Below is a quick summary of the past week's news and stories on GeekTonic.
Stay tuned for more in-depth content for Media Gadget Fans at GeekTonic.com. If you’re in to the Twitter thing, be sure and follow me on twitter under the name GeekTonic. Thanks for Reading GeekTonic!
Most readers of GeekTonic already know about the new Hulu Desktop app that was released yesterday. The idea of Hulu Desktop is to provide a flash-based application you install on your Windows or Mac computer and run a HTPC-like interface to control Hulu.
Sound familiar? It should because it mimics many (not all) of the things Boxee’s Hulu app did and the Boxee team is a bit ticked off as they should be. When I first heard about the Hulu Desktop app I had very low expectations but after using it for a while I’m impressed – it works well and the UI isn’t too bad. It does use quite a few CPU resources, but worked perfectly on my computer. It also works with Windows MediaCenter and Apple remote controls.
So does this mean Hulu is all the sudden okay with you watching Hulu content on your TV? Could it be true that Hulu is now comfortable with Boxee and other apps that bring Hulu into their software or hardware? Not really – check out this little excerpt from the Hulu TOS:
“You may not incorporate the Content into any hardware or software application. This prohibition applies even if you intend to give away the derivative materials free of charge.”
When you install Hulu Desktop the terms of service says you can install it on:
“Hulu grants you a license to install and use the Hulu Software on your personal laptop or desktop computer (“Personal Computer”) for the sole purpose of streaming content that is available on Hulu’s site located at www.hulu.com (“Hulu Content”) on your Personal Computer.”
The Hulu Desktop TOS goes on to say this about non-computer devices such as extenders, AppleTV, mobile devices etc:
You may not download, install or use the Hulu Software on any device other than a Personal Computer including without limitation digital media receiver devices (such as Apple TV), mobile devices (such as a cell phone device, mobile handheld device or a PDA), network devices or CE devices (collectively “Prohibited Devices”). You may not use any hardware, software or service other than the Hulu Software to stream, re-encode, project or transmit Hulu Content.
So I’ll take that to mean we won’t see Hulu officially supported by Extenders (SageTV or MediaCenter), AppleTV, or any other CE device. This doesn’t mean user-developers won’t create add-ons or plugins for those types of devices, but I don’t see a company sticking their neck out to create support without an express agreement with Hulu. Microsoft for instance might at some point make an agreement with Hulu to offer something on the XBox360’s and pay Hulu a license fee – something that seems unlikely but certainly possible.
So as of now, where besides Hulu Desktop (and the web page) can you get your Hulu?
If you want to get Hulu onto your Windows MediaCenter, check out MissingRemote’s how-to or you can check out Secondrun.tv who just added an even easier to install app for Hulu. Obviously this won’t work with MediaCenter extenders however.
Dell has this Logitech mini wireless keyboard for $83.59 after 30% off coupon code XSP1HK1Q$J$2B6
This wireless keyboard is one of the most popular especially when used as a HTPC keyboard. It has backlit keys, a 30-ft wireless range, and Media Center controls.
Logitech diNovo Mini Wireless Keyboard - Midnight Black/Silver (920-000594) $83.59 after 30% Coupon Code: XSP1HK1Q$J$2B6
Shipping is $6.99. Expires: 6/3/2009
Most people wanting a Home Theater PC these days are happy enough with a HTPC case that is small, quiet and fits in well with the living room. But sometimes you just want more than what you can get from a store.
Mad Max Erlandsson (known for his casemods) has created an industrial-looking HTPC case that is actually pretty cool. And he's showing the step-by-step process he used to build it too.
Below is a photo of the finished case.
His system specs include:
Be sure and check out the complete case-mod process at bit-tech.net
It's been over a year since I started the HTPC keyboard shortcut series and this one is long overdue. In part four, I'm sharing with you the keyboard shortcut cheat sheet I've compiled for the SageTV HTPC software.
Other HTPC Software Cheat Sheets:
For the full cheat-sheet, get your free PDF download of the SageTV Keyboard Shortcuts complements of GeekTonic
Note: You can customize the keyboard mappings on SageTV to your liking - more on how to do this below.
Here's an abbreviated version of the keyboard shortcut cheat sheet:
| Home | Home Screen | HOME | 28 |
| Power On/Off Toggle | Toggle Sleep SageTV / Wake SageTV | CTRL-Z | 19 |
| Power On | Wake SageTV if sleeping | Not assigned to key by default | 43 |
| Power Off | Puts SageTV to Sleep when running | Not assigned to key by default | 44 |
| Close | Close SageTV GUI (this is actually a windows command that closes the application in focus) | ALT-F4 | |
| Options | Options: Toggle | ESCAPE [or] CTRL-O | 29 |
| Search | Search | Not assigned to key by default | 40 |
| Setup | Setup | Not assigned to key by default | 41 |
| Select | Selects the currently highlighted item and proceeds to next screen | ENTER | 20 |
| Delete | Delete recording/video etc | DELETE | 83 |
| Left/Back | Move left (or if no such item) back one screen | LEFT ARROW | 2 |
| Back | Back one screen | ALT-LEFT ARROW | 75 |
| Right/Next | Move right (or if no such item) select & goes to next screen | RIGHT ARROW | 3 |
| Forward | Forward one Menu | ALT-RIGHT ARROW | 76 |
| Up | Move up | UP ARROW | 4 |
| Down | Move down | DOWN ARROW | 5 |
| Right/Volume Up | Right in menu & Volume Up in playback | CTRL-RIGHT ARROW | 51 |
| Left/Volume Dn | Left in menu & Volume Down in playback | CTRL-LEFT ARROW | 52 |
| Up/Ch Up/Next Ch/Next Track | Up in menu, Channel Up in TV Playback, Next Chapter in DVD Playback, Next Track in Music Playback | CTRL-UP ARROW | 53 |
| Down/Ch Dn/Prev Ch/Prev Track | Down in menu, Channel Down in TV Playback, Prev Chapter in DVD Playback, Prev Track in Music Playback | CTRL-DOWN ARROW | 54 |
| Channel Up/Next Ch/Next Track/Page Up | Channel Up for TV Playback [or] Next DVD Chapter for DVD Playback [or] Next Track for Music Playback [or] Page Up in Menus | PAGE-UP | 11 |
| Channel Down/Prev Ch/Prev Track/Page Dn | Channel Down for TV Playback [or] Prev DVD Chapter for DVD Playback [or] Prev Track for Music Playback [or] Page Dn in Menus | PAGE-DOWN | 12 |
| Page Up | Page Up: In Guide or Menu | F5 | 55 |
| Page Dn | Page Down: In Guide or Menu | F6 | 56 |
| Page Right | Page Right In Guide | F8 | 57 |
| Page Left | Page Left In Guide | F7 | 58 |
| Full Screen Toggle | Go in and go out of windowed mode | CTRL-SHIFT-F | 27 |
| Full Screen On | Full Screen On | Not assigned to key by default | 97 |
| Full Screen Off | Full Screen Off | Not assigned to key by default | 98 |
| Music | Music: Jumps to Music Browser Menu | Not assigned to key by default | 84 |
| Online | Online Screen | Not assigned to key by default | 103 |
| Library | Library | Not assigned to key by default | 42 |
| Input | Change Input | Not assigned to key by default | 92 |
| TV | If no playback occuring, Starts LiveTV; If on menu=jumps to media playback; If viewing playback=jumps to most recently viewed menu | CTRL-V | 15 |
| Live TV | Live TV: From Menu goes to LiveTV, During Playback jumps playback to current time for liveTV | Not assigned to key by default | 63 |
| Guide | Guide: Go to/view TV guide [or] if already in TV Guide=go to current time in guide [or] if on input screen toggle upper/lower case | CTRL-X | 18 |
| Recording Schedule | Recording Schedule | Not assigned to key by default | 85 |
| SageTV Recordings | SageTV Recordings | Not assigned to key by default | 86 |
| Watched | Set Watched: Marks show, video or group of shows as watched so the episode/show won't be recorded again | CTRL-W | 21 |
| Favorite | Toggle Mark Favorite: Marks show to not record unless manual recording | CTRL-K | 22 |
| Don't Like | Toggle Mark Don't Like: Marks show as a favorite or if already favorite, removes as favorite | CTRL-J | 23 |
| Info | Info: During Playback toggles info OSD on/off; In menu goes to detailed menu screen for a highlighted video | CTRL-I | 24 |
| Record | Record: Add or remove scheduled manual recording or favorite | CTRL-Y | 25 |
| Previous Channel | Previous Channel | Not assigned to key by default | 60 |
| Number Input 0-9 | LiveTV or Guide: Go to channel, DVD Playback: Jump to chapter, Music Playback: Jump to Track | NUMBER KEYS 0-9 | 30-39 |
| Custom 1 | Custom 1: Special Command for Custom STV's | Not assigned to key by default | 78 |
| Custom 2 | Custom 2: Special Command for Custom STV's | Not assigned to key by default | 79 |
| Custom 3 | Custom 3: Special Command for Custom STV's | Not assigned to key by default | 80 |
| Custom 4 | Custom 4: Special Command for Custom STV's | Not assigned to key by default | 81 |
| Custom 5 | Custom 5: Special Command for Custom STV's | Not assigned to key by default | 82 |
| Customize/SageTV Studio | Customize/SageTV Studio | CTRL-SHIFT-F12 | 77 |
This is only part of the shortcuts available. To view the complete list download this free PDF download of the SageTV Keyboard Shortcuts complements of GeekTonic.
Don't like the way a keyboard shortcut works? Want to map your own infrared remote controls buttons to SageTV functions? Its easy to do using the "commands" setting under detailed setup in SageTV.
Go to Detailed Setup > Commands > Link Infrared Keystroke to Sage Command. That will provide you a list of currently linked keyboard commands and let's you link new ones if you like.
Go to Detailed Setup > Commands
From there you have three options:
You can select "Show SageTV Commands linked to Infrared/Keystroke" and then any remote control button or key on the keyboard will display the associated function (if any). For example, below I hit the stop button on my remote control and SageTV shows me the keyboard shortcut for it as well as the named function "stop." Very useful to see if your remote control is mapped and for the keyboard to see what keys do what.
To re-map a key on the keyboard or map an infrared remote control button, simply select "Link Infrared/Keystroke to SageTV Command" from the menu and select the SageTV command ("Left" for instance) and then hit the button on your remote (or key on the keyboard) that you want mapped to that function.
When I set up my first URC-MX-500 remote control I used this mapping setup so the remote control buttons would work with SageTV as I wanted. For programmable remotes like the Logitech Harmony's for instance you simply set up the remote to work like the SageTV Extender remotes and then you don't have to map anything.
If you see a command missing from the list or have any requests for the SageTV Keyboard Shortcut PDF, let me know in the comments.
For even more information on SageTV, check out the Ultimate Guide to SageTV Page
Well, the ZuneHD rumors have now been confirmed by Microsoft and it's coming this Fall. And they are talking about a tie-in with the XBox Live service too.
Looks like the ZuneHD is targeted as a direct competitor to the iPod Touch.
A press release by Microsoft tells us the following about the new ZuneHD:
I see a few things here with the Zune HD that are interesting for sure and I definitely would love to see Apple get a little more competition on the iPod front. But you know what I see glaringly missing from the Zune HD press release? There is no mention of any Microsoft MediaCenter tie in - absolutely none. I hope I'm wrong on this, but this really sounds like once again MediaCenter is not going to get "connected" to another Microsoft hardware device.
The ZuneHD Website is now live as well.
It's been 20 days since the last one, but the SageTV has released another beta for their Windows, Linux, Mac and Extender HTPC software programs. This one is packed full of bug fixes and a few other tidbits. Highlights include:
The list of changes and bug fixes is very long and gets pretty techy. For a full detailing of the update, check out this thread at the SageTV Forums
Once you've updated your SageTV server, be sure and get the new beta firmware update for the HD Theater (HD200) and the HD Extender (HD100) as well.
Core HD200 Theater and HD100 Changes:
HD200 MediaPlayer (Standalone Mode) Changes:
For more info on the SageTV HD Extender firmware update read this post on the SageTV Forums
There are several SageTV HD100 (the predecessor to the SageTV HD200 Theater) extender owners having issues with their extenders. The SageTV HD100 extenders in question seem to be experiencing a whistling/hissing sound. Then, when the extender completely dies, the LED power light blinks constantly every several seconds. If your HD100 is having this issue, you have two options. Fix it yourself with the instructions detailed below with a few dollars and some soldering know-how or pay SageTV $60 to repair the box for you.
With some basic soldering skills and a replacement capacitor from RadioShack you can fix your HD100 extender yourself. Here's a video showing you the basics of how to do it:
Read the entire how-to at CocoonTech
Read the entire how-to at CocoonTech
If you're not inclined to solder or your HD100 issue is different, contact SageTV. They are handling HD100 repairs for $60 regardless of the issue.
UPDATE:
The CTO of SageTV posted this update on the situation. Basically they have reduced the cost of repair for this situation, and also added that there has been just over a 1% failure rate – not bad really, but good to know there is a reasonable route to repair if you happen to experience this problem and you don’t want to deal with the soldering iron route.
We have worked on continuously improving product quality and in the HD100 case we have had a little over 1% failure rate in the first year. We have tried to provide convenient warranty service for folks in the first year and after the first year we have tried to provide affordable out of warranty service. For any HD100 power supply problems that don't show signs of abuse or intentional damage we have now been able to reduce the out of warranty service price to $39 including return shipping in the US (International additional cost) and we currently include a 1 year warranty extension with the $39 power supply out of warranty service. Customers who have paid the $60 power supply service fee previously can get in touch with SageTV for a store credit. While the HD100 product quality is near industry norms, we have tried to improve the quality of our HD200 and have seen fewer issues with that product and it uses a different power supply from the HD100. We truly appreciate everyone's support, patience and understanding. We will continue to try to provide the best quality product and support services we can at the best price we can.
If you are a MediaCenter user and haven't tried DVRMSToolbox yet, now is your time. The latest version of DVRMSToolbox is now available to the public (read available to all for free). DVRMSToolbox works with MediaCenter and SageTV, but the newest feature is its support of the Windows 7 MediaCenter .WTV files. You'll need DVRMSToolbox along with ShowAnalyzer to get Commercial Skipping working in Windows 7 MediaCenter.
For more on how to get commercial skipping working with Windows 7 MediaCenter read this.
For the full release notes and download, head over to babgvant.com
Note: Download a free, PDF of all summer 2009 TV premieres.
The Goode Family Premieres on ABC Sunday Night
NOTE: All Times are Listed for EST
Monday 05/25/2009
Here Come the Newlyweds (9pm on A&E) - A reality show where seven couples fresh from the altar compete for a nest egg worth hundreds of thousands of dollars by accomplishing a variety of contests
Cake Boss (9:13pm on TLC - Available in HD) - Baker Buddy Valastro host a "documentary-soap" about a baker for the stars. Valastro runs a family bakery in Hoboken, MJ where he has baked for Britney Spears and others.
Tuesday 05/26/2009
The Apprentice (UK) (9pm on BBCA) - UK version of the nearly forgotten reality show.
Hitched or Ditched (9pm on CW) - Another reality show - this one puts couples in long-term relationships who have not yet taken the final leap towards marriage to be nominated by a friend who believes it's time for the couple to make a decision:
Mental (9pm on FOX- Available in HD) - A new Fox drama that has had very poor reviews. This episode deals with a doctor who decided to strip down naked to help a patient. Yes I'm serious.
The Little Couple (10pm on TLC- Available in HD) - Reality TV with you guessed it, short people. This picks up where the special "Little People Just Married" left off.
Wednesday 05/27/2009
Wipeout (8pm on ABC- Available in HD) - 24 contestants compete against each other and the clock in hopes of winning the $50,000 prize.
The Goode Family (9pm on ABC- Available in HD) - A new animated series by Mike Judge, creator of Beavis & Butt-Head and King of the Hill. This one is about an obsessively "green" family whose politically correct life results in constant laughs.
Friday 05/29/2009
What Not to Wear (10pm on TLC- Available in HD) - Reality TV
Saturday 05/30/2009
Maneater (10pm on Lifetime) - miniseries on Lifetime
Pushing Daisies (10pm on ABC- Available in HD) - It's back for the last few episodes. All episodes will be over by June 13th.
Season Finales this week:
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Below is a quick summary of the past week's news and stories on GeekTonic.
Stay tuned for more in-depth content for Media Gadget Fans at GeekTonic.com. If you’re in to the Twitter thing, be sure and follow me on twitter under the name GeekTonic. Thanks for Reading GeekTonic!