MediaPortal 1.3 exits beta with official Windows 8 support, revamped skins

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <img alt="MediaPortal 1.3 exits beta with official Windows 8 support, revamped skins" data-src-height="349" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/titan.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">MediaPortal<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7080182682816192337"> 1.3 is throwing its hat in the air today after graduating from beta to full release status. The Titan skin intended for 1080p widescreen displays has made the final version with plug-in support, but don't worry if it doesn't fit your style or screen, as the default skins have also been refined. UI themes and settings can be easily modified for deeper personalization, and you can now highlight shows in the TV guide to better plan your evening's entertainment. Unencrypted Blu-Rays will work in the native player (with the right decoder) and several improvements have been made to video playback and the bundled codec library. MediaPortal settings can be configured more easily in 1.3 and the "My Videos" section has picked up some new features. Finally, 1.3 adds official Windows 8 support, although the team admits there may be some bugs that remain undiscovered. If MediaPortal is your HTPC software of choice, you might want to check out the complete changelog at the source link, where you'll also find installation instructions if you wanna cut straight to the hands-on.</a></div></div>

MediaPortal 1.3 exits beta with official Windows 8 support, revamped skins

  MediaPortal 1.3 is throwing its hat in the air today after graduating from beta to full release status. The Titan skin intended for 1080...

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Zotac's StreamBox and RAIDbox build upon the ZBOX's HTPC pedigree

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <img alt="Zotac's StreamBox and RAIDbox" data-src-height="255" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/3-7-2013zotacstreamboxraidbox.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">Zotac has this media-friendly SFF computer thing pretty much nailed. For years the company has been churning out ever smaller machines purpose built for living rooms and media servers. The StreamBox and RAIDbox aren't standalone computers, but accessories that build on the home theater capabilities of their ZBOX PCs. The StreamBox pushes content to your TV from a laptop, Android smartphone or tablet using DLNA or Miracast for mirroring your portable's display. In addition to the 10/100 Ethernet jack and dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n radios, there's also a USB port on board for connecting external storage devices. What kind of storage devices, you ask? Well, how about the USB 3.0 RAIDbox that was unveiled alongside the StreamBox. The box itself doesn't ship with any drives inside, but you can slip in a pair of mSATA SSDs and it wont even require an external power supply. Sadly, the really important details like price and availability haven't been announced, but you can still read the PR after the break.</div><div class="open" dir="ltr" id="pr_box" style="text-align: left;"> <div id="pr_box_button">Hide Press Release</div><div id="pr_text"> <strong>ZOTAC Embarks on New Era of Digital Media Sharing</strong><br /> New ZOTAC StreamBox and RAIDbox ease sharing of digital audio, video and image files<br /> HONG KONG – Mar. 4, 2013 – ZOTAC International, a global innovator and leading manufacturer of graphics cards, mainboards and mini-PCs, today embarks on a new era of digital media sharing with the StreamBox and RAIDbox accessories that eases sharing digital audio, video and image files.<br /> The ZOTAC StreamBox bridges the gap between mobile devices and television sets to enable easy broadcasting of audio, video and image files from Android smartphones, tablets and notebooks via the industry standard DLNA protocol. Display mirroring capabilities are available for select Android mobile devices via Miracast compatibility.<br /> "We focused on making the ZOTAC StreamBox easy to use for users of all skill levels. All a user needs to do is connect to the ZOTAC StreamBox via WiFi and launch a DLNA-compatible application such as the free Realtek AirFun app and begin sharing your music, movies and images," said Carsten Berger, senior director, ZOTAC International. "Advanced users can take advantage of screen mirroring features found on select devices too."<br /> Users that desire lightning-fast external storage in a pocket able form factor can opt for the ZOTAC RAIDbox customizable USB 3.0 storage enclosure. The ZOTAC RAIDbox accommodates up to two mSATA SSD drives and lets users select the best storage mode to suit their needs whether its maximum performance with RAID 0, enhanced data security with RAID 1, independent drives with JBOD or a simply span data in the BIG mode.<br /> "The ZOTAC RAIDbox makes creating your own external storage device easy. A user simply needs to install their own mSATA SSD modules inside the ZOTAC RAIDbox and plug it into a USB 3.0 port," Mr. Berger added. "The tool-less design makes customizing the ZOTAC RAIDbox easy as well."<br /> The ZOTAC StreamBox and RAIDbox enable users to easily share digital media whether it is to a group of people in front of a television set or to other users. No matter what your digital sharing needs are the ZOTAC StreamBox and RAIDbox are perfect for users of all savviness.<br /> It's time to play with the ZOTAC StreamBox and RAIDbox!<br /> <br /> <strong>General details</strong><br /> New ZOTAC StreamBox and RAIDbox<br /> ZOTAC StreamBox DM01<br /> <ul><li> File streaming (DLNA / AirFun)</li><li> Miracast-compatible</li><li> USB file playback capable</li><li> 10/100 Ethernet</li><li> 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi (2.4 GHz & 5 GHz)</li></ul>ZOTAC RAIDbox UD10<br /> <ul><li> SuperSpeed USB 3.0 interface</li><li> USB-powered</li><li> Supports 2 mSATA SSD modules</li><li> RAID 0, 1, JBOD and BIG (spanning)</li><li> Tool-less design</li><li> Windows, Mac OS X (Mountain Lion) & Ubuntu 12.04 compatible</li><li> Share your digital files via TV or PC</li></ul></div></div></div>

Zotac's StreamBox and RAIDbox build upon the ZBOX's HTPC pedigree

  Zotac has this media-friendly SFF computer thing pretty much nailed. For years the company has been churning out ever smaller machines pu...

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