Enter to Win: 25% off any SLIM or higher model from VidaBox!

[Tom Andry]

VidaBox wants your opinion!

VidaBox is offering 25% off any SLIM or higher model to five (5) lucky eligible forum member. VidaBox encourages the winner review the product in the Audioholics forums. This prize is worth $624.75 off on a SLIM standard edition, $974.75 off on a LUX HDTV edition, $1,974.75 off on VidaBox’s just released ZERO Limited edition, etc. Prize must be redeemed within three months of winner selection. Systems purchased using coupon will not be eligible for the 30 day trial promotion.

To be eligible to win, you must: 1) Be a registered Audioholics forum member, 2) Have USA or Canadian Residence 3) Respond to the poll above and explain your response below in this contest thread.

Contest question: Elaborate on your absolute favorite Media Center feature. Tell us why you love it and can't live without it. Personal stories are welcome (especially the funny ones) Don’t own an HTPC? That's OK! Let us know what feature you think you would like best.

Note this contest ends on October 31st, 2006. Winners will be drawn shortly thereafter

Have fun and good luck!

Sergio DeAlbuquerque Co-founder of VidaBox wants to share his favorite Media Center feature with you:

I am an absolute music-holic. There is almost nothing else in life that makes me quite as happy as when I'm listening to an album with a great singer and a rocking guitar (preferably of the metal variety). I was one the iPod "early adopters" and became hooked instantly on having all my music in one place. The iPod was not enough I wanted to have the same convenience with my home theater system. That’s when my love affair with my HTPC started. Windows Media Center literally turned my music listening experience upside down to the point that I shutter at the though of having to load a circular piece of plastic in order to simply listen to; oh man, only one album! With Media Center, I could have my cake and eat it too. No longer was my music confined to the lonely CD that was placed in the tray. Now I had all my 300+ albums ready for playback with a simple click on my remote. Please - no comments about how your music collection is bigger than mine. It's not the size that matters but the quality that's important

Then one day, by what can only be described as divine inspiration, I decided to create a playlist that would be my own twisted tribute to MTV's Headbangers ball with my favorite songs from artists like Metallica, GNR, Dio, and the all mighty Iron Maiden. Then something happened that I did not anticipate. The playlist became a life of its own and needed to be feed. I began to search the darkest corners of my music library for long lost gems that I could add to my precious list.

Then one day the list was complete and I stood back marveling at my own creation. The list had grown to behemoth proportions. 968 of my all time favorite songs available at the click of my remote. The simple act of pressing the play button was now filled with a sense of exhilarating anticipation at what song from my playlist Media Center would decide to play first. Yeah baby, yeah! It’s kicking it off with Iron Maiden’s “Hallowed Be Thy Name”.

Sometimes my wife likes to ask me questions like "what is the proudest moment of my life," because that's just the kind of trick questions that women love to ask men. I tell her that it was when our son was born. But secretly, deep inside, it was the creation of my tribute playlist.

So a long story short. My favorite feature in Media Center is the Music Jukebox, my friends. You may find my story a little on the fanatic side but then again, I'm a music-holic. Oh and please, no flaming of my musical tastes. Cheers.

 

[bersik]

I don't own one but the thing that I desire the most is the ability to store, sort and play music. Having many song in one location that are quickly accessable is very desireable.

 

[kens]

I don't own a HTPC, but have been considering one. There are two primary uses that I value:
1) combining several functions from the HT (DVR, DVD/CD/SACD/DVA audio, DVD writer, media server, set-top box, etc.)
2) having a single source for aquisition, management, and distribution of content in the home (including mobile devices)

 

[vigga]

I don't own one but have been actively considering. I took the trip out CEDIA this year and was blown away by several projector demonstrations that made use of HTPC. While I consider myself fairly technical, my computer knowledge is only so so, so I've always been intimidated...especially when we read on the forums about what can happen when systems aren't configured just perfectly. I've very interested in HTPC systems specifically configured with the home enthusiast in mind. Those of us who want a premium peice of gear for our systems but are scared of the computer aspect. I'm most into use as a PVR/Video server for the house.

 

[kono144]

I do not own a media center. But if I did, I would most likely use it as a music center and PVR. Eventually I may start putting DVD movies on it as well.

 

[Hanse18]

I built a htpc recently, and my favorite aspect of it is the pvr. With beyond tv 4, i can schedule recordings from any computer, or with my cell phone. I haven't kept up with Tivo's recent innovations, but can you do that yet with tivo? plus with a htpc i can burn recorded programs onto dvd's and watch them on other dvd players, and record hd programs. I also have an extensive movie library ripped on my computer, so that is convenient. I actually have a seperate computer, a much older one that can't handle video playback, that I store my music on, so music itself isn't that important to my htpc experience.

 

[Tomorrow]

I don't own one, but would dearly love to have one as my main room, all-around entertainment/music solution.

 

[tigerpawgt]

The poll results above are as I would have expected. The flexibility of a HTPC to record, playback, store photo/video are a real bonus. The biggest benefit is the consolidation of functions. Think modularity and upgradeability. Swap out the DVD recorder when universal HD disc player/recorders become available. It won't be too long before the HTPC replaces the pre/pro unit in the home theater setup. The biggest drawback for early adopters is the ability to input HD video so the PC can provide source switching, and HD from satellite and cable providers. BUt that will get resolved eventually.

 

[Anagoge]

Absolute slience is the first feature I look for in a HTPC or media center. I absolutely can not stand listening to a loud Plasma fan or a DVD player that makes noise when spinning during a dramatic but quiet scene in a movie. Beyond that, I would need good support for music play lists and support for a wide variety of media formats like mp3, ogg, flac, mpg, divx, etc.

 

[Will d s]

I want a HTPC to use as a pvr, store all of my music to play back throughout the house a dvd player and soon hd-dvd/blu and to control home automation.

 

[chaos400ra3]

I don't own one, but I want it all. PVR with dual 2 way cable card with web browser.
I want it to play every format output thru hdmi 1.3 with the highest quality audio and video playback possible.

 

[Stone__Man]

I'm not fortunate enough to have one . . . yet

but i will, its just a matter of which to buy.

The most important feature to me HAS to be, hands down, the handling of HD material, no matter in what form its being delivered to the screen. Be it from the massive HD, HD-DVD or Blu-Ray, I want a system that will do it all.

The fact VidaBox has introduced the world’s first Dual HD-DVD & Blu-Ray media center, has very much drawn my interest in purchasing a product from their line, namely the LUX or MAX model.

Therefore my interest in winning this discount this discount

*fingers crossed*

 

[jjakaitis]

Vidabox

I had an opportunity to preview some homes in the Multi Million range earlier in the week and what did I see before my astonished eyes was a Vidabox. What an incredible piece of equipment. The installer was present and went over the dvd server functions and it just blew me away. One of the areas that he showed me was how the server associated the title I looked at with other movies in the same category. Another one was purchasing say Seinfeld DVD and it knew to how to put it with the other Seinfeld DVD's automatically within their chapter area. I am going to have to purchase this unit once the Blue Ray and Hd-DVD upgrades are ready.

 

[mdy]

I don't currently own a HTPC, but I am interested in a device that provides access to my entire DVD collection. It would ideally have an attractive, easy to navigate interface, and provide a simple method to customize it. If this could integrate seamlessly with my Dish 622, even better.