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Big Screen EPG by remote isn't the Webguide replacement we've waited for
For those not familiar with the tragedy, Microsoft hired Doug Berrett a few years back and he was the developer of one of the greatest 3rd party plugins for Vista Media Center. His WebGuide would not only let you do something that even the crapiest of DVRs can do today, remotely schedule recordings, but it would also let you watch your recorded shows over the internet. Well with Windows 7 came a new Media Center EPG database which broke WebGuide and while Microsoft built show streaming right into Windows 7, the void for the rest has never been filled. Recently we've seen two new add-ins that try to fill in the gap with the latest being Big Screen EPG "by remote." But we're sorry to say that the wait isn't over. The problem with Big Screen EPG isn't that it is a pay app, but that it is using Microsoft's guide data. Now this is a problem because they don't have a licensing agreement to use this data (that we know of) and we'd be shocked if Microsoft let this go unnoticed. But the bigger issue is that the remote interface is built on Silverlight which means it doesn't work on mobile phones -- although the developer left a comment stating that mobile browser support is on the road map -- and since Microsoft doesn't seem interested in letting Doug spend some company time on this, who knows how long this wait will go on.
Windows Media Center is set to thrill at CEDIA 2009 next month
Everyone likes to try and predict the future and with the Custom Electronic Design & Installation (CEDIA) show only a month away, the crew at Engadget HD threw all of their crazy ideas out there for your reading pleasure. For the most part all of the predictions are around Windows Media Center and how it will integrate with other products like the Zune HD, Digital Cable and HD satellite services, but there are some other fun things throw in. We really believe that this is going to be the year that Redmond brings everything together, so if you're the type who doesn't think it'll ever happen, then click through to find out why we think you're wrong. Either way, you can expect we'll be on the scene in Atlanta to check out what's new first hand.
CEDIA 2009 Windows Media Center predictions
With the Custom Electronic Design & Installation show in Atlanta only a month away, we thought it'd be fun to try and predict the future by laying out our expectations for Windows Media Center. The way we see it, CEDIA is the perfect launching pad for Windows 7 Media Center. For starters it is just over a month before the official release of the OS, but more so because Microsoft has used the venue in the past to announce new Media Center features. We really believe that this is going to be the year that Redmond brings everything together, so if you're the type who doesn't think it'll ever happen, then click through to find out why we think you're wrong.
