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HTPC Building Series: Choosing the MSI 7411 motherboard

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Movies, PC / Laptop

MSI 7411

Check out our HTPC on a Budget series and join us in building a great HTPC for under $1,000.

In this installment of the Home Theater PC building log, we wanted to focus on the core of our system. Previously, we took a look at the process of selecting hardware along with a look at the overall mission to build the best HTPC we can, on a budget. To understand what we are aiming to do, though, I thought it would be best if we were able to take a look at what’s going to be at the center of everything: the MSI MS-7411 Media Live DIVA 7.1 motherboard.

That’s a mouthful, we know - but it’s also an amazing centerpiece for our system. The foundation is MSI’s MS-7411 micro-ATX motherboard featuring AMD’s 780M chipset with UVD support and side-port memory for smooth 1080p playback. This motherboard can be ordered with either pre-amp or amp audio card solutions (one purchase package) directly from your distributor of choice. Note that this motherboard uses the mobile variant of the 780 for additional power savings features that are useful in a home theater environment. It pulls less power, and it doesn’t get as hot, which means much less fan noise. Nothing kills a movie experience like fan noise, seriously.

Click to continue reading HTPC Building Series: Choosing the MSI 7411 motherboard


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HTPC Building Series: Selecting our hardware

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, HDTV, Home Entertainment, PC / Laptop, Videos

Check out out series and join us in building a great HTPC for under $1,000.

In our quest to build a great HTPC on a budget, one thing we need to think about is the hardware and software we are going to use to build and run everything. We are going to be really ambitious here, scouring deal and coupon sites to find great hardware and software at even greater prices. If you come across anything, feel free to leave a comment and let us know.

The first piece of hardware we are focusing on is a motherboard from MSI that integrates the “Maui” platform - the MSI K912GM-FIH. This is one of the biggest leaps forward in HTPC technology, and as such, we are going to build this machine around this board. In case we need to prove our case further, check out this video we did on the motherboard before its release:

Click to continue reading HTPC Building Series: Selecting our hardware


HTPC Series: Let’s build a budget HTPC

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, HDTV, Home Entertainment, PC / Laptop

Check out out series and join us in building a great HTPC for under $1,000.

Over the next few weeks, we are gonna be working on a special project that we hope you guys will get a kick out of. You see, as gadget enthusiasts, we know that we all love when technology can make our lives easier, or when it is just downright cool. However, recent developments in the economy are going to lead to a tightening of the budget (if it hasn’t already), and we thought we’d try and see if we can build something awesome at a reasonable price. The task? We want to build a great home theater PC (HTPC), made with great parts, for under $1000 USD. You can follow our progress at our page. Or, if you’re too lazy to hit that link, here’s a list of topics:

So, what are the goals of our HTPC project? Well, besides the aforementioned $1,000 limit, we have a few other things we want out of it. First, we want it to remain fairly quiet. After all, this thing is going to be use to watch movies and television. We don’t need any extra fan noise coming from it. Secondly, we want it to put out a high definition signal, with connections that use today’s technology. Ideally, that means it will have an HDMI out port, so we can get both high definition and surround sound out of this thing.

Click to continue reading HTPC Series: Let’s build a budget HTPC


How to upgrade your iTunes purchases to DRM-free iTunes Plus

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Features, Music, Software

Earlier today during the keynote, Apple announced that the Store was on the way to completely dropping DRM. As of today, 8,000,000 of the 10,000,000 tracks are now available as DRM-free iTunes Plus tracks, and that even includes music videos. We figured we’d give you a quick look at how you go about upgrading your library of purchased content.

iTunes Plus upgrade

So the first thing you want to do is go to the iTunes Store, and look on the right-hand side. You’ll see “iTunes Plus” as one of the links, with a number next to it. That number represents the number of pieces of content that you have available that can be upgraded. Click on that.

Click to continue reading How to upgrade your iTunes purchases to DRM-free iTunes Plus


Bleeding Edge TV 297: Unibody MacBook Pro RAM upgrade tutorial

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Full Episodes, Gizmatic, Apple, Features, PC / Laptop, Podcasts, Videocasts, Videos

Last month, released their long-awaited and redesigned notebook, which spurred a bunch of excitement for all gadget lovers out there. The new unibody enclosure is sleek, and Apple even went out of their way to make it easy to upgrade the critical components that live inside the notebook yourself. Behind one door lies the hard drive and battery, both user-replaceable. Remove a few more screws, and you have direct access to your RAM.

Of course, these things are better explained in video than they are in text, which is why we’re here. In this episode of Bleeding Edge TV, we give you a full tutorial on what you need to do to upgrade the RAM in your new MacBook or MacBook Pro. If you are wondering why you’d want to do this, well, just compare the cost of what Apple charges you for 4GB of RAM versus the cost of buying the RAM yourself from a place like Newegg. You’ll save yourself a couple hundred bucks if you have a few minutes to spare.

Check out the tutorial, and let us know how it goes for you if you end up giving it a try.


Bleeding Edge TV 192: SanDisk Sansa TakeTV Setup

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Gizmatic, Short Bytes, Features, Home Entertainment, PC / Laptop, Podcasts, Portable Audio / Video, Videocasts

So, a few days ago, we hit you with our TakeTV unboxing video, where we showed you everything that was inside the Sansa TakeTV package. Today we wanted to follow it up and show you how you go about setting the thing up, just to prove that it really is as simple as it looks. We hook up the TakeTV device to our Samsing LCD in under a minute.

Stay tuned - we will have another video up in a couple of days that shows the actual usage of the device - putting videos on it, playing them through the dock, etc.


DIY Features Halloween Projects

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Household, Misc. Tech, Science

DIY HalloweenThere are only about 3 weeks left until All Hallows Eve, so if you want to get adventurous this year be sure to check out the Special Halloween Edition from the editors of “Make” and “Craft ” for the holiday. Inside, you’ll learn how to make flaming LED skulls, laser jack-’o-lanterns, and mechanical ghoulies. You can also find makeup and a recipe for blood-spurting wounds as well as DIY coffins, tombstones, and decorations. All this (and a trip or two to Radio Shack) is available for $9.99.

Read More | Make

Bleeding Edge TV 179: How To Mod Your iPhone on Windows Using iBrickr

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Hack Attack, Short Bytes, Apple, Cell Phones, Features, Mods / Hacks, Podcasts, Portable Audio / Video, Software, Videocasts, Videos

Okay, we know that since released the , you’ve all been wanting to modify it to do your bidding. Over on the OS X side of things, we have iFuntastic, which provides a slick GUI interface for modding your device. New to the Windows side of things is . iBrickr is the Windows application that makes it dead simple to modify your iPhone, add and manage custom ringtones, and install third-party applications. We give you a full tutorial of how it all works in this episode.

Read More | iBrickr

Bleeding Edge TV 178: New iMac RAM Upgrade On The Cheap

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Full Episodes, Gizmatic, Design, Features, PC / Laptop, Portable Audio / Video, Videocasts, Videos

While the release of the newly redesigned aluminum and glass have been fantastic, the fact that they ship with just 1 GB of RAM by default isn’t so exciting. We knew immediately that this called for a RAM upgrade in the iMac, and we were happy to find that installation has gotten easier and easier as new iMac models are released (although there is a particular spot of trouble, which is featured at the end of the video in the outtakes.) In the past, we been both disappointed and delighted with iMac RAM installation. In this episode, we show you how to upgrade the RAM in the new iMac in a step-by-step manner - at a far less expensive price than you would have to pay to do it. Hit the video for the full scoop.


DIY: The LED Picnic Blanket

Posted by Lolita Beckwith Categories: Misc. Tech, Mods / Hacks

LED Picnic Blanket
We at Gear Live rarely cater to the craftsy, DIY, “Maker Faire”-types (you know who you are), so here’s a little something for you: The LED Picnic Blanket. It’s a water-resistant blanket that glows with romantic lights, perfect for an evening date with that special someone. Plus, it has a hard center, so that sangria won’t spill all over the grass and ruin the mood. Being more gadgety than craftsy, we wish we could just buy this blanket, but until someone patents it, click below to learn how to make it.

Read More | Instructables via Craftzine


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