The Green Button

Niveus Media Teams Up With ADI To Deliver Media Servers To Custom Electronics Installers

Chris - Moderator — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 19:00:00 GMT

Award-winning Niveus Media Server – Vail Edition integrates technologies to provide a high-performance entertainment experience.

Milpitas, CA – August 27, 2008 – Niveus Media is teaming up with ADI to distribute the newest Niveus Media Server – Vail Edition to custom electronics installers across the country. This media server will allow dealers to provide a scalable, energy efficient solution to access, store, manage and distribute digital content throughout a home.

“ADI is a highly experienced vehicle with a proven track record for providing innovative products and impeccable service to dealers,” said John Trimbach, Vice President Sales, Niveus Media. “We’re extremely confident ADI will provide first-class distribution for Vail, while providing increased brand awareness for Niveus.”

Referred to as “Sierra” in the pre-release beta version, Niveus’ award-winning Vail Edition media server is based on Windows Vista® Home Premium featuring Windows® Media Center.

Key Features:

Pictures & Videos – Digital photograph and video collections are securely stored while offering easy viewing access throughout the home.
Music – CD collections are merged with downloaded tracks to create a uniform and all-encompassing music library.
Movies – Blu-ray Disc™ and DVD support and an abundance of classification capabilities offer a comprehensive, extremely intuitive, and completely unique movie experience.

The Vail Edition is engineered with the proprietary Niveus ConvergencePanel™ high-performance audio and video ports to ensure a simple installation and seamless integration into the home network. With Vail, ADI dealers now have direct access to Niveus Media’s lowest power consuming and most compact media server to date, which easily integrates with many security and home automation products currently available through ADI.

In a sleek and slender chassis, the CES Innovations 2008 Design and Engineering Award winning Vail Edition incorporates: powerful Intel® processing; an optional Blu-ray Disc drive; Seagate® hard drives; Nvidia’s GeForce Series 8 graphics featuring PureVideo™ HD technology; and proprietary Niveus technology.

All Vail Editions sold through ADI will be bundled with an exclusive content package from MusicGiants, the authority in HD music and video downloads. Vail includes the proprietary HD Media Store which enables instant access to MusicGiants, and includes 2 HDNet films and credit towards the purchase of MusicGiants downloads.

“As a distributor, we are committed to providing our dealers with access to cutting-edge technology from industry-leading vendors,” said RJ Hirshkind, Senior Product Manager for A/V at ADI. “We are excited to offer the Niveus Media Server at our branches, and help dealers provide completely integrated home entertainment solutions.”

For more information on Niveus Media, Inc., please visit www.niveusmedia.com. For more information about ADI, visit www.adilink.com.

Cross Posted from Chris Lanier's Blog at http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/

Blog: Be Careful with CableCard...it can Cost you MORE than you Expect!

shadymg — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 17:37:00 GMT

One of the greatest selling points you will hear in regards to Vista Cable Card OEM systems is: It will save you money, as you will not have to rent whatever set-top-box your cable provider deems a requirement to view digital and HD channels. And originally, it was a valid point and one which really helped validate the necessity of the FCC's support of something which would reduce the ridiculous monopoly which cable companies had on how you can watch television.

I wonder if what's become of the situation is what the FCC and the other Consumer Fair Rights groups had in mind when they came up with the idea. Apparently, the Cable Companies (for this case, I will use Comcast, but have also been told that Time Warner shares this fun habit) have taken it upon themselves to deem that the charge for the cable cards alone are not substantial enough--most likely as they are simply not making enough money out of the deal. Having to provide a service without forcing a consumer to rent their box?! ABSURD!

I will be the first to admit, the idea of being able to use my Media Center with high definition cable was the number one reason I chose to go with Cable Card. But a very close second was the cost savings--yes, I know I had to purchase an OEM system, but I was going to anyways, so in essence, it was a wash for me. Imagine my shock when I looked at my cable bill, which had then jumped from $70 or so to the near $90 range, and found out that the cable cards were the culprit! I am in the San Jose bay area and am forced into Comcast San Jose. When I initially setup cablecard, my understanding was that I would be charged $1.79 per card. Not free, but hey, not nearly as bad as paying $8-10 for a set-top-box with a hideous user interface and response time. After looking at my bill however, it appears that is simply not true.

Comcast, in their shrewd way, have apparently sought fit to start charging me an ADDITIONAL $6.99 fee PER CABLECARD! And yes, that is separate than the already charged $1.79 each. After speaking to 3 customer service reps and 2 managers, I got a variety of excuses and responses as to why they HAVE to charge me the outrageous $6.99, stating on the bill it is for a "Digital Addon Outlet." Even when I explained this is for a single Media Center PC and that they have not installed any other outlet, they refused to budge. Here's the kicker--when I posed the question to them of how much a Set-top-box rental costs, they replied, "$6.99," and even admitted that yes, it would be cheaper to go with one of THEIR set-top-boxes instead of cablecards, stating, that the only reason he knows why anyone would go cablecard would be to "hang their TV on the wall."

I feel terrible writing this, as I really love the technology but there is already significant negative publicity surrounding cable card--with the lack of inexpensive boxes, to the terrifying thought of Switched Digital Video--but I had to bring this out into the open as I think it's an absolute atrocity of the idea the FCC started which was wonderful for the consumer. In the end, at least for now, it seems Comcast and other cable companies will continue to gouge you in every way, shape or form, until you confine to the fees and services they want you to.

If this outrages you half as much as much it did me, I IMPLORE YOU to GET INVOLVED!! Write your cable company, write to the Consumerist and other Consumer Advocacy Groups. Digg this and any similar articles...and most importantly, let your WALLET do the talking! I know I will be, and there is power in numbers, and if enough Consumers speak up about this atrocity then that is how things can change.

digg this article!

Cross Posted from: MissingRemote.com

Short Bits: Storage Pack, CE Pro, Media Center Show, More

Chris - Moderator — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 13:54:00 GMT

Microsoft is planning to release a Storage Feature Pack for Windows that will include Blu-ray mastering support among other things. Sadly this is still very far from Blu-ray Playback support which has its own set of issues.

CE Pro has had a number of Media Center posts gearing up for CEDIA. Julie says that Microsoft’s focus at CEDIA will be the custom integrator channel and not so much on the OEM only TV Pack. I know a lot of people are waiting for CEDIA because they think Microsoft is going to drop some big news about DIRECTV being included or something like that, but that is not going to happen. Everyone knows what is in the TV Pack, and there are not going to be any surprises. On the same topic it looks like Microsoft and partners might be planning a “Media Center Integrator Alliance,” which I’m sure we will hear about in the next two weeks.

Ian Dixon has had Ed Bott and Scott Bahneman, CEO of MusicGiants on The Media Center Show. I was able to catch a few minutes of the Ed Bott interview when it was on live and agree with a lot of the concepts that he was talking about. After CEDIA I will have more posts on the TV Pack.

Not sure how much I’ve highlighted some of the newer Media Center blogs that have popped up over the past few months, so here are a few that everyone might be interested in (sorry if I missed any). Olcay Buyan’s Blog, My Network Project, and Entertainment 2.0.

Cross Posted from Chris Lanier's Blog at http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/

First Look at QWebL’s Home Automation System

Chris - Moderator — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 13:36:00 GMT

It looks like QWebL has decided hold off until after CEDIA to launch the full details of their upcoming home automation system, but they have put up an overview of what the solution attempts to offer as well as choosing the winners of their video contest.

QWebL is designed to be an out-of-the-box solution to control lights, climate, audio distribution, garage doors, security systems and more using an interface on your Media Center PC, desktop PC, touchpanels, wireless device, etc. Based on the About QWebL page on their website they are targeting everyone from the homeowners to custom integrators and even home builders.

They have one early shot up of their interface and while it doesn’t match Media Center’s look and feel after getting a demo on it you can see why they went a different direction. I’m looking forward to seeing more after CEDIA comes and goes.

Cross Posted from Chris Lanier's Blog at http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/

D-Link Releases DSM-750 Firmware Update

Chris - Moderator — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 00:57:00 GMT

D-Link has released the first firmware update for their DSM-750 Extender. Based on the release notes it appears that most if not all fixes in the new version 1.01 apply to the MediaLounge software and not the Media Center Extender aspect of the product. That said it does appear to add 1080p output as an option which should apply to both the Extender and MediaLounge modes. Other changes are below, you can download the updated firmware here and upgrade via the front USB port on the DSM-750.

Support for 1080p TVs and video files
Look of the Home page altered to improve navigation & readability
Online Media icon added to the home page
Support for Rhapsody music service
Support for Live365 Internet Radio service
Support for vTuner Internet Radio service
Remote control support changed to support Xbox 360 remote
DVR-MS playback A/V sync issue in MediaLounge mode resolved
Control point (aka "slave mode") access enabled for playing video and music files from a compliant UPnP server
Browsing music & video media files/folders now supports only List mode (no thumbnail browsing).
Photo files/folders supports browsing by thumbnail or list mode
"16:9" and "4:3" renamed "Widescreen" & "Normal" in A/V Settings Menu
Default device name is now "D-Link DSM-750"
Audio tracks button improved to support multiple audio tracks in supported video files
Entering a wireless security key is now readable until entered
Reduced the amount of marqueeing text in the music player page

Cross Posted from Chris Lanier's Blog at http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/

$150 Linksys Extenders Hit Amazon.com

Chris - Moderator — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 21:52:00 GMT

Don’t have a Circuit City nearby to get in on that $150 Linksys Extender deal? No problem. Amazon.com is pushing out those same Linksys DMA2100 Extenders for $150 as well. As always Amazon has free shipping options if you can wait a few days to get it in your hands.

The recent crop of Extender deals has me wondering, is Linksys the first to finally understand that $150 is the magic pricepoint for a standalone Extender (as I’ve been saying for years), or are they getting ready to drop the product and move on either to a new unit or out of the Extender market all together?

Cross Posted from Chris Lanier's Blog at http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/

Embedded Automation Announces mHome Power Management Module

Chris - Moderator — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:22:00 GMT

New Module Makes Power Monitoring and Control Within Reach of all Homeowners

Surrey, BC – August 20, 2008

Today, Embedded Automation announced its mHome Power Management Module. The mHome Power Management Module, which provides real-time energy usage information and control functionality, is available as an add-in to Embedded Automation's mHome products, including the award-winning mControl Digital Home Software and soon to be released mPanel Digital Home Portal. Initially supporting the TED (The Energy Detective) energy monitor, the mHome Power Management Module will scale to support other power measuring devices and future technologies such as "Smart Meter" solutions.

The mHome Power Management Module offers the following benefits:

Available as an mControl plug-in module - no user programming is required.
Real-time status display, allowing users to view current energy consumption and historical usage from any mControl user interface.
User-configurable power management conditions for use with mControl macros based on any of the following properties: current power usage (kW), peak power usage today (kW), total power today (kWh), total power month-to-date (kWh) and others.
Live view on mPanel for view-at-glance status information.

"The mHome Power Management Module represents a big step towards conserving energy. The solution is affordable and easy to install. All a user needs to do is enter where the device is located on the network and the information is automatically presented in a easy to understand format on a variety of user interfaces – including on their Vista Media Center, from any Internet Explorer browser session, on their cell phone or on any mPanel connected to the home network,” said Ted Singh, C.E.O. of Embedded Automation. “Not only have we given our users the key first step of having a live reading on their energy usage with which they can use to localize energy waste, but via mControl’s automation engine, users can also create energy-saving macros.”

The mHome Power Management Module will be available in August 2008.

Cross Posted from Chris Lanier's Blog at http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/

The Media Center Show #170 - Musicgiants

Iand — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:17:00 GMT

Listen Here (mp3)

This week I am talking to Scott Scott Bahneman, CEO of MusicGiants about their HD audio and video services that can deliver high quality music and videos directly in to Windows Media Center. As more of us connect Media Center up to AV Receivers having a source of high quality content available is very appealing. I also have a round up of news and your email

Please keep the email coming show [at] theDigitallifestyle.com

Direct Download Link
Subscribe via iTunes
Subscribe via RSS

Vote for the show on podcast Alley
Jon The Media Center Show Group on Facebook
Follow me on Twitter

This show is sponsored by mControl - Home Automation for Vista Media Center

Show times and all the links talked about in the show are in the podcast show notes

S1Digital Platinum Edition Unboxing pics and initial impressions

mabrown — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 20:02:10 GMT

With the new features of the 2008 TV Pack, I couldn't resist buying a new media center from a cutting edge OEM like S1Digital who was the first to ship systems with the new update, and according to Paul I was the first to get one. I plan on writing (at least) a couple posts on this system, in this one I won't be going into any details on the new TV Pack update. This is a kind of a sticky situation, Microsoft OEM is saying it's OK for me to discuss all the new features since I've purchased a machine with it loaded but the Media Center Beta Team (I am on the beta) has asked that I not until my NDA expires on 9/3, so I've decided that I like testing Media Center and wish to remain on the beta's I'm on so I'll wait until my NDA is released before going into any details.

So lets start with the system specs. Paul was great to work with and let me customize some of the components of their Platinum Edition Media Center. In addition to the default specs (which are quite good to begin with), I went with a Quad Core 9300 CPU, added 2GB of RAM for a total of 4 and got Vista Ultimate instead of Home Premium. Disk wise I went with 2 500GB drives in a Raid 0 (striped disks) for a total of 1TB. For the tuners I got 2 internal Digital Cable Tuners, I'll go into more detail on my tuner setup in a later post. I just went with the default DVDRW drive as all of our Blu-ray and HD-DVD viewing is done on standalone players in our home theater, this machine is in the living room. The system has an e-SATA port so I could easily add a SATA HD-DVD/Blu-ray combo drive later on if needed.

The system took about a week and a half to get to me after I ordered it, I did the cheap ground shipping which was 4 days of that time. The system arrived in perfect condition. I hooked the system up in my office to get everything configured, the first time you boot the system it runs through the final steps of the image deployment and the Vista OOBE wizard which took about 15 minutes. I'll detail out my setup in a later post, but I've had the system in the living room replacing my Velocity Micro CineMagix Grand Theater system since Saturday and it's been solid as a rock.

Look for my next post after 9/3 where I'll get into all the details of my setup and the TV Pack update.

More unboxing pictures are available here.

The Media Center Show #169 - Ed Bott on TV Feature Pack

Iand — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:27:37 GMT

Listen Here (mp3)

Looks like I forgot to post the latest show on this blog! So here it is and it's a good one

Last week Microsoft released details on the Windows Media Center TV Feature Pack (the update formally known as Fiji) and that provoked a passionate debate around the limited (OEM only) availability of the update. So to get a expert view on the subject I chatted with Windows expert Ed Bott. We streamed the show live and had some great questions and opinions in the chat room. Ed has some interesting thoughts on the update and is always great to interview. I also have email, news items and a chance to win a copy of Kaspersky anti-virus 2009

Please keep the email coming show [at] theDigitallifestyle.com

Direct Download Link
Subscribe via iTunes
Subscribe via RSS

Vote for the show on podcast Alley
Jon The Media Center Show Group on Facebook
Follow me on Twitter

Inteset Movie Collection Module Now Supports Blu-ray

Chris - Moderator — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 11:17:00 GMT

Hanover MA, Aug 13, 2008, Inteset, has updated its Movie Collection server module to fully support Blu-ray movies.

One of the major selling features of the Inteset media server has been its ability to store, search, and play back movies seamlessly within the Windows Media Center interface using the proprietary Movie Collection module. Inteset has offered this feature to its dealers for years and has now improved the capabilities by adding full Blu-ray support. In addition, movie profile lookups are simpler than ever. The system will scan the inserted DVD or Blu-ray disc to identify it, and then retrieve full profile information from Inteset's all-new movie database. Lookups can also be performed based on UPC code and movie title.

"We're happy to make available this exciting new upgrade of our Movie Collection module," states David Hirsh, Inteset's Director of Business Development. "The module with additional Blu-ray support works perfectly with our new 15 terabyte A/V NAS storage server and Vana advanced extender systems as well," explains Hirsh.

The Inteset Movie Collection module is available on all Inteset media servers. Blu-ray playback is now standard on the Inteset Maximus media server and optional on the Denzel and Vana media servers. The module upgrade is free on all prior and new Inteset servers running Vista Media Center.

To learn more about how to obtain the latest Inteset Movie Collection module and other Inteset products and services, visit www.inteset.com. Get a live demonstration by visiting Inteset at CEDIA 2008, Denver, CO, booth 452.

About Inteset

Inteset, LLC has been creating high-end home entertainment products since 2003. Inteset offers four categories of products: media servers, media extenders, high-capacity storage devices, and exclusive software for its systems. The near silent media servers come with up to 8TB of internal, 15TB external, protected storage. The advanced media extenders are independent systems as well as A/V distribution clients. All systems are shipped with an enriched Microsoft Windows Media Center interface that includes a movie management module and a multi-zone music module among other exclusive software offerings. These systems appeal to A/V dealers and integrators domestically and internationally for their high-integrity construction, reliability, ease-of-use, unique entertainment modules and services, price point, and interoperability with advanced control systems.

Cross Posted from Chris Lanier's Blog at http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/

$150 Linksys Extenders at Circuit City

Chris - Moderator — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:55:00 GMT

Circuit City has the Linksys DMA2100 Extenders on sale for only $150 (Via Missing Remote). If you are in the market for a Media Center Extender then I would check your local store to see if they have any in-stock.

According to Circuit City’s website they are sold out online, so your local store might be the only place to get a deal (not sure about raincheck purcahses). All three of my local stores around Houston are showing them in-stock, so check it out.

Cross Posted from Chris Lanier's Blog at http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/

Blog: MSN Remote Record Being CLOSED!

shadymg — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 21:48:00 GMT

Long time MissingRemote readers will remember the 7th Life With a Plugin episode covering Remote Recordings in Media Center, which covered the only two options for remote scheduling shows: Webguide4 and MSN's Remote Record.

Remote Record has always seemed to play second fiddle to Webguide, simply due to it's lack of features. But if there is one thing it dominated, was simplicity. No port forwarding, no configuring...and FAST since it relied on MSN's web server instead of using your PC as a server. If you needed quick scheduling of a show or series, Remote Record was the answer. And best of all, it was free.

So imagine my dissapointment today when I saw the following announcement:

Read the rest of the blog at MissingRemote.com

Cannon PC To Ship Windows Media Center TV Pack

Chris - Moderator — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 19:30:00 GMT

Houston, Texas - August 15, 2008 – Media Center PC innovator and Microsoft OEM Partner, Cannon PC, announced that it will begin shipping the Microsoft Windows Media Center TV Pack with its line for Media Center PCs.

Cannon PC will begin shipping systems with the new TV Pack beginning in early September. The Microsoft Windows Media Center TV Pack adds native support for up to 4 TV tuners (including digital cable tuners), ClearQAM (Unencrypted Digital Cable) tuners, sharing of unprotected digital content via PlayReady enabled PCs and more.

Cannon PC has always been a pioneer in the Media Center industry. As a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner and an authorized partner for Digital Cable integration, Cannon PC was first to demonstrate the ability to have 6 Digital Cable Card tuners in their Media Centers recording 6 HD digital TV signals at once.

“We are exciting about this new enhancement to the Media Center technology. It shows the levels of commitment that Microsoft and it partners are taking to make Media Center a powerful and solid success in the home. We look forward to many more innovations coming from the eHome Group.” says Gregg Cannon, President of Cannon PC.

About Cannon PC

Cannon PC Media Centers are specifically designed for custom installers and integrators in the home automation or home theater business. Cannon PC Media Centers include features like Blu-Ray drives, RAID storage configurations, 1080p playback and HD audio. Cannon PC Media Centers are sold through our authorized dealer network as well as through our online store. Our customers and dealers have access to years of proven, reliable Media Center installations to ensure reliable and trouble free enjoyment.

To learn more about Cannon PC and their Pro A/V line and Home Series Media Center PCs, visit them on the web at www.cannonpc.com.

sales@cannonpc.com

832-364-6608

Cross Posted from Chris Lanier's Blog at http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/

Tour: Disney's Innovations Home of the Future

shadymg — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 21:07:00 GMT

Disneyland--the happiest place on earth--and the home of some of the most cutting edge in technology for the home? Apparantly so! I recently was invited to tour the brand new attraction located in the Tomorrowland of California's Disneyland Theme Park.

Take this as more of an opinionated tour guide, hopefully with some pictures that give you an idea of the attraction. So let's see what this home really had to offer.

See the rest of the Tour at MissingRemote.com

Last Chance to Enter QWebL’s $1,000 Video Contest

Chris - Moderator — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 13:22:00 GMT

New home automation company QWebL has been holding a contest on YouTube for video entries on your frustrations with remote controls and/or your dream feature in a home automation system. The videos can be funny, serious or anything in-between and while there hasn’t been quite the number of entries I thought there might be considering the few grand worth of prizes on-the-line there are some amazing entries including the two posted below.

The contest ends this week, so for your chance to win enter here.

[YouTube:xKQrmV-Zwv0]

[YouTube:CIMql952KBw]

Cross Posted from Chris Lanier's Blog at http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/

Fluid Digital Integrates Additional TV Functionality in Windows Vista Media Center

Chris - Moderator — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 12:30:00 GMT

Specialty media server company among licensed Microsoft Partners to deploy Media Center TV Pack 2008

The Woodlands Texas-August 13, 2008– Microsoft OEM Gold Partner and authorized digital-cable media server OEM Fluid Digital is proud to announce the integration of Microsoft’s Media Center TV Pack to enable an enhanced TV viewing experience.

“We’re excited about delivering even more value to our customers with native support for four digital cable tuners, an enhanced electronic program guide, and the ability to share non-protected digital cable content across PlayReady-enabled PCs and portable media devices,” says Chris Morley, Executive Vice President, Fluid Digital.

Fluid Digital Media Servers will begin shipping with the Media Center TV pack in Q4 of 2008. In addition to four digital cable tuner support, Fluid Digital will be able to integrate additional Clear QAM tuners in a heterogeneous manner, with the ability to remap channels to various tuners within the system.

“In my 32 years of designing and integrating home theater solutions, I have never experienced a technology progress so far and at such a rapid pace,” said Kevin Buchanan, President of Fluid Digital. “What Microsoft has been able to accomplish in the living room has been awe inspiring and we are pleased to be a part of the story.”

Fluid Digital media servers are sold through a vetted dealer network and are professionally installed to ensure years of hassle-free TV and media enjoyment. Fluid Digital Media Servers are a perfect combination of technology, art, and experience in the audio visual industry.

About Fluid Digital

Fluid Digital is among a handful of Microsoft Partners authorized to integrate Windows Vista with Digital Cable support. Fluid Digital was the first to market with AMD’s 780G chipset integrated in a digital cable media server. Fluid Digital is the only media server in the business that is wholly owned by a custom A/V hybrid (retailer/installer) that enables them to have the fastest response time in the industry.

Contact:

For dealer inquiries, please contact Kevin Buchanan at 281-298-8778. For technical and capabilities inquiries on Fluid Digital media servers, please contact Chris Morley at 512-535-2659. Please visit our website at www.fluiddigitalmedia.com.

Cross Posted from Chris Lanier's Blog at http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/

Short Bits: Vongo, VistaView QAM

Chris - Moderator — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:35:00 GMT

Last a few days ago I talked about the quickly depleting online streaming section in Media Center, and today we officially have another one to go. Vongo was the Starz-owned subscription download service that will now be history at the end of September (Via Ian Dixon). A new service called Starz Play appears to be taking its spot, but it is not clear how or if it will integrate with Media Center. The marketing genius in me questions why Vongo was not branded Starz Play to start with, but I guess catchy names are all the rage these days.

VistaView has released a patch to enable QAM support on their Saber DA-1N1 series of cards under the Media Center TV Pack. Just install and reboot and you are said to be able to setup QAM within Media Center (TV Pack required).

Cross Posted from Chris Lanier's Blog at http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/

Live Chat with Ed Bott talking Windows Media Center TV Feature Pack - Monday 12pm PST / 8pm UK

Iand — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 08:09:30 GMT

There are lots of questions (and frustration) about the new Windows Media Center TV Feature Pack so this Monday at 12pm PST (8pm UK) Windows expert Ed Bott will be joining me live to talk about the update and take your questions. Leave your questions as comments on this post or ask them live in the chat room on Monday.

Ed is one of my favourite guest to interview and is always entertaining, so join us Monday on Yahoo Live

Microsoft's Interactive Online Streaming Dilemma

Chris - Moderator — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 21:44:00 GMT

Microsoft’s partners seem to be having a hard time finding success in Media Center with interactive streaming plug-ins available through the ‘Explore’ (Online Spotlight) section of Media Center. Several partners have seemingly dropped support for Media Center without notice over the past year and with the lack of a worldwide presence for the applications you have to wonder about the future of Media Center as a streaming platform.

MTV Networks pulled their applications for MTV, MTVU, VH1, and Comedy Central months ago with no reason as to why. Just last month the Queensberry Fight Network launched a Media Center application, yet today it is nowhere to be found. And finally with the downfall of Yahoo! and AOL web properties, Microsoft is having a hard time keeping third party content available within Media Center.

So my question is, with Microsoft clearly targeting streaming as the future (and present) of the digital home, is it hurting the Media Center platform and Microsoft’s long term goal for streaming dominance to have all these companies come and go with such limited success?

Cross Posted from Chris Lanier's Blog at http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/

Microsoft Makes Fiji Official, TV Pack for OEMs Only

Chris - Moderator — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 16:34:00 GMT

Today Microsoft made the Windows Media Center TV Pack official. Formally codenamed Fiji, the TV Pack is meant to add support for various TV signal types within Vista Media Center. News about the TV Pack has been leaking out for the past month, and instead of waiting for CEDIA as originally planned Microsoft let the cat out of the bag today so people will know exactly what to expect and not to expect within the TV Pack.

First of all, yes the TV Pack is OEM only. The official word for the OEM only release has basically centered around the installation method, which according to Microsoft was designed for a clean install of Vista Service Pack 1 (plus a few patches) before the new software bits can be loaded. As some have already figured out, it is possible to avoid the clean install method and just install it on your existing Vista SP1 install, but of course it isn’t suggested. Outside of the install method the TV Pack is very dependent on new hardware (TV Tuners) and thus that likely played into the decision to make the product OEM only. Sadly, Microsoft seems to have forgotten the big splash they wanted to make by including Media Center in two of the Vista SKUs and getting away from the OEM only release. By providing the TV Pack as an OEM only release they have (once again) kicked all existing news while they were already down.

Next up on the list, DIRECTV and H.264 support which will not be shipping in the TV Pack. I don’t believe an official reason has been given, other than the previously leaked “more complex then expected” but I wouldn’t count on seeing it until Windows 7. As I’ve said in the past, the chance of another Media Center release this year and/or DIRECTV support shipping separate is very doubtful (read: not going to happen).

So what is in the TV Pack? Depends on where you live (there are some other features I will talk about in another post).

Japan

Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting – Terrestrial (ISDB-T)
Broadcast Markup Language (BML) Support

Europe

Digital Video Broadcasting – Satellite (DVB-S)
Digital Video Broadcasting – Terrestrial (DVB-T)
Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group (MHEG) (MHEG5)

ClearQAM (Unencrypted Digital Cable)

Cross Posted from Chris Lanier's Blog at http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/

Short Bits: Fiji, Media Center Show, Olympics

Chris - Moderator — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 01:31:00 GMT

Mary Jo Foley covers the mess that has been Fiji. I’ll have more soon, but Fiji will go down in history as one of the worst coordinated projects to come out of Microsoft in a long time.

On this week’s Media Center Show Ian Dixon has Automated Home's Mark McCall talking Home Sever, Media Center, and of course, home automation.

This is the first time the Olympics is making a big splash online, and if you have followed any of the press around it there are a lot of players involved this year. Microsoft is clearly one of the top partners showing they have Olympics coverage on Media Center, Xbox, Zune, and more. I find it odd that you are going to have to pay for access on Xbox and Zune content on a per episode basis. Why not just give it away like you are on Media Center and other Microsoft/NBC web properties?

Cross Posted from Chris Lanier's Blog at http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/

Music Plug-in Allows for Folder Based Browsing

Chris - Moderator — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 01:17:00 GMT

While ID3 tags generally make the for the best music browsing and collection experience, the lack of ID3 tags in your tracks can do just the opposite. Now you can get around the need for 100% perfect ID3 tagged tracks using the new Music Browser plug-in for Vista Media Center. The simple plug-in allows for folder based navigation of your music, ditching the need to have the Artist and/or Album Artist tagged correctly in all of your files.

Cross Posted from Chris Lanier's Blog at http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/

The Media Center Show #168 - Mark McCall and a naked guy

Iand — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 11:54:09 GMT

Listen Here (mp3)

This week I am talking to Automated Home's Mark McCall. We recorded the interview live and took questions from the chat room, we covered a wide range of topics from pre-installed crapware to home servers, Xbox Media Center to Apple TV. Oh and listen out for an unexpected guest half way through the interview. I also have your email and a round up of news items from the blog

Please keep the email coming show [at] theDigitallifestyle.com

Direct Download Link
Subscribe via iTunes
Subscribe via RSS

Vote for the show on podcast Alley
Jon The Media Center Show Group on Facebook
Follow me on Twitter

This show is sponsored by mControl - Home Automation for Vista Media Center

Show Times and all the links talked about in the show on the podcast blog

TV Pack Questions Answered by Charlie Owen

Chris - Moderator — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 23:51:00 GMT

Charlie Owen will be answering questions about the Media Center TV Pack (Fiji) as soon as Microsoft makes the official announcements, so if you have any questions about things that may have been rumored now would be the time to submit them.

I will also finally be able to talk in depth about stuff including what is in/out of Fiji, the possibility of a second Media Center release, and Windows 7 around this timeframe. If you have questions or comments for me to get a non-Microsoft response let me know.

Cross Posted from Chris Lanier's Blog at http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/