USB Remote » HTPC

Thermaltake VF7001BNS DH101 HTPC Computer Case

admin — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 22:45:16 +0000

n elegant contemporary design and a wealth of multimedia options, make our new Thermaltake DH 101 Digital Home Series one of the most attractive cases weve seen in years. This stylish case features piano mirror coating with front panel design, and a built-in Vista-ready Media Lab LCD. The Media Lab LCD ncludes 10 hot key buttons, volume control knob, and remote control. Plus, it can show virtually every language, including German, Russian, and Chinese. This versatile chassis supports ATX and mATX motherboards, and boasts a superb ventilation system that includes a 12cm silent fan in front and dual 6cm fans at the rear. Other features include a 5.25-inch external drive bay and three 3.5-inch internal bays, 7 expansion slots, along with convenient front USB, IEEE 1394 FireWire, and HD-Audio ports. And the Thermaltake DH101 boasts handsome gold-plated foot stands, accessible DVD drive bay with opening front door, removable HDD cage for easy installation, screw-less slots for easy assembly, and tool-free installation for 5.25-inch and 3.5-inch devices. If youre looking for a complete home entertainment case with generous features and matchless elegance, youve found it with the Thermaltake DH 101 Digital Homer Series chassis. Click http://www.compusa.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3424776 for more information.

Duration : 0:5:8

[youtube KWN8PUEhXEY]

EFO Wireless Keyboard

admin — Sat, 08 May 2010 18:13:10 +0000

Unpacking of the EFO wireless keyboard/mouse

Duration : 0:1:20

[youtube cgDzYays81I]

RF Mini Wireless Keyboard | HTPC Remote Control | CarPC Remote Control

admin — Wed, 05 May 2010 02:38:28 +0000

Wireless keyboard + mouse + touchpad (3-in-1) in handheld size.
- Good for (MCE) Media Centre remote control : HTPC remote control, CarPC remote control, IPTV remote control
- Applicable for the lecturer, meeting presenter, classroom teacher, sales manager or anyone using a projected image
- For people who wants to watch internet TV on their PC compatible TV, via broadband and a PC, like NBC, ABC, FOX and IPTV, you can sit in your easy chair and select your viewing pleasure without walking to your computer to change channels or scroll through options

Duration : 0:3:4

[youtube LgsFLzeGqNI]

Lenovo N5901 Wireless Mini Keyboard and Trackball Review

admin — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 00:08:13 +0000

A review of the Lenovo N5901 Wireless Mini Keyboard and Trackball.

Duration : 0:4:59

[youtube RO2af7BwHsw]

GlideTV Navigator – Internet Search | HTPC Wireless Touch Remote

admin — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:06:20 +0000

http://glidetv.com A powerful couch mouse for your Home Theater PC (HTPC). Use this one handed remote to wirelessly perform Internet searches on a TV.

Duration : 0:5:58

[youtube ZkC2znC517k]

Watching TV + Video with WinTV-HVR-950Q, EyeTV, YouTube, and Hulu – PC-TV HTPC

admin — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:33:29 +0000

This is a short “review” video intended for my Ruel’s PC-TV Pages which I really need to update to reflect how I watch “TV” and video nowadays as well as provide an example of how to watch “TV” (or rather different forms of “TV”) on a computer. In the “old” days which is really not too long ago, I was happily recording multiple TV shows using four TV Tuner cards on a desktop tower Pentium IV PC. That PC has been (and still is) my workhorse PVR system for watching TV, recording TV and making personal DVDs. For instance, I was happily recording American Idol, 24, plus whatever was a favorite TV show for the current season, then editing out the commercials, and burning multiple episodes to DVDs for my personal off-line use. Nowadays, I use a Macbook and a backup HP windows laptop where any “TV” and video watching is via Hulu (for cable TV shows and broadcast TV shows that I may have missed) and YouTube (for asian pop performances from asian TV music shows) plus using a TV USB Stick (a WinTV-HVR-950Q) for watching first-run broadcast TV shows, the local TV news, plus reruns of a few of my favorite syndicated TV shows. I also have the open-source Boxee software installed on the macbook, but I haven’t been using Boxee that much lately. Software like the Hulu Desktop and Boxee are frontend software for watching TV via online sources. Similar software includes Windows Media Center (which can also use a TV Tuner card or a TV USB Stick) where you get Windows Media Center for free with Windows Vista and the Frontrow software that you get with Mac OS X.

People ask me which TV Tuner card to get for their PCs and ask what they should do after they cut off their cable TV to instead get their “TV” via the internet. Easiest way to set up a PC as a “TV” receiver box is to get a modern PC with Windows Vista or Windows 7, get a TV USB Stick like the WinTV-HVR-950Q, and use Windows Media Center. But note you may not get everything via the internet that you would get on the hundreds of channels on cable TV and satellite TV. Such as don’t expect everything via the internet that you would get in terms of live TV sports. Other options for the PC include SageTV and BeyondTV for tv-friendly frontend software where both SageTV and BeyondTV can also use a TV Tuner card or a TV USB Stick. These are typically called HTPC systems (Home Theater PC) or PC-TV systems where the frontend interface mimics a TiVo-like DVR system but is a full-featured media environment for not only storing TV video but also movies, music, DVDs, CDs, and other entertainment media, for a TV-friendly lean-back remote-control environment.

For mac users, your options include using Frontrow on your existing mac, or getting an Apple TV box, and buying all your TV shows and movies through iTunes, but those options don’t receive broadcast TV or cable TV with a TV USB Stick. That’s where you will have to use the EyeTV software with a TV USB Stick. I would say use your mac (or get one of those nice new iMacs where the computer is built into the monitor) as your interactive “TV” using EyeTV with a TV USB Stick for local TV broadcasts, using Hulu Desktop for many of the popular cable TV shows, and Frontrow or iTunes for other media.

For the LINUX fanboys out there, you know that I haven’t even touched what is available in LINUX land for HTPC systems. Be glad and happy that you can tweak your HTPC to your linux heart’s delight.

Nowadays, I’m going with the “TV on the Desktop” situation which really means having more of a lean-to or a lean-forward computer-interactive experience by simply having a TV window that is always-on-top of the computer desktop hovering off to the side or in a corner of the screen over any browser or other computer activity that I may have on the computer. Just like what you see in the video here where I may be surfing webpages, watching a youtube video, and also have the local TV news in a TV window on the screen all at the same time. This is like how I was watching TV-on-a-PC years ago with a simple TV window in the corner of the screen and this was long before I got into recording TV on a PC. This is more of an active lean-to computer-centric activity instead of a passive lean-back TV-centric activity. This is the situation that Microsoft is reported to be moving towards and I would predict that a future version (or a forked version) of Windows Media Center would be less like a TV frontend and probably have the TV function (using a TV USB Stick or a TV Tuner card) integrated more into Windows Media Player.

Happy TV & Video Watching!
ruel

Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.

Duration : 0:4:5

[youtube wIOIZSXbRoM]

Media Center 3.0 build Step-by-step Part 4

admin — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 06:23:40 +0000

Test-fitting the components into the case. I have installed (but not hooked up) the tuner cards, motherboard, 5 hard drives, DVD burner, Multi-card reader, and TFT display (with remote sensor). Counting the back, this unit will have two different remotes. I have a usb entension so i have one port accessible from the top of the case. Future plans include replacing the multi-slot adapter with a usb hub as the only slot i use is the Mini-SD slot and i have a usb adapter for that anyway. Input devices for this setup will include 2 remotes (both separately programmable on a per-application basis), wii controller, xbox controller, ps2 controller, and bluetooth keyboard and mouse (Logitech mx5500 Revolution).

Since this will be a media center setup, volume is a major concern, so the 750 watt power supply i have ordered has a 120mm fan internal and keeps airflow at a maximum with minimum noise. The Power supply has 2 sata and 4 molex connectors so using adapters will be necessary.

A previous video i mentioned i was going to install an IDE burner. This turned out to be false, mainly because i got rid of it and forgot. Ebay turned up an esata to sata cable with sufficient length to reach the burner.

The display in this video is the IMON by Soundgraph.

Hard drives pictured will be installed in a raid 10 (1+0) which is completely for data redundancy as this will also be network storage for important documents. My wife does family tree research and has thousands of hours invested. Plus our roommate has a huge itunes library and i have videos i want redundantly stored (wedding), as well as software patches for some really old games i own that simply aren’t available on line any more. (try finding the ReVolt patch).

Duration : 0:2:52

[youtube RTwjD4X9MHw]

iMON Demo – iMON 2.4G LT installation and operation

admin — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:11:25 +0000

SoundGraph’s has 2 kinds of RF remote control and 2.4G LT is for laptop users. 2.4G LT has dongle type USB receiver, user can plug-in and out easily also good for presentation.

Duration : 0:6:4

[youtube ZWlHmXO47DQ]

MEDIA CENTER SETUP for under £300

admin — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 20:19:19 +0000

This video shows a HTPC Setup

HTPC with 1080p for under £300or Complete setup for under £1400

The complete configuration:-

HTPC
====
This PC will play full 1080p no problems
In Win case BL634 Black micro ATX With 400W PSU (Very Quiet & Compact)
Gigabyte motherboard GA-73PVM-S2 (Good for mild overclocking)
Gigabyte ATi HD 4350 512MB (Half Height and HDMI)
Intel CPU Pentium E2160 (Overclocked to 2.9GHz@1.38volts)
Geil Ultra DDR2 2.0GB PC6400 4-4-4-14 (Good ram with good leeway)
Sony Blu-Ray BD-ROM SATA (comes with a shiny tray door)
Samsung Spinpoint 400Gb Harddrive
Media Center Remote
======================================
Total Cost £260 + The ‘cost’ of Vista

Other Equipment
===============
Onkyo TX-SR606 7.1
Really good A/V Amp much better than the same priced Denon from connectivity point. Does Upscale and Upconvert (means you only need one wire going to your TV – no matter what the input is), fully assignable inputs, TrueHD and the Remote works a charm with every device I have.(word of advice – if you have SkyHD or Sky+ the colour buttons are not mapped)

Samsung 46″ LE46A (1080p)
Nice TV with a great set of features and Wiselink USB support. This TV communicates with the Amp beautifully and will Power on and control the volume of the amp.

The Software
============
Vista
Not the fastest O/S Around but it really is all singing all dancing

TunerFree
Allows you to watch catchup TV in the UK Via your Media Center

http://www.milliesoft.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9&Itemid=11

Yougle
Allows you to stream content from many sources onto your MCPC

http://www.push-a-button.com.au/products/mce/Yougle.php

many more plugins can be found by searching The Green Button.

http://thegreenbutton.com/

Have fun and happy building

P.S. I will do a review and analysis of the case and other bits in another video

Duration : 0:7:44

[youtube tQJSQth8TXU]

iMON Demo – iMON 2.4G DT installation and setup

admin — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 23:51:17 +0000

SoundGraph’s has 2 kinds of RF remote control and 2.4G LT and DT, each stands for Laptop and Desktop respectively. 2.4G DT has a DT receiver with PCI interface, but use USB cable for communication. Can turn on HTPC with remote is good feature of 2.4G DT.

Duration : 0:7:38

[youtube _B9Lm_nm1FI]