Play .MKV’s in Windows Media Center (WMC)

For a long time I had resisted converting my DVD and Blu-Ray disks into any other format because I didn’t want to lose any quality.  I had lived by this rule for a long time, and thankfully companies like QNAP and Thecus came to my storage rescue.  However, the day has come where the cost of storing all the extra garbage that comes along with these movies has opened my eyes to benefits conversions.  With that, I have began converting my movie collection to a format that allows me to lose all the excess fat, but keep my movie loss-less. Read More…

You've read the comics, you've seen the movies and you've even got the poster. What more could the hardcore Spiderman fan need? How about the coolest looking case on the market? Xoxide has kindly provided me with just the ticket to tingle your spider senses. How cool is it to have the web-slinger himself peering out at you in the middle of the night?

Replete with 4 5.25", 2 visible 3.5" bays and 4 hidden 3.5" bays, the steel construction will give you confidence of it's ability to withstand a little abuse, but at the same time it is still light enough not to give you a hernia. The door is made of plastic, but is in no way delicate. It's solid and sturdy so don't worry about slamming it. It secures solidly also, so there are no worries about it opening and being broken off inadvertently. Read More...

If there is one thing I love about the computing show grounds, it's the computer cases. With everyone bringing their "A" game these days, it's hard to decide who will end up with a chunk of my earnings. Some cases are flashy, some are simple; today, flashy is the word, functionality is the goal, and price is the key.

Thermaltake is trying to dazzle us with their latest creations. They are a mixture of tried and true form, with rodeo clown appearances. With these things in mind, they have decided to let us play with one of their models from the Damier Series; the Modern Life Style XaserV Damier V5000A. Read More...

Today I will be reviewing the Antec Sonata Mid Tower case. I was immediately impressed when I took the case out of the box. The sheer weight told me that this was a solidly built case. But the thing that took my breath away was the absolute beauty of the paint job. The fit and finish of this case is amazing. The Piano Black paint is buffed to a very high sheen (you can actually see your reflection). I tried to get a picture of this but it wasn't to be. The pictures of it really don't do it justice. It has the look and feel of an automotive quality paint job. Read More...

We sink so much into our computers, we research components, shop around for the best prices, look for ways of making it perform better; but we still have a plain beige box with poor cooling properties and NO aesthetics. There are many companies trying to deliver something different to the masses, at a considerably smaller cost then just a few years ago. Yes, that's right boys and girls; the days of pulling out the jigsaw to put a window in your case is gone. Chieftec isn't the only company doing this, but they sure do have a very attractive package available for the end user. Read More...

Today I am reviewing an aluminum case made by Directron. For an aluminum case it is very nicely built with rolled edges and very few sharp protrusions. It has plenty of room for most users. It also has the advantages of some front ports for USB (2) and Firewire (IEEE1394). And it comes with a side window already installed. All this and more for under $100.00 shipped. (I think mine was right around $90.00 to my door.) Read More...

I am going to take us back to a time when Lian Li's looked like Lian Li's, except we are going to add a little shimmer to the subject. Enter the Lian Li PC-65B - PLUS EDITION. I know you are saying to yourself right now, "The PC-65B, what's so special about that?"

There are only a couple of things that set this case apart from the, dare I say, old PC-65B. Read More...

There are endless options when shopping for a computer case. You can choose a steel or aluminum chassis in most any color out there. The only thing that governs what you get is the price. But for those of us who want a nice case for little cost there is hope, and you don't have to settle for beige. Black cases are a great alternative and you can easily find accessories to match black rather than some off the wall color. Enter the Evercase ECE4252... Read More...