http://www.htpc-reviews.com HTPC, Media Center, Media PC reviews. Home Theater, htpc build, motherboards, keyboards, TV, cases, remote controls reviews Sat, 19 May 2012 22:27:23 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 http://www.htpc-reviews.com/xbmcbuntu-boblight-ps3-remote http://www.htpc-reviews.com/xbmcbuntu-boblight-ps3-remote#comments Sat, 19 May 2012 22:27:23 +0000 HTPC Reviews http://www.htpc-reviews.com/?p=13939 This HTPC is an ASUS-E35M1-I Deluxe motherboard with 2 GB of RAM and a OCZ Agility III SATA3. For the operating system I opted for XBMCbuntu. The Ambilight system is managed and configured with Boblight and works via a Arduino card programmed with the ADALight sketch for 32 LEDs on a 40″ TV. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCyukUar-_g by eggermn You might also like: XBMC: Home Theater System Selfmade HTPC Unboxing the ASUS E35M1-I Deluxe Asus’ AMD A75-Powered F1A75-I Deluxe Mini-ITX Motherboard]]> http://www.htpc-reviews.com/xbmcbuntu-boblight-ps3-remote/feed 0 http://www.htpc-reviews.com/via-presents-the-fanless-amos-3002 http://www.htpc-reviews.com/via-presents-the-fanless-amos-3002#comments Fri, 18 May 2012 09:50:01 +0000 HTPC Reviews http://www.htpc-reviews.com/?p=13930 On the ultra compact PC market , VIA introduces something new, the VIA AMOS-3002. This  Pico ITX chassis architecture’s around an EPIA-P900 and offers a completely fanless cooling. The AMOS-3002 is presented as a compendium of technology that meets the needs of an embedded multimedia platform (vehicle, telematics…). A dual-core Eden processor running at 1 GHz is now accompanied by a VX900H graphical solution offering hardware acceleration in the management of video formats MPEG-2, H.264 and WM9 at resolutions up to 1080P. The case  dimensions of 197 mm x 104 mm x 49 mm is around an EPIA-P900-ITX. It offers a fanless cooling, that is to say without using a fan and some degree of robustness with guaranteed operation from -20 to + 60 ° C [...]]]> http://www.htpc-reviews.com/via-presents-the-fanless-amos-3002/feed 0 http://www.htpc-reviews.com/launch-of-gt-610-620-and-630-just-renaming http://www.htpc-reviews.com/launch-of-gt-610-620-and-630-just-renaming#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 17:59:09 +0000 HTPC Reviews http://www.htpc-reviews.com/?p=13914 Inevitably you have understood from the title of this article that Nvidia is formalizing its GT 610, GT 620 and GT 630 entry-level cards and the waltz continues as the renaming of these three references have nothing do with Kepler, nor even remotely as we are entitled to the Fermi once again… To make it simple, because in the end there’s no need to detail this new range, the GT 610 is a renamed GT 520 (thus with a GPU GF119) while the GT 620 and GT 630 are the well known GT 430 and GT 440 (with GF108 GPU). The GT 620 is paid for the luxury of being a “sub GT 430″ because the GT 430 is officially [...]]]> http://www.htpc-reviews.com/launch-of-gt-610-620-and-630-just-renaming/feed 0 http://www.htpc-reviews.com/htpc-media-server-build-windows-7-mce http://www.htpc-reviews.com/htpc-media-server-build-windows-7-mce#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 16:57:19 +0000 HTPC Reviews http://www.htpc-reviews.com/?p=13906 I dicided to build a rackmount server in my loft as a ‘home entertainment system’. I wanted to have all my media in one place whilst also being able to watch and record live tv. The advantage of this setup is that with loads of satellite and freeview feeds I can record whatever I want with no ‘tune conflict’ issues and can watch live tv, setup recordings, listen to music, watch tv series and watch movies where I want. I also wanted to build something that would pay for itself by not needing to have Sky TV with multiroom etc. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=048422YD0io Showing the front end of a Windows 7 Media Centre based server which im building in my loft. This is where all [...]]]> http://www.htpc-reviews.com/htpc-media-server-build-windows-7-mce/feed 0 http://www.htpc-reviews.com/xtreamer-sidewinder-3-review http://www.htpc-reviews.com/xtreamer-sidewinder-3-review#comments Wed, 16 May 2012 17:38:18 +0000 HTPC Reviews http://www.htpc-reviews.com/?p=13902 The SideWinder 3 is one of the manufacturer’s first Blu-ray 3D-compatible media centres. But this is not its only selling point: it also activate Android 2.3 (as an option) and manages the video via its integrated jukebox. An ultra-complete, but is it so prodigious? It’s all about perspective… The SideWinder is made of thick metal and quality plastic. There’s no display on the facade, but there is a hard drive rack. The rack is easy remove, although you need 4 screws to attach a hard drive. There’s no fan, which virtually guarantees low noise levels. The remote control is the same that comes with a number of other Xtreamer media centres (SideWinder 2, iXtreamer, etc.). And we found all the same [...]]]> http://www.htpc-reviews.com/xtreamer-sidewinder-3-review/feed 0 http://www.htpc-reviews.com/cooler-master-geminii-m4-compact-top-flow-cpu-cooler http://www.htpc-reviews.com/cooler-master-geminii-m4-compact-top-flow-cpu-cooler#comments Wed, 16 May 2012 12:54:54 +0000 HTPC Reviews http://www.htpc-reviews.com/?p=13893 Cooler Master announced the arrival of GeminII M4. This Top Flow CPU cooler is designed for small form factor configurations. The M4 is a GeminII Top Flow CPU cooler especially designed for a mini-ITX platform and Micro ATX. At a height of 59 mm, it has dimensions of 137 x 122 mm and weighs 210 grams. Cooler Master opted for four 6mm heat pipes in direct contact with the processor. C-shaped, they remove the heat to a set of aluminum fin which is cooled by a 120mm PWM fan flat positioned. Its speed varies between 500 and 1600 rpm for noise between 8 and 30 dBA. Two-year warranty, the GeminII M4 is for Intel Socket LGA 1366/1156/1155/775 and AMD FM1 [...]]]> http://www.htpc-reviews.com/cooler-master-geminii-m4-compact-top-flow-cpu-cooler/feed 0 http://www.htpc-reviews.com/hercules-xps-three-new-multimedia-speaker-kits http://www.htpc-reviews.com/hercules-xps-three-new-multimedia-speaker-kits#comments Wed, 16 May 2012 11:34:37 +0000 HTPC Reviews http://www.htpc-reviews.com/?p=13887 Hercules, specialized in computer peripherals including audio, has announced the release of three new speaker systems designed to accompany an HTPC. Design, audio quality, bass booster or DJ sound are all highlights of these three kits in the Hercules XPS series. The Hercules XPS 41 speaker kit consists of two satellite speakers and a subwoofer. It offers a slick design, smart and sober at the same time. The speakers are well-rounded and painted on the top and rubber in the foot. According to Hercules, the XPS 41 speaker kit offers an efficient and balanced sound. The transducers satellite speakers cover a wide spectrum audio supplied by the subwoofer. The set delivers a power of 41 Watts (2 x 8, 5W [...]]]> http://www.htpc-reviews.com/hercules-xps-three-new-multimedia-speaker-kits/feed 0 http://www.htpc-reviews.com/hitachi-cinemastar-2-5-inch-hard-disks-more-thin-and-efficient-for-multimedia-devices http://www.htpc-reviews.com/hitachi-cinemastar-2-5-inch-hard-disks-more-thin-and-efficient-for-multimedia-devices#comments Wed, 16 May 2012 09:14:26 +0000 HTPC Reviews http://www.htpc-reviews.com/?p=13876 One of the priorities of the industry right now is energy efficiency in all products, and hard drives are no exception. HGST (Hitachi Global Storage Technologies), now part of Western Digital, well aware of your business has just launched a new line of 2.5-inch hard drives whose main novelty is a fairly significant cut in electricity consumption, along with a new slim format and capacity to suit all tastes. Hitachi introduces its new line of CinemaStar 2.5-inch hard drives for small form factor media PC and AV devices. The new family includes the 7mm z-height Z7K500 and Z5K500, and the budget-friendly C5K1000. All these CinemaStar hard drives feature the SmoothStream technology for efficient performance. The CinemaStar Z7K500 is the industry’s [...]]]> http://www.htpc-reviews.com/hitachi-cinemastar-2-5-inch-hard-disks-more-thin-and-efficient-for-multimedia-devices/feed 0 http://www.htpc-reviews.com/his-prepares-a-fanless-version-of-the-hd-7750 http://www.htpc-reviews.com/his-prepares-a-fanless-version-of-the-hd-7750#comments Tue, 15 May 2012 22:05:27 +0000 HTPC Reviews http://www.htpc-reviews.com/?p=13869 Just like last month with the PowerColor GoGreen! version or with the oldest Sapphire Ultimate, this is a fanless version of the HD 7750 that is being prepared by HIS. The new AMD cards don’t heat a lot and, for example, the testing of the Ultimate showed that it is possible to do a fanless  card model for the happiness of our ears here with the iSilence5 proposed by HIS. A card which has common characteristics, namely 512SP, together with 1 GB GDDR5 on a 128bit bus with frequencies of 800MHz for the GPU and 4500MHz for the GDDR5. As shown in the picture revealed by our colleagues from Overclockers Ukraine, only three video outputs are present: DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort. For [...]]]> http://www.htpc-reviews.com/his-prepares-a-fanless-version-of-the-hd-7750/feed 0 http://www.htpc-reviews.com/intel-330-series-60-gb-the-ssd-of-the-moment http://www.htpc-reviews.com/intel-330-series-60-gb-the-ssd-of-the-moment#comments Tue, 15 May 2012 11:00:40 +0000 HTPC Reviews http://www.htpc-reviews.com/?p=13856 The first quarter of 2012 was an opportunity for Intel to renew several of its SSD series with the recent launch of the 330 Series. The 330 Series are designed to provide high throughput and aggressive pricing. Addressed to the general public, this range has three versions with capacities of 60, 120 and 180 GB. Intel uses MLC NAND Flash 25 nm memory and an SF-2281 controller that supports SATA 6 Gb/s. For a 60 GB SSD, of limited number of chips, the performance is quite good, even excellent on reading. With SandForce controller and synchronous chips, the 330 Series is showing off its best. By cons, when it comes to writing and specifically incompressible data, performance is actually worse than [...]]]> http://www.htpc-reviews.com/intel-330-series-60-gb-the-ssd-of-the-moment/feed 0