The CM Media 280 is a Home Theatre PC (HTPC) case with a difference. While being a very capable housing that can support the innards of a pretty brawny HTPC, it also allows you to switch between tower and desktop styles.
The CM Media 280 comes with two different style front bezels for the case which can easily be removed to give you either a tower or desktop setup.
While it's a very nice option it's probably not that useful in real life. How many times to you feel the need to change from a desktop to a tower setup? You either buy a desktop case or a tower case depending on which will be suitable.
In addition to the ability to switch between a tower or desktop setup the aluminum CM Media 280 also features:
An interior capable of supporting have full-length cards such as NVIDIA SLI or ATI CrossFire configurations
Holds up to five Hard Drives
Compatible with RAID configuration
Removable Hard Drive cage
One soft closing and dual hidden optical 5.25″ drive bay
Anti DRM group DefectiveByDesign will be boycotting the Microsoft Vista Launch Events in NYC over all the DRM that will be in the soon-to-be released Vista.
It is true that Vista will be packed with plenty of DRM which is especially annoying for any Media Center Edition fans due to the many restrictions involved with streaming content around their house, placeshifting and making copies of PVR recorded media and paid content, just to name a few.
But DefectiveByDesign, as Chris Lanier has correctly pointed out, are targeting the wrong people. Microsoft is mostly using DRM because it has too in order to meet regulations and allow Vista to play DRM media files.
Bill Gates has said he is not a fan of DRM, but that's not to say Microsoft doesn't have its own flaws when it comes to DRM (Zune for example). However, the targets that DefectiveByDesign should really be concentrating on are such organizations like the RIAA, the MPAA and Apple with its Fairplay, rather than boycotting a Vista Launch event.
Simply attacking a company simply because it implements DRM in its products will just cause people to lose respect for DefectiveByDesign.
NDS is the company that is majority owned by NewsCorp and previously replaced TiVo to create the DirecTV PVRs. While these PVRs have not had the best of times, NDS has today announced some very innovative IPTV products.
The first is what NDS call the "Distributed DVR" which allows users to use hard drives from anywhere on a home network instead of being restricted to a hard drive on a single PVR. This itself is brilliant and will give users a lot more freedom when it comes to storing content.
The second is ShareTV where users can share content stored on their PVRS with other subscribers over a P2P network making the world's first Peer to Peer PVR (from what I'm aware of).
It sounds like the recordings will be protected by DRM and only available to other subscribers to the IPTV service, but it does sound like you will be able to download TV shows that you haven't even recorded.
This effectively allows you to get huge libraries of videos and TV shows, which you can then store anywhere on your home network. I very much like the sound of this.
I wonder if this will end up being rolled out as a DirecTV service given the close ties NDS has with DirecTV already.
The growth of PVRs has caused a stir with TV advertising since they were first launched. First of all advertisers and broadcasters instantly took a dislike to PVRs for their ad skipping features on time shifted content.
More recently however, TV Networks have began to realize that people watching time shifted content may still watch adverts, that fast forwarded adverts may still have an effect on viewers, and that in general time shifted viewing is still valuable to the advertiser and should be accounted for.
Now TV Networks are demanding that time shifted PVR viewing be taken into consideration when making advertising deals. This causes a bit of a problem since it is currently very difficult to judge how many people are watching time shifted content, and more importantly how many people watch the ads.
Nielsen Ratings, a company which provides statistical TV ratings has something in the works that will be ready in May to address time shifted content, but until then advertisers and TV networks will find it hard to reach agreements.
It is now possible to hack your Xbox 360 so you can add a larger hard drive, but it's just a shame that your Xbox will still think it is a 20GB hard drive.
The hack is done using a DOS based program that currently only works with Western Digital BEVS hard drives.
Although you can't use the space of the larger hard drives it will allow you to save money by not buying the $100 Xbox 360 hard drive and getting a cheaper Western Digital 40GB hard drive for $60.
You can then lay in hope that Microsoft updates the Xbox 360 to look for larger hard drives or alternatively someone creates a hack to make the Xbox do it.
TiVo has provided itself with a loaded gun of cash just in case the company needs it. It has negotiated a $50 million line of credit with the CitiGroup Bank which will remain in effect for three years, until TiVo violates the agreement or chooses to end it.
This is happening not because TiVo is desperate for money, but more because they may feel a little uneasy about profitability in the near future so are giving themselves a failsafe just in case.
This has happened at the same time that TiVo has elected Jeffrey Hinson to the board of directors to help out with finances.
Davis Freeberg has had a look at all of this in more detail.
A few days ago I posted a video of the Apple TV in action and you could see the menu on the TV set, and it did look pretty good and easy to use.
Now here is another video giving you a full tour of the AppleTV interface and once again I'm impressed and didn't expect anything less from Apple.
But I just can't understand why Apple hasn't allowed you to cut out the PC entirely on this one. Getting a new video or music involves going to the PC first and then downloading the video off the net through iTunes.
Why not just let you access iTunes directly through your TV and download the videos you want from there, and then synch everything you download back onto your PC for permanent storage.
Jeffrey Hinson has been elected to join the TiVo Board of Directors and will serve on the Audit Committee, in other words he will be looking at the finances of TiVo.
Hinson has a strong background in managing the finance of big companies and has previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Univision Communications from March 2004 to June 2005.
I'm getting the impression that TiVo is a little worried about its financial position since it is not yet making a profit. Over the past 6 months TiVo has seen a gradual and consistent drop in its share price.
It is likely that the addition of Jeffrey Hinson may cause some sort of shakeup in terms of how the company aims to produce a profit, possibly resulting in changes in price plans, amount of advertising and licensing deals.
If all that TV isn't enough for you then DirecTV has launched Game Lounge, a bunch of simple but fun games to play on your TV using your DirecTV remote control. While this isn't exactly an Xbox 360 or Wii it's got a few classic games to pass the time with your family and friends.
Not all DirecTV boxes and remote controls can get Game Lounge just yet but to find out if you can just tune into channel 110 and press the blue button. You can preview any game for free with a monthly Game Pass costing $5.99 a month or get a single game pass for $1.95.
DirecTV are also talking about interactive "Plus" games which are designed to play with PVRs only and plays from your PVR's hard drive. These will apparently be coming sometime soon.
This isn't really the sort of thing I would be interested in, but anyone who likes killing time playing solitaire, suduko, puzzles and that sort of thing will probably love it. Still I'd rather play them for free on the internet.
The Miglia TVMini HD+ is the successor to the Miglia TVMini HD offering 10-bit video and stereo sound and the ability to tune into unencrypted digital cable, analog cable and over-the-air signals. As the name suggest it also supports HDTV.
The Miglia TVMini is of course designed for the Mac and connects via a USB 2.0 port. It will be shipped with the EyeTV 2 PVR software and remote control so you can expect full PVR features.
While many TV companies are attacking new technology and seeing it as a threat, CBS seems to be one company that is beginning to stand out as making the most out of new technology for promotion.
CBS recently received press coverage for signing a deal with YouTube to allow some of its content to be legally shown on YouTube. CBS was subsequently happy with the increased promotion for its shows.
Now CBS has cut a deal with TiVo to actually encourage TiVo users to record its shows. That's pretty extreme considering most TV networks cringe at the idea of having their programs recorded and the adverts skipped.
From February 6th TiVo will embed interactive tags for two weeks to encourage TiVo users to record CBS' entire new Monday-night lineup. In addition to this TiVo users can view sneak previews of new CBS comedy Rules of Engagement and crime drama Criminal Minds.
GameVideos has an excellent interview on video (see below) with the two Microsoft execs Chris Satchell and Albert Penello, talking about IPTV on the Xbox360.
The Xbox 360 IPTV service is not going to be something like getting YouTube videos on your PC but a service that is more familiar to the cable and satellite TV services that we have now.
Sarchell and Penello talk about downloadable movies, the Xbox 360's channel guide and even the use of the Xbox 360 as a PVR (gotta love that one!). Although not confirmed directly the interview hints that a larger hard drive will also be offered to cater for the PVR functionality.
James Kim was a senior editor at CNET and recently passed away when he got lost with his family in the Oregan wilderness after taking a number of wrong turns.
The tragic loss has sparked a lot of media interest and Dave Zatz and Stephen Mack are offering a unique TiVo Toaster to entice donations to the Memorial Fund. For every $10 you send via PayPal (to davezatz@yahoo.com) through 1/31/07, you will get one entry in a raffle for the unique TiVo Toaster.
Dave Zatz will send a check to the memorial fund for the total amount sent and will also be generously donating his website's Google Adsense income for the month of December.
We've all got pretty used to using a PVR to time shift, fast forward and rewind TV but we've never really done it with radio. We've seen PVR radio functionality on PCs but the place where we really love to listen to radio is in our cars.
Now the European Space Agency (ESA) will be bringing PVR functionality to in-car radios. It will store recorded audio most likely on a solid state flash memory which can withstand the bumpy rides in your car, like when you might accidentally run over Celine Dion for example.
The ESA will be using a new satellite radio system that will require little changes to your car in order to receive it, while also allowing for PVR functionality. The satellite radio system will differ from existing satellite systems in that it will be a lot cheaper.
But would anyone actually use it? I'm not sure I would, especially in the days of podcasts.
For many people a TiVo box has pride of place in the living room, but I don't think it crossed many peoples minds to stick a TiVo in the bathroom.
RotoRooter is giving you the chance to turn your toilet into a luxury lazy man throne making it more of an entertainment center than the average household's living room.
Included in the Entertainment Toilet Center setup is an Xbox 360, flat screen TV, laptop, a baseline resistive pedal exerciser, beer fridge with beer tap, iPod dock with toilet roll holder, DVD Player, a Series 2 TiVo, and a comfortable toilet seat.
With all that in there you thought they would have included a Series 3 TiVo and not a Series 2!
Anti DRM group DefectiveByDesign will be boycotting the Microsoft Vista Launch Events in NYC over all the DRM that will be in the soon-to-be released Vista. 
NDS is the company that is majority owned by NewsCorp and previously replaced TiVo to create the DirecTV PVRs. While these PVRs have not had the best of times, NDS has today announced some very innovative IPTV products.
The growth of PVRs has caused a stir with TV advertising since they were first launched. First of all advertisers and broadcasters instantly took a dislike to PVRs for their ad skipping features on time shifted content.
It is now possible to 
Jeffrey Hinson has been elected to join the TiVo Board of Directors and will serve on the Audit Committee, in other words he will be looking at the finances of TiVo.
GameVideos
Dave Zatz
We've all got pretty used to using a PVR to time shift, fast forward and rewind TV but we've never really done it with radio. We've seen PVR radio functionality on PCs but the place where we really love to listen to radio is in our cars.
