The Digital Media Zone » HTPCentric

The DMZ Holiday Spectacular!

info@thedigitalmediazone.com (Adam Thursby and Jere Jones) — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 17:51:56 +0000

Happy Holidays to all DMZ podcast listeners! You’re in for an extra special episode of not only Entertainment 2.0 but The Movie Podcast and HTPCentric as well! Phil Lozen of Seen in HD fame was slated to join us but was unable to for various reasons. Completely understandable but he was missed!

Not only do you get four podcasters together on one show, but we cover news for each show this week as well. It definitely runs long but it’s worth the time to listen all the way through, I promise.

As well, we announced during our live show last night that this is my last podcast for The DMZ for the foreseeable future. I’ll be taking up the mantle of About.com writer covering the Digital Video Recorder space. I’ll still be slinking around here at The DMZ and I’m sure you’ll hear me on future episodes of the shows. You’re left in good hands however. I know I’ll be listening to the shows every week.

It’s been a great ride over the last two years. Helping put together some great content for our listeners has been a blast. Working with Josh, Jere, James and Phil has been greatly rewarding and I know that each show will continue be the best source of information you’re going to find.

I’m not done quite yet though. As I said, you’ll want to listen to the entire show this week for all the latest digital content and HTPC info!

Click here to download The Holiday Spectacular!

Congratulations to our winners from the live broadcast last night! Not only did we get to give away an Amulet Voice Remote Control, but one of our lucky listeners received our best movie picks of the year on Blu-ray!

Show Links

Movie Releases:

Golden Globe Picks

Damages goes all DirecTV

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HTPCentric #10: XBMC, Mac Minis and Other Scary Stuff!

info@thedigitalmediazone.com (Adam Thursby and Jere Jones) — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 22:06:52 +0000

We have a great show for you this month and that’s really all there is to say! While the notes here won’t be long, the show is chock full of great info. Not just for listeners out there but for Jere and I as well.

This month we’re joined by Attila Giber. Attila is an HTPCentric listener who felt that we sold XBMC short last month when we stated that it wasn’t HTPC software. After hearing his description of his setup and how he uses not only XBMC but other applications as well, I have to say I agree. We sold the software short and hopefully this month’s show makes up for it. Enjoy!

Click here to download this month’s show!

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HTPCentric 09: Jere Has Big Ones

info@thedigitalmediazone.com (Adam Thursby and Jere Jones) — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 16:31:41 +0000

Yep, you read that title right and lucky for you, you won’t have to listen to the whole show to know what we’re talking about.

HTPCentric is back for November and while we’re a bit late, we have a great show for you. This month we’re joined by Alton Marschall who recently made the switch from Windows 7 Media Center to SageTV 7. The newest version of SageTV has recently come out of beta and this month we go through all the reasons you may want to have a look. While we did talk SageTV last month, with the beta ending, this was the perfect time to make some comparisons between two of the most popular HTPC platforms.

Click here to download Episode 09!

Don’t forget, HTPCentric is 100% listener supported. If you like what we do, just head over to our site and subscribe to the show. We appreciate your support!

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HTPCentric 08: SageTV

info@thedigitalmediazone.com (Adam Thursby and Jere Jones) — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 16:30:45 +0000

Since starting HPTCentric around eight months ago, SageTV has undergone some big changes. A new version with an all new UI, a new hardware extender and a lot of excitement around an as of yet unused PlayReady license means it was time for us to talk Sage. And when you’re going to talk about something, you make sure you get the right guy.

Joining us this month is Brent Evans of Geektonic.com. Brent’s been a SageTV user for some time and he walks us through the pros and cons as well as the big changes that have happened with the company over the last year. Whether you’re a beginner, someone who’s considering SageTV as an HTPC solution or just want to decide if you should upgrade to the Version 7 beta, Brent has you covered.

Click here to download Episode 08!

Don’t forget, HTPCentric is 100% listener supported. If you like what we do, just head over to our site and subscribe to the show. We appreciate your support!

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HTPCentric 07: CableCard Breaks Out of Media Center

info@thedigitalmediazone.com (Adam Thursby and Jere Jones) — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 15:35:49 +0000

While the news broke not too long ago right here on The DMZ, we’re back this month to discuss CableCard moving beyond the Media Center scope and into the wild. So far, this is all taking place within the MythTV realm and as such we’ve brought together two folks who will be affected by the recent CableLabs spec changes. First up is Patrick Archibald. You may remember Patrick from Episode 03, dedicated completely to MythTV. Our second guest this month is Jeremy Hammer, Vice President of Systems Integration for Ceton Corporation, creators of the Ceton InfiniTV4. A four tuner CableCard solution.

The recent changes to the CableCard Spec. are what prompted this month’s show, and these guys take the time to run through how this changes the HTPC picture. Even though there haven’t been any SageTV announcements as of yet, we walk through those possibilities as well. We thank them both for joining us!

Click here to download Episode 07 of HTPCentric!

Also, if you’re looking to find back episodes of HTPCentric or support the show through donations or subscriptions, you can do so by heading to our brand new sub-domain here on The DMZ. Our show is 100% listener supported and we appreciate your support!

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HTPCentric 06: The Future of Content Acquisition

info@thedigitalmediazone.com (Adam Thursby and Jere Jones) — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 13:38:45 +0000

Do you stream, record or watch live? No matter how you consume your content, most of us can agree that the landscape is changing in regards to how content is pushed to our homes. Streaming is becoming more prevalent. More devices support it and as bandwidth penetration continues to grow, more people are turning to the internet for their TV. How long will it be until we’re all consuming TV through the internet and will that full transition ever happen?

That’s what Ben Drawbaugh and Andrew Van Til are here to discuss this month. These guys recently had an in depth Twitter discussion (if that’s even possible!) along these lines and we asked them to join us this month to flesh it out. A lot of great discussion awaits you!

Click Here to download Episode 06!

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HTPCentric Episode 05 SP1

info@thedigitalmediazone.com (Adam Thursby and Jere Jones) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 17:50:54 +0000

Just a quick note. Jere and I got a great email about our last show covering Windows Home Server and HTPCs. We just couldn’t bare to wait until August to talk about it. I’ll let you listen for all of the details but suffice to say, there seems to be enough interest that we’re going to have to do another WHS show soon. Hope you enjoy!

Click here to download Ep. 05 SP1

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HTPCentric #05: HTPCs and Windows Home Server

info@thedigitalmediazone.com (Adam Thursby and Jere Jones) — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 15:12:00 +0000

Want to back up the PCs in your home without thinking about it? Need something to server media to several HTPCs spread through your house? Windows Home Server may be just what you’re looking for.

This month, Jere and I speak with Vince Anido and Alton Marschall, both Windows Home Server users. Vince is a SageTV user who runs his WHS as a way to maintain backups. Alton is a Media Center user who recently shut down his WHS and he goes into the reasons why during the show. Both guys have a ton of experience working in the environment and they share the good and the bad.

No matter what HTPC software you use, backups are important and WHS does a lot more than that. Have a listen and enjoy!

Click here to download Episode 05!

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HTPCentric #04: The Hardware Show

info@thedigitalmediazone.com (Adam Thursby and Jere Jones) — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 11:59:19 +0000

While we’re a bit late for June, you get a major geek out in return! This month, Jere and I are joined by Andy Van Til of DVRMS-Toolbox fame as well as Josh Shenkle, the Minnesota Maven to discuss all things hardware. From video card chipsets, to processors and storage, we’ve got you covered. If you’ve been wondering what to look for when selecting an HTPC video card, this is the show you want to listen to.

With topics like deinterlacing, HD playback, I/O speed and caching, you’re sure to find something that will pique your interest this month.

Click here to download Episode 04!

Do you have a topic you’d like us to cover? Just email us and let us know. We’re always up for covering anything HTPC related and if we haven’t thought of it, maybe you have!

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HTPCentric 03: MythTV

info@thedigitalmediazone.com (Adam Thursby and Jere Jones) — Tue, 04 May 2010 11:05:37 +0000

Jere Jones and I are back this month and it’s all about MythTV! When you don’t know very much about a topic you go out and you find some folks who have the knowledge you seek and that’s exactly what we did this month.

Jere and I are joined by Patrick Archibald and “Guru”, two MythTV users who help us understand how this HTPC software works and what the key features and benefits are. Suffice to say it was an interesting and enjoyable show. I always enjoy learning about different systems and once we were done I was quite impressed with the way MythTV does things. It’s a different concept but one that makes a lot of sense.

Thanks to Patrick and “Guru” for joining us. If you have questions for them you can use the links above and be sure to follow both of them on twitter!

Click here to download Episode 03!

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HTPCentric 02: Media Storage and Management

info@thedigitalmediazone.com (Adam Thursby and Jere Jones) — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 13:25:56 +0000

We’re back for April and spring is in full swing. Jere Jones and I are back this month with all the ins and outs of storing and cataloging your media. Just like most things, there are different strokes for different folks and Jere and I are joined by two guys who store a ton of media and who have different ways of doing it.

Jose Ortiz is a Media Center and Windows Home Server user who maintains a really good back-up system for his media. He’s taken a lot of time to get things the way he wants them and doesn’t want to see anything happen.

Stanley Kim is a SageTV man who’s used not only SageTV but Media Center as well and as such, has a lot of experience when it comes to storing content.

Not only do cover the means and methods for storing content but we even take time to jump over and discuss the future of media storage and streaming and how things might change in the future.

We hope you enjoy HTPCentric. If there’s a specific topic you’d like us to cover or if you’d like to join us on a future show just hit the contact page here on the DMZ and let us know!

Click here to download HTPCentric 02!

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HTPCentric Episode 01: The Return

info@thedigitalmediazone.com (Adam Thursby and Jere Jones) — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 12:55:43 +0000

It’s time for a new show here at The DMZ! While Entertainment 2.0 covers the Media Center community, there are a lot of other options out there when it comes to HTPC software. Add in hardware, storage and customization, and we decided it was time to provide the rest of the Home Theater PC users out there a show they can enjoy! As such, we’ll be covering Media Center, SageTV, MythTV and other HTPC software. As well, we’ll do our best to get you the info you need to make hardware decisions.

At this time, HTPCentric will be a monthly show. It’s taken a little longer than expected to get this first episode out to you but hopefully they’ll start to be closer to the beginning of the month. Each month, Jere Jones and Adam Thursby will get together with other HTPC users, enthusiasts and experts to help you wade through the myriad topics that are involved with using all of the different options available. While we’ll try and focus on a specific topic during each show, there will always be good info so be sure and subscribe to the feed to get the latest episode as soon as possible.

As with any first episode, stick with us. It’ll only get better. Though audio issues creep up from time to time, we’ll do our best to provide you the best show possible every month.

The best means always getting good topics and good people to join our roundtables. If you’re an HTPC user and have something to say, let us know! You can use the contact page here on The DMZ or email us if you’re interested in joining the show at some point.

Click here to download Episode 01!

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