Latest news on smart home automation, home server, Ubuntu/Linux, home theater, and operating system updates, releases, and upgrades.
Plex, one of our favorite media server software options here at htpcBeginner, keeps improving. In a major update, Plex Live TV for Roku is now available. This is a massive move, and further helps Plex users to cut the cord. [Read: How to use Plex VR in Daydream: Watch Plex … read more
Sonos wants their speakers in people’s homes and they’re taking serious steps to make sure it happens. The Verge reports that the company announced a form of certification that lets their products interact with more third-party products than ever. This new certification, called “Works with Sonos,” will allow all manner of … read more
Google has made it clear that it’s doing everything it can to work its way into the smart home market. The most recent update to the Google Home app lends users more control. It’s now possible to assign Google Home to different rooms. [Read: 6 Best smart speakers for 2017: … read more
Here at htpcBeginner, the Nvidia Shield TV is our Editor’s choice for streaming devices. While it’s a top pick for media streaming, retro gaming, and cord cutting, the Shield TV now becomes one of the best smart home devices available. That’s because you can now use Google Assistant and Samsung … read more
The Nvidia Shield TV is one of the best streaming Android TV boxes available. Now, the streaming devices further rounds out its feature sets as Google Assistant comes to the Nvidia Shield TV. [Read: Samsung SmartThings vs Wink Hub – Which one is better for whom?] Nvidia Shield TV gains … read more
Earlier in 2017, Plex announced its acquisition of Watchup. A partnership remained a little vague, but now it’s clear what Plex snagging Watchup means. New to Plex, there’s a nifty news feature. Learn what it means that Plex News launches, and how to stream news content. [Read: Plex for Kodi … read more
Although it’s a rapidly growing space, the smart home realm isn’t without its pain points. Notably, security is a huge concern. That’s because of a few reasons. With such expansion and adoption, technology debuts faster, and testing isn’t able to detect vulnerabilities. Moreover, the Internet of Things (IoT) is still … read more
The Pirate Bay is one of the best torrent sites for 2017. Or at least it was until it came to light that TPB hijacks browsers for cryptocurrency mining. Unfortunately for torrenters, this means more system resources consumed when perusing The Pirate Bay. It’s an interesting dynamic. Learn about The … read more
When the Nest launched, it was one of the hottest (no pun intended) smart home products available. Plus, it was an early example of smart home tech. The connected device company persists in its chokehold on the climate control market, and recently launched the Nest E. Its E aims at … read more