Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment

We realize the fall update’s only been out a few weeks, but it seems like an eternity for those of us that have been waiting since last November to stream media to our Xbox 360s without the need for a Media Center PC. A new TVersity patch allows users to transcode video to WMV — now in real time — for immediate distribution to their 360 over Windows Media Connect without the pain of duped files and finding a good WMV encoder. A little fuss, a little muss, and a few minor niggles to keep this from being a prime time solution, but still, there isn’t exactly a plethora of ways to get your DivX onto your Xbox, so be grateful you’ve got at least something for now as the hardworking hacker front actually gives the people what the people want, whether or not it fits into Microsoft’s digital media business plan.

[Via Joystiq]

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Networking

If you’re tired of waiting for DirecTV’s continually-delayed HD DVR, or just one of the lucky few who actually have access to FiOS service (and want to extract every ounce of greatness from it), Verizon is looking to hook you up. Available only to those in its (slowly) expanding FiOS network, Verizon is out to give subscribers a kinda sorta new way to watch television, and, of course, to cash in on the time-shifting craze while the window of opportunity is still open. The presumed selling point of its Home Media DVR is its ability to function as a “multiroom streaming media solution” that enables “up to three simultaneous viewings” of recorded material (whether or not this tidbit is worth $19.95 per month is debatable). Of course, the media can only be streamed to other “Verizon-approved” receivers — whatever they may be — and it’s not yet clear if your Verizon cellphone will be one of those treasured devices. While we can imagine the list of restrictions on this streaming gig are quite lengthy, the company has stated that it will support “DVR-to-PC connectivity,” thus enabling DVR viewing on a networked PC, though there’s no mention of supporting wirelessly connected computers a la Slingbox. Apparently the DVR system will utilize a run-of-the-mill Motorola QIP6416 (dual HD-tuners and a 160GB hard drive) as the “hub” and a Motorola QIP2500 (basic STB that can receive content from the hub), both of which will communicate via MoCA (Multimedia over Coax Alliance) technology. While this rigamarole creates more questions than it answers, we’re glad to see progress towards a centralized content viewing / streaming solution, but getting cable companies and the almighty content providers to warm up to the idea of slinging material around on a home network (and beyond?) probably won’t be easy.

[Via Ars Technica]

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Filed under: Home Entertainment, Storage, Networking

Seagate knows that you can never have too much storage space at your disposal, which is why the company’s just bulked up its well-received NAS line with the 1TB Maxtor Shared Storage II. Like other products of the same ilk, the SS II allows up to 20 connected Mac or Windows PCs to send and receive data to and from the two 7,200RPM 500GB hard drives, which can also be configured in a RAID 1 array for an extra level of protection. A high-speed Gigabit Ethernet connection should ensure rapid file transfers, and two built-in USB ports allow you to connect a printer or other peripheral device for sharing among multiple users. You’re also getting UPnP support here, so with the proper adapters you can stream tunes, vids, and pics to compatible networked A/V gear throughout your pad. The Shared Storage II is scheduled for release sometime this month, but such a capacious device doesn’t come cheap: expect to throw down around $900 if you’re interested in this whole-house storage and backup solution.

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Filed under: Peripherals, Storage, Networking

Reg Hardware seems to agree with our own astute pundit Ross Rubin that Maxtor's Shared Storage Plus Network Attached Storage device is a winner as a solid backup solution while doing double-duty as a capacious media server. Testing the 500GB version of the SSP, El Reg found the device easy to setup and share among several users, with software that provides a simple way to set up incremental backups, network printing, or media streaming to compatible uPnP devices. There do seem to a few downsides here, most notably the irritating fan whine and skimpy one year warranty, and less importantly, the fact that it tags the icons of folders selected for backup with a little tick mark. If tick marks and fan noise don't bother you, though, the $465-as-tested SSP sounds like a pretty good way to backup data for small offices and homes with multiple computers, while giving you a little extra functionality to boot