Entries tagged with mce - Channel 10

TV Manager for Windows Home Server Now Out of Beta

sarahintampa — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:56:00 GMT

In July, we told you about a new plugin for Windows Home Server called TV Manager. This plugin lets you copy your recordings from a Vista Media Center PC or XP Media Center 2005 over to your Home Server for storage and management. At the time we originally wrote about it, the plugin was still in beta. But now, the first version of the plugin has been officially released: TV Manager 1.0. With TV Manager, you can view your recordings stored on your WHS in Media Center as if they physically resided on your PC. Recordings can also be deleted from either the WHS Console or Media Center.

Since the beta, several fixes and additions have been added to the software, including the following, listed below.

Fixes:

TV Manager Service setting permissions.
Compatibility with limited user accounts.
Launch recordings straight from the Windows Home Server Console.
Changed how recordings were moved (to fix ghost file issue) but lost the ability to monitor progress percentage.

New Additions:

Added Media Center Extender compatibility.
TV Manager Add-In interface redone.
Experimental ComSkip feature (disabled by default)
Regenerate the Xml in case of cache corruption without tester.exe.

If you’ve been waiting for the final version before trying out this software on your WHS, you don’t have to wait any more: you can download TV Manager 1.0 from here and the documentation from here.

Olympics On The Go Has Arrived

sarahintampa — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 05:09:00 GMT

At the end of June, we told you that the Olympics were coming to Media Center. Well, now they’re here! If you haven’t already done so, you have to try out NBC Olympics On the Go on your Windows Media Center PC. This internet-driven TV service from NBC Universal is powered by TVTonic’s platform and brings you all the latest from the games in HD. Even if you don’t have a TV tuner for your Vista Home Premium or Ultimate PC, you’ll still have access to HDTV coverage from NBC, USA, and Universal TV networks for a total of 225 hours of coverage over 17 days. This includes 24 sports, the full opening ceremony, and a closing ceremony montage. What’s really cool about this service is that you can sign up to get automatic downloads of all the available coverage for any particular sport – this way, you’ll never have to miss any of your favorites. The content is downloaded and cached on your PC, so you can watch it whether you’re online or off. It even works through any Extender device! To get access to NBC Olympics On the Go, just launch Media Center launch and scroll down to the Online Media strip where you will find a link to NBC Olympics On The Go in the default view. (If, for some reason, you don't have the option, you can also download it from here.)

MoreMce: A New Site For Media Center Enthusiasts

sarahintampa — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:47:00 GMT

The web site at MoreMce.com is looking to become the most complete list of plugins, utilities and websites available for Windows Media Center. Unlike some other websites, MoreMce.com will allow users to add the details about new applications themselves, for a truly rich site filled with user-generated content. Currently the site has a list of 201 plugins for Media Center, with more being added all the time. You will also be able to subscribe to alerts, so you can be notified of any updates to the site. It's definitely a great resource for fans of Media Center.

CinemaNow Now in Windows Media Center

sarahintampa — Thu, 29 May 2008 03:17:00 GMT

Recently, CinemaNow announced that their service, which lets you legally download and watch movies over the internet, has been made available to Windows Media Center users without the need for an additional app. Prior to this announcement, you had to use a plugin in order to access CinemaNow via your Media Center PC, but now you don't need to download and install anything - it just shows up. They bring with them an extensive catalog of 3400 feature length films, 3000 TV episodes, and 2900 music videos for your viewing. (img via/via DownloadSquad)

Read RSS Feeds on Your Media Center TV

sarahintampa — Wed, 21 May 2008 14:40:00 GMT

The Media Center RSS Reader application lets you read RSS news items on your Media Center TV as well as watch and/or listen to podcasts and watch video blogs. Originally developed for XP Media Center, there is now also a version for Vista Ultimate. The application adds a new option to Media Center's Start page called "Accessories." From there, you'll have access to a section called "RSS News & Casts" where you'll be able to view your feeds. If you run into any formatting issues or unsupported codecs, the site suggests you try downloading the content to your PC instead via IE's built-in RSS reader, instead. Since I use my Xbox 360 to watch Media Center content on my living room TV, I'm excited to have a way to access not just feeds, but podcasts too, without the addition of another set-top box to do so. (thanks to scribkin for the tip!)

eHome Expo - Superna

Larry — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 19:45:00 GMT

Superna is a company that makes solutions to connect all your different systems together. They have a software layer that will connect your XP Media Center, Vista Media Center, home automation, and touch panels from various third parties.

Oded Vardi from Superna spent a few minutes telling me about their whole home system and walks us through Superna's ControlWare.

eHome Expo - Cutting Edge PCs

Larry — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 19:32:00 GMT

While in Orlando at the Electronic Home Expo, I got a chance to visit with John Oliver from Cutting Edge PC's. Cutting Edge makes some really nice high end Media Center machines with features like Whole House Control and integration with VideoGiant.

Win A Digital Home Makeover

Larry — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 18:09:00 GMT

Now I know all of you Channel 10 viewers are absolute power users who know how to keep their bits and bytes under your every control. But just in case there's someone out there who needs help getting it all sorted out, the Media Center team is running a contest for the chance to win a complete Digital Home Makeover.

So put together a two-minute video showing how sad, pathetic, and disjointed your connected lifestyle is and you might just be looking at up to $10,000 in flat screen, extenders, and invisible tubes to move your 1's and 0's from A to B.

eHome Expo - Autonomic Controls

Larry — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 10:37:00 GMT

While in Orlando for the Electronic Home Expo, I talked to Michael De Nigris from Autonomic Controls. They have a very cool system for Media Center that includes some very innovative solutions. For starters, they can take a 7.1 sound card (which is technically 8 channels) and split it into 4 individual stereo zones that they can send throughout your house.

They also have a solution for using a UMPC (or TabletPC, or laptop) as an uber remote control for your Media Center. Very cool.

eHome Expo - Cannon PC

Larry — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 16:39:00 GMT

I was in Orlando for the Electronic Home Expo and met up with Gregg Cannon from CannonPC.com. Cannon PCs are high end Media Center PCs including HTPC boxes, rack mount PCs, and a very nice EX series with a built-in LCD.

I talked to Gregg about why they choose to focus on Media Center devices and the differences between a Cannon PC and something you'd get in a consumer "big box" store. Gregg also has another announcement coming next month so stay tuned.

Life|ware Home Automation

sarahintampa — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 22:08:00 GMT

Life|ware is a home automation system whose goal is to merge control of your home with access to all of your digital entertainment. You can integrate Life|ware into Windows Media Center and, from there, you can manage your music, your photos, your videos, watch DVDs, and you can even schedule and record TV shows. With the system's home automation features, you can manage your home's lighting, thermostats, security systems, and distribute music throughout the house. They also have something called "Life|scenes", which can be used to set a mood using all of your home's systems. There are pre-recorded Life|scenes like "I'm Here," "Goodbye," or "Party Time," or you can program your own. The Life|ware remote control recalls the simplicity of Media Center - you use the six same buttons (My TV, My Music, My Pictures, My Videos, Play DVD and Settings). You can use Life|Ware through your TV with a Media Center PC, but also through a Media Center Extender on Xbox 360, from a PC or notebook PC on your home network, or from a Life|Point touch screen. The touch screens are all-digital, HD panels available in 8.9" or 12.1" screen sizes and many different finishes, allowing them to seamlessly integrate into its surroundings in your home. The screens have an ambient light sensor that automatically adjusts screen brightness according to room lighting and an automatic touch-to-wake power saving mode.