http://hd.engadget.com/2007/11/14/moneuals-972-home-media-server-hearts-blu-ray/ Engadget HD Comments for Moneual's 972 Home Media Server hearts Blu-ray http://hd.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://hd.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://hd.engadget.com/2007/11/14/moneuals-972-home-media-server-hearts-blu-ray/http://hd.engadget.com/2007/11/14/moneuals-972-home-media-server-hearts-blu-ray/Nov 14th 2007 9:46AMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2007/11/14/moneuals-972-home-media-server-hearts-blu-ray/http://hd.engadget.com/2007/11/14/moneuals-972-home-media-server-hearts-blu-ray/http://niveusmedia.com/products/mediacenters.htm
They claim to provide TrueHD bitstream via HDMI.

Can anyone confirm it?
http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2007/10/08/powerdvd_ultra_audio_downsampling_explained/1
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...and started the whole talkback off with a childish diatribe of your own

Well done, very grown up]]>Nov 14th 2007 11:53AMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2007/11/14/moneuals-972-home-media-server-hearts-blu-ray/http://hd.engadget.com/2007/11/14/moneuals-972-home-media-server-hearts-blu-ray/
Not trolling here -- I'm genuinely curious. Is there any real benefit to this kind of unit over an HTPC that you can build yourself, or is this more for convenience (since you don't have to build it yourself) and a couple of bell and whistles, like the touchscreen?]]>Nov 14th 2007 2:46PMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2007/11/14/moneuals-972-home-media-server-hearts-blu-ray/http://hd.engadget.com/2007/11/14/moneuals-972-home-media-server-hearts-blu-ray/This isn't the place to come for grown up talk. This is the place to watch HD-DVD supporters congratulate themselves and give each other high fives.]]>Nov 14th 2007 2:50PMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2007/11/14/moneuals-972-home-media-server-hearts-blu-ray/http://hd.engadget.com/2007/11/14/moneuals-972-home-media-server-hearts-blu-ray/Nov 14th 2007 3:56PMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2007/11/14/moneuals-972-home-media-server-hearts-blu-ray/http://hd.engadget.com/2007/11/14/moneuals-972-home-media-server-hearts-blu-ray/Nov 14th 2007 3:07PMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2007/11/14/moneuals-972-home-media-server-hearts-blu-ray/http://hd.engadget.com/2007/11/14/moneuals-972-home-media-server-hearts-blu-ray/
I forgot about Managed Copy. That was one of the talking points that HD-DVD put in the spec early on that had me on their side. I think it got included in the BD spec at some point.

If HD-DVD,or BD, for that matter wanted to be truly consumer friendly managed copy would be implemented.

For those who don't know what it is Managed copy is a way of copying a movie to a hard drive or other device with a certain DRM placed in the file. This is good for both the content producers and consumers. For the consumer it allows you to make a limited number of copies of a disk or what ever use you want. For the content producers it keeps the content protected from unlimited copying. This would allow them to turn companies like foxsoft inside out legally since they now provide a way for fair usage.

This is one of the original reasons that the Ethernet port was required for all HD-DVD devices, so the managed copy could be verified.

]]>Nov 14th 2007 4:01PMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2007/11/14/moneuals-972-home-media-server-hearts-blu-ray/http://hd.engadget.com/2007/11/14/moneuals-972-home-media-server-hearts-blu-ray/
"Is there any real benefit to this kind of unit over an HTPC that you can build yourself"

IMHO Only if they can provide HD audio which supposedly no HTPC does so far. Otherwise I'd just buy an HP Pavilion Slimline s3200t. $900 - $1000 (sans monitor) you get a PC that plays both BD and HD DVD.]]>Nov 14th 2007 4:15PMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2007/11/14/moneuals-972-home-media-server-hearts-blu-ray/http://hd.engadget.com/2007/11/14/moneuals-972-home-media-server-hearts-blu-ray/
That's not to say that the Moneual 972 doesn't have a place or a market. If someone wants to buy it, hey, more power to them. (Let's face facts -- we've ALL purchased something like this even though there were cheaper alternatives.) But without more detailed specs or pricing it's not a fair comparison.

Still ... thanks for the PC suggestion. I'm going to have to look into that some more because my new 47" LCD TV has a PC input in the back.]]>Nov 14th 2007 4:39PMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2007/11/14/moneuals-972-home-media-server-hearts-blu-ray/http://hd.engadget.com/2007/11/14/moneuals-972-home-media-server-hearts-blu-ray/
So, to those that would like to build one yourself... You can buy the case from them and do it.

http://www.monshopper.com/shop/moncaso-932b-p-62.html

I just think I'd want more memory for the price and I'm curious about how quiet those fans are in a listening/viewing area. For these reasons, I might look closer at NiveusMedia with thier heat pipe and passive cooling technologies. ]]>Nov 14th 2007 10:42PM