The week started with Plex and ends with Plex too. They've just made this announcement ...
Automated Home reader, Klaus has sent us this interesting video on XBMC control from his iPhone. Make sure to watch through the media bits to the end for the Home Automation and CCTV segment and read on for all the details...
Here's a sneak peak at my GUI for controlling XBMC and everthing else in the house with my iPhone (iPad version coming soon too). I integrated XBMC with a Perl script to communicate with my controller (mm..myhome for Mac and Linux) to show up all the information and Covers and Fanart.
You can start a film and resume it the next day at the same position in the living room or anywhere else in the house where you have a XBMC client. Define scenes for watching movies to dim the lights control curtains and control all the AV-gear so that you only need one remote. The scene starts when pressing the play button on the cover in the Gui.
You can browse through your music and video library with Covers and Fanart also when XBMC is not running. By a single touch on the cover of the film the application will start, the TV turns on, the reciever switches to the right input sets the correct volume level, the lights are dimmed... and the video plays.
Your house is sending you messages with prowl for iPhone if a window is opened when you are on holiday or you forgot turning of lights, the doorbell rings or whatever you like. You instantly get the states of all the home automation stuff in the Gui.
If the doorbell rings the Gui switches to the entrance view to see who is outside and you can open the door if you like. The possibilities
are nearly endless.
You can get more information about the software mm..myhome for Mac on their website www.mremote.de and in the forum www.ihome-forum.de Its a german forum but you can also ask in english.
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Apple have just announced their Apple TV replacement. The device is one quarter the size of the first generation unit. It has built in power supply, HDMI connector, Ethernet and 802.11n Wi-Fi.
Described as 'Silent, Cool and Tiny' gone is the ability to purchase videos - yuou can only rent now. Renting a TV episode now costs $0.99 (ABC and Fox in the US to start with). I addition to renting Movies and TV from Apple, US users can stream from NetFlix too. YouTube HD playback is supported and Flickr and MobileMe plus local music and video too - (we assume to the same locked set of codecs).
Price has fallen from $229 to $99 (the rumours were true) - Available to pre-order today - available in four weeks time. No sign of iOS as the operationg system for the new Apple TV though - so no talk of Apps either. Nothing mentioned about local storage size (presumably Flash). No change to rumoured 'iTV' name. Still called Apple TV.
"With AirPlay, you can stream music and video from your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, too. So if you feel like watching a movie you have on one of your devices, you don’t need to rent or buy it again. Just tap to start playing content on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, then tap again to instantly stream whatever you’re watching — or listening to — directly to Apple TV. AirPlay is coming soon to an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch near you.1" - apple.com/appletv
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You asked for more info - you got it. Check out our 3 minute video walk through of the brand new Plex streaming media centre app on the iPad and and iPhone...
Make sure to checkout our Plex 9 Review and our Plex App screenshots too.
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So you've just read our article on the release of Plex 9 (if not make sure to check it out here). Around the time the developers were bringing Plex 9 to life, Apple announced the iPad. The chat in the Plex inter-sanctum was feverish as people imagined how great it would be to have Plex 9 - with all its cover-art and meta data goodness, available on the new Apple tablet. So a secret project within a secret project began and the beautiful Plex app was born...
Up until now there have only been a couple of options for streaming video to your iPhone or iPad. Both Air Video and StreamToMe re-encode your shows on the fly using the open-source ffmpeg utility to stream to the device. Plex uses the same principal but builds the server software right into the main media centre application on the Mac.
In addition you get all the great artwork and meta data from your Plex library plus all the search and navigation options too. There's only one set of shares / folders to manage - if it's in your Plex library on the Mac, then it's available to your iPhone and iPad too. Even ripped HD Blu-ray formats like MKV files stream to your iOS device, with the minimum buffering delay as the Mac does all the heavy lifting (you'll need a modern Intel powered machine to run Plex).
There are two other useful modes in the app as well. You can browse the library on your device but choose to actually send the media to your Mac. Imagine sitting in your media room perusing your library on your iPad, looking at cover art, ratings and reviews, choosing a movie and then tapping and watcing it kick off on your main AV system. Or perhaps you have music playing around your home? No problem, browse and control your Plex music library - including all your iTunes music, on your iPhone or iPad anywhere round the house within Wi-Fi range.
You can install plugins remotely using the app too and even send things like Hulu and Netflix to your portable device! With some port-forwarding malarkey (TCP 32400) you can even get external access to all your media (including over 3G).
The other option is to use the app purely as a remote control. No IR hardware required here. Everything is done via IP, so no more line of sight issues. You can use standard buttons on the touch screen or even employ gestures instead if you prefer - something that doesn't require you to look down as with most touchscreen based remote controls. But a picture is worth a thousand words so check out our high res screenshots below.
The App supports background audio, task switcher/lockscreen/ and in-line headphone remote controls too. It's available now from the iTunes Apps store at £2.99 / $4.99
Click Pics for Large Versions
Plex App on iTunes : Plexapp.com : Plex 9 Revealed
* Note - the app reviewed was not the final version released today - which has improved graphics and even nore features.
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While updates to Plex have slowed during 2010, the developers haven't been slacking. On the contrary - they've been beavering away, putting in late nights around the world's time zones from Hawaii, North America, Europe and New Zealand. The reason? A project code named 'Alexandria', a ground-up rewrite of the library that's at the heart of the system and that promises to take the Plex Media Center to the next level.
One Library to Rule them All - The Plex team are a tight knit, motivated bunch led by Elan Feingold. They work hard to continually add features to the Media Centre, whilst maintaining the 'It Just Works" ethos of the Mac. We're privileged to have been the first blog to be invited to the inner sanctum during the development process over the past few months. We've taken all the Alpha releases for a test drive, through to the version that will become the first public release of Plex 9 later this week. Some of the new features that it adds will bring Plex into line with other media centres - for example, media flags for aspect ratio, codec, resolution, frame-rate and audio format etc are all now available to the skins. But by far the most exciting change in the Plex library is its move to becoming a separate, stand-alone application.
So what are the advantages of splitting it off from the main app like this? Well, a single centralised library has the ability to feed all the Plex machines on your network. You no longer have to manage a library for each discrete computer, or deal with the 10 foot interface - which isn't well suited to a lot of the set-up tasks. New Movies, TV, Music and Photos only need to be added once to the application. As the Plex front end reflects a real time representation of what's in the library app, the new additions will instantly appear on all Plex machines on your LAN without any intervention from users. This separation also allows you to be working on the back end library app while people are continuing to watch media around the house undisturbed.
Another useful feature of a centralised system enables you to start watching an episode of a TV show say in the living room, then later move to the bedroom and continue watching it there, with Plex remembering exactly where you left off.
Special Agent Plex - Before Alexandria, Library mode seemed to baffle some users and they opted instead for the basic file mode. With the new system the file mode is no longer required and the 'Add Source' menu item that confused so many new users has gone. You simply point Plex to your Movies, TV and Music on installation with a simple and intuitive guided setup proceedure.
The graphics and meta data that are scraped from sources like the IMDB are what makes the library so useful and so beautiful to look at. However, until now, updating the library has been a somewhat hit or miss affair. The auto 'update library on start-up' feature in Plex 8 was unreliable and even manually updating your library wasn't always plain sailing. If the TVDB was down when adding new shows for example then they wouldn't appear in your library. Worse than that they still wouldn't appear once the TVDB was up again without you having to manually refresh the entire series.
Enter the Plex 'Agents'. The idea of a crude scraper has been banished by the Plex devs and instead replaced with an elegant new multi-step scanning solution. Lets take Movies as an example. You may choose the IMDB as your main source of meta data and artwork for your film collection, but in addition you can stack Agents from other information providers too - in this case you may wish to add the MoviePosterDB, TheMovieDB for example.
Access the Plex Media Manager from the Menu Bar
The Plex Media Manager scans your media, analyses it, then matches its meta data from the Agents. Some of these processes even run concurrently, adding to the speed and efficiency of the entire library set-up (as always, for best result you should still have your files named and held in the recommended structure). All this is carried out in a beautiful UI complete with effects using core animations and Growl notifications. You may want to set-up your library all over again just to watch it do its thing!
Add multiple meta agents and chose the order they are stacked
In addition, Agents benefit from the same live-update technology used by the Plex Plug-ins. Changes made to the IMDB (for example), that used to break scrapers, will now be less likely to upset scans as fixes can be made quickly and Plex will update itself automatically, rather than having to rely on the user to install a patch. The Plex team have made it trivial to create new Agents and they expect the community will quickly come up with a huge variety of them, pulling in meta data from all across the web. So if you have an interest in Manga for example and know a site that's a great source of meta data for it then then you can create an agent and publish it.
Plex 9 - Looking at the Library
The library reflects live changes in your file system. Drop a new movie in to a folder on your server and a few seconds later it appears on everyone's Plex. Likewise a file deleted will just disappear from the viewer's choice. Another major addition is the ability to rescan your library without losing viewed status, resume times etc too. All these improvement, in conjunction with the 'redundancy' aspect of the multi-agent system means that orphaned files, missing cover art or meta data are all now virtually things of the past - Good Times!
Lets take another common example - home movies. Previously these were the ugly step sister in your library, lacking any cover art or description. Now it will be easy to add your own meta data for home movies right in Alexandria. The concept is even expanding out to the Plex plug-ins for online services. Imagine Hulu movies and Vimeo videos having media tags and meta data, just the same as any locally stored video file.
Up until now there have been fixed entries in the Plex home menu for Movies and TV - now you can change, delete or add to those as you wish. Perhaps you'd like an Anime section or one for your Motorsport videos? Easy. In addition if you have multiple libraries then each entry shows the name of the source machine above it. You can change this in the preferences to read whatever you wish or leave it to default to the machine name.
Additional client machines round your home no longer require shares to be mounted locally. The Plex Media Server communicates with the main Plex app, and streams over HTTP. It's also smart enough to choose the fastest route if you do happen to have the drives mounted on the client machine too using its 'Optimal Media Routing' feature. As always though, where there are multiple zones and HD video involved you will want to be running a wired gigabit Ethernet to avoid any performance issues on your LAN. And speaking of hardware remember that Plex now supports GPU acceleration, giving you all that 1080P goodness without your CPU even breaking a sweat.
Collections - Another cool feature coming in Alexandria is Collections. Want to have all your James Bond movies in one place? A 007 'Collection' will present you with a single library icon to access them. Interestingly they can also be time sensitive, so for example you could set-up a 'Smart List' for 18/R rated movies that only appear in the library between certain hours each day.
The architecture of the system allows for many other enhancements in the future too. The structures are already in place to support multiple client accounts / profiles, allowing you to have a login where only a subset of movies would appear, this could be useful to limit what kids can access from their bedrooms for example.
Other little improvements and attention to detail are evident too. If you have two instances of the same movie (say an SD and HD version) they can appear in the Plex library as a single icon. Selecting the movie will then present you with a sub menu from which to choose the version you want to watch.
The Future - Challenges lie ahead for Plex, not least finding a cheaper hardware platform than the Mac mini, to compete with XBMC Live on the sub £200 Ion based NetTops. Perhaps the recenly rumoured $99 Apple TV Streamer will be just the ticket if it really is going to be announced later this week? Even at double that price it would be a significant leap forward for adding multiple Plex zones around the home.
As Plex has developed over the last couple of years, it's kept the best of its XBMC roots and moved to even tighter integration on the Mac. Now with Plex 9 it has added features that mark it apart from any other Media centre out there. The Plex team say the work they are putting in now is laying the foundations for even more exciting things in the future - and we can't wait to see what they have in store for us next.
One thing that has struck us watching the development of Plex 9 during 2010 is the huge commitment in time and effort that goes into a project this size. Guys like Elan, James, Scott, Cayce, Ryan and Jay (plus many others) are basically devoting every spare waking moment to coding, designing or just thinking about how to make the software even better. So if, like us, you use and enjoy Plex everyday, why not hit that donate button and buy those guys a beer!
As with all Plex releases, odd numbers are 'bleeding edge' builds so if you are looking for stable, stick with the last even numbered version (currently v0.8). But for all the exciting new stuff run (don't walk) to www.plexapp.com and grab the latest Plex release right now.
plexapp.com : Plex Forums : Our Interview with Plex Dev Elan Feingold : Mac mini
Plex 9 - Looking at Playback
* Note that while you'll see most of what we've talked about here, some of these features may not make it into the initial public build.
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A series of new products based on Z-Wave technology have just been announced by Aeon Labs. The new devices are the Home Energy Meter - a clamp on wireless electrical energy measuring device, the Minimote - a remote to control your Z-Wave enabled devices, and the Z-Stick - a USB Z-Wave controller. Read on for the full PR and the links.
"Copenhagen – Z-Wave Alliance member Aeon Labs now offers homeowners a new series of wireless products for them to create environmentally friendly smart homes of the future. These new devices are designed to save energy in the home and noticeably improve residents’ quality of life. The new products based on Z-Wave technology include the Home Energy Meter, the Minimote remote control and the Z-Stick. Users can easily integrate these devices into their Home Control Systems and thus connect them to an interoperable radio-controlled network with other devices. This means that electrical devices can be used as energy-efficiently as possible.
Z-Wave products enable users to make their homes more comfortable whilst also drastically reducing their energy consumption. Z-Wave is an established global standard, especially in the smart metering sector, and Z-Wave technology provides homeowners with a sound foundation for an environmentally friendly home.
Home Energy Meter measures consumption exactly - The Home Energy Meter (HEM) is a low-cost energy meter for the entire home and helps keep energy costs down. It is an efficient measuring device for domestic energy consumption. The system can be installed quickly and straightforwardly – no technical expertise is necessary. The wireless system transmits values such as wattage and kilowatt-hours to a central control station (gateway) that can be monitored by users.
Ease and safety are paramount: So Electricians are not required to install the Aeon Labs Home Energy Meter. The customer never needs to handle hot exposed wiring. Current transformer clamps clamp around the AC Mains to detect energy usage for the entire house. The main body is International Protection Code rated IP43 to be weatherized for outdoor conditions. It can also be powered via USB and does not require battery power. The USB can be used to easily upgrade the internal software by the end-user such that the latest Z-Wave protocol and commands are always available.
Interoperable Z-Wave device programming via Minimote - End user-friendliness was a top priority for Aeon Labs when it developed the Z-Wave Minimote. This remote control unit enables users to control all compatible devices in the Home Control Network at the touch of a button. There are also four buttons under a sliding cover panel for four different functions: “inclusion”, “exclusion”, “association” and “learning”. So the Minimote is the ideal easy-to-use remote control unit for Z-Wave-compatible devices, such as dimmers, switches, blind controls etc.
Users can configure up to eight different “scenes” in which several devices can be controlled simultaneously. To ensure that the Minimote always transmits using the latest Z-Wave radio protocol, users can easily upgrade the remote control themselves. The integrated lithium battery lasts for several months, and the Minimote is rechargeable via a USB interface. It also has a range of up to 30 metres.
Z-Stick functions as a communication centre - The Aeon Labs Series 2 Z-Stick is a self-powered USB stick. As a PC adaptor it connects a computer to a Z-Wave network via the USB interface. Then a USB protocol is converted into a serial Z-Wave API protocol so that the operating system recognises the product as an additional virtual and serial device. So once it is connected to a host processor, the stick functions as a communication centre for other Home Control Devices. The Z-Stick can be used to integrate up to 232 devices into the home network via a simple installation process.
For more information, you can visit www.z-wavealliance.org and www.aeon-labs.com. See Aeon Labs at Z-Wave Alliance booth no. C26 at Metering & Billing/CRM Europe 2010 in Vienna on Sept 22-24. "
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Here's some more eco friendly home automation designed to give you that warm fuzzy, 'saving the planet' feeling. The Eco Sensor Lamp is a compact florescent bulb with the usual long life and low energy features married to a PIR sensor and timer.
While it may be a little dumb in the grand scheme of today's smart homes, its truly automated unlike many other systems. Once movement is detected the bulb can be set to remain lit for anything from 10 seconds to 5 minutes. Available in bayonet and screw fittings now at under £16...
"Adding to the eco-friendliness of this CFL bulb is a built-in infrared motion sensor that will automatically turn the bulb on when it senses movement nearby. A couple of settings dials allow you to program how long the bulb will stay on for, from 10 seconds to 5 minutes, or specify one of 5 different luminance levels when it’s activated. The bulb is rated for 8,000 hours of use, and I’m going to assume/hope the motion sensor can be switched off when you need it to stay on. ~$25 (£15.98) each from KJ Global."
kjglobal.co.uk [Via: automated.it]
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Cytech have just release information on their new touchscreen keypad set for Launch in October. The Comfort KT03 is said to fit between basic keypads and large expensive touch screens.
It offers control of Comforts security and home automation features and in addition will be able to control sub systems from C-Bus, KNX, Dynalite, Zwave, Velbus and Lutron. The unit can be mounted in landscape or portrait and is programmed through its USB interface with Comfigurator software...
"Cytech Europe will launch a stylish new touchscreen keypad, the KT03, in the next few months. The monochrome KT03 with a 4-inch (10 cm) LCD touchscreen has a built in speaker, microphone and infrared (IR) receiver.
L Y Chiu, Director of Cytech Europe Limited, says “The KT03 has been designed to provide a compelling and appealing user interface for the Comfort Security and Home Automation System allowing the user more easily to access its powerful capabilities and to fill a gap in the market between a simple LCD keypad and the large, very expensive touchscreens.”
The speaker area is covered by a metallic-like grille with hairline finish. The status leds shine through a translucent black bezel on the front showing Home, Armed, AC/Battery and New Message conditions. The infra-red receiver and microphone are beneath the outer bezel.
The crystal-clear, graphically-designed touchscreen can be mounted in landscape, portrait or vertical positions and hundreds of pages can be programmed as the home-owner requires. As well as acting as a normal keypad page exit and entry time countdown and the open zones are also shown. Another page shows details such as like AC Failure, Low Battery, Zone Trouble, Communications Failure.
C-Bus, KNX, Dynalite, Zwave, Velbus and Lutron are among the third party products that the KT03 can be programmed to control so that the status of the controlled appliances can be seen. It can also be used as an Audio Intercom with the Door Station and many more useful features.
Using Cytech’s Comfigurator software, the KT03 is programmed via a USB interface. Availability is forecast for October/November, 2010 with an expected retail price of around £310"
Cytech : Comfort Available from CBus Shop
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If you are an AV integration nerd then here's a video to get you all hot under the collar. The quick tour of the DigitalMedia AV Network labs shows where Crestron carry out their source compatibility testing. Also shown are the large system racks and the distribution of audio, video, Ethernet, USB and control data over a single '8G' cable
"There's no question that the digital age is here today. Analog television is off the air; practically every device that plugs into a display has an HDMI port; the latest MacBooks only provide DisplayPort outputs; laptops now include built-in Blu-ray players; and the latest video conferencing systems feature HDMI/DVI outputs exclusively. The products you're using now won't work for much longer. Crestron DigitalMedia™ (DM) is the only solution that answers the challenges of tomorrow – today.
Crestron began designing products with HDMI technology more than five years ago, and have shipped thousands of HDMI products over the last three years. But DM is more than just another HDMI switcher or extender; it's a complete, integrated solution that manages, controls and distributes all analog and uncompressed HD digital content over twisted pair or fiber. DM matrix switchers are flexible, modular systems that can accept virtually every signal type and transmit them long distance as digital DM signals. Built-in exclusive QuickSwitch HD™ technology pre-authorized HDCP keys and maintains a constant handshake for continuous, glitch-free HD switching. At the end points, DM receivers control and output HDMI to the display.
Crestron DigitalMedia is the only solution for the digital age, distributing all analog and uncompressed HD digital signals, and managing embedded data such as HDCP, EDID and CEC. "
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