Remote control of Reciva-based radios

- Controlling your Reciva radio without touching it

Many, but not all, internet radios come with a remote control. Sometimes they are very simple credit-card sized devices, sometimes they can be big dedicated boxes needing two hands to use with all sorts in between.

Basic models tend to use infrared and more sophisticated use TCP/IP over Wi-Fi - with a proprietary application protocol on top.

The underlying firmware in the Reiva-based radios generally have infrared control enabled even if there is no infrared hardware included in the radio. This fact has been exploited by a few people who have opened up their radios and inserted a supported infrared detector (one directly wired to the Barracuda board and another simply using the USB connection ... but I cannot find it while writing this).
Some other Reciva users have gone down a software route by using the unofficial Sharpfin patch to run a small web server on the radio and have it present a simple web interface that in turn performs some radio management commands. An example of this is documented in the Sharpfin mailing list.

However, Reciva have been working away quietly in the background and have implemented a way to achieve almost complete control of the radio (including managing the alarms, examining presets, tuning to radio stations and even browing the menu).
The initial implementation of UPnP-AV (aka DLNA) within the Reciva software performed the basic minimum - allowing it to access a media server and allowing the user to browse the music then select and play tracks.
This was extended to all external control points to send music to it - but the big addition was to add a Reciva specific service (RecivaRadio:0.0) that opened up much more of the proprietary capabilities of the radios.

A regular UPnP-AV controller will not know how to use these functions - so using them requires custom software. But the open nature of this (standard protocols and self-documenting web services calls) means that building something is relatively straight-forward ... using existing tools I was reading presets, searching the database and changing stations in less than 15 minutes.

This service is what I presume is being used by the Grace Digital remote control for the iPhone & iPod Touch.

If you plan to build something then here are some pointers - and let me know via a comment here or direct via other routes:
Check the power-on status - since some commands will not work if the radio is (soft) powered off.
Some of the calls require the use of a NavigatorId - obtain one with RegisterNavigator. This can then be used for the session - and should be released at the end with ReleaseNavigator (otherwise, I presume, the radio will eventually run out of memory).
The local controls at the radio appear to be disabled while controlling from remote - which may well be the most important reason to ReleaseNavigator.

Presets:
There can be more presets supported in the software than are accessible via the buttons on the device itself. Plus - the number available can be different on each radio. So use GetNumberOfPresets to determine how many there can be.
GetPreset returns the data of a single preset. Preset0 is a special case - it is automatically set to be the last station played.
Presets can be set in 2 ways - one is via SetPreset (see the return from a GetPreset to better understand the data required) and the other is to set the current playing station to a preset via SaveCurrentStationAsPreset
Tune to a given preset with PlayPreset.

Stations:
The station database can be searched (SearchForStationByName) and browsed (GetMenu).
It is also possible to get the station logo.
Here is an example of the return from one of these (GetPlaybackDetails):

<reciva>
<playback-details>
 <state>Playing</state>
 <station id="9256" custommenuid="0">
  <logo>http://www.dandelionradio.com/images/logo.jpg</logo>
 </station>
 <playlist-entry></playlist-entry>
 <stream id="fa3be23929b7339f9d2ce90f2c84ec37">
  <url>http://www.dandelionradio.com/DandelionRadio.pls</url>
  <title>Dandelion Radio</title>
  <album-art-url>http://www.dandelionradio.com/images/logo.jpg</album-art-url>
 </stream>
 </playback-details>
</reciva>

Volume:
Take care here - some devices have an analogue volume control. So if the volume is turned down at the radio then you will not be able to adjust it from remote.


I have not yet managed to navgate the sub-menus - the item ids do not seem to work when I try them ... work in progress.

Some of the commands return an error (for example GetIsUpgradeAvailable) and there may well be differences between firmware versions (GetCurrentServicePack) - plus it returns all possible source types even if the hardware is not installed - so try to make your code flexible and extensible.

There is a lot more in there - such as:

• Volume controls (up / down / mute)


• Playlists (view list, change order, remove item)


• Soft Power (on / off)


• Alarms (view, set, delete)


• Reply (equivalent to hitting the reply buttton)


• Device (hardware id, upgrade, language)

For those who do not know how to examine the available services - but who are simply interested in knowing what is there ... I have uploaded a dump of the available set from firmware v257-a-865-a-400 (very recent beta) to the very useful "UPnP/AV Device Capability Database" being run as part of a research project at Institut für Pervasive Computing of Johannes Kepler Universität, Linz, Austria.

The specific entry for the recent firmware is at:
http://www.upnp-database.info/service.jsp?serviceId=464

You could help developers who do not have access to all radios/firmware by making your own upload of data by downloading the Magpie tool from their site. It would be particularly interesting to see the output from a Reciva-based Grace radio to check if there are any extra capabilities that are being used by their remote ... but I suspect that they have no more than is in the current firmware. If you do download and run the tool then make sure that it is not blocked by your firewall - and let it sit listening for a few minutes while waiting for a radio to advertise itself. Powering the radio off and on is likely to make it broadcast immediately. The radio should then appear on the left. Click on it - and it should start analysing. Once complete you can upload via the "Submit Data" button in the top left. After you finish the process you can view you new data on the site.
Note - there is not much point uploading data for a device/firmware combination that is already there so do browse the device list first (some of the names might not be obvious - and there a devices from all sorts of suppliers not just Reciva of course).

Control your Grace Digital (Reciva-based) radio from iPhone

- Grace release free iPhone app

Grace Digital have released a free application to the Apple AppStore (for iPhone and iPod Touch) that can be used to control their range of Reciva-based internet radios (hence it does not work with their GDI-IRP600 which is not Reciva-based).


This is by no means the first internet radio that can be readily controlled by an iPhone application - there are excellent examples for Sonos (from Sonos) and Logitech Squeezebox (from 3rd-parties) plus Apple's own. But it is the irst that I am aware of for a Reciva-based device.

There are a few things to watch ut for. First off - make sure that you have recent firmware in the radio (at least v257-865-a-349) then if it is connected to your network wirelessly and you do not want to have to go and wake it up to control it then change the wifi configuration so that it stays connected while "sleeping".

It includes access to pretty well everything that you can do from the radio - including viewing presets, "My Stuff", accessing the alarms, changing volume (and muting), accessing Pandora (if you have it) plus accessing the entire Reciva library of stations.

I have not had a look at the underlying network communications to see how it works - but I suspect that it is using UPnP-AV for at least part of its operation (if not all of it). It does not work with non-Grace radios so I expect that it is looking for a manufacturer id or model number in the initial discovery process ... watch out for further reports.

You can watch an informative 4 minute video about it from Grace

Links:
Grace Digital Audio: http://www.gracedigitalaudio.com/iphone/
Reciva press release: http://corporate.reciva.com/pages/112#more-112

Roberts ColourStream

- Roberts' first touch-screen internet radio due soon
Roberts joining the band of suppliers of touch-screen internet radios.
The COLOURSTREAM is reported (at dnacaraudio.co.uk) as having a 3.5-inch colour touch-screen - and, as is clear from the photo, an iPod dock, in addition to DAB and FM.


Remaining feature list broadly the same as other devices - Aux In, headphone socket, line out, UPnP-AV.

No mention yet if the touch screen will be used for display of other matieral - such as cover art - or if they will be following the current trend of providing links to social networking systems and last.fm.
I presume that there is a matching Sangean model for non-UK audience but have not seen a sign of it yet.


At the time of writing this - it is not visible on the Roberts site

Priced around 400 Euro - but not available to ship yet.

Roberts Stream83i - Sturdy-looking multi-function radio

- Internet, DAB and FM radio

I hear the question .... "Sturdy-looking" is that some sort of euphemism?
The answer - Yes it is. My first reaction was that it looked like a car battery!



However, beauty is more than skin-deep. It looks like a capable device. It has the classic radio facilities (FM with RDS and DAB - including a telescopic aerial and 5 presets per band) plus Internet radio via Frontier Silicon portal over wired and wireless (b and g modes) and playback of media files on USB flash disk and from local LAN via UPnP-AV.

There are 3 speakers and audio connections both in and out (headphone, line in, line out)

Access to last.fm to play back music (and "scrobbling" of non-Internet radio tracks) is supported - with dedicated buttons for love/ban on both the radio and the remote control.

It looks like this has been designed to be sit well in the bedroom (as well as elsewhere in the house). For example, 2 different alarms with selectable volume level, dimable display (hopefully including a complete blackout), plus sleep and snooze functions.

The alarms can be set to play a buzzer, Internet radio, DAB radio, FM radio or Last.fm - an can be set as a one-off, daily, week-end or week-day.

For those who plan to move the radio between different locations - for example taking it away on holiday (for you not it!) there is the ability to store four different connection profiles - which should make it easier when you bring it back home or if you visit the same places regularly.

No mention of DAB+ on the site on the manual - which might be a problem in the future (or it could simply be an omission in the documentation).
More details over on the Roberts site including a detailed User Guide

First all-in-1 device from Sonos - S5

- Sonos S5
Sonos have released their first all-in-1 device.


It has the core Sonos zone-player functionality along with built-in speakers ... 5 of them.


Reports from early adopters have been positive - with people praising the sound in particular.
The device has minimal controls - so a remote control device is needed. The promotional material makes it clear that an iPhone or iPod Touch is the expected route - but the Sonos dedicated controller works fine but I expect that this is more important to existing Sonos customers than it will be to new ones given the price of the Sonos CR200.

Like all Sonos devices, it is very easy to set-up and start using - and Sonos excel at expanding to become a multi-room set-up.

If this were to be your first Sonos device then you would need to wire it to your router (possibly via an intermediate wired hub) - or buy an extra Sonos player or bridge. This is because the Sonos players do not use regular wi-fi for their wireless implementation - one of the Sonos devices has to connect via wire. Subsequent ones can connect wirelessly (via the other Sonos device(s).

On the back of the device are connections for Ethernet (x2 - 1 for your LAN and the other to allows other wired devices to benefit from its network connection), sockets for mini-jacks for audio-in and headphone plus the power socket.
The power cable prevents the device from sitting fluch against the wall - but given that there is a hole for audio to come out through at the back then sitting it a little away from a wall is likely to make it sound better.

Listed at 399USD (349GBP) it is at the top end of the price range for such devices - but it is a lot less expensive than buying Sonos ZonePlayer and new speakers.

O2 Joggler radio app seems close

- O2 and Imagination Technologies press release
Promised from the start - the O2 Joggler has had a placeholder in the bottom right of the front screen since launch ... showing that internet radio would be coming soon.







Finally a press release has been issued by Imagination Technologies - the parent of Pure - saying that they will be providing the application - including a customised version of the Pure Lounge.
From the press release it looks like the number of stations will be limited.

To quote:
Sally Cowdry, O2 Marketing Director said: "Internet Radio will transform the experience for O2 Joggler customers and with PURE we are partnering with the market leading provider. PURE’s parent company, Imagination, has delivered this capability in an easy-to-use interface which brings the UK’s most popular radio stations onto the device."

Will be interesting to see how much of the Pure Sensia functionality is ported over to the Joggler Flash front-end. On the asusmption that it is free upgrade to the device then I expect that it will be much simpler.

http://yourfamily.o2.co.uk/o2familyjoggler

(I have one - and have had some involvement behind the scenes with other aspects of the overall offering)

Update: 12/11/2009
Message arrived on the device (picture included) and upgrades of devices started.
No On Demand content

Touchscreens are in fashion - Pure Sensia

- Pure Sensia

There have been a few new touchscreen models announced over recent weeks - with the IFA event in Berlin chosen as the launch venue.
Logitech and Revo showed off their devices there. Pure launched the Siesta Flow - but strangely seemed to hold back on the new Sensia touchscreen model - now it even has its own microsite.

The device has Internet radio, DAB and FM - and is the first model to support some of the RadioDNS protocols, in particular RadioVIS. That probably explains why the first place to have the details was Absolute Radio ... who are among the first broadcasters to support this.
This means that the radio is able to collect more information about what is being broadcast by connecting back to the Internet ... in a standard way. This could include What's On, Album artwork and potentially a click-to-buy option.

Other features of note.

• A 5.7-inch 640x480 capacitive touchscreen (that is bigger than the fore-mentioned rivals are offering)
• DAB, DAB+ (via future upgrade), FM and Internet Radio
  
• 2 15W speakers
  
• Remote control
• Headphone socket
• Stereo Out
• Alarm
• UPnP connectivity for playing media from home LAN (like the Flow models)
  
• iPod connection via extra dock
• Optional battery pack
  
• Various internet apps - including Facebook (not at launch), Twitter and the weather forecast
  
• Available in 4 different colours
• Priced around 250GBP and slated for delivery in mid-October

There is also some talk of a public API coming so that 3rd-parties can develop add-ins for it.

Absolute Radio are running a contest to win some of these up until launch day - see here for more information.

So - while the radio may have the outward design of a 1960s guess at a space-age gadget ... it does have abilities that are futuristic.

There are more good looking photos over at the Pure microsite site
What Hi-Fi has a video but it looked like a fairly slowly running UI. Probably late beta code with some time left to speed things up before release.

Pure Siesta Flow

- Pure Siesta Flow
Pure used the IFA event in Berlin to officially launch their new Siesta Flow.
Word had come out a few weeks ago through a financial analyst briefing
"There will be a range of new products announced at IFA in Germany in 3 weeks - we were able to see a few in the Pure demo room but not all - we will have a new Siesta bedside radio with I-pod docker- neat- also a Siesta Flow with internet functionality".
I've been waiting for more material to arrive - and now it has ...

So - what is it?
Basically - it is a 100GBP bedside radio with internet connectivity. Using the same internet radio database as the other Flow models - Pure Lounge.

It has DAB and FM - plus can take input from external source - and can supply power out to a USB socket (e.g. to charge your phone) ... just in case you only have one power socket by the bed!


Pocket-Lint have a good photo - so I'll link to their article until Pure do their own official site update
Pocket-Lint article

Should be available soon (this year).

Logitech finally announce Touch and Radio

- Announced for IFA

In my original posting regarding the Logitech Touch (yes - it was me that found reported the FCC report for the Touch) I suggested that the launch would be at this week's IFA in Berlin.
Looks like that is the case - as the first official info arrives on the press briefing day.



Long-time Squeezebox fan, Radish, was a beta tester and has made a video showing off the Touch device. You can see it here (Windows Media file)

Official press release
Squeezebox Touch
Squeezebox Radio

Logitech Blog

Given that most of the information that was used to make the earlier postings had come from reliable sources (e.g. FCC test reports and mistaken publishing on Logitech sites) then it was unlikely to have much new information.
Couple of things I spotted - plus a confirmation from the Slimdevices forum:

For the Touch - a cut-down SqueezeCenter (new name coming) runs on the device so that the access music from the USB disk or SD card. This includes proper searching and providing album art not just browsing by folder ... and potentially even more useful ... it can act as a server to other Squeezeboxes (not the original Slimdevices but everything from SB2 onwards).

The Touch presents the contents of the USB/SD as a network attached drive - so you can copy files to it. This is still work in progress, since the device is not expected to ship until end of November, but beta testers report it as working.


For the Radio - the battery pack and remote are indeed optional (50 USD for the pair as an "Accessory Pack") and the six buttons around the screen are presets to store favourites.

New facility to post to Facebook (presumably all devices will get this since it will be a feature of the server software rather than the device) and see friend updates (presumably on the new full screen versions only).
Plus - a Flickr-based screensaver (clearly only applicable to the new devices with regular display screens)

Revo IKON - more promise than your average iPod dock

- Revo IKON
Announced today, for shipment in late October, is the Revo IKON.
List price is 280GBP


This looks like a good attempt at an all-in-one device - iPod dock, radio (FM, DAB/DAB+), internet radio, home media - with what should be pretty good sound for its size, combined with attractive looks and modern features (touchscreen, last.fm, album art, station info).
Inside it is using Frontier Silicon’s new multi-standard Venice 8 module.
If the implementation is a good as the device promises then this should be a winner - provided there are enough people who are willing to pay over 250GBP for something to do everything.

It includes last.fm functionality - both listening and scrobbling, although it looks like the listening part is only free for 30-day trial, which is odd given that last.fm is free for UK (and Germany plus USA) listeners. Support also claimed for Sirius, Rhapsody and Pandora - but today all of these require the listner to be in USA.

When playing your local music it will also try to show album art on the 3.5-inch touch-screen.

Feature list:
* 3.5” colour TFT touch-screen display
* High sensitivity DAB and DAB+ digital radio
* Advanced internet radio with Wi-Fi and wired LAN connection
* Easy access to over 11,000 internet radio stations (vTuner-based)
* Wirelessly stream music from your PC or MAC
* FM radio reception with RDS
* iPod docking functionality with full control and charging (folds away)
* 30 watts (2 x 15 watts) from class D amplifier
* NXT Balanced Radiator speaker technology
* Digital alarm clock with sleep and snooze
* 20 favourite station presets
* Compatible with all iPod and iPhone models
* Includes compact remote control
* 3.5mm headphone connector
* Stereo RCA line-out connectors
* Optical digital out connector

Click here for press release from Revo (PDF)
Click here for Revo image gallery

Logitech Squeezebox Radio

- Baby Boom?



Engadget report lead me towards another FCC test report posted today - this time it reveals a small Squeezebox with integrated speakers - a cut down Squeezebox Boom.

It is described as:
Squeezebox Radio model X-R0001 is a compact tabletop network music player and internet radio that lets you listen to virtually any internet radio station, music service or entire personal digital music collection.
Providing remarkable sound in a compact footprint, the X-R0001 extends the power and ease-of-use of the Squeezebox to any room. The Squeezebox Radio model X-R0001 features:
• Compact Design
• Bi-amplified design with ¾-inch high-definition, soft-dome tweeter
• 3-inch high-power, long-throw woofer
• 10W digital power amplifier
• 2.4” Color TFT LCD
• Front panel controls including scroll wheel
• 802.11b/g Wi-Fi
• One-touch WPS wireless setup
• Built-in 10/100 Ethernet
• Headphone Jack
• Works with all Squeezebox family products

Something to note - looks like this is a mono device (one dome and one tweeter).
Dimensions listed as 4” x 6” x 3.25”
Although not mentioned in the summary above - the test document does refer to a battery pack - so this looks like it is a truely portable device (perhaps they will charge extra for the battery module).
Price: around 180USD

Teaming up with Queen ...
A page leaked out (and was pulled) from Logitech site stating:
"Queen

Listen to an exclusive premiere of Queen's forthcoming album, Absolute Greatest, streamed to your Squeezebox Touch or Squeezebox Radio for free until the album release in November. With Queen and Squeezebox you can: Preview Queen’s upcoming album, ..."

Here is one of the more unusual views - from underneath (showing where the product label is)



26/Aug/2009
Updated with another picture and price
03/Sep/2009
Updated with latest inmage from Logitech (officially blogged about on their site)

New Sonos controller launched

- Sonos CR200
Photos have been floating around for a few weeks - but yesterday was the launch party (no - I wasn't there).


Touch screen (3.5” full-color VGA display 640x480 pixels) with some dedicated function buttons.
List price 349 USD

As always from Sonos - it looks good, it seems to works well - and it is at the top-end of the price range.
Remember - this is just a remote control for their devices - so you still need a Sonos player. Their iPhone/iPod Touch application remains free and offers very similar capability (but clearly without dedicated buttons for very quick access to some parts).

Sonos Demo
Sonos Press Release
Video from the launch party via ehomeupgrade

Logitech Squeezebox Touch on the way

- Squeezebox with touch screen expected by October 2009
First time I came across this was a posting back in May on, of all places, the Sonos forum. Someone (using the fourm name "walera") reported that he had been to a consumer focus event and the device was revealed as a new Squeezebox. I would have expected some form of NDA to have been in place - anyway - word was out.
Then over the last week-end some more info leaked out - including a picture.

It looks like a Squeezebox Classic with the VFD replaced by a 4.3" touchscreen.
But there may well be more - with reports of it also having a USB port and SD slot.
Various implications here - for example - this could allow for local storage of music and photos (show cover art when playing - and photos when idle).
There is also reported to be an infra-red presence detector that makes the screen spring back into life as you walk up to it - always fun when giving a demo.
Smaller updates also likely for the Boom and perhaps Receiver (the player half of the Duet).

Update 28/Jul/2009:
I found more details ... and have highlighted some new findings
Squeezebox Touch, model X-RC4 is countertop or wall-mounted (with included back-plate) music streaming system featuring:
• 4.3” LCD panel with capacitive touch screen
• High quality analog and headphone outputs (24bit/96k)
• Optical and coax S/PDIF outputs
• 802.11g wireless
• 64MB SDRAM & 64MB NAND flash
• SD card slot & USB host connector
• Internal speech-grade microphone and speaker – sound effects and preview
• IR sensor for remote control
• Ambient light sensor for dimming screen at night
• IR proximity sensor for detecting user approaching
• Digital temperature sensor for home automation

Interesting - perhaps there are some mistakes there ... but a microphone, small speaker and thermometer? Maybe for future expansion. Slimdevices have in the past included hardware that is not necessarily used when first released - for example infrared and headphone connector on the Squeezebox Controller.
It may well be running SqueezeOS - the same as in the Squeezebox Controller - since it gets a mention in the FCC report.

Also - an odd part number - "X-RC4". RC usually implies a Remote Control - and is nothing like the part numbers that Logitech Slimdevices folks use
(spotted so far ...
930-000074 - USA
930-000089 - Europe
930-000090 - USA/Canada
930-000091 - Aus/NZ
)

FCC test report
The implication from another document is that this is due for release by the end of September 2009 - my guess ... IFA Berlin is the launch.

Update 15-Aug-2009
It looks like Logitech web site folks made a premature release of information onto the main corporate site. It was spotted first in New Zealand and pulled soon after it was reported. However, that gave time for the details above to be confirmed.
Some more pictures as well ...







Prices:
No official word yet ... however, 3rd-party resellers are listing it around 300 USD, 400 Canadian, 450 New Zealand - implying approximately 220 - 250 Euro.
Plus there are tiny snippets visible on the Logitech site for replacement parts.
For example - a replacement power supply is 19.99 USD (same as Boom but more than Receiver) - which is the same price as a remote control (the smaller Boom remote is 9.99 USD and the bigger backlit one that ships with the Transporter is 29.99). It is not clear yet if a remote is shipped with the device although there are publicity pictures showing them together.

Update: 28/08/2009
First reported home use through a purchase rather than Logitech beta programme.
Nils' Picasa page
Forum post
Looks like a mistaken premature shipment because without a working SqueezeCenter 7.4 (being renamed SqueezeboxServer) it looks like it cannot do much.

Reciva adds native Live365 support

- Live365 from the device menu
It has been possible to play Live365 stations on Reciva devices for a long time - but with some limitations.



The stations had to be submitted to the database (or via the local My Streams) rather than being collected directly from Live365.
While "Professional" Live365 stations could be added easily enough, there had to be work-arounds to get the regular Live365 stations to work - and the VIP "Preferred" stations were more difficult again because Live365 requires the end-user to be a paying subscriber.

Other internet streaming devices, such as Logitech (ex Slimdevices) Squeezebox have had Live365 support for a long time.
Now Reciva has provided a free upgrade (initially for users of Grace Digital versions of the Reciva radios, but presumably with others to come as the brands approve it) to extend the menus to provide native access to Live365 - so that means 6,000+ more stations to try out!

Updated Pandora integration from Reciva

- First Reciva-based radio with dedicated Pandora buttons

Reciva announced their plans for official Pandora support at CES January 2008 - with a limited number of brands initially supported, the first was Grace at end of May 2008.

In April 2009 there was another related set of announcements - one was just to say that there are a few more brands with Pandora support. But I found the other more interesting ... for a couple of reasons.

The press release says "Livio Radio’s sleek features puts Pandora® at your finger tips".


First there are like/dislike buttons on the device and the remote control.
OK - no big thing (love/ban has been on other systems before but I think that this is the first time on a dedicated internet radio).
Second though is that Livio appears to be a sister company of Myine who recently released their Ira device which is using vTuner.
This is not the first time that a brand has gone with more than one supplier - but I don't remember anyone else having 2 suppliers so quickly.

New internet radio from Myine - ira

-

Massimo Baldini of Myine Electronics (Ferndale, Michigan, USA) replied to an email that I sent back in January to ask about this new device. The reply came recently to say that their new internet radio was nearly ready to ship ... and today an official announcement to say it is now available.

The form-factor is somewhat like a Logitech Squeezebox Classic - and like that device, it does not have its own built-in speakers.


So - connect up via RCA to powered speakers or hi-fi amp - set the wi-fi parameters (no Ethernet on this one) and off you go.
I think that the radio database is powered by a customised version of the vTuner system.
It comes with a remote control (and no local controls) - and has a fairly large (for this sort of device) white/blue LCD display.

Listed at 150 USD - with more details over at:
http://www.myine.com/ira.php
(the user guide is in the Help section)

Do you want everyone to know what you record?

- DABDig and Twitter
More for a bit of fun than a serious practical use, I have added some support for posting to Twitter from DABDig.
So - if you are automating your recordings
- e.g. DigiGuide -> DABDig -> Windows TV software
then you can now send info about what you are recording to your Twitter account (or in theory to other web-based services with an equally simple interface).

Maybe it will remind someone to switch to watch the same thing. I think I'll add the facility to hide shows by name though just in case people do not want some of their guilty pleasures highlighted (e.g. "Desperate Housewives" gets timeshifted here).

You can see some examples in Twitter
http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23DABDig

I have not released this test version of DABDig yet - but if you already have a released version up and running and you have a Twitter account and fancy sharing your recording details with the rest of the Twitter-world (not the shows themselves - just info about them) then contact me (address is at the top of your dabdig.ini).

New internet radios from Grace Digital

- New models for USA buyers from Grace include battery power and iPod dock
Before Christmas, Grace Digital said that they were going to be bringing out some new Reciva-based internet radios in early 2009.
They have now released the details and it looks like products should become available in February/March (update: one of them is not Reciva-based).

One of the radios features an iPod dock (not just an Aux-in socket). Internet radios with iPod docks are an interesting development. There are other manufacturers who have done the same thing, but it does blur the edges between internet radio, digitised music at home and personal media players.
Someone with an iPod that can handle Wi-Fi can achieve something very similar by getting a lower cost iPod speaker dock and using one of the many (free) internet radio players from Apple's AppStore.
Arguably it is not quite as easy to use - but it also brings many other functions.
However, if the person with the iPod sticks it in their pocket and goes out ... then the speaker dock becomes useless - but that is only important if there is still someone around to listen!
For people with their music collection stored on a computer - they can get to it via UPnP and other remote media streaming protocols or possibly over a shared file system and, of course, while sitting at their computer ... so they would probably not need the iPod feature of an internet radio.
Grace have neatly side-stepped the issue by making two versions available - one with and one without the iPod dock. You can pay your money and make your choice - with a 50USD difference in the models.
This option is something that some of the Pure advocates think that should have happened with the Avanti Flow.


So - what have Grace announced? In essence there is an update plus 2 completely new models, including one that is battery-powered.

The update (GDI-IR2000 and IR1000) updates the ITC-IR1000B by using what looks like the same casing and adds 5 more presets (via a new "Shift" button as seen on other Reciva-based radios), software controlled tone settings and, for the IR2000, Aux input plus a small remote control.


To accommodate the "Shift" function within the pre-existing case layout, the buttons go through some renaming and it looks like "Browse" and "Reply" have been replaced by "Retrieve". This will confuse established Grace and Reciva users if they ever need to help newcomers via the forums.



The new models come with some variations.

The GDI-IR3000 has 2 speakers and a variation with an iPod dock (IR3020) - both available with a richer remote control (offering 99 presets).




The remote compounds the "Reply"/"Retrieve" confusion referred to above by adding "Recall".
No indication, as yet, of the power of the speakers, but maybe it is 2 of the old ones - i.e. 2*4.5W

The final new model is the GDI-IRP600 (presumably "P" for portable) and is their first with battery-power.
From the user guide it looks like it is not Reciva-based. The menu structure is different and is presumably using the vTuner bask-end.
There are not many battery-powered Wi-Fi radios.
One big reason being the amount of power that is drawn when trying to run a Wi-Fi connection when a long way away from a wireless access point (for example - down at the end of the garden). Plus, if you are much further away (maybe out on a picnic) you will probably not find any wi-fi to connect to!
However, by including an FM tuner, that draws a lot less power, it does mean that this becomes a portable device that should be able to be taken away from home for the day or longer.


The recent addition of support for the internet versions of the Sirius satellite content via the Reciva platform (although requiring a paid subscription to Sirius) and possibly only available to Grace radio users, will no doubt be of interest to many listeners in USA.
Sonos and Logitech/SlimDevices have had Sirius support for a while - but Grace has the potential to bring it to a new entry-level price.

More at http://www.gracedigitalaudio.com

TEAC internet radio finally reaches the shores

- TEAC internet radio finally reaches the shores
Announced back in August 2008 was the TEAC Reference 380. A mini hi-fi with numerous components. List price around 500GBP. The tuner (T-H380DNT) - available separately for around 240GBP features FM, DAB and internet. The internet part is not mentioned very much - and I still have not seen the manual for it (it was still not on the TEAC UK site in early January). UPDATE: Manual now on-line.

The big brother system - the Reference 600 also has internet radio.

No hints about which internet radio database it is using - but since they usually source their DAB from Frontier Silicon then I presume it will be vTuner like the rest of the FS-based devices. UPDATE: Confirmed from the user manual

Nokia enters the internet radio device market

- Nokia enters the internet radio device market
Nokia has been building a database of radio stations and been heavily pushing "Comes with music" on some of its newest phones. Soon there will be a new device to take advantage of this - "Nokia Home Music".

Features internet radio (wired and wireless), an FM tuner, analogue and digital out, analogue in, USB (to play from external disk), headphone socket - and a 3.5 inch colour display.
Looks like it has a single 10W speaker and comes with a remote control - plus can be controlled via UPnP.
It was announced in early December 2008 and should ship around March 2009.

I have not seen anything about the price yet - nor anything about which audio formats it supports.
To be a success in the UK market in particular ... it will need support for BBC Listen Again. If the work done by BBC/Nokia to get BBC iPlayer support for some of the phones has been learned from in other parts of Nokia ... then this could be a serious contender.
http://europe.nokia.com/homemusic

New multi-function devices on the way

- New multi-function devices on the way

Both Tangent and Pure have new devices that seem to be coming out in time for, what I am sure they hope to be, a Christmas sales rush.
Both have internet radio, plus DAB and FM also with the ability to play from a USB attached disk and support for playing your own music held on the home LAN.

The new Tangent model, NET-200, is another Reciva-based radio - like their Quattro.


This time it looks somewhat like my old Audiotron that I referred to in an earlier posting. It is a component hi-fi sized device - with no speakers. So, you add this into your existing hi-fi (including via a digital-out) or add powered speakers.
More details at the Tangent site.


Pure's second internet radio is the Avanti Flow.

This does have speakers - and an iPod dock.


Both are towards the top-end of the price range for people who are simply looking for internet radio - but they do provide more than that.

BBC socialises radio listening

Back in May BBC showed off Olinda - a quirky internet radio prototype that tells your friends what you are listening to and allows you to tune in to what they are enjoying. People have been using Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and other sites to post updates to tell their friends what they are doing. Last.fm shows what music people are listening to - so why not have something to tell people what radio programmes they are listening to now?

Well - I'm not sure that it is very interesting! But then I wasn't convinced by the facility in Facebook etc. Knowing that Harry has missed the bus may well be important to his employer who was expecting in on time for once or his girlfriend who faces missing the start of the film again but is it really more than a gimmick? If Twitter cannot sustain the cost of sending SMS in Europe will users pay for it?

However, I can see that aggregated information about listening habits could be useful, especially to advertisers, commissioning editors or public service broadcasters wanting their charter renewed - but I doubt that many people will switch over to listen to a programme that they had forgotten about because some of their friends are.

But - now with RadioPOP going live - http://www.radiopop.co.uk - it does mean that there will be data collected and published in full colour.


Right now it is not directly linked to the popular BBC iPlayer - and only provides live streaming (not Listen Again) but it will be interesting to see how much use it gets.

At least two suppliers of the technology underlying many internet radios are based in the UK - and provide access to the BBC live and Listen Again programming. If they add support for this as well then it will give it an extra boost. However, once it gets into BBC iPlayer then the figures really will make interesting reading.

New internet hi-fi devices - Pure and Intempo

- Pure and Intempo with new models

All sorts of product information comes out around the time of IFA in Berlin.
The official announcement of the Squeezebox Boom that I mentioned in the previous blog entry was timed to coincide with IFA opening - and indeed shipping started on the same day.
Other products that were announced around the same time include the Intempo RFI-W and the Pure Evoke Flow.

They are both priced around the same level at the Squeezebox Boom but have a few immediately obvious differences. For example - both Pure and Intempo include regular FM radio.

Pure also include DAB (with promise of availability of future firmware upgrade to DAB+).
The Pure device has a single speaker and, like others in the Evoke range, can have an extra speaker added at additional cost. Another costed option is a ChargePak (rechargeable battery to you and me).
It will be interesting to see where their internet radio database comes from. The front-end to it is at http://thelounge.com but at the time of writing this it is not open. My guess is that the data comes from vTuner but I am less confident about the portal itself. Logic says that it would be a varient on that offered by Frontier-Silicon given the relationships between Pure, their parent, Imagination Technologies and Frontier-Silicon. But perhaps Pure have done their own to differentiate themselves from other brands using FS.

Intempo include an iPod dock and ability to play from SD memory card and USB disk.

Again it will be interesting, to me at least, to see where they are sourcing their internet radio technology from. They used Reciva for their first model, the GX-01, but a few of the early suppliers of badged internet radios are trying things with more than one manufacturer. It is due out at the end of September 2008

Logitech have put a lot of effort into the audio design of their new Squeezebox.


On announcement they published this great document. It contains a lot of technical detail, written in a very easy to read way - Logitech Squeezebox Boom Audio Design White Paper (PDF)
As usual, senior staff from Logitech have been active within the SlimDevices forum to answer questions about the new system. There was a private beta program running since April 2008 with some of the most active community members getting the chance to try things out and give feedback. I think that this approach is one of the big reasons why SlimDevices has both great products and passionate supporters.

It is going to be interesting to see if Logitech can steal a march on the competition by being available a full month earlier.
Will people go for what looks like more ways to listen from Pure and Intempo?
Are the audio qualities of the Squeezebox Boom going to be important?
Will the ability of the Pace device to run on an optional rechargeable battery make it more attractive to the outdoor types?
Will this new activity spur Roku into kicking new life into Soundbridge Radio?
How about Philips - I should really go and have a look at their new model to see how they have moved on since I last tried one a few years ago.

Or - will people seem them as much of a muchness and buy based on what they can find in the shops and which one has the most appealing looks and/or cheapest price?

Digital listening - part 3

- Digital listening - part 3

Having achieved a stable and working set-up, with local media files and internet radio playing at home, including the ability to synchronise between 2 rooms, we really had all that we needed.
However, I still wanted a bit more - internet radio in the bathroom. There were two different drivers. One was to cover the long relaxing soak in a warm bath and the other was to have news (from France) in the morning while getting ready for work. Putting electrical equipment in the bathroom is not something to undertake lightly because of the hazards of mixing power and water or steam and electronics - but trying to use the wifi-enabled PDA with wet hands or steamed-up glasses was not going to work!

So it would be used a relatively small amount of time per week and would have to be easy to operate. For the small amount of use that was expected, I could not justify putting an extra Logitech Squeezebox, plus powered speakers, in there. The user community had been calling for an all-in-1 box for quite a long time ...
but there was no word (not even a rumour ... until on 6th August 2008 - when unofficial news of the Squeezebox Boom leaked out).

I was interested in trying out an "internet radio". One of my brothers had already seen my home set-up and wanted to do something similar. He has very poor FM reception in his bedroom and wanted to be able to listen to BBC Radio 4 last thing at night and on waking up. There were a number of potential solutions (for example - add an external FM antenna, or try and get it via longwave). In the end he bought a Logik IR100 - from memory it was about 130GBP at the time.

It was up and running very quickly. The built-in support for RealAudio plus Reciva maintaining an updated list of the BBC Listen Again programmes meant that it easily meet my brother's needs. (Reciva provides the engine inside the box and is the provider of the station list).
Not to be outdone ... another brother went a slightly different route - and bought the Roku Soundbridge Radio. This device also features a conventional FM and AM receiver as well as internet streaming - so looks very attractive to a radio fan.
He is pretty pleased with it but has a few usability issues plus recently the power supply failed (just after the warranty expired).

Reciva already had a few other brands using their technology - but all were priced higher than I was prepared to pay for a 3rd device ... then the Logik IR100 went through some price drops. PC World was selling them for 60GBP and eventually 50GBP. My resistance was broken one week-end as I was buying some ink and paper ... within minutes of getting it back home I was listening live to stations from around the world.
It is not wrinkle free - but more than adequate for the way we are using it.
The firmware for the Reciva-based radios is upgradable over the internet, but the process is controlled so that firmware upgrades (officially at least) are only available for particular models once the brand agrees. This does mean that there are all sorts of different versions of the firmware on different models - which can lead to some frustration when a bug fix or new facility is available to some radios but not others.
There were a few bugs that affected the Logik IR100 but the assumption was that DSG would not be interested in agreeing to an update because they were probably trying to clear the stock by dropping the price. In the end, I made contact with one of the senior members of DSG to ask if anything could be done. I had a reply pretty quickly (over a week-end) saying that it would be researched. After a few weeks there was an update to say that it looked pretty likely and then a few weeks later I had confirmation that a new firmware release would be available very soon. An excellent outcome and confirmation to me that a simple request expressed clearly, logically and without emotion ... really can work.
The Logik IR100 has moved up in price since then - but I think it is still worth looking out for good deals.

The Reciva platform has continued to spark my interest in other ways. Reciva asked if any users would be willing to help process the queue of station add/modify requests. I volunteered and was soon involved in working out the right stream URL for attempted add requests. I am not sure how many I have fixed but I expect it is well over 1000. I find it a good way to stimulate the mind in the morning before breakfast!

This is a fast moving area - so I do suggest that you do your own investigation before buying. Models that I referred to might no longer be available or issues that I had may well be resolved. Feel free to ask questions via the Comments area.

28-Aug-2008 - Updated to include official link to Squeezebox Boom

Digital listening - part 2

- Digital listening - part 2
Having converted some of the family to the pleasure of using a stand-alone device to play internet radio and local music files, the next step was expansion. Putting another device in an area that was not really suited to having a regular computer.
There were a few candidates that seemed to be offering something similar. They are some subtle and not so subtle differences between them (such as whether or an additional application needs to be installed, learned and run to handle core functionality, functionality of the remote control and support for many different formats/protocols for streaming - including the ability to play back material from the BBC Listen Again library).

I had seen a few at CES in 2004 and 2005 and had already been researching.

In general, I discounted devices that could not be controlled from the device (plus its remote control) itself (i.e. if it needed a TV to be on, or if the only way from from a computer).
My shortlist had come down to Sonos, Philips, RokuLabs and SlimDevices (now Logitech).

Sonos
I decided that although it looked great, it was too expensive for me and did not seem open enough for what I had in mind.
However, I have subsequently recommended it for closer inspection to friends who had both more spare cash than me and less desire to get into the technicalities.

Philips
They seemed to have the only device that really was a conventional mini hi-fi system, with CD-player, regular radio and built-in speakers but it was taking forever to come to market in Europe.
When I tried it out at CES I found the menu system too cumbersome and unresponsive - plus the internet radio function seems to only support a "walled garden" approach with no ability for me to enter my own stream URLs, plus there was no support for Microsoft WMA which would have been needed for many internet radio stations. I'm sure that either I was wrong or things have improved since then, but since I could not get my hands on one to experiment with in the UK at that time - I gave it a miss.


RokuLabs
I did like the fact that, like the Audiotron, it has a built in filesystem client so that it can play locally held music files without necessarily having to run an extra application.

However, it had no native support for RealAudio format - which meant that I would not have an easy way to listen to the BBC Listen Again material.
Running a connection through a local transcoding proxy could have been one way to do this - i.e. run a local server that can handle RealAudio format and have it translate the data, in real-time to something else. The loss in quality after going through such a translation could be grating, but given the relatively lo-fi that is used for most internet radio then I decided that this need not be a big issue - but I wanted to experiment.
Back then ... the RokuLabs devices included the ability to work with the then current SlimDevices SlimServer. SlimServer was (and still is - but is known as SqueezeCenter nowadays) free to download and use. So I decided to try it out since I would be able to evaluate the free software for use with either vendor.

SlimDevices (now Logitech)
As I read more about SlimDevices I was impressed with the approach they were taking.
The user forum was busy and supportive with active engagement by the manufacturer - it was clear that new functions were being added based on user requests. They seem to have put a lot of effort into the audio qualities of the box and had a good looking screen and menu system.
However, it did look like an old-fashioned bedside clock radio (the subsequent SB3 updated the looks, and the later Receiver plus Controller i.e. Duet goes a step further).

But, there was a free download available of a software-only emulation of the Squeezebox.
So - I downloaded the Slimserver and Softsqueeze. I had both up and running in minutes.
It was easy and extend. Softsqueeze allowed me to try out a lot of things, including putting some add-ins in place. It all worked really well.
So - I placed my order for the newly announced SB2 and it arrived direct from USA at the end of March 2005.
It proved so popular at home - that a 2nd followed not long afterwards. Sometimes we set them to synchonise playback so that we can set-up a playlist from the kitchen in the evening and then continue without a break when we eventually arrive in the bedroom.

So I had decided to go with something that seemed to have good basic functions and an active user community who were developing, with the support of the manufacturer, all sorts of interesting add-ons. I did not expect to use many of them (for example showing the scores for sports that I am not interested in) but there were some that looked promising (for example providing the BBC Listen Again content).
It could be argued that having something that seemed to require additional 3rd-party software to achieve what would lead to an overly complex solution and would need a computer to be left on to run it.
Well - I do not have a big concern over something being complex under the covers - provided there is sufficient information and support for those that are willing and able to dabble. If new functions can be added that can then seamlessly appear in the menu at the device so that everyone in the family can quickly understand how to use it if they need it then I'm all for it.
As for running a computer all of the time - although it is not strictly necessary to do this with the Squeezebox (SqueezeNetwork provides access to internet streams without need of a local server and the device also supports broadcasting a Wake-On-Lan packet to try to restart a slumbering server) ... I already run a PC all day so that it can easily generate the TV and radio listings that I upload for other users of DigiGuide (I generate programme schedule information for end-users to import into DigiGuide of over 100 stations - maybe that could be the subject of another blog entry).

---

Next steps
All of the manufactures featured above have released new models since I was doing my research - and there are other players in the market.
I still had an itch ... I wanted internet radio in the bathroom so that I could listen in while having a long soak. There were numerous possibilities - and apart from kicking myself for not putting some speakers in the ceiling when we had the bathroom refitted ... I was happy to start searching again. Slimdevices/Logitech were steadfastly not making any noise about producing a transportable device with built-in speakers. RokuLabs had finally shipped their SoundBridge Radio and there were other small devices that looked a bit like regular radios that could be interesting. More on this later ...

Digital listening

- Digital listening

As DABDig, the application, has needed less of my attention over the last couple of years (partly because it already handles most of the recording possibilities with stacks of TV and radio kit - but mainly, I think, because there are much more sophisticated applications being shipped with modern computers that, for most people, obviate the desire to go and and find extra tooling such as DABDig plus the basic TV listings available in Microsoft Media Center and other similar applications mean that they are unlikely to find DigiGuide) I have spent some time getting involved with the technicalities behind internet radio - and indeed I even help run one.

I decided to post a few words about it here to see if it sparks any interest - and if it does, then I may well add more detail in the future.

How it started for me:
I have listened to radio via the internet for a long time - I don't remember when it started, but I suspect that extended hours of listening coincided with my first broadband connection at home back in 2002 (I was on the free trial being run by my cable TV company to provide broadband wirelessly, that ran for about 18 months I think - which sounds somewhat odd, but their old cable infrastructure in my area was not able to provide internet and I didn't want to have to add an extra line from a different telcoms company to get ADSL).
In January 2003 I released an update to DABDig to drive Total Recorder - so that it would be possible to schedule recording of internet radio streams from DigiGuide - because back then there was very little "Listen Again" or "On Demand" functionality on radio stations around the world.

Over the years I have had, and still have, various internet radio devices. In general, these look like regular radios or a hi-fi component (so get put in places that normal home PCs don't go - such as kitchen, dining room and bathroom) and are very easy to use for all of the family. I have taken an active technical interest in the technology and the communities built around them.
The first that I went for was the TurtleBeach Audiotron.
Sadly no longer available to buy new - but even now, some years after all support ended, it still stands up well against today's offerings.
This device can play audio files from your home computers or NAS but, via a facility called TurtleRadio, it could also play thousands of internet radio stations. This was playing most nights after we had the family dinner (music during dinner tended to be Jazz FM (when it was still just about a jazz station) or PlanetRock dependng on whose turn it was to control the DAB radio in the dining area).
After a few months of twiddling the dial to pick up different genres and countries from around the world - we ended up with a staple diet in the presets - FIP and FranceInter were always popular and remain so now, the world music station on RadioIO (RadioIO is still going but that station and compiler has long gone).

We were very happy with internet radio - and wanted (well I did anyway) to buy another one to put downstairs to augment or even replace the DAB receiver. TurtleBeach were rumoured to be making something new ... so I held off for many months to see what would arrive. In the end they announced the some updated models plus the MediaTron (same idea as the AudioTron) but could be controlled via a TV interface, including showing cover art. I was one of the few that managed to get my hands on one and have a play - on their booth at CES in Las Vegas in January 2004.

However, the device never made its way to the stores. Eventually TurtleBeach pulled the plug on the whole thing, not just the new models. So something else had to be done! I had already been researching a few other devices and had used the CES show in 2004 and 2005 to have a look at them in more detail (it was a happy co-incidence that I had to be in Las Vegas at the same time as CES for 2 years in a row).

So - what did I go for? More about that in the next blog posting.

DABDig 259b26 release coming soon

- DABDig 259b26 release coming soon

I decided to make a release - bundling up all of the updates from the last few months.
Some of this is experimental since there were not many people who tried it some of the requested features so get in touch if something new does not do what you expected.

- For ATiMMC there is a digital-only device which has different registry settings - start to adapt.
- For ChrisTV the date field follows local Windows settings so make it configurable.
- For WinTVPVR - set default recording windows style back to Restore (WinTVPVRRecWinStyle=1) because running it maximised prevents recording with some versions of Win2K.
- Add experimental support for Microsoft Media Center Edition (MSMCE).
- Add substitutions for GMT start and end date/time.
- For GBPVR - Added optional Priority field because it looks like new versions of GBPVR require it.
- For GBPVR - Added conversion_profile.
- For GBPVR - Added call to new function to force recording schedule to reload because recent GBPVR versions no longer use a timer to poll database.
- Add a general ability to mess around with the timezone when working on UTC date times.
- Added support for automatic detection of WinTV background recorder (BGRecorder).
- Apply InternalWebSend to Nebula DigiTV to provide more control when web-based scheduling is used.
- For Topfield - Add support for substitutions in file names to make it easier to use MyStuff TAP.
- Add support for DVBDream.
- For DVBViewer - add support for parameter passing on record requests.

This also includes the features from 2.58 that I made available to some people but did not announce - namely:
Add new substitutions - for Tab ($HT) and Null ($NU).
- For TiVoWeb - allow parameter substitution so that extra fields can be inserted.
- Put leading zero in the end date/time fields - for people using the substitution facility.
- Note - this might have an unexpected effect on some devices that take textual date/time fields.
- but initial checks of them look OK. If recordings used to work and now do not with this version then this might be the reason so let me know quickly!
- For TwinHan VisionDTV - new field mechanism to add/replace fields in schedule file to support new in VisionDTV 2.65 ProgarmName (sic).
- Add parameter substitution D2 and E2 for 2 digit start and end year.
- Start to add Compro Videomate

Vista SP1 and XP SP3

- Vista SP1 and XP SP3
There is a reported bug introduced by the recent service packs from Microsoft.
It is to do with the way that VBScript processes dates.
It is possible that this will have an effect on some of the scheduling performed by DABDig.
It is related to the date handling routines. In general, DABDig handles the date in a non-locale specific form so that the same code runs everywhere, but this newly introduced bug might cause some problems.
If it proves to be a problem for end-users and if Microsoft do not release an update soon then I will put in a generic workaround.

More about this here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/951978/en-us

Let me know via Comments to this post if this affects you (in more than simple presentation ways).

DVB Dream

- DVB Dream
I have had a request to add support for DVB Dream.
After a quick look at the documentation, it looks feasible - so starting on it now.

Various updates

- GBPVR
Added call to new function to force recording schedule to reload because recent GBPVR versions no longer use a timer to poll database

- General
Add a general ability to mess around with the timezone when working on UTC date times

- WinTVAdded support for automatic detection of WinTV background recorder (BGRecorder)

- Nebula DigiTV
Apply InternalWebSend to Nebula DigiTV to provide more control when web-based scheduling is used

- DVBviewer
Add a 2nd instance of DVBViewer

(259b19)

GBPVR

- GBPVR
Looks like GBPVR has added a new field - priority - and made it mandatory. Also a new optional field conversion_profile.
So added ability to enable them in DABDig but with the default that both are turned off so that it does not cause problems for existing users with older versions of GBPVR.
(259b08)

Breaking in a new domain name ...

- Breaking in a new domain name ...
I finally decided to register a DABDig domain name.
I am still leaving the original site in place for now but will probably switch over on the next official release.
Nothing new to see - but you can try it at http://www.dabdig.co.uk

Microsoft Media Center Edition (MCE)

- Microsoft Media Center Edition (MCE)
DId some more work on direct scheduling into MCE via click-to-record. Looks promising but since I do not have MCE then I need someone to test it.

(259b02)