell not get an iPad? All these manufactures making these android tablets can't compete hardware wise with Apple. People by android smartphones because they are cheaper than the iphone.

Look at the Asus transformer soon to be released, $400 for a 10" android tablet, with higher rez than the ipad, wide screen 32gig of storage, dual core (just like the Xoom) but the biggest difference, its price. Asus has it right, in order to compete, you have to beat them at price.

Look at what Verizon did with the ipad1, they sold the 16gig wifi only ipad1 for $299 and sold out of them instantly. People want tablets, they just don't want to pay the same price as what you can get a laptop for, simple as that.

Re: The Great GeekTonic T-Shirt Giveaway

umdivx — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 19:54:16 -0000

Here's my last minute entry: http://farm5.static.flickr....

- Josh

Re: HTPCentric Episode 05 SP1

umdivx — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 09:34:38 -0000

instead of hurting the environment and throwing away perfectly good, used hard drives, you guys could use DBAN (Darik's Boot and Nuke) http://www.dban.org/

DBAN will write 1's and 0's accross the entire hard drive, multiple times, to completely wipe your drive clean to the point that your old data will never be recoverable.

Also wanted to add the bit about WHS and your storage pool. One thing about the current version of WHS and your storage pool of drives. You can rebuild your WHS box, and still retain the data on your pool drives without loosing any data.

Also the method for moving your data (say if you were going to Vail next) you can take each individual drive from your storage pool, bring it into your new WHS box running Vail, and install the drives, however NOT mount them yet, RDP into your WHS box, on the desktop, and transfer the files from the drive into the new pool before you add the drive to the pool.

you can take a drive from the existing version of WHS and mount it into a windows 7 pc and browse the files, one thing you can't do with Vail (from what I've read) is you can't use windows explorer to view the files on a Vail formatted storage pool drive.

Hope that makes sense.

- Josh