Apple must have been following the AppleTV blogs out there, as countless AppleTV owners upgraded their AppleTV to 160GB. In response to this and to make some extra bucks, Apple is offering a 160GB AppleTV for $399 USD. The extra $100 quadruples your hard drive capacity. These models are now shipping in 1-2 Days. So do you save the $100, do-it-yourself, void your warranty and still have to shell out $ for a 160GB 2.5in drive or do you save the hassle. This model is now showing shipping times of 1-2 days. Way to get on the horse Apple!

Combo'd with this announcement is that YouTube videos will be available on AppleTV sometime Mid-June. I would expect this to be release just after the WWDC. This is strikingly similar to the 'Series of Tubes' video that appeared on YouTube earlier this month. Perhaps Apple purchased the concept like they did with CoverFlow.

Version 7.2 is out and available through your system update and as a download from the Apple iTunes Website as well. The big addition to this update is iTunes Plus.

With iTunes 7.2, preview and purchase iTunes Plus music—new higher-quality, DRM-free music downloads from participating music labels. These are similar to the EMI DRM-Free music previously available at $1.29.

Other then these tracks there is no DRM-Free music in iTunes, and can expect the full launch to take place later. Sources point to Wednesday as the day.

Digging a little deeper the help menu provides a little more information about upgrading your previously purchased tracks. This is great for those people that spent bank on there iTunes music and swapped to another player later on.

The iTunes Store also offers songs without DRM protection, from participating record labels. These DRM-free songs, called “iTunes Plus,” have no usage restrictions and feature higher-quality encoding.

The first time you buy an iTunes Plus song, you specify whether to make all future purchases iTunes Plus versions (when available). You can change this setting by accessing your account information on the iTunes Store.

If you already have iTunes Store purchases that are now available as iTunes Plus downloads, you may upgrade your existing purchases. To do so, visit the iTunes Store and follow the onscreen instructions.

The CenterStage Project guys promised an update. And did they ever make good on their word. The Demo of Centerstage is now online. The graphics are stunning, interface breathtaking and it takes the MediaCenter application to the next level. It was a jaw-dropping WOW.

I was a fan of CenterStage back when they were duking it out with iTheater for the best MacHTPC experience. (Read: When people didn't understand what an Alpha release was.) I loved the community effort and the goal of having an intuitive media app. But with FrontRow released, I moved on and have been living in FrontRow bliss. I have demo'd iTheater, MediaCentral, and the current CenterStage release, but nothing blew me away.

After reviewing the demo online, reviewing the photos, and documentation, I am preparing to switch over to CenterStage when the new beta version is ready. The features go beyond any other media application. It is obvious they have put a lot of effort into the user interface and making everything fit like a glove.

Enter the demo of CenterStage. Now its important to note that the demo, only shows what they are projecting the final product to look like. The beta version of the app should have the majority of these features incorporated.

So here we go... with pictures.

Main Menu
The main menu is a side scroller or beautiful icons for each area. You can quickly navigate to the proper section and get to watching your movie. But the main screen also features several items no other media application has. Along the bottom, you can quickly see the weather, your mail inbox and news reader. It also highlights the last item you were playing, weather it was a movie, or a random CD. the images are easily identifyable and having a seperate section for TV shows is brilliant.

Music
Most of us will be using this module frequent. FrontRow does a great job of using iTunes to sort through music. CenterStage looks like it will go beyond that. You will be able to browse your music by Artist, Albums, Song, Playlist, Genre, Music Video, Podcast, Audio Books. They have also included a radio station and compact disc menu items. I'm glad they didn't over look the radio stations, like FrontRow does. Also included is an iTunes like visualizer. Nicely done!

They have also come up with several ways of browsing your music. They have a side scroller, list view and cd cover matrix. With the ability to ad FanArt the screen takes on the look and feel of the music. This theme is also used on other sections.

Screen Shots:

Movies

Within the movies section you also get your variety of navigation options. The Alpha scroller jumps through DVD Artwork, and a information menu provides more details about the flick. Browsing my Actors or Directors (all gathered from IMDB) makes searching for a specific movie a breeze. A DVD Menu also allows you to check out your latest netflix.

TV Shows
The demo did not include the TV Shows section, however from the high resolution images they provide it appears it will be handled very similar to the movies section, with browsing by show, and fan art views.

Photos
With the exception of MediaCentral, media apps out there have neglected the photo section. CenterStage does an excellent job of handling the photos. Browse by album, library, or last import. I would be nice to see the folders, as a lot of people use them. Once again the sidescroller lets you jump through pictures and enter a full screen slideshow mode. Everything fits nicely. You may also enter a informational screen showing the details about the photo.

The CenterStage Project has something new for us all tonight. After 6PM (UK) tonight they will have 'a lot to look at, download and cast your eyes over.' So get your refresh button polished, and trigger finger ready.

So what are they going to give us tonight?

Perhaps as a subtle hint ala apple's 'Its Show Time' event from last year. The CenterStage logo appears on a red curtain. What could it mean?

It most likely won't be the anticipated 0.6.2, which they are still hacking away at. But they are calling this part 1 of that release. The release of 0.6.2 has been delayed due to extensive user testing and stability testing of the application.

Bravo to CenterStage for taking QA seriously. I wish most apps were released this way, rather then prematurely with bug. Here's the teaser the left in the blog.

Joost has released a 'friendlier' version in 0.10.3. This latest release has many bug fixes and promised to improve your Joost Experience. Personally I've never had a bad Joost Experience, so with them wanting to improve it, I can't wait to see what they have rolled up their sleeves.

The release specifically is a bug-fixing release, and a modification to their advertising. The ads appear between segments, and little box ads in the corners. I think its executed nicely. They are not loud and in your face and don't interrupt your user experience. Joost also has a blog widget, which allows you to blog videos or channels. The links will lead you to cross-referenced pages for each program.

For the developers out there check out the new API for widgets. It would be great to get some FrontRow launcher in there or something.

Joost is available for download from their website.

AwkwardTV is reporting a new AppleTV Plug-In in development, entitled "A Series of Tubes". This plug in allows you to surf YourTube's Featured, Most Viewed, and Discussed videos.

Check out the video demo of the plug in below:


This is very exciting for AppleTV owners. Once the plug in is release it will be available through AckwardTV's Plug in Directory.

Equinux is announcing 'The Tube' v. 1.1. With this release they are introducing several new features including time-shifting, deja vu, and an AppleTV export. The Tube is of course the new PVR software that has replaced EyeTV on newer Miglia devices.

Timeshifting isn't new for most of us. Its the same technique used by Tivo's and DVR's that allow you to pause live TV and pick it back up again. I love the fact that the Tube now allows for this, as EyeTV does a poor job of it (unless your are recording the show at the same time). The length of time you can shift is dependent on how long you've had the channel live and the size of your hard drive. So size does matter!

Déjà Vu, is quite brilliant. With the extended time-shifting capabilities, The Tube will record the entire show, even if your a few minutes late. Simply rewinding the show to the beginning by time shifting, you now get the entire program, rather then just 'most of it'.

Lastly The Tube has extended its export feature to include AppleTV, iPod Videos and iMovie. Yeah!

Joost, everyones Internet TV Channel provider has been making a lot of progress lately. If your out of the loop Joost (pronouced juice-t) is an application that allows you to watch tv on the internet. They have popular channels such as National Geographic, MTV, VH1 and Comedy Central. Future channels include TBS, Sony, NHL, SI and potentially CBS. Each program streams to your computer so there is no scheduling issues.

Up until recently Joost, was restricted to Beta testers. EntertainMac started beta testing last month and we have thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Their high quality streams are just what the Mac HTPC needs.

If your interested in Joost, here's the link so you may become a beta tester. Besure to sign up for their newsletters so you'll know when new channels and programs are added!