Tag Archives: Family

How To Use Your Wii As A Media Center

Posted by Steven Swafford on July 17, 2010

Many people are turning to streaming media and sharing photos over the internet and if you own a Nintendo Wii or a XBox 360 with very little effort you can be streaming your media both within your home and anywhere else that you have access to the internet.

Amazon Image To get started go to Orb and download the client software. Installation is straight forward and during the installation process you will be prompted to create your account. Once the software has been installed on your computer, you can access Orb’s configuration via the system tray. From here you  can make all the necessary changes to best suit your needs. Now fire up your Wii, and go to the Internet Channel. Browse to MyCast and login. You will see your personal MyCast page where you can select from photos, audio, or video. Select the category and then choose the desired file. The image, song, or video will then start playing. If you encounter any problems on your Wii make sure you’ve either installed or updated the Opera-based Wii browser so you’ve got the latest available web browser on your Wii. So unless you’ve got the latest Opera browser on your Wii, head to the Wii Shop channel, find, and download the browser.

You can also access your MyCast page from other computers, and your smartphone. The Orb Live app is available in the iTunes App Store or the Android App Market for $9.99. The iPhone and iPad apps are optimized for those devices, and the Android app is designed specifically for Android smartphones. Both give you a more intuitive browsing experience while you search the shared folders and media on your home computer. Alternatively, you can use the browser login and view your media over the Web from almost any Web-enabled device. While I cannot speak to the experience on an iPhone, I can say that on my Android device works well over Wi-Fi.

Another option is PlayOn and in the event you missed my article titled Fire You Cable Provider And Save Your Money With PlayOn then you may want to give it a read as well.

Fire Your Cable Provider And Save Your Money With PlayOn

Posted by Steven Swafford on June 7, 2010

If you’re looking for a way to cut the cord from your cable television provider and you have a broadband internet connection then keep reading. In the past I have tried a number of ways to get steaming media from Hulu, ABC, CBS, and other web based solutions on my main television sets and while I was successful it just did not work out in the long run for me.

I continued to try to figure out how best to stream my favorite shows to the living and bedrooms without having to purchase additional hardware or run cables across the house I stumbled upon a product called PlayOn that works extremely well. First let me state that my teenager has a Wii console and to my amazement PlayOn supports this console as well as a number of other devices to include PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Moxi HD DVR , and the NetGear EVA2000. Since I have a Wii, I thought it would be worth the time to try PlayOn and determine just how well it works.

The first step is to download PlayOn and install the software on your primary computer should you have more than one. It is important to note that the software is free with a 14-day trial. Take advantage of the trial to determine if you measures up to you expectations before considering purchase. At the time of this article the premium cost is $39.99 for the first year and $19.99 each year thereafter. I know what you may be thinking; didn’t you just say fire the cable provider and save money? I did and you will save a great deal of money depending upon the cost of the service you have now. For example, if you’re paying $35.00 a month for basic cable then that comes to an annual cost of $420.00 whereas Playon is an initial cost of $39.99 therefore putting a total of $400.00 annually back into your pocket.

If you’re curious about what content you can access via PlayOn then you may be pleasantly surprised to learn that NetFlix, Hulu, Amazon, Major League Baseball, National Hockey League, Pandora, CBS, Comedy Central, ESPN, and CNN are all available at this time. In my case pretty much any of my favorite shows are available with one or more of these entertainment mediums. There is even a social networking option with Playon that you can enable updates to be sent to Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace that automatically updates your status to let your contacts know what shows you’re watching. This may be appealing to some, however I am not sure that I want the entire world know I just spent an entire Saturday afternoon watching 24 especially if you should be doing work around the home.

I can tell you from my experience that the process of installing PlayOn and then following the directions to access Playon via the Wii was extremely simple and within 30 minutes I was watching 24 sitting on my couch on my HDTV via Hulu. I strongly recommend this product to determine if it works in your situation. I am still in my trial period therefore I still need to put this to the test before I fire my cable provider. He is hoping all goes well and maybe I can put $400.00 a year back into my own pocket or better yet purchase a nice gift for my wife.

If you currently a consumer of PlayOn or have been in the past, please share your first hand experiences with others by leaving a comment. It has always been my experience that the best and honest feedback comes from those who have traveled the road before you.

The progression of operating systems

Posted by Steven Swafford on July 22, 2009

Operating SystemsChoice is Good

When it comes to operating systems we all have a voice in what we all prefer and the future is no different with both the old timers such as Windows, Linux, Apple and the new kids on the block such as Google’s OS and gOS. Each of these operating systems are unique to the individual user dependent upon application. For example, I primarily perform software development with the Microsoft .NET framework therefore the logical choice for me is Windows. Now depending upon who you talk to there is always a heated discussion when is comes to operating systems and I have to say on this subject is use what works best for you.

Windows History and Future

Windows 7 is set to be released on 22 October of this year and if you have not pre-ordered you copy then you will have to pay full price once it hits the streets. I have used the beta for some time and I for one feel Windows 7 is a much welcomed addition to the Windows family, particularly to replace the Vista operating system that I have running on my desktop.

For those in the IT field, particularly system administrators and corporations, Windows 7 will also bring to the table a decision that will most likely have to be made sooner rather than later. As many of you are aware Vista has a number of problems that drove many corporations not to make the move to Vista rather the decision to continue use of Windows XP remained in place. If you know your history XP was released back in 2001 and it long overdue for the next generation operating system from Microsoft. Mainstream support for XP expired on 14 April 2009 with extended support ending on 8 April 2014 (via: Microsoft). What does all of this mean? It is simple, Microsoft no longer is obligated to kick out to the public any further service packs. I would think that Microsoft would continue to release security hot fixes but that is just my opinion and they may or may not. I realize corporations do not generally make the jump to a new operating system quickly but for those who are developing under the Microsoft family of products the .NET 4.0 framework brings to the table an entirely new game.

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade

Microsoft Windows 7 Professional Upgrade

Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate Upgrade

Google Chrome OS

Google seems to chasing the cloud and from what I have been reading Google views the Web for the platform that will host your all your application needs. I am all for advances in technology however I for one would have to have more detailed information on the “cloud” in the sky before I would be comfortable with jumping on board with this technology. Call me paranoid! Could this operating system work for corporations? That is a question to be answered by each individual corporation due to needs and legacy application support and use. I have heard that booting into a Google based operating system would be much faster than many other operating systems we may have all used. This way when you get to your office you can forget about grabbing a cup of coffee while your computer is booting. Rather you can get into you work quicker and get me done. Yippie!

Summary

I think of an operating system much like a vehicle. Give them a test drive them and pick the one that best works for you.