Ultimate Mac HTPC Guide :: EntertainMac

Accessing DVDpedia's via FrontRow!

2008-07-16T08:21:00.001-07:00

DVDPedia now has a FrontRow Plug-In that allows you to take full advantage of your movie collection stored in the cataloging application. You can browse your collection by Title, Director, Actor, Year, Genre, Country, and even get a list of recently added movies.

DVDPedia is a Library tool for your Mac HTPC. It catalogs your DVD and VHS (yikes) collection, and utilizes Amazon, IMDb and other sites to gather movie information such as Actors, Genre, Directors, Art Work , Ratting, etc. If your movies are linked (video_ts, file, etc), FrontRow can also launch these flicks for you to watch. One of the nicest parts is the information is displayed the same way as Movies stored in iTunes, making a seamless addition to FrontRow.

The DVDpedia PlugIn does duplicate the function of iTunes Movies without the rental abilities. However, iTunes won't provide you with all the fantastic meta data, without spending a good amount of time organizing it and manually adding it yourself. Using DVDpedia would also prevent futher bloating of your iTunes Library. We could almost say take it a step further and replace your remove the Movies plug-in, since your really won't be needing it!

The only negatives that we can see is the movie description is way to long for the space provided in FrontRow. Take 'Gladiator' for example, the long description, present information about Ridley Scott and the movie itself, while the plot summary is hidden. A short and long summary would be nice. If found IMDB's Plot summary to generally be the perfect length for information such as this.

The DVDpedia FrontRow Plug-On (1.1) is a free download, and DVDpedia has a 25 movie free demo. The full version is $18.

AppleTV 2.1 Update

2008-07-10T11:30:00.001-07:00

In addition to the AppStore roll out today, the AppleTV gets version 2.1 for the set-top box. This update was expected to include support for the new MobileMe service, but what was unexpected was Apple Remote application support for the iPhone and iPhone Touch.

The MobileMe stuff functions the same way .Mac did on the AppleTV. We suspect that it was just an upgrade in graphics.

The Remote Application can be configured similarly to the way iTunes is configured. Select Remotes from the General Menu and select add remote. Enter the 4 digit code and your done. Your iPhone will now be able to select music, tv shows, movies, etc from its Remote App interface.

The Software Update for AppleTV 2.1 is available through Software Update.

iTunes Remote App

2008-07-10T11:30:00.000-07:00

As promised, Apple has released the iPhone/iPod Touch Remote application. This app allows you to control, navigate your iTunes library on your local wireless network. After playing with it for a while, all we can say is that its freaking amazing.

The application mimics the iPod interface currently found on the iPhone/iPodTouch where you can quickly navigate Playlists, Artists, Albums, Search, and More (Audiobooks, Video, Music Videos, TV Shows and Movies) For those of you with multiple libraries on multiple computers, don't worry, you can associate more then one with this app.

To set up your Remote App:

Ensure 'Look for iPhone & iPhone touch Remotes' is checked in the Advanced System preferences.
Downloand and install the Remote Application from the iTunes AppStore.
From the Remote App, select Add Library
Enter the 4 digit code into your iTunes 7.7 application.

From there you should be all set to navigate and take control of your iTunes Library. We hope that Apple ads further support for FrontRow, as many of us that use the Mini and AppleTV as a Macintosh HTPC would love to have this feature. Currently Remote Buddy and Telekinesis are the only polished methods of doing this.

iTunes 7.7 is here.

2008-07-09T13:07:00.000-07:00

Apple has released iTunes 7.7, just in time for the projected iTunes Apps store Opening on July 10th. This release looks to be mostly for 3G iPhone support MobileMe, and App Store support.

As we previously covered this release will also allow for iTunes Remote capabilities from your iPhone or iPod Touch. Once we get our hands on the Application expect a full review and comparison to RemoteBuddy and Telekinessis.

The update is waiting in Software Update and weighs around 47.9mb.

10.5.4 Update released

2008-06-30T15:58:00.000-07:00

OS-X 10.5.4 is now available to download through Software Update. The updated according to the knowledge base article, doesnt have anything to do with any HTPC stuff, with the possible exception of Aiport Reliability issues. The rest of the update is for Safari, Spaces, Expose, CS3, iCal, and your basic security updates. To bad they couldn't add some cool features to FrontRow or something.

As always its recommended for everyone... so

iTunes 7.7 includes Remote Capabilities

2008-06-26T23:21:00.000-07:00

When the iPhone SDK 8 beta was released today, it included a pre-released version of iTunes 7.7. Closely inspecting the iTunes 7.7 documentation, it appears that the new version will include remote control features, built-in to the software.

Once iTunes App Store has been opened (July 12th), Apple will have a free remote control download for your iPhone and iPod Touch, that will interact with iTunes 7.7. This functionality is similar to RemoteBuddy and Telekinessis. However we find it unlikely it will include all the same features such as FrontRow control, system browsing, and mouse & keyboard controls. Based on the documentation, it appears the capabilities will be executed over your home wireless network.

Here's the incriminating evidence in the iTunes 7.7 Read Me file:

Use iTunes 7.7 to sync music, video, and more with iPhone 3G, and download applications from the iTunes Store exclusively designed for iPhone and iPod touch with software version 2.0 or later. Also use the new Remote application for iPhone or iPod touch to control iTunes playback from anywhere in your home -- a free download from the App Store.

We are hoping this iPhone App will also allow for users to control FrontRow and AppleTV's through your home-wireless network. The new iPhone ver 2.0 software of course will be a requirement, as well as iTunes 7.7, when its released.

MediaCentral gets Movie Trailers

2008-06-26T13:36:00.000-07:00

Earlier today Equinux added new movie trailers to their media center application, MediaCentral. Movie Trailers is just one of the latest additions to MediaCentrals ever growing list of bonus features including: IPTV, SkypeIntegration, LiveTV, Internet Radio, YouTube, and even games. Of course features such as DVD, movies, tv shows, music, and pictures are already there.

For those without MediaCentral, you may download a demo version of it and purchase the full version later.

Radiohead's 10 videos From the Basement

2008-06-25T14:27:00.000-07:00

Radiohead, or perhaps just their label, has added 10 Live Music Videos from their 'In Rainbows' album. The live spontaneous music videos were a part of Nigel Goldrich's From the Basement series of TV shows. Performing live this collection captures the unique band that Radiohead is and how they perform live.

Music Video Tracks include:

The original In Rainbows album is available for purchase through iTunes Plus for $7.99. The Music Video track from 'From the Basement' are $0.99 each.

Australia get iTunes TV Shows

2008-06-24T09:58:00.000-07:00

The Australian iTunes store is the most recent store to now offer Television programming. ABC, Disney, MTv, Nine Network and the Australian Broadcasting Networks are all well represented in the store, with a standard $2.99 AUS cost per show. Australian shows such as, Sleek Geeks, We Can Be Heroes and McLeod's Daughters all appear in the store

One notable difference is the lack of season passes. This means Australian users will be checking for new episodes weekly, a trend we can't see lasting very long. We assume season passes will soon be added, as at the current rate a season of episodes will be much higher then purchasing the series on DVD.

--UPDATE--
We may have beaten Apple to the internet with this one... here's the official press release

iTunes Store is the @#$%

2008-06-19T14:58:00.000-07:00

Hot off the press this morning, Apple announced that iTunes users have purchased over 5 Billion songs through the iTunes store and they continue to be the #1 music retailer in the United States. It also doesn't hurt that they have the largest online catalog, with over 8 million tracks. In addition to the music, iTunes users are also renting and purchasing over 550,000 movies a day, making iTunes the #1 Music Retailer and the most popular online movie store.

Personally I use iTunes as a media library and don't touch the store that often, but these number are astounding. Combo them with the 20k TV shows and you can see why its so popular. We would like to see Apple maintain a larger flim library and a higher percentage of high definition films as well. I mean, 2,000 films and only 350 are HD?

QuickTime 7.5 - Released

2008-06-09T20:50:00.000-07:00

The WWDC was surely going to launch some software updates right? Well it look like its just QuickTime 7.5 for now. Available through Apple's website or your software update. Don't expect any special or fancy new features from this update. Its strictly a security/bug fix update, but then again it could have something to do with the imminent iTunes 7.7 release for the new iphone?

There are 4 offenders this time...There are two fixes for malicious PICT files, a malicious Indeo file, malicious QuickTime content, and malicious AAC-3 content. Dunno about you but there seems to be a lot of malicious files out there. Look out.

Of course the release is recommeneded for all OS-X Tiger, OS-X Leopard, Windows XP, and Windows Vista QuickTime users out there. If the malicious file warning wasn't enough, more specific details can be found in the Security Update Knowledge Base article.
#HT1991.

iTunes 7.7: Coming July 11th

2008-06-09T14:17:00.000-07:00

With the debut of the 3G iPhone, we expect to see iTunes 7.7, to be released just before the iPhone, and according to the specs we're right! Currently at version 7.6.2, the new version will pop up on the Apple Website and through Software Update. Perhaps with this release they will fix the ultra annoying TV show by season listing in FrontRow. Fingers Crossed!

Radiohead's Creep rejoins UK Top-40

2008-06-09T13:15:00.000-07:00

When does a 15 year old song, make its way back into the UK Top-40? Radiohead's classic Creep, did just that this week. After Radiohead decided to include their entire back catalogue of albums through the iTunes UK Store.

Creep, creeping back into the Top-40 just shows the strength of the online music industry today. If a simple release of a 15 year old song can chart on the UK Top-40, imagine how important future album releases will become. Some record labels are already doing this. We would expect to see many more back catalogues released as well, allowing for record companies to profit of pre-existing media, and not just new releases.

Included in the EMI Radiohead back catalogue includes a Best of album, which hit #4 on the UK charts for albums. This album did not come with the approval of Radiohead.

PyeTv, EyeTV FrontRow Plug-In

2008-06-09T01:59:00.000-07:00

So... we've been looking for someone to develop a Plug-In to bring EyeTV into FrontRow, and PyeTV does just that. We were hoping just to see a simple launcher, but Jon Christopher took it a step further with access to EyeTV's recordings, previews, metadata and even channel jumping. The project is a GoogleCode project, and was recently updated to version 1.1

The installation of the plug-in is straight forward with the convenient installer and requires the admin password. In the background it moves over the plugin into FrontRow's Application Plug-in folder, and turns on Universal Access for assistive devices. We had a little problem with the download, but resolved it by adding the .dmg extension.

The plug-in is great, and we recommend it for all you EyeTV users out there. The translation between FrontRow and EyeTV is still a bit clumbsy, but really thats EyeTV's fault. We hope to see this plug-in continue to be supported and improved, after all thats why Apple gave us the plugin directory, right?

PyeTV is a free download from Google Code. While your at it, also check out ETVComskip. Also developed by Jon Christopher, it integrates with PyeTV and allows for you to quickly skip commercials from EyeTV.

Turbo.264 1.3 Update

2008-06-03T20:50:00.000-07:00

El Gato has release an update to the Turbo.264. This update includes several new features.

YouTube
In addition to the iPod, Sony PSP, AppleTV, and iPhone exporting presets, Turbo.264 now includes a YouTube export. Select the preset, provide your YouTube account information, and your movie will be uploaded to YouTube's site.

DVD Chapters
Available in Handbrake for awhile, now Turbo.264 will now embed the DVD Chapter markers from your unencrypted DVDs. This is extremely helpful with FrontRow and AppleTV media centers.

Dolby Digital AC-R Audio Passthrough
This one is pretty simple. When ehttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifxporting to AppleTV, you can now utilize Dolby Digital AC-3 audio. Multichannel audio will no play properly though your AppleTV.

QuickTime Broadcaster Support
QuickTime Broadcaster can now take advantage of the Turbo.264 compression, significantly reducing CPU load. You shouldn't see any frame drops. Great for those webcammers out there.

The 1.3 release also addresses several bug fixes. More details of this update can be found on the El Gato website. The free update is available for download now.

SuperSync: iTunes Library Manager

2008-05-30T18:06:00.000-07:00

Most of us Mac HTPC geeks have at least 2 mac with media split between both of them and hopefully most of it on the Mac HTPC. Managing dual libraries can be a tedious task; even when you are able to locate the missing media, you may lose your metadata, settings, covers, etc. Enter SuperSync makes moving iTunes library items to another simple, and without lost metadata.

SuperSync 2.4 makes this process a lot easier. The software allows you to visually compare, merge and modify media across multiple iTunes Libraries. In this latest release new features such as enhanced metadata transfers, new GUI, iPod Importing, media filtering and expanded support of new media types, hope to make your life easier. The software will send embeded track information such as genre, artist, album, track numbers, star ratings, entry points, end points, album covers, eq settings and play counts.

SuperSync will also sync with iPods, iPhones, and even PC iTunes Libraries!

A free demo is available for download, and the upgrade is free for registered users. Purchase the software for $29.00 and it includes a license for 2 machines to get you started.

MediaCentral 2.8 Released

2008-05-24T11:44:00.000-07:00

Equinux has released the latest version of the Macintosh HTPC software MediaCentral. Version 2.8 bring new features and improvements to the popular software.

According to Equinux:

The premier media center solution for your Mac, MediaCentral, and The Tube are growing together. MediaCentral 2.8 includes a completely overhauled TV engine that offers noticeably better picture quality, faster channel switching and direct access to recordings made with The Tube.

The overhauled TV engine is also known as The Tube 2.7. Prior to this release MediaCentral utilized the older version of TheTube software (2.6) This release also supports TubeStick hybrid, the recently announced TV tuner which will receive both analog and digital signals. Closed Captioning has also been improved and of course the typical bug fixes and performance improvments have been included.

As always the latest version of MediaCentral is free to download for existing MediaCentral users. New users may download a demo and later purchase the software for $29.95

HBO show Debut in iTunes

2008-05-13T10:53:00.000-07:00

HBO's Award winning programming has been added to the iTunes TV library. New programs include 'The Sporanos,' ' Sex and the City', 'Deadwood', and 'Rome' in addition to "Flight of the Conchords" and "The Wire." The availability of HBO shows opens the door for cable subscribers that do not receive the HBO channels.

Most episodes will be priced at the standard $1.99 per episode, while longer shows such as 'The Sporanos,' 'Deadwood,' and 'Rome' will be priced at $2.99 per episode. Full seasons are also available for immediate purchase.

This is great news... but we have one question.... where's Entourage?

EyeTV 3.0.2 released

2008-05-08T11:55:00.000-07:00

Elgato has released EyeTV 3.0.2, of their TV Tuner software for Max OS-X. The lastest version of EyeTV software includes several new features and improvements for H.2.64 broadcasts, closed caption support, and special support for Swedish tvtv electronic programming guides.

The release also includes separate deinterlacing options for standard tv and HDTV. For standard TV on intel macs the default is progressive, but for HDTV the default is Always to deinterlace. With the option you can now select the optimal setting for your broadcast type and system settings.

One of the greatest things about EyeTV is their support of third-party tv tuners. This release includes added support for the TerraTec Cinergy T USB XXS, every Digital Everywhere Firewire Tuners, and includes a Firmware update for EyeTV 310.

The upgrade is free to download from your EyeTV 3.0+ Software. Simply select 'Check for Updates' from the EyeTV menu, and the software will download and install automatically. If you don't have EyeTV 3.0 yet, you may be eligible for a free upgrade if you purchased EyeTV on or after Dec 1, 2007. Find out more here.

Improved MediaCentral hits 2.7

2008-03-20T08:54:00.000-07:00

Equinux has released MediaCentral 2.7. The popular Home Theater software for the mac is now powered by The Tube 2.5 and TubeStick TV interface. The latest update improves the picture quality, faster channel selection, and full access to recording made by the Tube Software. The update has also improved its interaction with iPhoto '08 libraries.

MediaCentral remains the most complete HTPC software for the Mac. Its control of the DVD Player, digital movies, pictures, music, games, skype, IP TV, internet radio, and now full PVR capabilities are unmatched by other competitors.

MediaCentral costs $29.95, and is currently available for download from Equinix's website. MediaCentral requires a G4/1GHz or faster and Mac OS X v10.4.11 or later, and is localized in several languages.

TubeToGo: TV Recording on the go.

2008-03-05T09:51:00.000-08:00

Equinux released The Tube 2.5, which includes the new TubeToGo service for remote viewing of your favorite programs. TubeToGo enables users to view recorded programs online, as well as the ability to schedule recordings.

The service works something like this. After a recording has been made, the TubeToGo service will upload your video to an FTP site or even your .Mac service.

This system lets users employ the internet to have constant access to the TV recordings on their Macs at home. Shows can be accessed by a web-connected iPhone, iPod touch or using Safari. TubeToGo also includes an electronic program guide which can be used to schedule TV recordings.

After a recording has been completed, The Tube automatically syncs with TubeToGo, which can either store videos using .Mac or a user's own FTP server. From your iPhone, iPod Touch or from another computer you can navigate to the TubeToGo.tv website where you recordings will be available. The url will look something like this: http://tubetogo.tv/equinuxID/Entertainmac . From here you can access your recordings, schedule recordings, and have complete access to your The Tube Library.

Those of you who already utilize The Tube software can download the latest version for free.

iTunes Rentals Misses Mark

2008-03-04T09:56:00.000-08:00

During the MacWorld announcement of iTunes Movie Rentals, Apple had hoped to have over 1,000 films by the end of February. That date has come and gone and according to AppleInsider, Apple didn't hit half the number of rentals as it had hoped. Currently the iTunes Movie Rental selection only contains 384 movies. Of these 91 were in HD, and 40 weren't in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound.

384 Movies might sound like a great start for an online rental service, but compare it with Amazon's Unboxed service which has over 10,000 movies and Netflix which has over 5,000 titles, it becomes apparent there is a lot of catching up to do. Apple should iron out the deals with the rest of the studios that currently offer movie downloads to allow movie rentals as well.

Hanna-Barbera for iTunes UK

2008-03-04T09:44:00.000-08:00

Hanna-Barbera, the classic childrens cartoons, including Scooby Doo, Yogi Bear, and Huckleberry Hound have been made available for purchase through the iTunes UK Store.

Each hour-long classic cartoon are £1.89 each.

BBC has also put some earlier series of its shows up on iTunes UK as well. These include The Mighty Boosh and Life On Mars.

iTunes 7.6.1 helps with AppleTV 2.0

2008-02-21T16:46:00.000-08:00

It was a matter of time before we saw this. It seems anytime there is an iPhone, iPod, QuickTime or AppleTV update there a matching iTunes update to go along with it. The basics behind this latest release is the standard 'several bugs' line but also addresses compatibility with AppleTV software version 2.0.

Along with the software update, iTunes is also introducing the movie of the week. The 99¢ movie is a promotion sent to iTunes Movie Rental customer.

The update is waiting in Software Update and weighs around 44mb.

HandBrake: 0.9.2 with more stuff!

2008-02-19T13:45:00.000-08:00

HandBrake everyones favorite DVD ripping utility has introduced version 0.9.2. The most important upgrade to this version is the full support of AppleTV Take Two, and iPhone/iPodTouch upgrades. Handbrake is as always free and available for download.

Here's a round up of features:

Dolby Digital 5.1 (AC3) sound in MP4 files, for a true DVD experience on the AppleTV and in Perian.
Multi-track audio support for Apple devices
iPhone-compatible anamorphic video at its full size
Variable frame rate encoding with detelecine filtering
More flexible, "loose" anamorphic video
MP4 optimization for progressive web downloads
Dynamic range compression for encoding from AC3 audio
Robust program and transport stream support
A fresher, faster version of x264
Tuning of FIFO sizes by processor count
Better handling of audio discontinuities
Better handling of DVD read errors
Work-arounds for missing end-of-cell markers
Recovery when streams have signal loss
Better synced chapter markers
Better handling of B-Frames
No more cutting off the very ends of films
No more lost subtitles or chapter markers
No more crashes in 2-pass encoding

The complete list of change are available through HandBrake's Trac.

As always, the complete list of changes is available on the Trac, as well as a complete timeline of 0.9.2's development.