Home Theatre - Media Centres - Latest Articles

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  IPTV off the radar in Oz

  Although Internet video seems to be going mainstream in the US, the idea of tuning in to IPTV content without needing to connect to a next gen console or home theatre PC is not catching on with Australian vendors, let alone consumers.

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  T-Visionarium: Behind the 360 degree 3D cinema

  What do you get when you put two artists and a team of clever techies together in a dark room with a AU$1 million equipment budget? ZDNet.com.au visited the University of New South Wales iCinema centre to find out.

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  Xbox, iPod dock and home automation in one box

  The ITC One is an all-in-one entertainment system with its own built-in amplifier -- but expect to pay handsomely for it.

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  Pioneer unveils razor-thin plasma TV

  Pioneer shows off its TV chops at CES, with a 9mm thick bezel and rendering contrast ratios obsolete.

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  Has Blu-ray won the format war?

  The war is over. Well, that's the buzz from CES, where everyone's talking about Warner Bros' suspiciously timed decision to dump HD DVD and become a Blu-ray-only studio.

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  U2 previews unreleased track on Facebook, snubs MySpace?

  Bono has given the creators of Facebook app iLike a sneak preview of U2's upcoming re-release of the Joshua Tree, which will feature previously unreleased tracks.

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  Dolby stakes its claim in 3D movie tech

  The audio stalwart is set to mount a major challenge to pioneer Real D starting in November. How soon before all movies are 3D?

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  The music sales conundrum

  Album sales have slumped since the glory days of the late 80s and early 90s, yet more people are buying music than ever before. What's going on here?

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  MP3s aren't ruining music

  Far from meaning the end of music as we know it, Matt Rosoff argues that MP3s could lead a whole generation to discover new musical lands.

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  Photos: T[Life] Melbourne

  Telstra's new T[Life] store in Melbourne is glossy and enormous, and those south-of-the-border should count themselves lucky. Everyone else we bring you a virtual walk through.

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  Microsoft TechFest 2008: A glimpse into the future

  Each year Microsoft holds its Techfest show, an exhibition of some of the research projects it's working on. CNET.com.au went to check out where the future lies.

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  Web TV Top 10

  Here's a list of 10 must-have Web TV bookmarks that are guaranteed to help you find something online worth seeing.

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  Valentine's Day Gift Guide

  Face it -- roses, chocolates, and yes, diamond rings, have been done before. If you really want to impress your sweetheart, surprise him or her with a tech present that will have them remembering you the whole year through.

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  Ditch the disc: A guide to online music and videos in Australia

  CDs and DVDs are like so 1990s, man. If you're ready to ditch the disc and want to disco over to digital, then check out CNET.com.au's list of the major online media stores in Australia.

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  Photos: CES 2008 starts up

  From Bill Gates' final CES hurrah to Yoko Ono and Wil.i.am, CES launched with a star-studded cast. See the full slide show.

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  Format wars: the tech that should have won

  Did you love Laserdisc? Were you bonkers over Betamax? Do you cry yourself to sleep because BeOS never hit the big time? Fret no more -- superdork Captain Tech is here to travel back in time and save the format losers that should have triumphed.

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  Hawking Media Centers at the Easter Show

  As the people aren't flocking to Media Center PCs, HP has decided to take Media Center PCs to the people.

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  PS3's got game: plus Blu-ray, MP3 and more

  We take an in-depth look at PS3's non-gaming attributes and cover what you need to know about how it handles Blu-ray and DVD movies, music, photos, Internet browsing and more.

More features »

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  Oi!: DViCO's digital jukeboxes

  Korean company DViCO (that's pronounced duh-vee-co) has released two high-definition media players that do double duty as PVRs.

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  Oi!: Elgato integrates IceTV EPG for Macs

  Australian television guide provider IceTV has integrated its subscription-based Australian electronic program guide (EPG) into Elgato's EyeTV software through an update released yesterday.

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  Oi!: HP passes the design baton to users

  In a bid to make its media centre PCs more living-room friendly, HP is set to release a new "skinable" mini-PC, dubbed the "HP Pavilion Slimline PC s7540a".

More oi! »

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  First Blu-ray disc drive won’t play Blu-ray movies

  The first Blu-ray (BD) disc drive for desktop PCs is here, but be warned -- it won’t play commercial BD movies.

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  BitTorrent lands new hardware deals

  Company's peer-to-peer technology will be included in routers and storage devices, bolstering BitTorrent's credibility.

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  Intel's Viiv low on holiday shopping lists

  Almost a year after Intel announced plans to make your PC look like a TV, the company is still searching for the play button.

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  Microsoft's Bach looks for harmony in entertainment

  Unit chief Robbie Bach's toughest task may be dovetailing the company's entertainment efforts.

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  Sony lines up iTunes video challenger

  Sony believes that the weak spot in Apple's iTunes fortress could be in video downloads. Considering that its iTunes rival, Connect, failed so spectacularly, what are its chances of succeeding this time?

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  CES 2007: At CES, Gates tells what a geek wants

  Bill Gates says his house is already wired to the hilt, with touch screens and high-definition displays. But, in the second installment of a two-part interview with CNET News.com, the Microsoft chairman admits he's ready to revamp his system to add "some vision and speech-type things."

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  Photos: CeBIT 2006 - Product Innovations

  In amongst the colourless enterprise servers and prosaic IT management software, there were a few nuggets of innovative product gold on display this week at CeBit 2006.

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  Hawking Media Centers at the Easter Show

  As the people aren't flocking to Media Center PCs, HP has decided to take Media Center PCs to the people.

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  Microsoft: No EPG in Vista Media Center

  Windows Vista, which incorporates Media Center functionality out of the box in its Home Premium and Ultimate versions, won't provide Electronic Program Guide (EPG) functionality to Australian users of the operating system.

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  Microsoft Wireless Entertainment Desktop 8000

  Unless you desperately need a full-sized keyboard covered in silver to match your decor, we'd suggest you pass on the Microsoft Wireless Entertainment Desktop 8000, and go for one of the cheaper options.

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  Linksys Media Center Extender DMA2200

  The MCE DMA2200 is probably the best media streaming device we've ever tested. It only works with Windows Vista, but for streaming media from a PC to the TV, it's ideal.

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  Sony VAIO TP2

  Sony's designed a nice looking unit in the TP-2, but its beauty proves to be only skin deep.

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  Helios X5000 HD Network Media Player

  When the X5000 works, it's amongst the very best home media centres we've ever played with. It's not perfect, however, in both design and implementation.

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  Acer Aspire e650

  The Acer Aspire e650 is a powerful, feature-rich media centre, but we're still not convinced that Viiv is mature enough for mass adoption.

More reviews »

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  Mediagate MG-350HD

  The Mediagate MG-350HD is an excellent all-in-one home media solution -- as long as you're not timid about installing a hard drive.

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  Linksys Media Center Extender DMA2200

  The MCE DMA2200 is probably the best media streaming device we've ever tested. It only works with Windows Vista, but for streaming media from a PC to the TV, it's ideal.

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  Helios X5000 HD Network Media Player

  When the X5000 works, it's amongst the very best home media centres we've ever played with. It's not perfect, however, in both design and implementation.

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  Microsoft Wireless Entertainment Desktop 8000

  Unless you desperately need a full-sized keyboard covered in silver to match your decor, we'd suggest you pass on the Microsoft Wireless Entertainment Desktop 8000, and go for one of the cheaper options.

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  Sony VAIO TP2

  Unless you desperately need a full-sized keyboard covered in silver to match your decor, we'd suggest you pass on the Microsoft Wireless Entertainment Desktop 8000, and go for one of the cheaper options.

More popular reviews »

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  D1 Home Media Centre

  The best digital media centre yet. Has all the features you could want, and is easy to use.

More editors' choice »