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New Alienware Media Center
Cyno01 writes "Alienware recently introduced a new product that seems to fill the gap between PVRs and PCs. The Navigator Media Center. It runs a new version of XP (Media Center Edition) and displays pictures, movies and plays DVDs. If I had the cash for it i would definitly ditch my 160Gb HD and Radeon AIW card."
Wouldn't it be cheaper to just build one of those?
Like, a lot cheaper
He painted a unicorn in outer space. I'm askin' ya, what's it breathin'?
Pity that they picked one of those ass-ugly Shuttle cases instead of a supersexy Soldam model.
// I will show you fear in a handful of jellybeans.
Is Microsoft making available Windows Media Center for the general public to build their own "Media Centers" or is this something that can only be purchased in these complete prebuilt systems?
Shit, I wish my computer could do all that!
I think I just might ditch Linux and my self-built box in exchange for an over-priced pre-fab system with WindowsXP so that I too can enjoy the thrill of displaying pictures, movies and DVDs.
Will the innovation never cease at Redmond?
Wow.....i'm really shocked at the prices on these things. "PRO" is 3--$ more for a .13 ghz increase...i mean REALLY here.....*sigh*
(alienware makes some nice stuff...but so overpriced!)
When in doubt, parenthesize. At the very least it will let some poor schmuck bounce on the % key in vi. (Larry Wall)
This is jsut another micro-atx computer. Although alienware is sweet it was just a matter of time before they made one. As is standard with Alienware not many will buy it but everyone will want it.
unzip; strip; touch; finger; mount; fsck; more; yes; unmount; sleep
Do they really need a Geforce 4 to output DVDs? Is Alienware/ Microsoft aiming these products at the mobile gamers that want more horsepower then a laptop can provide. I think my Celeron 500 with 120GB hard drive does just fine for playing DVDs and the occasional TV capture with my old ATI AIW 128 card.
These types of devices will never make it into my home entertainment system until they at east fit in my AV cabinet with my other components. 17 inches people. It's not that hard.
The key with a media PC is that it needs to be wireless and it also needs to be silent, the living room just isn't any place for a whirring, hissing PC.
and it doesn't run that crappy XP.
Ok, I don't have the nifty remote, but I'm sure you can get one after market. Or get the All In Wonder 7500, like Tom did, and get a remote.
There are instructions for this @ Toms Hardware.
More flexibility on the configuration, etc, and you don't have to support any vendor (like Microsoft or Intel) that you don't want to.
I scanned the component list, and nothing impressed me. But then my eyes fell on the free carnival quality t-shirt that is bundled with it, and I was hooked.
Xbox can do most of those features with little modifications and opensource applications:
Control Live Television - can do with xbox
Enjoy DVDs - can do with xbox
Listen digital music - can do with xbox
Burn music, photos and videos - not yet possible, but might be possible in future
View your favorite photos - can do with xbox
Edit digital videos - can do with xbox
Incredible gaming performance - xbox games aren't that bad..
Cost :
Xbox+modifications = $400
Navigator Mediacenter = $1699
Which one would you choose?
So far, the Media Edition version of the OS is OEM only and it will stay like that for the foreseeable future. Having used it, I can say it is extremely functional and does what it says.
So, no, you could not really build one like the Alienware PC that easily, and you most likely think you have a "media" pc. Microsoft bashing aside, if this is their v1 effort, I cannot wait to see what they will make of it in a couple of years.
Mother is the best bet and don't let Satan draw you too fast.
I want to not only be able to freely shift in time, but also be able to shift content in space between machines on my LAN. One has to wonder if this Windows XP box puts restrictions on moving content off the machine to other networked computers. TiVo certainly does, and because of the draconian lockdown these folks implemented in their series 2 version of this product (with all that cryptographic signing of the kernel nonsense, checksums for the filesystem and propietary boot firmware) I decided to return my Tivo (within the first 30 days) and brave the wild world of open source PVR products.
...
Short story is that a few weeks later I successfully managed to get MythTV working (tonight in fact). Sure, it took me a while longer, but I learned a heck of a lot in the process, and it didn't cost me much more at all.
Series 2 + lifetime subscription to programming guide:
$550
The non-refundable cost of shipping/return shipping:
$30
My new Pentium IV with Asus P4PE motheroboard (supports hyperthreading CPU, with onboard firewire, usb 2.0, serial ata, RAID, Gigabit LAN and intel8x0 5.1 surround sound -- all linux compatible) and ATI TV-Wonder (stereo version, not VE mono) for video-in and NVidia Ti4200 LeadTek for video-out (which sports Conexant Tv-out chip that is HDTV compatible unlike Philips Tv-out chip and also produces better picture quality with richer feature set)
$700
The satisfaction of doing it yourself
Priceless
So for all others out there like myself, remember there's www.mythtv.org
ZDNet realeased an article titled Windows XP Media Center: Who needs it? Not me back when the first of the XP Media Center devices/PCs turned up: the HP Media Center PC.
The title of the article sums it all up nicely in my book.
Russ
Information doesn't want to be anthropomorphized anymore.
Ok, I just looked at this box and laughed. It's the Shuttle SB51g with some stuff shoved in it, totaling (if my Pricewatching is correct) just over 800 dollars. Now, perhaps the new Media Center OS is cool -- but to the tune of 1000 more??? I can't find a reason to buy this because we at Slashdot (yes, a generalisation, deal with it) can build our own boxen. And we can run Mandrake 9.0 with KDE 3 and be very happy. *Sigh* Perhaps it's the alienware t-shirt?
This is my digital signature. 10011011001
Already own one of these, but I did it my way.
Used a 4u rackmount case and slid it right into my home entertainment center/stereo rack. Used an 8500 AIW card, soundblaster LIVE, integrated LAN, duron processor, and enough memory to make it work.
Fleshed it out with a wireless keyboard/mouse, some front port adapters, and a front-mounted LCD that displays song title/etc.
Plays audio streams, CDs, DVDs, MP3s, TV-out... runs them right into the receiver unit for the home stereo. Best of all, it looks like it belongs right in the stereo rack with all the other components.
I honestly don't know where I'd put one of those Shuttle cubes, but it certainly wouldn't fit in a rack. The alienware/shuttle cube looks pretty hip, but where's the joy of tinkering? the satisfaction of building it yourself?
Even if a man chops off your hand with a sword, you still have two nice, sharp bones to stick in his eyes.
http://freevo.sourceforge.net/
Current Features
* Watching TV, with TV Guide (using XMLTV).
* Playing Movies (AVI, MPEG, etc) and DVDs.
* Playing Music (MP3, Ogg).
* Viewing Pictures.
* Skins are configurable using XML files.
* Movie and Music file info using XML files.
* Preliminary Mame support.
Price == the cost of hardware.
Why exactly would I pay through the nose, ass and other body cavities for the alienware box?
Wow, it's a...brick...cinderblock maybe?
Oh, it has the Alienware name on it? We should pay more for that, right?
You know, I owned a overpriced cube-like computer that played DVDs too, the PowerMac Cube...it looked better and didn't have that $hitty XP on it either.
This is not a new concept people, MicroATX faactor motherboards are fairly common, and frankly, I could build the same machine for about half the price...Damn, for the extra 500 bucks it costs for them to market their name, I'll DRAW an alien head on the front of your's for you.
I have an old 500Mhz Celeron box, running Slackware, and Mythtv. I can watch DivX movies, look at my pictures, rip CDs, record TV, listen to mp3s and lots more.. and it didn't cost me a cent (a local business was throwing out their old boxen). Sure, the 500Mhz box is a little low for dvd, but most of my videos are video CD anyway (they are incredibly cheap here in asia).
(my emphasis) Navigator lets you watch DVDs from anywhere in the room, whether you're at your desk or on your living room couch.
What? I can stand over here and watch it..? What about over here? I can't possibly watch it from over HERE can I?!
well, it doesnt play DVDs, but I can record DVDs to the replay's hdd, and then copy to our own computers (just MPG files)
Ah, my NetFlix account is going to be handy!
"I would say that 99 per cent of what my father has written about his own life is false." - L. Ron Hubbard Jr.
I don't think, at this price it's anything other than a desktop PC with a remote control. I have a PC (running Linux) that does pretty much the same except for PVR (that it will soon anyway), but I don't pretend that it's a new kind of device, it's a PC that happens to be used to watch movies and TV, and this is why it has (in my case) a projection screen instead of a regular monitor, but that's it.
Contrary to the popular belief, there indeed is no God.
Wow! It displays pictures! Not only that, but it plays DVD's and movies! I bet it even makes sounds!
Gee Wizz! It does all that, which of course I can do on my two year old system, and it runs a new version of Windows that gives Bil Gates the right to disable whatever software he wants (even though you may have paid good money for it). And not only was Cyno01 willing to say "If I had the cash for it i would definitly ditch my 160Gb HD and Radeon AIW card." but /. thought this remark was worthy of front page attention!
I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
Updated Price: $7900.00 Who wants the Navi? If only to call themselves Lain? buhahaha
Navi is easy to upgrade, it had no DRM, and handheld version had self-hosted development environment.
Contrary to the popular belief, there indeed is no God.
freevo is a very nice Linux equivalent. I tried it for the first time last night, and it's just gorgeous.
I'd like to put a 'multimedia' centre in the living room, maybe using a nice small micro atx board and case.
Problem will be crowbaring a wireless ethernet card (I'd like it to be the wireless gateway too), and a tv out video card as well...
psxndc
The emacs religion: to be saved, control excess.
XP (Media Center Edition) = XP (Now With Extra DRM!)
but has Alienware considered the fact that all those copyprotected CD's won't play in the CD-drive? What about DVD's? Do they all work as well? does the XP-Media center edition give Bill the right to make a list of all your songs and movies? I don't think I want him to know that I have the full collection of the Morgan sex project and African sex safari.
Taking a look at this system, I'm struck by how much they don't tell you. For example, where does the "Guide" get it's data? How much will I pay for that?
Also, unless you go with the "Pro" version you still have the problem that when the HD is full, you then have to choose between deleting a program or not recording another. And the Pro version is as much more than the regular version as the DVD drive would cost you retail. Hmmm...
Finally, you are looking at a solution where the upgradability is studiously not addressed. Can I add another HD and use it? Or will the DRM controls only recognize specifically configured disks?
Basically I just don't see this as a solution.
I personally think building is the way to go, but for the general public, I think a Linux based solution would be ideal. Cheap for the company, and with freevo and an lirc configuration, you can play pretty much anything you want (quicktime,realmedia,avis, even those damn vivos) and have them treated pretty much as equals. Never really have seen XP media center edition, but I'd bet it is WMP-centric and as such can't play Quicktime, RealMedia, or Vivo (shudder). Probably also refuses to play DivX and friends without going through hoops. Even if QuickTime Player and RealPlayer can be downloaded, the remote control would be less than ideal way to interface with the players...
XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
dude, IT HAS WINDOWS MEDIA CENTER EDITION!
that is the only reason to buy it instead of buying your own ss-51g (or gbox or..).
because you can't have it seperately...
i'm seriously having doubts about (all)games working straight on it(sure, they _should_, it's just another xp, but that was the case with xp itself too). this, and the probable 'easy' configuration system limiting what you're able to do lesser it's value.. (especially as lanbox).
720*480 from gf2gts looked ok. anyone know any tv-out tweak tools for radeons?
also, outputting movies through mpeg2 decoder cards looks great, though outputting divx through hollywood+ (that costs ~20-30$ now) eats huge amounts of cpu(95% on 1140mhz duron-morgan, the program used is HHPlus, hungarian hollywood+, and seems to be dropped out of dev, i highly recommend using codec such as ffdshow, or some extra codec to scale the picture, hhplus doesnt know how to do it properly), this is, the_best_tv-out from pc that i have seen. though, several limitations, like, you need to have another display to start the thing.. i'm yet to test mplayers hollywood+ output(on linux, my linux machines are not powerful enough to decode divx), but i'm told it's ok. i'd imagine building a headless linux box that could be operated through zaurus or similar wouldnt be that hard, and it would kiiiiiiiick ass. i only have combined bedroom, movie room, and computer room so i haven't had too much intrest to anything except highquality output to my lowquality shitprojector.
world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
"Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus Rex."
I asked this question in the form of an article, but as with all articles I've submitted, the nameless editor rejected it without even giving a reason. So I've waited for it to become on topic for some time now.
This box that the article links to costs a whopping $1700! For that price you could get a TIVO and lifetime subscription and have money left over to get your mom a TIVO with a lifetime subscription for Christmas (or for un-Christmas if you're a Jehovah's witness).
Now, it seems to me you could build something with no DRM built into it for cheap. Does anyone who has experience with this want to tell me how to go about it? I really want to just build it into my existing computer, since I have my PC in the living room already.
1). Is there a video capture card that's up to snuff?
2). Assuming I buy a big-ass SCSI for TV to live in, could I record TV and do stuff (other than quake or NWN, I guess) at the same time? Or should I just not kid myself and build a new system? In this case, can I cheap out on the system, or do I need a high performance one like the one I've got already?
3). Do the free internet services offer the same sort of stuff as TIVO. Anyone have experience with both?
4). Should I just upgrade to digital cable and get the free DVR that comes with that now (here in Austin with Time Warner)
Anyway, there are so many factors to consider I'd really like some feedback on this from those of you who have experience in the matter.
WWJD? JWRTFA!
Anyone notice how the remote looks vaguely similar to the Philips TiVo remotes (at least the HDR112/212/etc series)? Peanut shape, numberpad at the bottom, logo button, etc?
How about this:
:-)
Cooling system: None on the media center PC? Oh come on, it at least has a fan and decent heatsink. If they're going to give us stats, then I want to see stats of a system built for the same price (and not by monkeys).
Also, seems that their "page not found" error is slashdotted or something, it shows me the server JScript. Maybe they're running it on one of these navigators
This device would serve one purpose and one only: PVR. No one willing to shell out 1700 bucks for a media computer is going to settle for non-progressive scan DVD, for the first thing.
Secondly, mp3, photos, etc., are what my computer is for. I already have that capability.
Games? If you have a big screen TV, I guess. I also second the post about the shape and size of this thing; why make it so radically different than every other AV component I have? The old desktop shape is more the proper shape than a cube.
I still don't understand why I can't just shell out $350 for a device that does nothing but record TV. I want a digital VCR, that's all.
If your bitterest enemies are people who hack the heads off civilians, then I would say you're doing something right.
I have no idea why the poster would want to 'return my Radeon AIW card'. What the linked page doesn't mention, and what people need to consider, is the capacity for ANY PVR/PC card to have hardware mpeg decoding and encoding. I believe the ATI All in Wonder 9700 Pro has SOME hardware support, accounting for 10-20% performance "boost" (i.e. less resources used), but I don't believe there are any other cards on the market with this feature. Hauupauge is scheduled to roll one out in the future (the PVR-350 I think?). Also, another feature that the ATI card has that this doesn't is support for a second tuner, letting you watch one show while recording another, or pic-in-pic. And all the great software bundled with their AIW. So why exactly is the Media Center betteR?
An old one but still relevant:
http://www.theonion.com/onion3308/realtimetv.ht