I have been using Handbrake for years to make backup copies of my DVDs. The kids have destroyed my DVD collection so copying them to my media center is a must. Then I pack the original DVDs away. Handbreak has done well over the years to make DVD backups. Handbrake supports multiple formats but I create a single MKV file with some custom compression that has no noticeable jaggies when viewing even the most action packed movie. The big...

Oh boy. It just keeps getting better. I can’t even tell you how much more time I spend in the basement now that I have my media center rocking. The two things that I was missing in Plex was Last.fm and Netflix. I got the Last.fm app working last week. Now the Netflix app is finally released. Very, very cool. As I mentioned before the backgrounds/fan art that shows in the backgound when viewing moves makes Plex the sexiest media...

The Mac Mini has been in use now for more than a week. It is time to provide some details on what media center applications I am using the most. There are only two options in my opinion that are worth looking at. It comes down to Boxee and Plex. I am not going to give a full review of each app because it has been done thousands of time already on the web. If you want to learn more about Plex and Boxee just check them out on the web. What...

Here are some photos of the inwall speakers we installed this weekend. Very happy with it and moving the TV away from the bar. I never could have decent speaker placement when the LCD was mounted on the end of the bar wall. Now with the addition of the table set we added to the basement it is great to watch TV, movies, and play games. The electric fire place is a nice addition to the pub as well. I only have to wipe off the walls a...

My daughter has been impressing me more and more lately. First she started liking worthy music or music that I would consider actually music. About two weeks ago she said, “Dad, you have to so watch this movie. It is LIKE frickin’ amazing. LIKE I am serious!“. The movie turned out to be Across the Universe. I have to admit it is a great movie. It is a musical but don’t let that make you not want to watch it. ...