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Proposal:

In a follow-up to my media server article, I'm now looking for a good solution that will allow for streaming multimedia into as many rooms of the house as possible. I won't go into too much detail on all the pros and cons of each individual solution/device. This is just a quick gist to get any recommendations or additional ideas for workable solutions.

Option #1 - Media Extender:

A search for media center compatible extenders returned three main players, Microsoft, Linksys and D-Link. After comparing all three of these solutions, the XBox appeared to be the clear winner, edging the other two out from both a design and a performance standpoint.

Given the growing popularity of Microsoft's Media Center, other players have also recently joined the game. Samsung now offers an add-on box as well but it only works with the latest Samsung televisions. Not a terrible thing necessarily because given an option, Samsung would be my first choice for a tv or monitor. HP now makes televisions with media extenders built-in as well. But based on experience in the field, they'd probably be the last company from which I'd purchase a tv.

The primary issue I have with all of these solutions is that they're only designed to "extend" an existing media center PC, and are therefore limited in general in what they can do. One of the most obvious examples of these limitations is that none of the extenders appear to work with the My Movies plug-in if you're using .VOB formatted files. In order to use an extender, I'd have to convert all of the movies I'm ripping to an MPEG-compatible format. Too much time, too much space, and too much reduction in video quality.

Overall, an extender would probably be the cheapest, easiest solution to implement, yes. Unfortunately, unless I can figure out a way to stream the movies in the current state, none of these solutions will work.

Option #2 - Media PC:

Most of the extender options range from $200-$400 in price. For a bit more than the high-end extenders, I could simply build or purchase a mini-form-factor PC instead. This would give me complete media center capabilities as well as those of a lower-end PC at each media station. In most cases I don't really require a full PC at each station, but this option allows me to leave the movies in their original raw formatted state which is a huge bonus. The higher-end components of a PC (vs those of most of the extenders) would provide much better performance for streaming media and other tasks. A locally-placed PC means not having to run a bunch of wires down to the basement (network only).

The potential cons of this option are that it's more expensive, especially when you consider multiplying the additional cost by the total number of media stations. The other drawback is the noise factor. With a PC in the same room, I need to ensure that the noise output will be minimal. Traditionally speaking, small form factor PCs suffer from one of two things, lackluster performance, or noise and heat. It's difficult to achieve both goals.

Option #3 - Virtual Media PC:

As I stated above, the noise factor is a major concern for any locally-housed media PCs. What if the PCs were not local to each station? The beauty of placing workstations and servers in a remote location such as a garage or basement, is that you no longer have to worry about noise or heat issues. Without those factors to inhibit you, it also means being able to purchase high-performance hardware, thus getting the best bang for the buck.

Please keep in mind that this last option is very much theoretical at the moment since I have not done extensive research to confirm that it will all work. In theory, using HDMI-to-Ethernet converters for each media station, I can remove the PC from the equation (at least locally). Using either the current media server or another one that's similarly configured, I can run one or more virtual PCs on a host OS. The trick to this one is whether a single HDMI-capable video card would suffice or whether I'd need an indvidual card for each virtual PC.

Network would also be another potential issue. Based on the specs I've read, gigabit would not support full 1080p streams. Estimates put 1080p around 3-7Gbps. A quick check on 10Gb switches confirmed that I won't be streaming 1080p for quite awhile (~4K for a 6-port switch). In addition to the HDMI cabling (requires two lines for each stream), I'd also need an IR to ethernet solution so that each remote upstairs could control its respective PC in the basement.

All in all, this last option is a great idea conceptually, but I think it may have bigger issues when it comes to implementation. As such, it's highly possible that the cost of such a system may end up considerably higher than just using individual PCs at each station. More research should confirm whether this option is even affordable, let alone feasible.

Conclusion:

So that's it in a nutshell. I need an inexpensive media extender solution that will be visibly and audibly discrete. Any thoughts, ideas or suggestions?

They are predicting a fairly large ice storm to hit our area sometime tomorrow and last about 24 hours. Hopefully, as in the past, their predictions will fall short, but we are preparing to stay home on Wednesday. This, after today, which hit the upper 40s. Really - is Old Man Winter losing it?

We had a very nice Christmas this year. Jeff and I got to sleep in until 7 when Kadie woke up. Her excited squeals while opening her stocking downstairs, accompanied by Jeff's desire to see it all, from beginning to end, got us up and started shortly thereafter. As in years prior, Kadie very diligently kept a nice pile of wrapping paper behind her as she ripped through the presents and stacked them around her. (Why she's so neat on Christmas morning when she lacks that desire the other 364 days of the year is beyond me.) Thankfully, since most of the presents were books, earrings, and clothes, there weren't too many of those nasty little twisty ties that the parents always end up cursing and Kadie was able to quickly set about enjoying her new loot.

I started a turkey and the fixings (though not ALL of them) while Kadie pranced around the living room in her new dress-up clothes, singing to High School Musical - no Christmas music for us. According to Kadie, that kind of music is "boring." We spent a pretty quiet day and Kadie enjoyed each of the gifts - it is a goal of mine to get out thank you cards this year. We shall soon see if I meet that goal, but don't be surprised to get a card come summer time.

I had been able to make the pies and moon cheese salad the day before due to an unexpected day off. We all got up and got dressed as usual, but when we pulled out of the garage and tried to make the corner to go up our driveway, my car kept going straight for the trees on the other side. With some sweaty palms, a few choice words, Jeff pushing, and some cat litter for traction, we were able to get the car back into the garage without any damage. Not even Jeff's FJ was going to make it up that driveway, so we decided to call in. I was not at all happy about it - I had a list of things to do a mile long (to include picking up a few last-minute stocking stuffers) that I was planning on using some time at lunch to accomplish and I like to try to save my leave for the unexpected - I know, it's ironic if you think about it, but, by unexpected, I'm usually thinking about illnesses. It took a few hours for the bad mood to lift (I HATE being sidetracked), but I did get the food preps done and the ice melted around noon so that I was able to get a few of the errands done that I needed to do.

I am currently still a lame duck, hobbling around like a woman 20 years my senior. Two weeks ago, Sunday night (the 15th), I had an attack of gout. I was diagnosed with it when I was 22 or 23 and, with dietary changes, I haven't had an attack since that first one. I still have no idea what brought this one about as I didn't eat or drink anything out of the ordinary. I began to drink water like a fish and started taking tart cherry, while I limped around on the outside of my foot for 3 days. By Thursday, it was feeling much better, almost normal, but I was still favoring it. Leaving work Thursday evening, I managed to sprain my ankle (most likely due to the strain of walking on it improperly) - I stepped down on my foot, only to have my ankle twist around on me, causing my foot to flip over so that I was actually walking on the top of my foot. Unfortuantely, I was carrying a load of four different bags (there had been a potluck at work, along with my school books and purse) - of course, on that shoulder, so I had no choice but to put my full weight, as well as that of the bags, on my ankle/foot. I felt a twinge, an amazingly painless second or two passed, and then I was near to tears. I limped to my car and prayed for the best. The ache on the way home did not lend me to believe in good things and, when I tried to get out of the car at home, I realized that my ankle was no where near the size it should be. I made my way as quickly as I could to the medicine drawer and ankle brace. I am still limping, though trying not to do so for fear of pulling something else. The pain has diminished a lot, but the ache is still there and I don't have the flexibility needed to push through a normal walking motion. The more I use it, the more it hurts, but the more I rest it, the more uncomfortable it is to use it again. I have tried stretching it (rotating the ankle, flexing the foot, etc.), but the range of motion just isn't there.

My biggest concern right now...how do I dose my foot for the inflammation and not cause myself the pain of a medically induced migraine as I'm so apt to get? I have read about white willow bark and am going to try that out if I can get my hands on a bottle, but I'm still concerned about creating a migraine.

Speaking of migraines, I have a lot to say, so I'll make another post...

Jeff and I are both on break from college. We start back up again on Jan 6. I have two weeks left in my present class and Jeff will be starting a new one. My next class is Physiological Psychology. From what I can tell after a quick look through the text book, it's how our bodies (mostly the chemical portions of them) affect our minds.

The weather is currently out of its mind. One day it's 20 degrees with a wind chill in the single digits, the next, it's sunny and low 50's. It's not doing anyone any favors in the health department and there are some days I'm not sure how to dress Kadie for school. We haven't really gotten any snow to speak of - a day or two where the grass turned white for a couple of hours before it melted, but that's it. Sunday, Kadie and I were running our errands without coats or sweaters. Last night, it turned rather blustery. So much so that it woke me several times and I was half tempted to get out of bed to take a shower, thinking that the electricity wouldn't hold out for much longer and I wanted a head start on the grundge factor.

Other than that...I hope everyone has been enjoying a fun and relaxing holiday season. It's back to work for me, so love and hugs to all.

For those who are interested...HSM 3 will be released on DVD 17 Feb.

I found an awesome site with lots of information on migraines. You'd think I'd know everything there was to know about them by now, but I'm constantly finding more stuff. For example, did you know that you can have a silent migraine? (Don't you wish they all were?) A few days ago, I woke up dizzy. The kind of dizzy where you feel you've been riding a merry-go-round for way too long. It's not an uncommon symptom for me. I can remember sitting in keyboarding class in 7th grade and grapsing the desk in front of me because it felt like the room was slowly tipping around me. In the military, I went to see the doctor several times when the dizziness was making me nauseous at work. These episodes last sometimes days for me and, as of yet, none of them have been related to inner ear issues. Well, I just happened across this web site that was talking about silent migraines - otherwise known as migraine auras without a headache. For years, doctors have asked me if I experienced auras with my migraines. They always described an aura as a visual disturbance (flashing lights, wavy vision, etc.), which I don't have - unless you count the perception of the world turning entirely too quickly or at the wrong angle. If you didn't know (as I didn't), auras can also be:

"flashing lights, jagged lines, circles, squares, or distortions of things they see...dizziness, ringing in the ears, trouble focusing, slurred speech or trouble finding the right word when you talk (aphasia). You may smell an odour that isn't there. Some have numbness or tingling in hands, feet or lips (lasting about 20 minutes). Yawning. Thirst. Irritability or euphoria. Stiff neck. Some people just have a gradually coming on "not right" feeling, or wake up feeling like they've been "hit by a train." In rare cases even amnesia or advanced hallucinations."

Many of those I have experienced - and knowing that they are connected to a migraine certainly helps as I will now be able to detect a migraine more quickly. According to the web site, the dizziness that I experience on a semi-frequent basis (dizziness that cannot be explained by inner ear problems or low blood sugar) is a common aura. Yea! It really is frustrating to feel so crappy and not know why.

Although the weather is more fit for traveling with a sleigh, and in spite of my friend Amber's offer of using her Clydesdales and sleigh for traveling, I think that the Jeep will be making way over White Pass sometime tomorrow morning. 84 looks nasty, but I5 looks pretty good as far as I can see. HOHOHO up the hill we go!

Quite a while ago, I switched to what I thought was a "better for us" product - real butter that was mixed with Canola oil to make it spreadable. Then, about 3 months ago, I read up on Canola oil and found that it's not all that it's cracked up to be, health-wise, so I stopped getting products that contained it. That left me in a quandary for a product that I could use on Jeff's morning toast. I wanted to use real butter, but I'm sure you all know how difficult it is to spread real butter and, of course, you can't just leave it out on the counter or it will go rancid. Well, I just happened to come across a product that some of the older generation (those who were around before the invent of the "miracle" of margarine) might recognize: a butter keeper. I have ordered one from Amazon and look forward to using it while hoping that it lives up to its claims.

Although it's been over two years since Jonathan Coulton's Thing a Week campaign, the popularity of many of the songs released has not diminished. If anything his fan base has continued to grow.

Following the trend of artists such as Radiohead, Jamiroquai and Trent Reznor, Coulton opted to release his music for free through an Internet medium. While working for free may leave some in the poor house, artists involved with this new movement have proven that this alternative approach to music distribution not only works, but can also be highly profitable.

How can free be profitable you ask? Artists who release their music outside of traditional recording studio channels, effectively eliminate the middle men, removing much of the overhead cost in the process. Along with free downloads, artists also provide their fans with the option to purchase individual songs or full albums. Although many take advantage of the free music, there are quite a few fans who are willing to show their support for this effort by purchasing music as well. And with no major studios or distributors to worry about, the artist will see the majority, if not all, of the profits made from these transactions.

I've included links to two of my favorite Jonathan Coulton songs below if anyone is curious. If you find them entertaining or just want to learn more about the artist feel free to visit his site and perhaps even show your support by purchasing a song or two of your own.

Re: Your Brains
Code Monkey
Jonathan Coulton's Web Site

Did you know that you can call 511 (at least in WA & OR) to get road and travel information? The call is free, although it does count against your cell minutes. This will be helpful for us in our upcoming travels...I will tell you how it works.

I just wanted to widsh everyone happy holidays. We are surviving here in Lakeland Hills Auburn. I haven't been to work since last Weds. Really tough getting down this huge hill in all the snow and now ice, even with 4 wheel drive. I am not sure if we will make to my folks for Christmas eve as more snow is coming tonight about 1-6 inches. We already have about a foot and you know for this area that is way too much!

Hope you are all healthy, happy and have a blessed coming year. It has been nice to keep up on all your adventures with the blog. Merry Chirstmas to you all.

Cindy

For all those Joss Whedon fans out there, don't forget to order your holiday copy of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along-Blog DVD. It's now available through Amazon as well as a separately sold soundtrack on CD. Check out the links below for more info.

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along-Blog DVD
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along-Blog Soundtrack

I sincerely believe that our house has developed a personality and, when Jeff left, it started behaving like his old cat, Bubba. But, instead of peeing in the middle of our bed to show it's displeasure at Jeff being gone, the computers took a dump on themselves and, then, so did our phone line. Of course, as soon as Jeff got back, our phone started working and he was able to get the computers back online and up and running in no time.

Unfortunately, a whole week without the computer has left me with an overabundance of homework that needs to get done on a weekend that I had reserved for putting up the Christmas tree, cleaning the house for the Jesus birthday party (coming up this next Saturday), finishing Christmas shopping, and my general chores and errands. I have a feeling that I will be taking Monday off to get everything done.

I have also been uber-busy at work. Apparently, everyone wants to get everything done and out the door by January 1st and I've been scrambling to accomodate everyone's requests. The one good thing about Jeff being in class all last week was that I was able to stay late on several days to get work done without having to put him out. This Monday is the only day of next week that I will be able to take off and not seriously hose a group, so I think I'll take advantage of it.

Kadie is doing well. We just had our first parent/teacher conference with her Kindergarten teacher and, as before, she received glowing praise with only one real area of needed attention: her desire to always be talking. Her skills in reading, writing, and math, as well as her growing knowledge of geography (she was pointing out several of the African countries to us on a map yesterday) and nature (she learns everything from the parts of a plant to the life cycle of a frog) is astounding. She has also been learning the different land/water formations (what is a lake, river, penninsula, isthmus, etc.) and quizzes us on those and everything else (which, sad to say, we don't always pass with flying colors).

The teacher called Kadie her little helper. Kadie has volunteered to read to the class while the teacher is getting everyone settled in for the morning. She really enjoys bringing in books from home and the teacher has, several times, used Kadie's books as a focus for the day's lesson. The teacher told us that once, while she was busy teaching another group of students, she noticed that a new child had pulled out equipment they hadn't been trained on yet and had made a terrible mess. The teacher asked Kadie to go help the child clean up the mess and the next thing she knew, Kadie was on the floor, instructing the new child on how to properly use the equipment and giving her the lesson that was needed to use it.

Jeff is, of course, back from a week in Virginia where he was pampered at the Hyatt for four nights while he attended a computer course. Kadie was not happy with him being gone but we managed to have a fairly successful girls-only week.

The weather has gone from painfully bitter cold to fairly warm (we were close to 50 a few days ago). The last two and half days it has rained constantly and we were under a flood watch for a while. It's wreaking havoc on everyone's health. That very nasty cold that I caught went through the office like wildfire - my cube neighbor caught it twice.

Well, my daughter is calling me out as a bad parent for not playing with her and I have more than enough to keep me busy throughout the day, so I will end this with well wishes and prayers that everyone continues either with their good health or on their way to it.

Love and hugs!

Brrrr...y'all on the East Coast bundled up today????

For those of you who use Google's online mail, the Google folks are currently in the process of rolling out a great new theme feature. Although custom themes have been available in the past from various 3rd party vendors, Google's constant updates to Gmail's underlying structure resulted in frequent style-sheet breakages.

With the addition of Google's own custom Gmail Themes, these breakages are no longer an issue because the bulk of the themes are developed internally. Plus, there are quite a few themes from which to pick and choose. As an added bonus, several of the themes available are time- or weather-based, resulting in different background images or color schemes depending on the time of day or your local weather.

Due to the sheer number of users taking advantage of GMail, Google has stated that Themes may not be available for everyone yet. But they are steadily working towards making this option available to all Gmail users as soon as possible. If you see a Themes option under your Gmail Settings, then congratulations, you've been upgraded. If not, just give it a day or two and check back. It should be available very soon.

How many pair of shoes do you have? 

38.

Out of those pairs, how many do you wear more than a few times a year?

38.

It's sad, really. I try to cycle through them as best I can.

Project History

The Media Server Project has actually been in the works now for well over three years. Limitations on time, energy, technology and most importantly cash, resulted in the project being pushed to a back burner since my initial inspiration back in 2004-2005 time frame. Back then I was spending an extensive amount of time building a web-based interface for all of our audio CDs, the bulk of which I had ripped in Microsoft's WMA format and stored for easy access on a file server. But that's a whole different project to be discussed at a later date. This article is focused on applying the same basic principles, but to DVDs instead of CDs.

Project Requirements

For most projects like these, I prefer to do a lot of research beforehand to make sure my money is well spent and that I'm going to get the end result I seek, or at least as close as I can to it. This project was no different in that regard. There were three very basic, but essential, issues that I needed to resolve in order to make this project a success:

• Media Ripping Requirement: In addition to decrypting the DVD files, I needed to find software that would maintain the original audio and video quality, which meant absolutely no compression.
• Media Storage Requirement: Given my "no compression allowed" requirement, each DVD was going to eat up approximately 6-8 gigabytes worth of space on a file server. Even for a moderately large DVD collection, the storage space required for raw format DVD files quickly becomes overwhelming.
• Media Playback Requirement: Since I planned to leave the DVD files in their original .VOB format, I required a user-friendly application that would recognize this format for playback.

Thanks to a few media server pioneering articles online, I quickly discovered that the previously-noted technical limitations would no longer pose a problem. Because of the technological advancements in both software and hardware over the last few years I now have the following options available:

• Media Ripping Solution: DVD Fab's HD Decrypter software allows for full decryption with no compression. Installation and configuration is very straightforward. Plus, compared to previous applications I tried that required 1-2 hours to rip a single movie, DVD Fab averages around 20-30 minutes to rip an entire DVD, including menus and other bonus features.
• Media Storage Solution: The prospect of paying for enough space to house 1000+ raw format DVD files on a file server somewhere used to make my eyes bulge. It simply wasn't feasible. This is no longer the case however, since SATA hard drives are currently available in up to 1.5TB capacities at a price point of less than ten cents per gigabyte.
• Media Playback Solution: Finding software that recognized .VOB format back in 2004 was virtually impossible. Thankfully, this is no longer the case. Microsoft's own Media Center, a built-in feature of any Windows Vista Ultimate Edition, now has full support for DVD playback. As an added bonus, the kind folks over at My Movies have also created a custom plug-in that works with Media Center and offers an even richer experience for avid DVD collectors.

Project Hardware: The Chassis

Since the bulk of the existing server systems I own are Supermicro, it's probably no surprise to anyone that I headed back to them for this project as well. I have used their hardware almost exclusively in the past with fantastic success. Their systems not only perform well, but they seemingly last forever and are extremely stable in just about any application. Due to the massive amount of storage required in this particular case, I needed a chassis that would support a large number of drives, not only to house the DVD files, but to allow for future expansion as well.

After reviewing the available options online along with a few phone calls to Supermicro directly, there was no question that the SC846TQ-R900 was the perfect solution for my needs. The 4U chassis compactly manages storage space for up to 24 hot-swappable 3.5" SATA-compatible drives, as well as two additional slots for a separate system drive and DVD-ROM. Air flow has been beautifully engineered into the design of this case offering five high-capacity, RPM-adjustable fans as well as a custom air shroud, all designed for direct cooling where it's needed the most.

Project Hardware: The Motherboard

Motherboard selection was another process entirely. I wasn't necessarily bent on Intel vs. AMD. But for the sake of familiarity, I opted for an Intel-based board again. Supermicro has a lot of motherboards available so I was doing everything possible to sift through all the options. Based on what I have read, the biggest potential bottlenecks for a streaming media server are memory and bandwidth. A multi-processor configuration is nice to have but is not a necessity from a performance standpoint. However since I typically overtask my files servers by forcing them to wear multiple hats at once, I opted for a dual-CPU motherboard. After much deliberation and comparison research I opted for the X7DWE motherboard.

Because this system will be racked, and is certainly not a gaming platform, I wanted a motherboard with onboard video in order to save the expansion slots for additional RAID controllers or other requirements. I also preferred to get as many PCI-e slots as I could since most of the newer cards are going to take advantage of that format and the inherent bandwidth that comes with it. Total memory requirements were not necessarily written in stone so I was somewhat flexible there. This particular motherboard has four slots that support 8GB DIMMs, giving me the option to expand up to 32GB of memory if needed.

Project Hardware: The Hard Drives

Storage hardware was probably the easiest decision I had to make. Ideally, I needed the biggest drive available to take full advantage of chassis' 24 slots. Although experiences may vary, my particular experience with Seagate hard drives has been generally positive. And since Seagate was currently the only manufacturer to offer SATA II hard drives in a 1.5 terabyte capacity, my decision was easily made. Again, my focus here was on total capacity not speed. So even though these drives didn't rate quite as high from a performance standpoint as their competitors, they did offer 50 percent more capacity, making them the obvious choice. I plan to purchase eight of these drives up front and expand with more drives at a later date if and when space is running low.

In addition to using Seagate's 1.5TB drives for storage, I decided to take advantage of the internal 3.5" bay for a single system drive. The trade off to a single drive scenario is that there is zero redundancy. But housing the system drive internally also means not using up critical space in the external drive bays, space that will be much better served for storage. Although it wasn't entirely necessary, I decided to give the main system drive a slight boost in performance by purchasing one of Western Digital's 150GB, 10,000 RPM VelociRaptor drives. I've had good luck with the Raptor drives in the past so this also seemed like a no-brainer to me.

Project Hardware: The RAID Controller

I went back and forth for awhile between various RAID controller manufacturers, exploring products from Adaptec, 3Ware and Areca in the process. From my experience and research it seems that all three of these companies offer well-designed solutions for aftermarket RAID. Unfortunately, none of them offered the same capabilities as my current RAID controllers, manufactured by Ciprico using the RAIDCore chip. In a true example of terrible timing, my attempts to purchase more RAIDCore controllers were foiled when I discovered that Cirprico had filed for bankruptcy.

Despite my enthusiasm for the RAIDCore products, all attempts to contact anyone at Ciprico regarding future hardware production or support resulted in no response. Bankruptcy was obviously a pretty serious blow to Cirprico, as a company, but even worse for the RAIDCore technology itself. As an avid fan of RAICore since it's inception back in early 2000, I have followed and purchased various versions of the product as it changed hands, each time seeing marked improvement in features and performance. As far as I'm concerned, no other RAID Controller comes close to when you compare features to price.

Regretfully, I returned to 3Ware and Areca, dismayed at the prospect of using what I believed to be a lesser product. As a last resort, I decided to dig around online to see if any web-based hardware distributors still carried the RAIDCore 5000 series controllers in stock. Thankfully, I found a company that had quite a few of the RC5252 8-port controllers still available. Given that the motherboard supports up to four separate PCI-e devices, I saw no issue with ordering three of these controllers, giving me full future support for all 24 drives.

Before I get any comments based on the utter stupidity of purchasing a product that offers zero support, you should all know that I've been using these cards for awhile now and with great success. Based on that, and the fact that reports have been released indicating that Ciprico has officially sold the RAIDCore rights to Dot Hill, I suspect I'll be seeing future versions of the technology soon enough, along with extensive support.

Summary

I apologize up front because I originally began writing this article back in October so I'm a little behind in when it comes to updating. In the two months that have passed since this article's creation, I managed to successfully purchase all of the above hardware and the media server now sits fully racked and is performing even better than expected.

For those who may be interested, I plan to follow this article with a series of others, outlining hardware, software and other configuration details concerning this project. Among other items left to discuss is the front-end Media PC used to interface with the media server itself. Check back soon for further details on Project Media Server!

Related Articles

RAIDCore: A Brief History
DVD Ripping Utilities

Someone had the Christmas List open (they probably selected the edit feature and then didn't click publish again) which made it unviewable to everyone (except the person who had opened it and could see it in their Draft Items).

With posts that are marked as Revise (modify), please be sure that you hit the publish button once you are done with your edits so that it shows back up for everyone to see. Thanks!

Just wanted to wish everyone out there a very Happy Thanksgiving!!

In case you missed it, Byte and Switch has posted a follow-up article to the ongoing Ciprico bankruptcy proceedings. So, like a never-ending game of hot potato, it now appears that Dot Hill will be picking up the RAIDCore torch and carrying it forward. This is great news for people like me since I've been using RAIDCore-based controllers since the technology was first developed.

Pursuant to bankruptcy proceedings Dot Hill Systems was the winning bidder to acquire all of Ciprico's rights to its RAIDCore™ technology and a joint ownership interest with Ciprico in its NAS intellectual property.

For those who may be interested, the RAIDCore technology was originally developed by RAIDCore, Corp., a small company founded in New Hampshire in 2001. They produced and sold controllers successfully for several years until they were acquired by Broadcom in early 2004. Broadcom incorporated this new technology into their own BC series controllers until mid-2006, apparently with limited success. As a result, Ciprico purchased the RAIDCore line of business in June of that same year* and began developing their own line of RAID controllers using the RAIDCore technology. Unfortunately, the life span of this new line of controllers was to be cut short again due to a number of internal issues. According to Ciprico's former CEO, Steven Merrifield, it came down to a simple lack of funds and bad timing.

We lost the race and ran out of money before we were able to get the new version of the product to market. It is a great piece of code, and where the market is headed. Software RAID is more relevant today. With high-speed front ends and dual-core, quad-core, and 8-way processors, this approach can perform much better and be much more cost-effective.

As an end user of the original RAIDCore products, as well as the follow-on Broadcom and Ciprico series controllers, I have experienced overwhelming success with this technology. RAIDCore was the first company to combine high-end RAID functionality at a significantly-reduced price point. For small- to medium-sized businesses with inherent budget constraints, these controllers were able to fill a much needed niche, offering many of the same advantages as their more expensive counterparts at a very competitive rate.

While I'm disappointed that there will once again be a gap in development efforts while Dot Hill gears up, I'm excited to know that this technology will not be lost. I sincerely hope that Dot Hill continues to expand on the technology, offering a brand new line of products and continued support in the process.

* Sources vary on the exact date of Ciprico's acquisition

Related Articles:

Broadcom Acquires RAIDCore
Ciprico Files for Bankruptcy
Dot Hill to Acquire Ciprico Assets
Ciprico Finalizes Acquisition of Assets

In support of my latest project, building a Windows Media Server, I needed to find a DVD ripping utility that could decrypt but still keep the discs in their original format (i,e; no compression). There are several reasons why I chose this route for ripping:

• SATA hard drives are currently available in up to 1.5TB capacities at a price point of roughly ten cents per gigabyte. When this much space can be had for such a small investment, it's hard to justify the increased processing time, let alone the reduction in overall viewing quality normally associated with compressed media.
• As a rule, compression utilities are used to reduce file size and/or convert to a streamable or more compatible format. Since this media will not be available outside of the local network, and .vob files are fully compatible with Vista Media Center, I see no reason to alter the original format.
• Some people prefer to compress the original disc into a smaller size and then re-burn to a CD for mobile use. In the event that I am traveling, I will most likely just take the original DVD disc since it takes up the same amount of physical space without losing any quality.

The average uncompressed DVD uses somewhere between six and eight gigabytes worth of space. For those of you with space limitations or for those who are looking to stream their video, compression obviously has a lot of advantages. In my case though, the only way I was willing to take this project on was if I could maintain the original video and audio quality of the manufacturer's disc.

Luckily for me, my research legwork was greatly reduced thanks to Lifehacker's Adam Pash. Even though the article was written back in April 2008, the recommendations are still applicable. The best part is that the article covers multiple utilities so you can select the one that best fits your particular needs. For my purposes, I selected DVDFab because it's quick to set up and easy to use. It should be noted that DVDFab does not offer an option for compression so I'd avoid it if this is a requirement for you. But for those of you looking to maintain original DVD quality, I'd highly recommend it.

Lifehacker's Top Five Ripping Utilities