Windows Media Player and Media Center Edition Remote Control

Getting hold of the official Windows XP Media Center Edition Remote Control is not easy in the UK. There is now an answer if you have a Wi-Fi Pocket PC. Rudeo have software for either Windows MEdia Player 9 or Windows XP MCE.

For more info: Rudeo Control

Apple - iTunes - UK Music Store

Well you've probably read it a hundred times already but for those fixed to their TV Apple have launched their iTunes Music Store in the UK. Tracks are 79p and whole albums are £7.99 With many others either in or threatening to get in to the market this could be interesting times.

More info from : Apple - iTunes - Music Store

Inmatrix.com - Zoom Player V4.00 Final Released

Zoom Player was originally conceived to fill a void in Multimedia playback. Prior to Zoom Player, playing media files on the PC was either overly simplistic for the Power User or overly cryptic to the common user. Zoom Player tries to both simplify the playback experience for the common user, while giving the Power Users all the tools and interfaces they may require to manipulate their playback environment to their exact specification.

To that end, Zoom Player employs a slick and simple user interface, combined with easy to access features while at the same time providing advanced control dialogs over every feature imaginable.

Zoom Player was designed from the ground up to load quick, take as little system resources as possible, provide user feedback/direction as appropriate and maintain as much isolation from other applications and system components as not to undermine overall stability.

More information on new features here : Inmatrix.com - Zoom Player Version History

WinDVD Platinum 6: New version of WinDVD

WinDVD 6 is the most advanced, most entertaining way to enjoy watching movies on your PC! As the world�s most popular software DVD player, WinDVD 6 continues the tradition of excellence by including the latest in high definition audio & video technologies, TrimensionDNM for the smoothest motion playback, and fun new features such as Quick Clip and Reverse Playback, to create the ultimate DVD experience.

More info : WinDVD Platinum 6: DVD Player for Your PC - InterVideo DVD Software Player:

Microsoft Windows Media Player 10 Technical Beta

Windows Media Player 10 is being refined to provide a great experience for discovering, playing, and taking your digital media anywhere. We are still in the early stages, but this technical beta lays the groundwork for the great end-to-end digital media experience coming with the final release for Windows XP

More info at Microsoft Windows Media - Windows Media Player 10 Technical Beta

Apple release version 4.5 of iTunes

Apple have released V4.5 of iTunes. So what's new:-

iMix lets you publish your own playlists on the iTunes Music Store and share your musical mixing expertise with the world.
Party Shuffle. iTunes 4.5 can automatically create a continuous queue of songs from a playlist you select or from your entire music library.
Print CD Jewel Case Insert with a list of songs and your choice of cover art.
The new Lossless Encoder provides the full quality of uncompressed CD audio at half the size.
Keep track of the songs you want to buy — creating a "Wish Lists"
Library Links to get more information about the songs, artists, and albums in your music library.
Radio Charts (new on the iTunes Music Store) let you know what music the top radio stations are playing.
You can authorize up to 5 computers to play the music you purchase from the iTunes Music Store.
You can now convert songs saved in unprotected Windows Media format into the AAC format.

Download from Apple - iTunes - Download iTunes

ATI introduce High-Definition (HD) Gaming

The RADEON™ X800 graphics technology is the world’s fastest and most powerful VPU, setting a new standard in graphics performance and visual realism. With up to 16 pipelines, higher clock speeds and breakthrough image enhancement technology, RADEON™ X800 Graphics Technology ushers in a whole new gaming category called High-Definition Gaming.
For more information see www.ati.com

Windows Media High Definition Video

WMV HD makes it possible to watch stunning, high definition movies. Connect your Media Computer to a high definition display such as a plasma screen or projector and a surround sound system for an incredible cinema-like experience in your own home.

Just what makes high-def different? It comes down to video resolution. The video most of us are used to seeing on our TV sets today, called standard definition, has at most 480 visible lines of detail, whereas high-def video has as many as 1,080. High-def video looks sharper and clearer than regular video especially on big-screen displays. It actually comes in two different resolutions, called 1080p and 720p.

All this definition needs a powerful PC and Microsoft suggest a recommended configuration of a 3.0GHz Pentium 4 with 512Mb of memory and a 1920 X 1440 resolution video card.

For more information see www.wmvhd.com