G510 LCD Wallpaper Images
10EDIT: Ok here’s some extra info on how to install a BMP using AIDA64 or Everest:
In AIDA64/Everest, goto File, Preference, then scroll down to LCD. Tick “Enable Logitech keyboard LCD Support”.
Then go down to LCD Items, click “New BMP”, then locate the file, Click Apply.
Unfortunately the Logitech Gaming Software sucks (even the new version 8). For some weird reason, it doesn’t always keep AIDA64’s applet after a reboot (I set AIDA64 to load windows start-up), even after getting in/out of it; That said, I just now tried getting in and out of AIDA64 and the applet came back…. so I don’t know what’s going on.
I got me a Logitech G510 for $75, from Logitechshop.com.au yesterday, and have since been having fun with the customisation options.
Normally, I don’t think its possible to add pictures to the LCD screen, but luckily Everest does have that ability (in the LCD Settings).
So I went off to make a couple of bitmap (grayscale bitmap seems to work mostly) images with OEM logos (for showoffishness =P) :
and another depicting my reverence towards this wicked keyboard:
Possibly more on the way =P
Here’s the link to my Public SkyDrive
Mozilla Firefox Android
0It’s been a long time coming, and I have followed it since the beta (codenamed ‘Fennec’). Firefox 4 for Android came out a few months ago, but I’ve only now bothered to try it out properly and see if it could be a replacement for the almighty Dolphin Browser HD; It isn’t.
I know Firefox as the most stable, the most functional, and quite simply, the best browser in the world made by the worlds best minds in collaboration. Yet I’m not convinced that the same team made the Android version.
First, there’s the startup time. It takes at least 10-15 seconds to be able to browse, and I know it doesn’t sound like much, but Dolphin Browser HD only takes literally 2-5 seconds. As a primary browser, its unacceptable.
Next up is the lag. Damn does it lag! It clearly doesn’t use any sort of hardware acceleration and/or is terribly unoptimised. When you scroll, it lags. When you zoom, it lags. When you open a link, it lags. Not to mention the random crashes. And believe it or not, it was worse in the beta.
Worst of all, it has no plugin support. Many people buy Android phones for the Flash support. This is just unacceptable.
My grumbles aside, it does have a few redeeming and cool features.
For one, it includes Firefox Sync, which is a new feature they included on the desktop version. Basically it does what you think it does; it syncs all the important Firefox user data: Bookmarks, Passwords, History, Tabs, and I think, preferences, which would come in very handy for people who use Firefox on multiple machines.
There’s also add-on support, which means you could potentially have all of your favourite desktop add-ons on your phone. Imagine the possibilities!
Overall, however, I’m very disappointed. It has such potential, yet its let down by pathetic performance and in some cases, poor design.
For now, I will reserve hope that it will rise above from its (in my opinion) beta status and become the great browser its older brother is. *uninstalls*
7MC additions/mods/tools
0Just thought I’d make up a list of all the additions i’ve added to the HTPC.
First and foremost, there’s BSE, Big Screen EPG: A great app that essentially replaces the useless Over-the-Air Free View EPG and gives you fresh data straight from the source. In addition to this, you also get categorised data (by genre e.g. sports) and most importantly, the ability to add pictures to EPG data meaning you get a title picture of the show in the guide. Cool eh?. I should also mention that this will cost you $20 for 5 licences (2 year).
Next on the list there’s Media Browser, which creates a fully catalogued library of all your videos and inside you get a very pretty interface (skinable). Also it includes support for ISO mounting, which is really cool. I used to use that particular feature lots, but not so much since I converted all of my movies to MPEG4 h.264.
Thirdly, there’s Media Studio, which allows you to pull out and rearrange or rename components of the 7MC start up menu. So for instance if you wanted to remove the movies strip, you just untick it and its gone. Also you can get themes for 7MC with Media Studio which are currently in short supply, though some are pretty good. And I suppose if you’re so inclined, you could make your own.
Then there’s MyChannelLogos, which technically I don’t need as I can do it through BSE but anyways; it automatically downloads all the logos you need for each respective channel and shows it in the 7MC TV Guide.
Next there’s Shark007’s Windows 7 Codec Pack. Now I’m sure you could live without it and work all the little things out on your own, but this takes all the work out. Basically it installs the right codecs for the job, and it works out of the box, but of course you can also fiddle and make changes yourself with relative ease. This was actually an essential part of my setup because I needed to be able to set an audio delay (in the output tab if your interested) and play mkv’s and also I wanted to utilise FFMPEG’s DXVA h.264 decoder, which uses your graphics card to take the load off the CPU.
Oh damn, I nearly forgot the absolute best, useful, life/hair-saver, MCE Standby Tool (MST).
This little baby is the only way possible, unless you really, really know your way around W7’s power management system in the registry and also know the registry configuration of Media Center very well, to ensure your HTPC acts like a PVR/TV and not a PC.
In essentials, MST takes control of deciding when your PC needs to sleep and when it needs to wake up. It can open up 7MC when you resume from sleep, it can also exit 7MC when you put it to sleep, in case it buggers up (which it most certainly will).
And finally, there’s MCEWebView, which is a set of plugins for Media Center that allows you to browse Internet TV sites (such as iView, Fixplay) using the remote (the cursor keys become the mouse).
To the people/groups who made all these tools available (and most for free),
THANKYOU!
It is thanks to your skills and generosity that I have a working HTPC running Windows 7 Media Center.
🙂