Entries tagged with home automation - Channel 10

Life|ware Launches New Media Servers

sarahintampa — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:34:00 GMT

At this year's CEDIA EXPO, the show put on by the trade association of home theater companies, Lifeware launched a brand-new, all-in-one, Lifemedia Server (LMS). This new server combines Windows Media Center with a 5.1 surround-sound amplifier and ZigBee control technology all within a single box. The LMS-170 line of media servers with ZigBee built in will allow the servers to communicate directly with Centralite's JetStream products, including dimmers, modules and switches. Whereas before they had to install a bridge in order to get the systems talking, the new servers will have direct communication.

There will be two models of the new server expected in the 1st quarter of 2009: the LMS-175 which will support dual Cable Cards (less than $4000) and the LMS-172 which has dual NTSC/ATSC tuners but no Cable Card support. No word on its price yet, only that it will be the less expensive of the two.

If you want to learn more about Life|ware, check out some of our earlier posts - we’ve mentioned them many times here on Channel 10. I reviewed their Home Automation software back in December, Nic visited them at CES 2008 and recorded footage of their e-home setup, and, more recently, Laura looked at their inclusion in Disney’s new Innovations Dream Home.

(Image courtesy of cepro.com)

Automate Your Home with Your Windows Home Server

sarahintampa — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:33:00 GMT

For home automation enthusiasts, comes a plugin for Windows Home Server called "Embedded Automation's mControl for Windows Home Server." With this WHS plugin, you can configure and control everything in your home from lighting to AC to thermostats to security cameras from directly within WHS or from any other networked devices like Vista Media Center, Xbox 360, Windows Mobile phones, or any of the new Windows Media Center v2 Extenders. mControl can be used to control a couple of devices or it can be expanded to control all aspects of your home with no need to purchase additional software packages. All you need is mControl. You can download a free trial of mControl for WHS from here to try it out.

Automate your home, AV with life|ware

Nic — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 09:48:00 GMT

One of the most impressive displays at CES 2008 wasn't on the show floor. Instead of a traditional plasma-screens-and-pamphlets CES booth life|ware chose to build three fully functional homes out front of the Las Vegas Convention Center to show off the various home automation products and solutions they offer.

Jason from life|ware gave us a tour of the living room in one of the e-homes and showed us some very cool home automation solutions integrated with Windows Vista Media Center.

For more info on life|ware visit http://www.life-ware.com

Life|ware Home Automation

sarahintampa — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 22:08:00 GMT

Life|ware is a home automation system whose goal is to merge control of your home with access to all of your digital entertainment. You can integrate Life|ware into Windows Media Center and, from there, you can manage your music, your photos, your videos, watch DVDs, and you can even schedule and record TV shows. With the system's home automation features, you can manage your home's lighting, thermostats, security systems, and distribute music throughout the house. They also have something called "Life|scenes", which can be used to set a mood using all of your home's systems. There are pre-recorded Life|scenes like "I'm Here," "Goodbye," or "Party Time," or you can program your own. The Life|ware remote control recalls the simplicity of Media Center - you use the six same buttons (My TV, My Music, My Pictures, My Videos, Play DVD and Settings). You can use Life|Ware through your TV with a Media Center PC, but also through a Media Center Extender on Xbox 360, from a PC or notebook PC on your home network, or from a Life|Point touch screen. The touch screens are all-digital, HD panels available in 8.9" or 12.1" screen sizes and many different finishes, allowing them to seamlessly integrate into its surroundings in your home. The screens have an ambient light sensor that automatically adjusts screen brightness according to room lighting and an automatic touch-to-wake power saving mode.

Home Automation Systems with Vista SideShow

sarahintampa — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 07:56:00 GMT

Superna Systems is a company that is making use of Vista's SideShow technology in their home automation systems. With their ControlWare software for Vista, you can control your home's security system, lights, climate, music, and televsions. All of these can be controlled through your computer or through their SideShow devices such as color LCDs, Touch Panels, or even a Windows CE PDA. Dealers will be able to configure these gadgets to a customer's needs. With over 1500 drivers, Superna's media steaming works across a variety of formats and operating systems including Vista, Media Center, XP and Linux.

Another home automation company, Lagotek, has also just debuted version 3.0 of their Home Intelligence Platform (HIP) with Microsoft Windows Vista Media Center Integration and SideShow Support. HIP's integration with Vista enables users to control their homes from wall-mounted security systems, remote controls, or PDAs. Currently the Lagotek platform can automate climate control systems with multiple zones of heating and air conditioning, lighting, distributed audio, video monitoring, Media Center Control, and irrigation.

Bill Gates at CES

Larry — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 06:17:00 GMT

Bill Gates was kind enough to spend a few minutes with me talking about the future of the digital home, Tablet PCs, and technology. This was held in the Microsoft Partners Pavilion which was full of some of the coolest gadgets and gizmos that consumers will be drooling over this year.

Update: All the downloadable formats are now online. Get 'em while they're hot!