Mashed Articles

It’s high time you moved your PC into the 21st Century by making it television-capable.

Let’s face it: most of us are missing a trick. Who here ignores traditional broadcast schedules, opting instead to catch up on TV shows via BBC iPlayer, ITV Player or 4oD? How many of us have downloaded a digital boxset from iTunes or spent hours slumped in front of the computer monitor browsing funny videos and clips on YouTube?

The way that we watch TV has changed – so why shouldn’t the way we access TV change along with it? Why watch web-delivered content on your widescreen laptop? You could be enjoying it on that lovely big TV in your sitting room.

If the thought of reclining in your chair and flicking with ease between live Freeview channels, a film on your hard drive and that program you’ve been meaning to catch up on with iPlayer doesn’t entice you, maybe the thought of your wallet will. When you buy a TV, you want to get a good few years use out of it before upgrading again. But entertainment technology is advancing quickly, and that large flatscreen you purchased a couple of years ago is already looking a bit old-
fashioned because it’s not HD. If you want an HDTV, you’ll need to buy a whole new television. What happens when 3D models go mainstream? You’ll have to upgrade again. And let’s not forget the digital switchover, which is happening at the moment. If your set is incapable of receiving digital signals, you’ll have to upgrade, or at the very least buy a set-top box or two. Either way, your wallet suffers. But if you make a PC the centre of your home entertainment system, you can embrace new standards through software simply by upgrading a single component – which is far less expensive than replacing your whole set every time a new technology comes along.

You’re probably wondering where the catch is. If TV PCs are so wonderful, why doesn’t everyone have one? The answer is that PCs and the living room have had an awkward relationship over the years because of one thing: noise. But no more: new advancements in technology have produced quiet machines that still have the grunt needed to handle HD video streaming and more. If you’re not sure which components your ideal machine needs – or if you’re eager to build one to your own exacting standards – then you’re in luck. We’ve compiled a list of the best software that will bring it your PC to life. Trust us: you’re not going to look back.

Media Center

Windows 7 Media Center is one of the most polished 10-foot interfaces around, but in general the software has been slow to evolve. Ignoring the addition of native H.264 support in Windows 7, other improvements to the system have been mostly cosmetic: turbo scroll, faded menu overlays, a new album art display and a handy desktop gadget. Media Center could easily feel old-fashioned and behind the times, then, if it weren’t for the army of bedroom coders constantly beavering away to produce plug-
ins that enhance the core features. Thanks to them, Media Center even has its own unofficial app store.

Another reason that many people still don’t take advantage of Media Center – despite the fact that it’s pre-installed on most XP, Vista and Windows 7 PCs – is that the software is at its best when you have a TV tuner and you’re using it as a fully fledged DVR. The app is hardly anyone’s first choice for general video playback (that’s usually Windows Media Player) or streaming video (most people prefer direct web browser access), so it gets forgotten about. Media Center has always done a great job of cataloguing the photos, music and video on your hard drive, and this could be handy for TV PC users – but its internet TV integration has been lightweight at best. Where Vista’s version had a poorly populated Online Media section, Windows 7’s Media Center just adds an Internet TV option supporting WMV, Silverlight and Flash video. US users have access to a range of internet TV streams from the likes of CBS, Zune, MSNBC and MSN; but UK users aren’t so well served on this front.

Touch makes Media Center more compelling, but don’t expect it on your TV PC

It’s not all bad news, though: you can watch iPlayer and even iTunes content in Media Center. Sky Player is also available as a plug-in, offering access to various Sky channels for subscribers, including Sky Movies and Sky Sports.

The suitability question

To do away with the hassle of having to navigate around your PC desktop before watching TV , you can get your system to boot directly into Media Center on startup. In Windows 7, select ‘Startup and Windows Behaviour’ on Media Center’s Settings menu. Simply check the box next to the ‘Start Windows Media Center when Windows starts’ option. Easy.

Of course, you could argue that Media Center is a little bloated for a system like this one – and the cost of a Windows 7 licence will add an extra £150. That’s a lot to pay, especially when you won’t even be using the bulk of the OS on a day-to-day basis. It’s worth considering lighter-weight alternatives such as Boxee or XBMC; these might be better suited to an Ion-based system.

Media Center Alternatives

Microsoft’s Media Center faces stiff competition these days thanks to freebie software like MythTV, Mediaportal, Boxee and XBMC. MythTV has been knocking around since 2002, and the software provides some good DVR support if you’re building a PC for heavy-duty TV recording. Numerous add-on modules can add photo browsing, RSS feeds, Netflix integration and Slingbox-style placeshifting. Mediaportal is unashamedly Media Center-esque, but it has a limited appeal for TV PCs since it only runs on Windows.

XBMC is otherwise known as Xbox Media Center. What started out as a clever hack for Microsoft’s games console has now evolved into an “open-source (GPL) software media player and entertainment hub for digital media”. There are versions for Linux, OS X and Windows. Using www.xbmc.org’s own guide, you can easily specify a minimal Ubuntu install before you add the software. XBMC can handle a huge array of video files, and playback can be accelerated using the Ion hardware. Usefully, XBMC can either launch a compatible player or function with a VDPAU (Video Decode and Presentation API for Unix) modification to the software. It’s all there in the XBMC wiki.

Out of the Boxee

Another Media Center alternative is Boxee. This freeware media centre solution was born out of the XBMC code base, and it brings a social-networking edge to things. Boxee does everything you expect – it catalogues photos, music and video on your PC’s hard disk and makes them accessible via a sofa-
friendly UI. If you’ve titled DVD rips correctly, Boxee will pull in the background blurb from IMDB.

Boxee apps take things a step further, plugging you directly into third-party video-streaming services including Netflix, YouTube, BBC iPlayer, Last.fm, Flickr, Digg and CNN. Log into your account on the Boxee websiteand you can seek out people you know that are also using the software. Adding a friend to your list will show you what they’ve been watching or what they recommend.

Boxee offers plug-ins for all of the best video, music and photo-streaming services

Boxee is an ideal choice for an Ion-based TV PC, especially as the integrated media player supports hardware-assisted video decoding. Need a cutting-edge remote control to go with it? Type Boxee into the iTunes Store and you’ll find a Boxee Remote app that lets you control your Boxee-powered TV PC with an iPhone or iPod Touch. And if you don’t want a PC at all? At this year’s CES, D-Link announced the first Boxee Box, a dedicated hardware solution that runs the software silently.

Stream Your Video Elsewhere

Having a TV PC connected to your beautiful plasma TV is one thing; being able to watch it every time you want to is another. So what can you do when your partner wants to watch Glee or the kids are pestering you to switch over to Dora The Explorer? No, not go ahead and watch what you want anyway: instead, simply stream your videos to a more portable device. Yes, we know the whole point of a TV PC is to take away the pain of slumping in a hard chair – but it’s handy to be able to stream to a laptop should somebody else fancy watching something too. After all, not everything you watch needs to be viewed on a massive Full HD TV – and you can always take your laptop to bed for some comfort.

So consider the return of the portable TV. Not in the form of the 14in mini-telly of old, but in the shape of laptops, netbooks and Wi-Fi Internet tablets that you can cuddle up with on the sofa. For example, grab yourself an iPhone, iPod Touch or Apple iPad (when available) and, using the Air Video software from the App Store, you can stream videos stored on your TV PC to it. Family harmony maintained; entertainment still on tap.

It’s high time you moved your PC into the 21st Century by making it television-capable.

Let’s face it: most of us are missing a trick. Who here ignores traditional broadcast schedules, opting instead to catch up on TV shows via BBC iPlayer, ITV Player or 4oD? How many of us have downloaded a digital boxset from iTunes or spent hours slumped in front of the computer monitor browsing funny videos and clips on YouTube?

The way that we watch TV has changed – so why shouldn’t the way we access TV change along with it? Why watch web-delivered content on your widescreen laptop? You could be enjoying it on that lovely big TV in your sitting room.

If the thought of reclining in your chair and flicking with ease between live Freeview channels, a film on your hard drive and that program you’ve been meaning to catch up on with iPlayer doesn’t entice you, maybe the thought of your wallet will. When you buy a TV, you want to get a good few years use out of it before upgrading again. But entertainment technology is advancing quickly, and that large flatscreen you purchased a couple of years ago is already looking a bit old-
fashioned because it’s not HD. If you want an HDTV, you’ll need to buy a whole new television. What happens when 3D models go mainstream? You’ll have to upgrade again. And let’s not forget the digital switchover, which is happening at the moment. If your set is incapable of receiving digital signals, you’ll have to upgrade, or at the very least buy a set-top box or two. Either way, your wallet suffers. But if you make a PC the centre of your home entertainment system, you can embrace new standards through software simply by upgrading a single component – which is far less expensive than replacing your whole set every time a new technology comes along.

You’re probably wondering where the catch is. If TV PCs are so wonderful, why doesn’t everyone have one? The answer is that PCs and the living room have had an awkward relationship over the years because of one thing: noise. But no more: new advancements in technology have produced quiet machines that still have the grunt needed to handle HD video streaming and more. If you’re not sure which components your ideal machine needs – or if you’re eager to build one to your own exacting standards – then you’re in luck. We’ve compiled a list of the best software that will bring it your PC to life. Trust us: you’re not going to look back.

Media Center

Windows 7 Media Center is one of the most polished 10-foot interfaces around, but in general the software has been slow to evolve. Ignoring the addition of native H.264 support in Windows 7, other improvements to the system have been mostly cosmetic: turbo scroll, faded menu overlays, a new album art display and a handy desktop gadget. Media Center could easily feel old-fashioned and behind the times, then, if it weren’t for the army of bedroom coders constantly beavering away to produce plug-
ins that enhance the core features. Thanks to them, Media Center even has its own unofficial app store.

Another reason that many people still don’t take advantage of Media Center – despite the fact that it’s pre-installed on most XP, Vista and Windows 7 PCs – is that the software is at its best when you have a TV tuner and you’re using it as a fully fledged DVR. The app is hardly anyone’s first choice for general video playback (that’s usually Windows Media Player) or streaming video (most people prefer direct web browser access), so it gets forgotten about. Media Center has always done a great job of cataloguing the photos, music and video on your hard drive, and this could be handy for TV PC users – but its internet TV integration has been lightweight at best. Where Vista’s version had a poorly populated Online Media section, Windows 7’s Media Center just adds an Internet TV option supporting WMV, Silverlight and Flash video. US users have access to a range of internet TV streams from the likes of CBS, Zune, MSNBC and MSN; but UK users aren’t so well served on this front.

Touch makes Media Center more compelling, but don’t expect it on your TV PC

It’s not all bad news, though: you can watch iPlayer and even iTunes content in Media Center. Sky Player is also available as a plug-in, offering access to various Sky channels for subscribers, including Sky Movies and Sky Sports.

The suitability question

To do away with the hassle of having to navigate around your PC desktop before watching TV , you can get your system to boot directly into Media Center on startup. In Windows 7, select ‘Startup and Windows Behaviour’ on Media Center’s Settings menu. Simply check the box next to the ‘Start Windows Media Center when Windows starts’ option. Easy.

Of course, you could argue that Media Center is a little bloated for a system like this one – and the cost of a Windows 7 licence will add an extra £150. That’s a lot to pay, especially when you won’t even be using the bulk of the OS on a day-to-day basis. It’s worth considering lighter-weight alternatives such as Boxee or XBMC; these might be better suited to an Ion-based system.

Media Center Alternatives

Microsoft’s Media Center faces stiff competition these days thanks to freebie software like MythTV, Mediaportal, Boxee and XBMC. MythTV has been knocking around since 2002, and the software provides some good DVR support if you’re building a PC for heavy-duty TV recording. Numerous add-on modules can add photo browsing, RSS feeds, Netflix integration and Slingbox-style placeshifting. Mediaportal is unashamedly Media Center-esque, but it has a limited appeal for TV PCs since it only runs on Windows.

XBMC is otherwise known as Xbox Media Center. What started out as a clever hack for Microsoft’s games console has now evolved into an “open-source (GPL) software media player and entertainment hub for digital media”. There are versions for Linux, OS X and Windows. Using www.xbmc.org’s own guide, you can easily specify a minimal Ubuntu install before you add the software. XBMC can handle a huge array of video files, and playback can be accelerated using the Ion hardware. Usefully, XBMC can either launch a compatible player or function with a VDPAU (Video Decode and Presentation API for Unix) modification to the software. It’s all there in the XBMC wiki.

Out of the Boxee

Another Media Center alternative is Boxee. This freeware media centre solution was born out of the XBMC code base, and it brings a social-networking edge to things. Boxee does everything you expect – it catalogues photos, music and video on your PC’s hard disk and makes them accessible via a sofa-
friendly UI. If you’ve titled DVD rips correctly, Boxee will pull in the background blurb from IMDB.

Boxee apps take things a step further, plugging you directly into third-party video-streaming services including Netflix, YouTube, BBC iPlayer, Last.fm, Flickr, Digg and CNN. Log into your account on the Boxee websiteand you can seek out people you know that are also using the software. Adding a friend to your list will show you what they’ve been watching or what they recommend.

Boxee offers plug-ins for all of the best video, music and photo-streaming services

Boxee is an ideal choice for an Ion-based TV PC, especially as the integrated media player supports hardware-assisted video decoding. Need a cutting-edge remote control to go with it? Type Boxee into the iTunes Store and you’ll find a Boxee Remote app that lets you control your Boxee-powered TV PC with an iPhone or iPod Touch. And if you don’t want a PC at all? At this year’s CES, D-Link announced the first Boxee Box, a dedicated hardware solution that runs the software silently.

Stream Your Video Elsewhere

Having a TV PC connected to your beautiful plasma TV is one thing; being able to watch it every time you want to is another. So what can you do when your partner wants to watch Glee or the kids are pestering you to switch over to Dora The Explorer? No, not go ahead and watch what you want anyway: instead, simply stream your videos to a more portable device. Yes, we know the whole point of a TV PC is to take away the pain of slumping in a hard chair – but it’s handy to be able to stream to a laptop should somebody else fancy watching something too. After all, not everything you watch needs to be viewed on a massive Full HD TV – and you can always take your laptop to bed for some comfort.

So consider the return of the portable TV. Not in the form of the 14in mini-telly of old, but in the shape of laptops, netbooks and Wi-Fi Internet tablets that you can cuddle up with on the sofa. For example, grab yourself an iPhone, iPod Touch or Apple iPad (when available) and, using the Air Video software from the App Store, you can stream videos stored on your TV PC to it. Family harmony maintained; entertainment still on tap.

HTML 5 is a Flash killer. Hmmmmm. Say it over in your head a few times. Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? In fact, if I wrote a blog post with such a snappy, eye-catching title as that, it might even get a few Diggs. Heck, it might even make the front-flipping-page! (Front page of the Programming section, maybe – let’s not go nuts.) Unfortunately, there’s a little problem with my initial statement.

OK – I admit it – it’s a big problem. It’s the kind of hulking problem that, if it asked to borrow a quid from you, would end up with your wallet, any loose change in your pockets and the keys to your car. And that problem? Well, you may have guessed by now, but the whole premise that HTML 5 will kill Flash is utter bunkum. Unfortunately, that hasn’t stopped the idea gaining some serious traction in recent months – among people and groups that should really know better.

A few days ago I was listening to one of my favourite technology podcasts, This Week in Tech. (For those of you who aren’t familiar with the show, as the name suggests, it’s an insightful look at the biggest tech stories of the week.) But, in that most august of podcasts, I heard the ‘HTML 5 is a Flash killer’ argument put forward by a guest on the show – with not one dissenting voice to be heard. Not one. I’ve also seen it pop up on various web design forums, and it’s even made its way onto my Twitter feed on more than one occasion (I’m @danoliver if you’re interested, and aren’t offended by the kind of language that would make a miner blush).

There are a number of reasons why so many people believe HTML 5 will be the technology that finally consigns Flash to the recycle bin. Firstly – and it has nothing to do with the merits of HTML 5 – there’s a deep-seated loathing of Flash, primarily brought about by a decade of annoying intro sequences on websites. The case for the prosecution: Flash intros, in the main, are a complete waste of time and bandwidth, and should, in any self-respecting society, result in the public flogging of anyone who considers introducing them to a site. You’ll get no argument from me on that front.

Next up, and this is where I start to seriously waiver, some maintain that there’s never a need to use Flash and that you can achieve the requirements of a Flash project in other ways – in this instance using HTML 5. This just isn’t true. ActionScript 3 can do things that have had web developers scratching their heads for years, and even Google has had to fall back on Flash programming because there’s simply no other way to successfully achieve certain functions within their web apps, such as elegantly attaching files in Gmail (thanks to Olivier Gambier over at Zoomorama for that one). HTML 5 is no ActionScript 3, and was never intended to be.

And then there’s video. In the past few years a number of huge websites – including YouTube – have used Flash to deliver video online. Why? Well, the Flash Player is – according to Adobe – on 99 per cent of connected PCs, and authoring video content and components using Flash is a piece of cake. “But wait!” I hear you cry. “HTML 5 has a video codec, right? And this could replace Flash as the primary way of delivering video content – with no plug-in needed at all. Yeah, baby! Go HTML 5!”

Unfortunately, the key word there is ‘could’. As things stand, the HTML 5 element has no default codec and, despite some support from browsers such as Firefox and Chrome, Internet Explorer still won’t play ball and isn’t likely to while Microsoft’s Silverlight plug-in is still pushing for penetration as a Flash Player alternative. What you’re left with is the following: an HTML 5 working group, lacking consensus and pushing an element that won’t be adopted by all browsers any time soon; versus a proprietary plug-in, with a passionate developer community, which is used by millions. I know where my money’s going in the short term.

I’m not a Flash fanboy, far from it, but I hope we can put an end to talk of HTML 5 killing Flash. Despite the fact that most people agree the internet would be a better place without plug-ins, while browsers continue to support different standards, and the people pushing said standards are unable to come to a consensus, then a plug-in is often the only way to achieve a uniform user experience across multiple browsers. Some of the internet’s most successful websites and apps simply wouldn’t exist without a little help from Flash and for this reason we should at least give this oft-maligned plug-in some credit. And please, please stop these misinformed proclamations of its imminent demise.