" Why is no one talking about the new LaCie Silverscreen? I just got mine and it may be the "missing link" for video distribution for computers as well as TVs, either for traveling or at home.

It is powered by a USB 2.0 bus, has a self-generated menu when plugged into a TV input, comes with a remote, has 80 GIG disk and supports almost all Codecs. I just received mine, placed my 40 title collection on the Silverscreen, packed it in my bag and am off to my home in Montana where I can bring my video connection with me.

Check out the product; it's amazing. Now if only it had a battery and a screen???
Howard B.
(I asked him for a product page link)
Here is the website link - http://www.lacie.com/products/product.htm?pid=10481
I would be glad to write a review on this unique item. As I will be in Montana, I will have ample time to test this thing.ct page link/ "

The Lacie silver screen 80GB lists for $329 (40GB model is $249).

" Received package on Friday and installed on upgraded Cube (1.2Ghz, 1GB RAM GeForce3).
No issues installing & running although iPhoto is the only thing I've used at any length.

iPhoto Likes:
now imports movie clips from cameras
imports RAW (from my cameras anyway)

Dislikes:
SLOW. Much slower importing even with a Firewire CF card reader. RAW support is a lie; box says "Import and edit uncompressed RAW photos". In fact they mean import uncompressed RAW photos but iPhoto will turn them into a JPEG as soon as you try to edit it, even though the edit tools look like they work on RAW and the file information still says RAW. This is a very big deal to me as it's one of the main reasons I bought iLife05. (A reader replied that even photoshop converts RAW files when edited (to TIFF), although not to a lossy format like JPEG, although I don't know what JPEG compression/quality level iPhoto5 uses.-Mike)

Sometimes double clicking an image doesn't open the image in the edit view. The screen shows 'Loading Photo' and the layout changes to the edit view, but the picture never appears. Seems to happen the first time you try to edit a picture.
So far I'm not impressed. Hopefully they'll have an update soon.
Gavin M.
(after a reader post on iPhoto editing features last week mentioned only brightness/contrast (turns out he had a G3 mac) - I asked Gavin about that and to report back if he tried iDVD5.-Mike)
I had all the editing controls available. Real time freehand rotation for straightening, exposure, sharpness, tint as well as brightness and contrast.
Trying iDVD will mean installing it on another machine and I don't really want to do that just yet - sorry."

(Later in the day I posted a page with more iLife05 user feedback.)

"Configuring and Running X11 Applications on Mac OS X
X11 (the X Window System) is a widely used graphical user interface on UNIX. By running it a Mac, any of the thousands of available X11 applications can run in a window running concurrently alongside iTunes, Microsoft Excel, and any other Cocoa, Carbon, or Java application. Read this article to learn how to set up and use X11 applications on your Mac OS X system.

" After having HDTV for years (with 2 different TVs) via dish network, and seeing it also on cable at other locations, I wasn't all that impressed, because there were too many compression artifacts, IMHO. They could be distracting. And the blacks were too compressed.

Then I just recently got a plasma TV and hooked up a $50 radio shack HDTV antenna Catalog #: 15-1880 (table top amplified rabbit ear+rotating cage and UHF coil style). Over-the-air broadcasts are beyond belief! No artifacts, no noticeable compression. Watched live action sports on FOX and CBS, Lost on ABC, Malcom in the the Middle, CSI, etc. All channels look great. The only noticeable artifacts now are analog ones from the ancient film technology some shows still use.

Even if you have cable or sat, I'd suggest giving OTA a try. You might be pleasantly shocked, and if not, radioshack will take the antenna back.
Michael K. "

Of course location matters also. I think Michael lives in or near a major city in California but will write to ask:

" Sherman Oaks, CA. It is in the valley, across mulholland drive from Beverly Hills/BelAir. I am on the hillside, so Mt. Wilson is blocked by the next hilleth over.

I found the best location for the antenna was next to a window. I tried placing it higher, on a bookcase, but it didn't work, likely because it was then pointing through the roof, which is metal.

I tried the clip on dish style HD antenna, and it was a no go. This unit is much easier to deal with, and it looks retro 1950s cool, too. It has a built in gain control, which is nice, though mine is pegged at max.
Michael "

The EyeTV reports/tips page has other notes on HDTV antennas, reception (OTA and Cable) and links to resources like http://www.antennaweb.org/.

" There's a firmware update for the Oxford 911 chipset , it updates to version 4.0, no notes on what it fixes or changes. I've flashed my Firewire OWC Mercury On-the-Go, it still works fine. Too bad I didn't run any benchmarks before the update. I'm sure I can flash it back to firmware 3.8 and run a few. The update is available at http://www.fwdepot.com/firewiredepot/firmware/firmware.html and the unrestricted firmware_uploader is available at http://www.cooldrives.com/firewireinfo.html
Regards, Luis G. "

" Hello Mike,
I thought it would be worth noting that the Firewire/USB 2.0 and Gigabit Ethernet card you linked to at Mac Tuning seems to be made by Koutech Systems.
Their website: http://www.koutech.com/ Lists a few cards that are Mac compatible, including two FW/USB2 and Gigabit ethernet, which seem to just be different revisions.
Cards: 7384 - PC720. I found the PC720 card at Newegg for $54, $5 shipping.
At that price, it's a alternative even to some of the Firewire/USB combo cards.
-Grim "

• Mac Mini Media Center Project
• Fire 1.5.1 (OS X IM client, see release notes for changes)
• Cocktail 3.5.2 (added support for more browsers, 10.3.8 compat., improved help, bug fixes)

• Other World Computing G4/1.3-1.4GHz in (QS) G4/AGP (rated 9)
• Sonnet G4/500MHz in Beige G3/266 (rated 7)
  (includes before/after real-world tests)
• Sonnet G4/500MHz in B&W G3 (rated 10)
  
  (Full reviews of G4 and G3 upgrades compared to stock CPUs, including real world apps/game tests, install info, etc. are linked at the CPU upgrades page. OC/CPU module articles are on the Systems page.)

(Warning - Overclocking may not be reliable and could lead to hardware failure or corrupted data.) You can find the full reports by searching the database selecting the indicated Mac model and upgrade card brand/type. If you've upgraded the CPU on your Mac, please post an entry in the database. Search the database for entries from most every upgradable Mac model *before* you buy. (Searchable by mac model/upgrade brand). For detailed reviews with performance tests and install tips, see the CPU Upgrades page.)

CDRW Drives:
• IDE Liteon LTR-16102B (16x10x24x) in eMac (OS X 10.3)
  
  Combo DVD-CDR Drives:
• Firewire (cased) Aopen Combo (52x32x52x + 16x DVD-ROM) used w/G5 Tower (OS X 10.3)
  (said drive didn't work in the FW case regardless of jumper setting.)
  
  DVD+R/RW + DVD-R/RW Drives:
• Firewire Lacie 16x Dual Layer d2 (NEC 3500AG) used w/Powerbook G4 (OS X 10.3)
  (Using Toast for burning but Patchburn 3 could be used for iApps burn support. )
• Firewire (cased) NEC ND-3520A used w/iMac slot-loading (OS X 10.3)
  (Using Patchburn 3 for iApps burn support. )
• Firewire (cased) Samsung TS-H552B used w/Powerbook G4 (OS X 10.3)
  (problems noted - returned drive and case )
• IDE NEC ND-3520A in G4/AGP (OS X 10.3)
  (Using Patchburn 3 for iApps burn support. Illustrated CD drive install guide here covers G4 towers up to the Digital Audio Model, Beige G3 MT and B&W G3.)
• IDE Pioneer DVR-A09XL in (MDD) Dual G4 DDR (OS X 10.3)
  (using Patchburn 3 for iApps burn support.)
  
  Hard Drives:
• IDE (using Serial ATA PCI card) Maxtor 300GB (x2) in (MDD) Dual G4 DDR (OS X 10.3)
• IDE Seagate ST960821A 60GB in PowerBook G3 lombard (OS 9.2)
• IDE Toshiba MK1016GAP 10GB in PowerBook G3 lombard (OS 9.2)

You can find full owner reports (latest shown first) by searching the database by drive/brand/interface/mac models (the latest reports are shown first in searches). For guides to installing CD/CDRW/DVD drives or Hard drives in many mac models, see the IDE Articles page. The Firewire articles page also has guides on case kits, installing drives, etc.
If you've added a IDE, SCSI, Firewire or USB hard drive, CDRW, tape drive, etc. make sure you add a report to the database. (If you post an updated entry - make sure you use the same name, etc. as you did before so I can find your past entry. Thanks.)
(Incomplete entries are deleted. Do not post questions in the database, it's for drive reports not questions on what drive to buy - for that try searching the database for reports from owners of your mac model on the drive type/brand/interface, etc. you're interested in.)