HD DVD early adopters compensated with $50 Best Buy gift card.

What to do with a headless Vista PC? Now that the LCD’s been relocated, the desktop computer needs a new home. In two weeks, I’m visiting my great uncle who’s possibly in need of an updated system. There’s always ebay. Or maybe I need to keep this HP around for random experiments like running Mythbuntu, etc. For starters, I temporarily banished my Xbox 360 and TiVo HD into the closet to give a few Windows-based DVR software packages a whirl on the 42″ plasma. However, to overcome the insufficient integrated graphics, I swung by Micro Center and picked up a Visiontek Radeon 3450 fanless video card with HDMI output ($50AR). Though I got a decent amount of exercise configuring the new card and Vista Media Center, I wasn’t pleased blowing over an hour getting HDMI audio to work. A good reminder why I originally moved away from dedicated HTPCs. At the moment, I’m using OTA ATSC. But if I fully commit to a HTPC in the living room, I’ll probably utilize clear QAM for a cleaner look and more channels.

If you follow the DVR market, you likely remember Digeo’s spectacular failure-to-launch earlier this year. After hyping a line of retail DVR products through the Consumer Electronics Show, the company suddenly pulled the launch and cut half its staff in mid-January. We got word that Digeo would continue to focus on one retail DVR product with details to be announced later in the year, but in general the news was pretty bad.

Now, Jeff Baumgartner has made the savvy discovery that at least in the cable world, Digeo is still on track with new hardware. CableLabs leaked the news in a press announcement about products that will be on display at the Cable Show next month. Digeo’s new product, the Moxi HD DVR 3012, will include CableCARD support (a first, I believe), dual tuning, a larger hard drive, and the lawsuit-free-thanks-to-a-Gemstar-licensing-deal Moxi interface.

Still no word on a retail Digeo box. Maybe next CES?

Full Disclosure: I work with Motorola, which is both a technology partner and sometime-competitor of Digeo’s.

An Apple TV update (v2.0.2) was made available last week. Though, I wouldn’t have known about it without reading Sean Alexander’s blog. Since moving about a month ago, I haven’t bothered unpacking Ben’s unit. Other than the video podcasts, I don’t have a whole lot of love for this device. Speaking of which, we’re going to get going on the Battle Royale shortly - as a series of topical posts, rather than some massive essay.

Back to the ATV loaner… Periodically, in trying to use it, my HDTV has displayed an Apple logo without responding to remote control input - requiring a reboot to restore functionality. I had assumed the hard drive might be on the fritz after a jarring FedEx journey. But Sean has also been experiencing this issue and forum chatter indicates it may be related to a faulty HDMI handshake. Perhaps v2.0.2 resolves this. And if I ever hook the ATV up again, I’ll let you know.

I’m still going through my gear and getting organized at the new place… It’s been a good opportunity to rethink how (and where) I use technology. And I feel pretty certain my desktop CPU form factor computing days are behind me. While I’ve got a Vista tower, it just doesn’t see much use. And I don’t anticipate that changing. So, I wanted to repurpose a pretty nice 19″ Samsung LCD. Parts Express (via Amazon) offers an inexpensive wall mount ($34 shipped) which I hung above my treadmill earlier today as a “walking desk” upgrade. After picking up longer screws for the mount<->LCD attachment, the install process was painless: Use stud finder (ignore included drywall anchors), pre-dill, drive screws into wall and into LCD. I may get some plastic tubing for the cables or perhaps just use another twist-tie to tidy up a bit. (I don’t think it’s worth running the cables through the wall in this location, especially since the DVI cable needs to come back up.) I purchased the shelf from Home Depot last year and the loaner AblePlanet Clear Harmony headphones do a nice job of reducing treadmill motor noise.

Since I’m notoriously slow writing up reviews, I’m harnessing the power of my still unreviewed yet highly relied upon Eye-Fi with the quirky but efficient WordPress 2.5 image gallery functionality to at least get some photos up of my latest goody…

I’ve been contemplating replacing one of my TiVo units with an HTPC. And I’m not very familiar with the EyeTV DVR software package, so Ben put me in touch with Elgato to learn more. I had planned to test the software using my Pinnacle USB HD stick, though they suggested pairing the app with their most current tuner. The primary drawback in using the Mac platform to power a HTPC is being locked out of Microsoft’s protection scheme — which would hurt most in giving up Netflix Watch Now. (Until they offer a cross-platform Silverlight client?) I suppose I could always console myself with Hulu. But I’ll have a better idea what I want to do after I get EyeTV installed and running on my MacBook Pro for a few weeks.

Below is, in my opinion, a list of the best video game podcasts ordered by preference. I have listened to, and abandoned, many video game-related podcasts. Those listed below have survived the culling and, with one exception, are recommended without hesitation.

1. The 1Up Yours Podcast:

This is my favourite video game podcast. It ‘airs’ Friday evenings. Despite 1Up Yours seemingly continuous personality turnover (Luke Smith - now with the Bungie podcast; Bryan Intihar -now with Insomniac Games; Dan ‘Shoe’ Hsu - now on permanent vacation), Host Garnett Lee, with Shane Bettenhausen, John Davison and a revolving set of guests consistently provide an entertaining and informative podcast week-in and week-out. My only criticism of the show is that it is often too long and the interesting content is usually held back to the the end. Otherwise, its the best video game podcast.

2. Game Theory Podcast :

The Game Theory podcast (formerly the Next-Gen.biz podcast) is also a terrific weekly video game podcast. While 1Up Yours is strong in games coverage, the Game Theory podcast’s strength lies with its strong industry coverage. Gary Whitta & Colin Campbell are veteran video game industry reporters who put on an engaging and enlightening podcast. And, there’s something about their British accents that seems to elevate it. I highly recommend this podcast.

3. The 1Up Show (video) Podcast:

The 1Up Show is my favourite video podcast - period. It provides a comprehensive set of visual video game previews and reviews. They also feature interviews with industry luminaries and provide trade show coverage. If you want to watch a video game being played before purchase, this is the best place to do it. As a 1Up network/Ziff Davis podcast, it shares a similar set of hosts and guests with the 1Up Yours and the EGM Live podcasts. I will soon be testing TiVo’s Desktop v. 2.6 and its new support for video podcasts. This will be the first video podcast I attempt to get working with my TiVo - I like it that much.

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It wasn’t a good idea in 1999 when we buried Circuit City-backed Digital Video Express (Divx). It wasn’t a good idea in 2006 when MovieKlub failed to launch. And it’s not a good idea now:

DVD-D Germany Ltd’s ‘Einmal’ (German for ‘once’) - discs incorporate a self-destruct chemical coating to render them unreadable after a pre-set time. The process begins as soon as the discs are removed from vacuum-sealed packaging. After 48 hours (or longer, depending on the price) [...]

In an era of DVD kiosks and expanding cable/sat VOD options plus evolving Internet download and web streaming options (at least in the US…), I just don’t see a market for this “technology.” (via CrunchGear)