Media centers seem to be all the rage nowadays, as high definition movies and television shows, as well as higher quality picture and music have started to invade the market. While some recent additions to the media center families, like AppleTV and distinguished models from several startup companies have been impressive, none have really captured the idea of replacing a Tivo, computer, amplifier, receiver, Netflix deliveries, media players, DVD player, and catch-all computer … until now.

As Alienware describes it, the Hangar 18 can do just about anything:

* Watch - Watch, pause, and record your movies, TV shows, photos, and internet videos on your widescreen TV in high definition
* Listen - Listen to all your favorite songs and artists with Hangar18’s onboard 5.1 surround sound amplifier
* Share - Wirelessly stream all your media to other PCs, mobile devices, and media extenders throughout your home.
* Download - Download content from all over the internet to one secure location to store and share with your home and others.

Full details and more pictures inside!
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Starting today, TiVo Series 2 and 3 users, as well as Windows Vista and XP users, can begin using Amazon’s new Unbox service. Similar to full-length movie and television show downloads on iTunes, Amazon Unbox will allow consumers yet another option to watch their favorite video entertainment. Those who already have a compatible TiVo DVR (unfortunately, Amazon Unbox does not support other DVR’s at the moment) can register their TiVo on Amazon and receive a free $15 to apply to videos from the Unbox service.

For users that use DirectTV TiVo or a Series 1 TiVo, or for those that have canceled their TiVo subscription, there is another option. People fortunate enough to use Windows XP or the shiny new Vista are able to use Amazon Unbox on their PC. In other words, no Linux or Mac support is available yet. Of course, there are minimum system requirements, since the videos are at near DVD-quality and could, in the future, become true 480p. Here are the specifications needed to run the Amazon Unbox Video Player:

Minimum System Requirements

OPERATING SYSTEM: The Amazon Unbox video player application is only compatible with Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition (SP2 or greater), Microsoft Windows XP Professional Edition (SP2 or greater), Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition (SP2 or greater), Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition (SP2 or greater), Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate, Microsoft Windows Vista Business, or Microsoft Windows Vista Enterprise. The Amazon Unbox video player is not compatible with Apple/Macintosh operating systems.

COMPUTER HARDWARE: A PC with a 1.5-gigahertz (GHz) processor or faster, at least 256MB of memory, and a DirectX 9.0 compliant Video (64 MB Memory) and Sound Card.

INTERNET CONNECTION: Broadband internet connection capable of 800 kbps sustained transfer speeds.

Recommended System Specifications

COMPUTER HARDWARE: A PC with a 2.4-gigahertz (GHz) processor or faster, at least 1 GB of memory, and a DirectX 9.0 compliant Video (128 MB Memory) and a Multi Channel 5.1 Capable Sound Card.

INTERNET CONNECTION: Broadband internet connection capable of 1.5+ mbps of sustained transfer speeds.

With quite a few videos to download and the main competition from AppleTV being nonexistent thanks to delays, Amazon’s Unbox may gain a lot of ground in the downloadable-entertainment market.

It may be the most obvious conclusion to a question that didn’t need a study to answer. Will video downloads over the internet grow? Umm… yes. Yes they will.

Not good enough for you? Then here’s the official response from Adams Media Research President Tom Adams.: “The Internet is going to revolutionize the distribution of video.” Thank you very much Captain Obvious. You can get a few more of their findings here on CNN.com

There’s little doubt that services like Amazon’s Unbox and Apple’s iTunes will be successful, it’s the future afterall.

[CNN]

Soon you’ll be able to download videos from Amazon’s Unbox service directly to your Series 2 or 3 TiVo. Amazon’s Unbox is a digital delivery service where you can buy or rent movies and is pretty much in direct competition with iTunes and the newly announced Wal-Mart service.

I’ve been worried about my TiVo lately. I’ve spent a ton of money upgrading to the new HD TiVo but their financial problems are a cause for concern. So at least now they’ll have a (hopefully) decent revenue stream.

“Amazon Unbox on TiVo” will allow TiVo subscribers to purchase or rent videos from leading movie studios and television networks at Amazon Unbox and download them directly to their TiVo’s “Now Playing List” to enjoy on their TV.

[Amazon]

Personally, for me it’s TiVO or nothing at all. But if you’re really stuck, or just like the lastest and greatest, check out the new line of HDTV’s from LG. They have a built in 160GB hard drive for recording all those HD channels we all love so much. There’s also a USB port to add an external drive.

There’s a few reasons why this isn’t a great idea. 1st, if the drive dies where does that leave you? Plus, is 160GB really enough? There’s a few different sizes, in both LCD (37″, 42″, and 47″) and Plasma (50″ and 60″). These puppies are gonna set you back though. Ranging in price from $2,650 to $9,435 for the 60″ Plasma.

[Ubergizmo]