As soon as we heard the official word that Linksys had discontinued the DMA2100 and DMA2200 Extenders for Media Center, we though to ourselves, there goes any hope of a firmware update. But just to be sure we sent a quick email to see if there was any chance H.264 support would be added. As you might expect, when we asked if Linksys would release an update, the answer was "no they will not." Depending on where you live and what provider you have, this could be a big deal. Currently in the UK, no H.264 means no BBC HD, but eventually here in the US it will means no hope of HD from DISH Network or DirecTV. This also excludes those who want to use a Hauppauge HD PVR as well as anyone who has an HD camcorder that uses the codec. We have to say we're very disappointed with the support level from Linksys, even if it is an end-of-life product. We suppose it could be argued that we shouldn't expect new features on a dead product, but I doubt many who need H.264 would agree that this is anything but an update that ensures the device continues to perform its initially intended task.

Good news, Vista Media Center PC users will soon find a new option under the TV+Movies tile, as Netflix Watch Instantly streaming access is added directly to the interface. The soul crushingly bad news? A post on The Green Button informs that this does not apply to Media Center Extenders, so cheapskates hoping to get around the Xbox 360's Gold Xbox Live subscription requirement are still going to need those plugins and workarounds. This should go over much better than the InternetTV beta 2, but we're disappointed Microsoft's vision of TV on Your PC (as pointed out on its accompanying blogs, videos and assorted paraphernalia indicates) doesn't allow users to stretch their PC back to the TV at will. 'til that changes, check the gallery and after the break to see what awaits in Media Center once the update rolls out over the next 48 hours.

Update: We checked with Microsoft, and confirmed that, at least for now, this streaming only includes the same content as the browser experience - so no HD. As far as Windows 7 and / or RC1 support? No word yet.

[Via The Green Button]

Gallery: Netflix on Vista Media Center

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Media Center Extenders -- remember those? Yeah, those things were all the rage at CEDIA 2008, and right around four hours after the show closed up, you and the whole world forgot about 'em. Honestly, the concept and execution was flawed from the start. These standalone boxes provided exactly what media loving consumers didn't want: yet another set-top-box crowding their space. Furthermore, most were priced at or above the cost of an Xbox 360, which -- lo and behold -- could be used as an MCE as well as a darn good gaming console. See the holes in this plan yet? Furthermore, most of 'em, particularly those that relied on WiFi, were utterly unreliable and offered disappointing streams. High prices plus lackluster results yields low demand, who woulda thunk it?

Essentially, manufacturers were hoping that those with loads of media on Windows-based PCs would jump at the chance to get all of that material on their HDTV with the addition of one little box. And in theory, at least, that does sound somewhat attractive. Unfortunately, only a few of these were announced in Denver, and almost all of them suffered from inexcusable delays. By the time they hit the market, all of the buzz generated at the trade show was extinguished, and early reviews were less than positive. It didn't take long to see prices begin to plummet, all while fence sitting companies realized that avoiding this niche would likely be most beneficial to their longevity.

Today, we're seeing Linksys' DMA2100 and DMA2200 listed as "Discontinued" at a number of legitimate e-tailers, and while D-Link's DSM-750 and HP's MediaSmart Connect seem to be hanging around at near-full price, we can't say the same for Samsung's discounted MediaLive Digital Media Adapter. Heck, Niveus Media doesn't even list its Media Center Extender - EDGE as a product on its website anymore. It shouldn't be any real shock that hardly any other companies have jumped in since these first few, and we're having serious doubts about the future of the dedicated MCE. Are you getting the same vibes? Do you think these things could thrive at the right price? Let us know in the poll and comments below!

[Via GeekTonic]

Update: Turns out HP is axing its MediaSmart HDTV / Connect lines as well. It's full statement sent to us is after the break.

It was only a matter of time, really. Remember when Media Center Extenders were all the rage (yeah, for around ten minutes) at CEDIA 2007? Remember how everyone balked at paying $350 for one when you could just buy an Xbox 360 for the same amount and get two things in one? Apparently those "everyones" were right, as Linksys' slow-selling DMA2200 Media Extender has sunk from $349.99 on day one to $94.99 today at NewEgg. Quite honestly, this thing looks about 8.98 times sexier with its slim new sticker -- anyone thinking of getting into Extenders now that the barrier to entry is all but gone?

[Via Slashgear]

Given that Toshiba still refuses to recognize and support Blu-ray, at least it's warming to streaming. Toshiba has quietly announced today that some of its future A/V products will have Extenders for Windows Media Center integrated in; additionally, certain items will also tap into Intel / Yahoo!'s widget channel. We're told that this functionality (dubbed Network Player) will eventually find its way into REGZA HDTVs and a still mysterious standalone player, but you won't see either until the second half of this year. Bummer. Full release is after the break.

One of the reasons why Microsoft's Media Center is so attractive is because of the extender functionality. It allows you to enjoy just about all the same content in every room of your house, without the need to buy more than one HTPC. But with variety sometimes brings hard choices, so this motivated us to start a quest to find the best Media Center Extender. While the Xbox 360 is the obvious choice for most, it isn't the best solution for everyone. So we started out by comparing it to every extender out there. But since our initial shoot out, a few more Extenders have made their way to market, and the most recent addition is the Samsung MediaLive Media Adapter. At first glance it seems that this is the perfect solution for anyone with a Samsung TV, and while the tight integration, great price, and diminutive size is attractive, you'll have to click though to find out why we're still on the hunt for the perfect Windows Media Center Extender.

Ah, so this is a yearly treat? Almost a year to the day after SageTV's STX-HD100 HD Media Extender was revealed, in flies the unit's proper successor. The simply named HD Theater (or HD200, if you prefer), is launching for the same $199.95 and sports a slightly smaller footprint, the same remote as the HD100, USB ports on the front and rear, an Ethernet jack, HDMI / component / S-Video / composite video outputs, a S/PDIF audio port, network / local media streaming capabilities and the SageTV Media Center for Windows software bundle. Per usual, you'll find support for a cornucopia of formats (MPEG 1/2/4, H.264, WMV9, VC1, MKV, MOV, AVI, FLV, AAC, MP3, WMA, FLAC and JPEG just to name a few), and it looks as if it's ready to ship as we speak.

[Via GeekTonic]

First things first: you'll supposedly need an actual VidaBox Media Server in order to work with the RoomClientHD. Granted, we imagine there are some workarounds out there, but we figured we go ahead and burst a few bubbles early before getting hopes up too high. That being said, the 2-inch tall RoomClientHD was designed to hide behind your HDTV and stream Blu-ray / 1080p multimedia from your server over CAT5e / CAT6 cabling. For those with VidaBox setups, you simply plug this thing in and mash go; everything is preconfigured for detection and streaming. You'll also be thrilled to know that DTS-HD / Dolby TrueHD audio support is there, and while pricing isn't available just yet, we do know you can pony up for an inbuilt BD drive if you prefer local playback.

We hate to admit it, but the longer we have to wait for something, the more anxious we get. So it should be no surprise that after nine months, we can't wait to check out Samsung's new Media Center Extender. We got word last week that the little guy was available for pre-order on Best Buy, but the lack of expected release date left us hanging. Now Amazon also has it available for pre-order, but this time with a release date of October 15th. That leaves just over two weeks before we can all find out if this thing is all it's cracked up to be -- you know, made to mount on the back of the latest Samsung TVs, and HDMI-CEC for seamless one remote operation.

Hey, Sammy -- bet you thought we forgot about that little MediaLive Digital Media Adapter of yours, huh? For everyone that had, let us bring you back up to speed. After launching under a different name at CES 2008, this puppy was officially revealed in the summer. Unfortunately, the supposed August ship date has come and gone, and it doesn't seem like too many folks are up in arms about it. Nevertheless, the obviously delayed Media Center Extender has finally found itself a holding page over at Best Buy, where's it's listed in detail for $199.99. The "Coming Soon" bit doesn't really give us much to go on, but we'd suspect Samsung would want to get this out before the holiday shopping season kicks into high gear. Now would also be a wonderful time to shave $50+ off of the MSRP in order to make folks care once more -- just sayin', is all.

[Thanks, Lindsay]

Niveus Media wasn't the only show in Denver offering up a new HTPC that can handle eight simultaneously CableCARD streams while dishing out content to some ten Media Center Extenders -- oh no, Exceptional Innovation showed up with a slightly less powerful, albeit equally effective alternative of its own. If you'll recall, EI shined last year by boasting a swank quad-CableCARD rig, and this year, the LMS-810 Life|media server raises the bar by handling twice that. The $30,000 box comes with 12TB of internal storage, two internal CableCARD slots, a USB add-on box (Life|tuner) with six other CableCARD slots and a Blu-ray writer. Those unaffected by sticker shock can look for it to ship in "early 2009." For now, you can peep the gallery below to see it in action.

Niveus Media came to this year's CEDIA locked and loaded, and while most typical consumers won't look too far past the sub-$2,000 Vail system, those with cash to spare and colleagues to impress will certainly appreciate the Core i7-powered $19,999 Pro Series n9 media center PC. The rig setup on the show floor had said HTPC connected to four dual-CableCARD boxes via USB ($1,500 a pop), giving it the ability to record eight HD shows simultaneously while streaming HD movie clips to ten other Media Center Extenders (without a hiccup, might we add). The mid-range Denali was also on hand, and Blu-ray drives were found across the board. We also spent a tick with the new v1.5 Niveus Movie Library, which very neatly enabled us to surf to any media stored locally or on the networked 16TB Cargo Media Server. Even if you can't afford it, this stuff is still worth a look.

Crazy, right? But let's think about it -- the market for standalone HTPCs is clearly narrowing, while Media Center Extenders are still far too pricey for many (and far too complicated for some) to be taken seriously. Meanwhile, just about everyone can find a reason to own a notebook, and the newer rigs are tossing in gratuitous amounts of RAM and CPU power alongside Blu-ray drives, HDMI sockets and enough wireless protocols to warrant a tin-foil hat. Granted, there are some limitations, but if someone were to pump out an AV dock (of sorts) to house a few OTA TV tuners and a digital audio output, one could essentially dock their laptop, step back and have a full-fledged HTPC. Chances are your gears are already turning, so tune into Ross Rubin's writeup in the read link for even more food for thought.

Ever since we got our hands on Samsung's Media Center Extender at CES last year, we've wondered how the CE giant's rendition would stack up against the rest. Rather than build the Media Center Extender functionality into a TV the way HP has, or make a completely separate set-top-box like Linksys or D-Link, the $200 MediaLive Media Center Extender is designed to be a companion product for Samsung HDTVs. It can be mounted to the back of certain Samsung sets, and with the help of HDMI-CEC, the TV's remote will control the box even while it's out of sight -- of course, this begs the question of whether or not it will work with other TVs, but we'll just have to wait and try it ourselves when it launches next month. Oh, and in case you don't know already, Media Center Extenders are not just another media streamer, because it will allow you to have the full (almost) Vista Media Center experience -- including the ability to watch live HD from CableCARD tuner -- on any TV (connected wired or wirelessly) in your house.

Check it Media Center Extender owners -- a fancy new workaround is reportedly enabling users to stream DVDs via their DVD Library, which isn't enabled by default on any MCE. For starters, Vista SP1 is required for everything to work correctly, and once you've confirmed that you're running said OS, you can hit up the read link for a how-to guide explaining the steps to creating symbolic links; essentially, the hack tricks the device into playing .VOB files. It's noted that symbolic links shouldn't be created on Windows Home Server shares, but if you do as you're told, everything should turn out peachy. Just don't come barking up our tree if it doesn't, alright?

[Thanks, Ryan]