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News, Analysis, and Opinion on Microsoft Digital Media Technologies (and TGB News!)
February 2007 - Posts
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While laying out my whole SideShow
spiel the other day about in-wall keypads and Media Center control, I did
leave out something. ACS has been doing this for the past two
years! Their Graphical
Media Center Remote Front Panel is a 128x64 serial controlled (RS-232) remote
that also passes metadata. It even
includes a Configuration Utility so you can tell it what exactly you wish to
display. Looks to fit nicely in standard
dual gang box, which is the perfect size!
And the best part, retails for only $99! You can bet that SideShow modules will cost more than that.
Thanks to Scott for the reminder.
Cross Posted from Chris Lanier's Blog at http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/
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ActiveAsp Software has just released MCEtilites v1.0
(Direct
Download) for MCE 2005 and Vista Media Center. Currently in beta, MCEtilities allows you to
edit metadata on DVR-MS files and to view metadata for dvdxml
files. However, the software can
also control DVD Changers! Currently it
can mount, unmount, eject, and even rip from DVD Changer’s like Sony's
XL1B2!
Now, if you are like me you are still reading this post
because you want to know if it will allow batch DVD Ripping, the Holy Grail for
such an inexpensive DVD Changer that doesn’t support DVD
Streaming. Well, right now the
answer is no, it doesn’t do batch DVD ripping.
According to the developer you will still need to click “Start Ripping.” However, he is currently investigating using
the Nero API’s to allow for batch ripping and transcoding. Exciting stuff, so stay tuned. There is also an SDK for VS2005 so people can
make their own plug-ins to edit/manipule/whatever DVD Changers, DVR-MS files,
and movie metadata.
Already planned features include being able to use MCEtilities
to edit/download metadata for movies, and it will have integration with DVDXML.com.
Remember, it’s in beta so report bugs here.
Cross Posted from Chris Lanier's Blog at http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/
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Speaking
of Ricavision remotes, Ricavision
also has some upcoming multifunction and universal remote controls for Windows
Vista.
Running from left to right, the first one pictured is just a
basic Vista Remote Control and only works with your PC. The next one is a Multifunction Remote
Control and will control your PC and basic TV functions (power, input, volume,
etc). The last one is a Universal Remote
Control that can handle your PC, TV, DVD/VCR, and more.
Not sure what the prices will be, but these are some pretty
nice looking remotes.
Cross Posted from Chris Lanier's Blog at http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/
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As Bryan pointed out in the comments on my Extender
Concepts post, Ricavision is making Sideshow Module that will bring better
2’ control to Media Center. Currently if
you want to start playing music on your Media Center you need to turn on your
display and navigate to My Music. After
you do that, your display basically needs to stay on in case you want to change
what music is playing. Considering a
large majority of people are doing other things while listening to music (not
glued to the screen), using a SideShow remote with an LCD screen to control the
PC without having to turn on the display will be very useful. Windows Vista and SideShow solved this
problem. Below is a picture of what Ricavision’s SideShow module
actually looks like, as well as one of there SideShow remotes that will
hopefully ship soon. The SideShow module
can give you access to several Music, TV, Pictures, and Video functions.
 
SideShow modules can have the ability to be loads of
interesting things, including audio and video playback. As far as I know, the Ricavision SideShow
module is just meant to be a secondary screen for control. Things like scheduling a show to record, or
browsing through your music library for playback to occur on the PC are just a
few examples of what SideShow will bring to you.
SideShow modules will not replace Media Center Extenders
overall, however there are some applications that SideShow should be more cost
effective then an Extender to implement.
For example, I suggested that it would be very nice to have an In-wall
Touchscreen Extender that would allow you to extend Media Center into
another room without having a full setup with a separate display. However, you might just want control of your
music library, in-effect creating a nice multi-zone audio solution. A SideShow module could be nicely built as an
in-wall solution and I’m sure we will see a few out there. In wall keypads are very popular with other
whole home solutions, and SideShow will bring them to Media Center.
In addition to Media Center, SideShow modules can have
access to dozens of other modules including Vista’s Sidebar Gadgets. This means things like quick e-mail access, IM,
RSS, weather, and much more can also be a part of this. Clearly, this is a huge advantage and ads a
ton of value to SideShow modules. And
just as it doesn’t stop with Media Center related products, you might have
already seen other SideShow devices out there like MP3 Players, external laptop
displays, and even digital picture frames. Home automation is going to get a huge jump with this too!
Since I haven’t really talked about SideShow, are you
interested in what it could bring? If
you not running Vista is this one of those things that would make you upgrade?
Cross Posted from Chris Lanier's Blog at http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/
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I refuse to give up on Pika. I know, I know, Microsoft and OEMs seem to be
lagging way behind were they need to be getting them into the market. While I don’t agree with Microsoft or their
OEMs for being so slow (it’s not clear if it’s Microsoft or the OEMs that are
the problem) I think that Pika could bring some very interesting devices. We already know that DVD Players with Media
Center Extenders will likely show, as will Media
Center Extender HDTVs.
But what about what could also be released, pending some
smart OEMs. The Pika development kit
from Sigma Designs is rather small and could be put several exciting
places. If I had to guess I would say
the broad is about 7x4.5in, which means it is very compact in comparison to the
cases these things are put into. This
means it could be nicely made into a small Tablet Touchscreen Extender or In-wall
Touchscreen Extender!
I would love to see a $500 (or so) 10” Touchscreen Tablet Extender
that I could walk around the house and view recorded TV on. Battery life might be issue with one of
these, as it always is with any portable device. However, it would (technically) be able to
decode HDTV, including that recorded on from a CableCARD. I think if someone could manage 3 hours of
battery life this concept would be great!
Removable battery would be a huge plus.
(Yes, this does not exist)
Or what about an In-wall Touchscreen Extender. This would be an interesting concept for an
OEM to tackle, because any good way of doing this would involve smashing some
holes in your walls for the install plus running power, Ethernet, and optional
external speakers. Those are instant
turn-off’s for most OEMs. However,
pending that a 6” In-wall Touchscreen Extender would bring your home to your
figure-tips much like Exceptional Innovations current XPe Touchscreens do (w/
Life|ware). This would be a great
addition to multi-zone audio and home automation people.
(This too does not exist, artist rendering)
Mix the above with Sideshow (which I have not covered very
well here) and your really getting into the connect lifestyle idea that Media
Center should be the center of.
What do you think?
Are these devices that would interest you and are there any more that
you would be interested to see? Clearly
the Zune as a wireless Media Center Extender is up there, anything else?
Cross Posted from Chris Lanier's Blog at http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/
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Doug released his WebGuide Gadget that I talked about
a few days ago.
“The WebGuide Gadget allows you to connect to local Media
Center or a remote WebGuide server. It allows for full access to the program
guide, search, recorded TV and scheduled Recordings. You can even stream live
TV when connected to a WebGuide server.”
Download
it Here and don’t forget to listen to him on The Media
Center Show this week.
Cross Posted from Chris Lanier's Blog at http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/
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New York, NY, February 20th, 2007 -- S1Digital, a
leading builder of high-end Media Centers and Servers, today announced the
launch of their ProLine Series which sets a new reference standard for Media
Centers based on Microsoft Vista Ultimate. The ProLine Series includes
S1Digital’s flagship rack mount Media Server Edition and the silent FX Edition.
Designed specifically for custom audio and video installers, the ProLine Media
Centers enable installers to offer their customers the latest in high-end
digital home entertainment solutions.
The Media Server Edition raises the bar for Media Centers by
including up to 3TB of storage in six hot swap drive bays. Managed by a
dedicated 3ware RAID controller, the Media Server can effortlessly record
multiple HDTV streams while simultaneously streaming content throughout the
home (via Media Center Extenders) and providing full data protection. The 3U
rack mount chassis fits into standard 20” depth A/V racks. Other features
include HD-DVD playback, 1080p HDMI video output, Dolby Master Studio 7.1
channel audio and dual HDTV and SDTV tuners enabling recording of up to four TV
channels at the same time. The Media Server Edition is powered by the latest
Intel Core 2 Duo processors, includes Intel Viiv technology and runs on
Microsoft Vista Ultimate.
If silence is golden then the Media Center FX Edition is
24k. The FX Edition features a sophisticated European design making it a
centerpiece of any living room. Extruded aluminum heat sinks draw heat away
from critical components via silent heat pipe technology. Other features
include one terabyte of internal storage, HD-DVD playback as standard or
optional Blu-ray drive, 1080p HDMI video output, Dolby Home Theater 7.1 channel
audio and dual HDTV and SDTV tuners enabling recording of up to four TV
channels at the same time. The FX Edition is also powered by the latest Intel
Core 2 Duo processors, includes Intel Viiv technology and runs on Microsoft
Vista Ultimate.
Offering unprecedented support for the installer community,
S1Digital’s ProLine Series products can be customized with add-ons to enable home
automation capabilities, two-way control from Crestron, AMX and other
touchscreens, and integration with Russound and Nuvo multi-room audio systems
(coming soon).
“We’re now able to offer customized solutions, products and
support specifically to our custom installer market,” said Paul Heitlinger,
S1Digital CEO and Founder. “Partnering with S1Digital really enables our
resellers to offer their customers the latest in digital entertainment
technology.”
The Media Server Edition will be available in March 2007 and
the FX Edition will be available by the end of February. Dealer pricing is
available to approved resellers.
All of S1Digital’s Media Centers and solutions including
home automation, multi-room audio and video distribution and touchscreen
control, are on display at the S1Digital Experience showroom in New York. S1Digital's
products will also be demonstrated at the Electronic House Expo, October 8-10th
in Orlando, FL in booth 1723.
For more information, please contact S1Digital via email sales@s1digital.com, phone 888-632-6897
or visit their website at www.s1digital.com.
Cross Posted from Chris Lanier's Blog at http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/
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New York, NY, February 21th, 2007 -- S1Digital, a
leading builder of high-end Media Centers and Servers today launched the Home
Series line of Media Centers that includes the popular Media Center Platinum
Edition, Gold Edition and tiny Mini Edition.
The premium Media Center Platinum Edition heads up the Home
Series by packing in almost everything except the kitchen sink. Created for the
discerning home theater enthusiast, the Platinum Edition features Intel Core 2
Duo processors, DVD playback with upscaled video output with optional HD-DVD or
Blu-ray, up to 1 terabyte of storage, dual HDTV and SDTV tuners (record or
stream four channels simultaneously), 1080p HDMI video output, Dolby Home
Theater with 7.1 channel audio, Intel Viiv Technology and Microsoft Vista Home
Premium. The quiet Platinum Edition is designed to look at home next to other
high-end A/V gear and provides unparalleled video and audio quality.
The affordable Media Center Gold Edition follows in the
footsteps of its larger brother by including Core 2 Duo, DVD playback and
burning, up to 1 terabyte of storage, HDTV and SDTV tuners, HDMI video output, Dolby
Home Theater 7.1 channel audio, Intel Viiv Technology and Microsoft Vista Home
Premium.
Rounding out the family is the “Mighty” Media Center Mini
Edition, a powerful Media Center housed in one of the smallest form factors in
the market. Also running Microsoft Vista
Home Premium, the Mini Edition is the size of a book, yet packs a Intel Core 2
Duo processor, 100GB of internal storage, internal 802.11g wireless and a DVD
burner. The Mini Edition is great for smaller spaces such as bedrooms,
kitchens, holiday homes, yachts and RVs.
All Home Series Media Centers will be shipping by the end of
February and can be purchased directly from www.s1digital.com.
For more information, contact S1Digital directly via email sales@s1digital.com, phone 888-632-6897
or visit our website at www.s1digital.com.
To see of S1Digital’s Media Centers and digital media solutions in action, drop
by the S1Digital Experience showroom at 116 E. 7th St, New York.
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Cross Posted from Chris Lanier's Blog at http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/
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Andrew Grant runs down his Five
Reasons to Stay with MCE 2005 today.
Cost, Extenders (or lack of), Remote Desktop, Functionality (or lack of
again), and Stability (or instability) are among the reasons why he is
currently staying with MCE 2005.
I have still yet to
upgrade to Vista fulltime. I’ve had
it install for some time now in a dual boot with MCE 2005, and everything I
reboot the decision to stay with MCE 2005 overrules that of Vista. My hardware is a bit lacking to nicely run
Media Center. That could be fixed with a
cheap RAM upgrade, but still I don’t currently see the benefit of doing so.
CableCARD
is a big reason to still upgrade, but
considering I have DIRECTV I still have a while to wait for that to happen.
I still say that v2
Extenders will be huge, if anyone ever decides to ship them! Once I have a $150-$200 v2 Extender that
supports playback of MPEG-4 ASP (DivX, XviD, etc) and correctly playback
VIDEO_TS folders then I’ll be all over Vista.
Extenders are huge for me, finally being able to have that DVD
collection all around the house in the format that I choose. $150 v2 Extenders would also get the thoughts
about Softsled almost out of my head.
Lastly, the MCML Plug-ins that are coming out are really
great. However, I can’t see myself
upgrading just for third party plug-ins, the core functionality needs to be
there first. Plug-ins are just that,
they are add-ins that will add functionality to a platform that seems to be
lacking some basic things.
Has your
opinion changed?
Cross Posted from Chris Lanier's Blog at http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/
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Sidebar Gadget for Windows Media Center! (Ian Dixon) | Ian points to a Sidebar Gadget for Windows Vista that will be part of Doug’s WebGuide 4. Very cool! It can display the EPG, Recordings and Scheduled Recordings. Not only that, it works on remote machines too! That means you can have this gadget running on your Laptop half way across the world and still view and schedule recordings via the gadget itself.
Cross Posted from Chris Lanier's Blog at http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/
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Columbus, OH –
February 16, 2007 – Exceptional Innovation, producers of Life|ware™
digital entertainment and automation solutions, are proud to announce that
Life|ware has been chosen for all of The Momentum Group’s (TMG) Multi Dwelling
Unit (MDU) projects and to interface with RITA (Residence
Interactive Technology Consultant) Concierge Services.
The Momentum Group, a technology integration firm
specializing in custom residential and MDU technology, investigated many
different systems to control their properties, and recently announced that
Life|ware and Exceptional Innovation was their top choice. “The level of
technology we are implementing into our projects is designed to become part of
our client’s lifestyles and the features of Life|ware and architecture stands
out above all others. This platform also integrates beautifully with RITA for
concierge services into our products,” states Daniel Kippycash, president
and CEO of TMG.
Life|ware’s home control software provides seamless
integration with Media Center based installations, creating a digital
entertainment experience that allows consumers to control how they enjoy their
digital content, wherever and whenever they want, as well as manage their
lighting, HVAC, security and other subsystems through a single interface. The
latest version, Life|ware 2.0, a Windows® Vista™-based
interface, expands upon its previous ability to manage a home’s subsystems to
create a comprehensive digital living experience.
Exceptional Innovation also offers its own line of hardware
products to make the digital living experience even greater. One of these
products, Life|point™, is a high definition touch panel that
provides another interface to manage your home. Because almost any subsystem
can be added to the Life|ware home network by the use of Web Services for
Devices (WSD), you can build the ideal level of control to specifically fit
your needs.
“From its very inception, Life|ware has been a compelling
option for the multi dwelling unit – fast installations, robust functionality
and remote maintenance all make the system ideal for large MDU projects,”
said Steve Cashman, vice president of sales for Exceptional Innovation. “We
are tremendously excited about working with a great, visionary partner like The
Momentum Group to bring Life|ware to the MDU market.”
Logos and images available at http://www.life-ware.com.
Cross Posted from Chris Lanier's Blog at http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/
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You’re basically screwed.
Tonight is not a good night to try and find Knowledge Base
Articles. Microsoft is failing
left and right to impress me, and this one is pretty serious. Xbox 360: You receive audio
but no video for digital cable TV channels that you receive by using an
OpenCable Unidirectional Receiver
SYMPTOMS
When your Xbox 360 console is configured as a Media
Center Extender and you watch digital cable TV that is streamed from a Windows
Vista-based Media Center PC, you receive audio but no video. The screen remains
black.
CAUSE
This behavior can occur if the Windows Vista-based Media
Center PC receives the digital cable TV from an OpenCable Unidirectional
Receiver (OCUR).
THINGS TO TRY
This is a known issue with the decoder that is used on
Windows Vista-based Media Center PCs and the Xbox 360 console. Currently, there is no resolution for this
issue.
What?!?! Do I
really need to say anything else here? m' yeah, I'm gonna need you to fix this, and
if you could get it done by the end of this month That'd be great.
Note: 5 Bonus Points*
goes to the first one who replies with who would have said the above italicized
text.
*Bonus Points are worth
nothing, sorry. Not valid in California.
Cross Posted from Chris Lanier's Blog at http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/
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I case you missed it, Concurrent Sessions are back with
Vista! Thanks to some creative hacking
of termsrv.dll you can now enjoy the exact same Concurrent Sessions hack that
has been all over the web the same year or so in Windows XP. This means that you can Remote Desktop into
your Vista Ultimate machine without interrupting the other user session. Before anyone asks, no this will not work in Vista Home Basic or Home Premium, either of those have Remote Desktop as a feature. Only Vista Business and Vista Ultimate have Remote Desktop!
Mike has the step-by-steep guide over
at Missing Remote.
I still don’t understand why Microsoft will not include this
as a supported feature. Considering
Media Center Extenders still use a basic RDP session the core functionality is
already there, and I’m not sure how many thousand “Windows XP Service Pack 2
with Advanced Security Technologies” (I love that name) testers requested that
this be kept when it was found to be enabled in the beta. Do you use Concurrent Sessions in Windows XP or Windows Vista?
Cross Posted from Chris Lanier's Blog at http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/
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