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Microsoft still working on DirecTV for Media Center
Windows Media Center fans have been dreaming of having access to DirecTV's programming for at least two years, and just when we think both companies have let the idea fade away, we get new clues that it might actually happen. According to a recent job posting, Microsoft is looking for a qualified individual to help it develop "premium TV experiences from world class satellite TV network operators" with experience in pay-per-view, H.264 and in-band programming data. Currently, Media Center uses the internet to obtain its programming data, but just like the DirecTiVo before it, Media Center looks to get the information via satellite from DirecTV. Mostly, we're just happy that both companies are (apparently) still working to make this happen, but having access to PPV is just icing on the cake and a new experience for Media Center fans.[Via Chris Lanier's Blog]
Xbox 360's DivX/XviD support doesn't include Media Center
While most Xbox 360 owners could find something to look forward to in the Xbox 360 Fall Dashboard Update, Media Extender users just found out they've been skipped over, again. Just like the previous update adding H.264 support, the 360's newfound DivX compatibility doesn't apply when its being used as a Window Media Center Extender. AC3 audio support as well as a host of other media-related updates are nice, but Microsoft is leaving some of its most dedicated users out in the cold. We wonder what will get DivX first, Xbox 360 Media Center or the PlayStation 3?
Does Media Center have a future?
Most people that've tried Microsoft's Media Center have come away impressed. Even the most devout TiVo fanboy has to admit that Microsoft has gotten quite a few things right this time around, but will they blow it? One of Media Center's biggest proponents isn't so sure, as Chris Lanier (MS MVP) writes how disappointed he is with many of the recent revelations including; "four CableCARDs only for custom installs. v1 Extenders don't work on Vista (no rebate program either). Overpriced v2 Extenders. No DVD streaming to overpriced Extenders. No MPEG-4 support in Xbox 360 Extenders. No SoftSled (Software Extender). Delayed launch/beta of the Media Center update in Vista. No DIRECTV support despite it being announced two years ago. Zune that doesn't sync with Media Center. Windows Home Server which doesn't work out-of-the-box with Media Center." Wow Chris, that's quite a list, and you didn't even mention that there's no native support for HD DVD or Blu-ray! As much as we agree, we do feel bad for Microsoft -- yeah we said it -- cause they're stuck trying to be everything to everyone. Just about every example here is a compromise with someone, like AACS getting in the way of HD DVD and Blu-ray support, or DirecTV involvement in bringing their programming to the platform. In the end consumers don't care, they just want the best experience and for now we'll all have to wait.
Niveus shares official details on Media Center Extender - EDGE
Technically, Niveus was the first of the major partners to spill the proverbial beans on its Extender for Windows Media Center, and while it was sitting around for all to see at CEDIA, details were admittedly slim. Now, however, the firm has come clean and doled out the specs for its Media Center Extender - EDGE, following the moves made by Linksys and D-Link earlier. The EDGE boasts a "Glacier Passive Cooling for near silent operation," RS-232 / IP / IR for third-party control support, a trio of USB 2.0 ports, an Ethernet jack, HDMI / component outputs and two-channel analog / digital optical audio outs. Unfortunately, Niveus' box doesn't include integrated WiFi, so its wired or nothin' here, and while we'd love to know how much this thing will actually cost, we do know it'll land sometime in November. Click on for a few more looks.
Microsoft launches Windows Media Center Internet TV beta
Just as we expected, Microsoft is getting official with its Windows Media Center Internet TV feature, which is set to go live in beta fashion tomorrow morning. According to Microsoft, US-based users of Vista Home Premium and Vista Ultimate will soon be able to download a simple update that will enable them to "enjoy a range of television and video content on their PCs and TV sets [with a Media Center Extender of some sort] without a TV tuner in their PC." The streaming content will all be ad-supported "by an advertising platform provided by YuMe," which means that you'll be getting it gratis. The programming reportedly "comes from MSN Video," and just over 100 hours of it will be available when the beta begins. To whet your appetite, a few notables that will be available are "full episodes of TV shows such as 'Arrested Development,' full-length music concerts by artists such as Chris Cornell, Snoop Dogg, Elton John, Pink, John Mayer and the Pussycat Dolls, movie trailers, news segments from MSNBC, and sports clips from FOX Sports."
Linksys' DMA2100 / DMA2200 Media Center Extenders get priced
Remember those Linksys Media Center Extenders that popped up yesterday? Well, today the duo has officially been priced, but there's no good news for folks hoping for these two to undercut the other guys. Up first is the DMA2200, which will of course sport an integrated "upscaling DVD player" along with the obligatory dual-band Wireless N functionality, while the DMA2100 arrives in a smaller package (see it up close after the break) but keeps to the basics by omitting the optical drive. Both boxes are set to land this November, and while the DVD playin' DMA2200 will run you $349.99, you can save $50 by opting for the lesser-spec'd sibling.
Microsoft, HP add Media Center Extender functionality to MediaSmart LCD HDTVs
Just in case Linksys and D-Link's introductions weren't enough to satisfy, Microsoft is now announcing yet another partner in its refreshed Extenders for Windows Media Center effort. Beginning in "early 2008," owners of HP's current 42- and 47-inch MediaSmart LCD HDTVs will be able to utilize all of the features of the Media Center Extender platform sans any additional hardware. According to Microsoft, users will simply download a software update for their set, after which they'll be able to kick back and enjoy a little Windows Media Center Internet TV while basking in the glory that is added functionality.
D-Link's DSM-750 Media Center Extender gets official
Right on cue, D-Link has made its own Media Center Extender official on the same day as Linksys. The DSM-750, which strangely boasts the exact same model number as a different product we heard about at CES, becomes the latest in the firm's MediaLounge lineup and enables "high-speed, uninterrupted wireless (or wired) streaming and sharing of HD / SD video, movies, digital photos and music," regardless of where your PC is located. The device features dual-band draft Wireless N technology, silent operation, a wireless remote, USB 2.0 port for accessing external storage, and a 10 / 100 Ethernet jack. Catch it this November for $349.99, and check out a bevy of photos (including a few hands-on) in the gallery below.%Gallery-7832%
Microsoft bringing Internet TV feature to Windows Media Center
During our chat with Microsoft today, we got wind of a brand new feature coming to Windows Media Center, and it's slated to hit just as D-Link and Linksys get official with their Media Center Extenders. Reportedly, Microsoft plans on unleashing Internet TV on or around September 27th, which will enable Media Center users to watch a variety of on-demand, ad-supported content free of charge. While details were kept slim, we do know that content will fall into Sports, Entertainment, News, Top Picks, Music and Movies categories. Additionally, the videos will reportedly be "better than SD quality, but not HD," although HD programs could certainly emerge in the future. Best of all, this feature will simply be delivered as a normal software update, and while it seems that we'll have to wait until Digital Life before we know any more, feel free to peep the gallery below for a few shots of the Internet TV beta in action.%Gallery-7127%
Hands-on with Niveus' Media Center Extender
While Microsoft representatives at CEDIA were being exceedingly selfish with any information about the media-centric partnership with D-Link and Linksys, Niveus was putting all its cards right there on the table. Essentially, Microsoft claims that the actual hardware from Linksys and D-Link "could change" from its current form, but apparently, Niveus has a finalized product (reportedly dubbed Niveus Media Extender) ready to roll. The touchscreen interface functioned about as well as you'd expect, and while it did lag slightly at times, the overall feel was pretty fluid. Per usual, the hands-on goodness lies beneath, and oh yeah, official specs and such should be landing later this month.UPDATE: Gallery also includes photos of the Vantage touchscreen and Rainier rig that Niveus was using on the floor.%Gallery-7074%
Microsoft entices beta testers with Windows Media Center update
It was but three months ago that Microsoft opened the flood gates to beta signups for Windows Live for TV, and now the mega-corp is soliciting the help of free laborers yet again to test out a potentially buggy and likely frustrating piece of forthcoming software. If you're still intrigued, Microsoft is holding an open signup to beta test Windows Media Center update for Vista, but we certainly hope you weren't counting on even a partial list of features, as the curiously bland signup page doesn't relinquish much of anything beyond procedural instructions. So if you're hankering for something new to try out, and don't mind replying to Microsoft's "surveys, bug reports, and other means as required," feel free to hit the read link and toss your name in the hat.[Via BoyGeniusReport]
Switched On: Media centers engender extenders, relenters
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about technology, multimedia, and digital entertainment: A few weeks ago, HP announced that it was ending development of its Digital Entertainment Center line of A/V component form factor PCs. Normally, even a major manufacturer dropping a line of PCs wouldn't be cause for much industry introspection, but the continued struggle of the computer in the living room illustrates the challenges Microsoft has had in expanding the PC beyond its staples of desktops and notebooks, and why it may be increasingly turning inward to approaching new hardware markets. Before the great unification of Windows Vista, Microsoft created two forked, hardware-specific versions for Windows XP -- Tablet Edition and Media Center Edition. Both found their way onto millions of computers, but neither achieved Microsoft's most ambitious goals. Per its name, Tablet Edition was to usher in a new wave of ultrathin devices free of keyboards that would be positioned as the next wave of notebooks. However, to the extent that the operating system was adopted, it was primarily retrofitted onto "convertible" notebooks with swivel screens, making some of these "tablets" only slightly more sleek than the props carried by Charlton Heston in The Ten Commandments. Undaunted, Microsoft has now decided that these devices should be half the height of those Tablet PCs, but its latest foray against the keyboard is driving backlash.
Codename Fiji refers to Media Center refresh?
Microsoft is trying its darndest to stay mum about future versions of the Windows Client, since all that talk and expectation for Vista sure didn't treat 'em right. Luckily for us, all that transparency Microsoft has been working on with its corporate bloggers is paying off in little slip-ups here and there, with this one coming from Charlie Owen, the Windows Media Center Product Manager. In a blog post tagged "Fiji," which he has since pulled, Charlie mentions the next version of Media Center being "yet another out of band release" and that "the team is pretty happy about that because it allows us to get back on our (approximate) yearly schedule of delivering goodness to customers." He has since apologized for leading his blog following astray with the info, but that doesn't mean we can't still skim some info from this, including the implication -- which is growing in other circles -- that Fiji is a "shoulda been in Vista" update for Media Center, not the whole OS. As to what will actually end up in such a Media Center update is anyone's guess, but we've all got our own personal wishlists to be sure. Let's start with a few bug fixes, shall we?[Via Chris Lanier's Blog]
Amex's TSK-VX7 Windows Vista Keyboard with Touch Senses keys
Sure, we get the whole touch-sensitive keypad on phones. Nevertheless, we still prefer to slather on the tactile feedback when it comes to our full-sized keyboards. That being said, touch-tech still might have a niche for limited QWERTY action while driving your Media Center from the couch. So check it Vista boy, that's the TSK-VX7 Windows Vista Keyboard up there sportin' Amex's new "Touch Senses Keys" spotted earlier on their dual-mode Skype handset. It uses 2.4GHz RF technology for 30 feet of wireless travel away from the USB dongle. Fine, but what really caught our attention is Amex's claim that their new take on the touch-sensitive keyboard is so good that it "delivers the ultimate in feel and response." Doubtful, but we'll be sure to go hands-on with this one in Hannover Germany where it'll be on display for the big CeBIT show starting March 15th. [Via Akihabara News]
Russound and Lifeware join forces to create Media Console
Every few months it seems like some company comes out with some new hotsy-totsy media server setup. CES is no exception, with Russound and Lifeware announcing that they're putting their heads together to create the Viiv-compliant Media Console, complete with a keypad that can display metadata. We don't know much about what exactly these consoles can do (as in specs), nor what they'll cost, but CEPro reports that the higher-end systems will be around $6,000 or $7,000, with two other more inexpensive models sometime in May or June of this year. That said, ZDNET spied a demo model with a Russound multi-zone audio distribution system along with a trio of Lifeware components in a concept house -- however, while the reporter was checking it out, the system had to be rebooted in order while MCE froze. So on second thought, a waiting for a few months might not be such a bad idea after all. [Via ZDNET]
Pcalchemy intros Alchemy Series media PCs
Pcalchemey's (yeah, that's how they spell it) busted out a new line of configurable Media Center PCs, with four different models in its Alchemy Series available to tweak to your liking (and budget). Regardless of the model you choose, you'll get a Core 2 Duo processor (from a T5600 on the low end all the way up to an E6700), along with Intel Viiv technology, Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, and a Gyration Media Center Remote, which, as you may know, uses motion sensing gyroscopic technology to control cursor/mouse movement in addition to the usual up/down, left/right action (no sensor bar necessary). Prices start at $1,499 for the low-end Alchemy RE, which also happens to be the smallest unit (pictured after the break), all the way up to $2899 for the default config on the Alchemy XE (seen above), although you can bump that price up even further if you opt for some of the pricier upgrades, like a Blu-ray burner, or an extra half terrabyte of storage if the standard 1TB isn't enough for ya.
Klegg Electronics goes big with its 40-inch, MCE-infused LCD TV
Klegg seems to be kicking it up a notch from the wee LCDs it's accustomed to producing, as the 40-inch KLM-4010 is more suited for your living room than your front pocket. While it's certainly not the first LCD TV to stuff MCE functionality into its confines, this brushed aluminum beast packs quite a laundry list of impressive specs. It boasts a 1000:1 contrast ratio, 500cd/m2 of brightness, 1,366 x 768 resolution, HDMI, a pair of DVI ports, component, S-Video, composite, digital audio output, and a built-in Hauppauage PVR-150 MCE tuner. Additionally, it rocks an Intel Pentium 4 3GHz 630 processor, 1GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive, NVIDIA GeForce 6200 graphics card, dual-layer, slot-loading DVD burner, FireWire / USB 2.0 connectors, flash card reader, and dual seven-watt integrated speakers. This PC / TV hybrid touts the ability to download video directly from the internet and store it without the need for a separate HTPC, but unfortunately there's no (presumably high) pricetag or release details to ponder over.[Via CrunchGear]
360 Extender for Vista requires XBL connection?
Some Vista Media Center beta testers were confused when they were unable to connect to their Xbox 360 during the Xbox Live downtime last Tuesday. Luckily, reader Andy Wismar bothered to read the release notes:For the length of the beta program the Xbox 360 must have access to Xbox Live. This is typically accomplished by connecting your Xbox360 to your home network such that the Xbox360 has Internet access.Presumably, Microsoft will drop this un-necessary restriction in the final Vista WMC release. As Andy points out, the reason you have a TV is so that you have something to do when your internet goes down.
Windows Media Center support makes PSP an even better PMP
PSP fanboys know that the iPod can kiss our butts when it comes to being the best personal media player out there. Sure, the iPod outsells the PSP by a wide margin, but it lacks PSP's widescreen display, a crucial feature for any movie lover. Sure, the PSP was notorious for its unconvential naming scheme for videos, but ever since the 2.80 firmware upgrade, the PSP has been quite versatile in accepting iPod-formatted videos, no matter what they're named. Now, Sony's taken another step in beating Apple in the PMP game. Sony's newly updated Media Manager not only allows you to convert AVI, MOV, MP4, and WMV files for the PSP (something the free PSP Video 9 can handle quite well), but it'll convert Windows Media Center content, for those of you that use DVR on a Media Center PC.To quote our sister site PVR Wire: "If Microsoft is going to insist on using DVR-MS files, then it's nice to companies that don't include Windows software on their PMPs steeping up and making it easier to get DVR-MS files onto their devices. Sony's done it... Wouldn't it be nice if Apple followed suit?"[Via PVR Wire; Thanks, gregger!]
Switched On: Apple's DVR dilemma
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about technology, multimedia, and digital entertainment: Both Microsoft's Windows Media Center and Apple's Front Row provide a "ten-foot" interface for music, DVDs and photos. But, when used with a compatible video card, Media Center includes the ability to record television shows. In fact, small USB ATSC tuners now available or coming soon from the likes of Pinnacle are recognized by Windows Media Center. Apple has eschewed such a feature, probably for a variety of technological and business reasons. Modern Macs don't include TV tuners and adding them would increase cost. Setting up DVRs to work with set-top boxes via infrared blasters can be cumbersome and unreliable. Much of the complexity of Windows Media Center remotes that Apple has chided is due to their more comprehensive control and recording of television. And CableCARD – the ailing standard in which Microsoft and TiVo (to name a couple) have placed great faith for simplifying tuning by bypassing the cable set-top box -- is far from a universal solution. Meanwhile, the increased distribution of subsidized and well-integrated (if sometimes impaired) DVRs from cable and satellite providers makes the market a challenging one. Apple's omission of DVR functionality has also been relatively easy to understand or justify until now because of the iTunes store. Apple's novel channel for selling video has facilitated bringing television shows to PCs and iPods, emerging platforms for video. Despite Windows Media Center and other PC-based DVR products including Windows pioneer Beyond TV from Snapstream, Linux favorite MythTV, and consumer electronics crossover ReplayTV, DVRs remain overwhelmingly in the living room. And so it has stood -- iTunes-purchased shows local on the PC and recorded shows local to the TV. For Apple, though, that wall will melt like the transition effect in a sitcom flashback next year when the company releases the product known for now as iTV. The digital media adapter, which resembles a slice of Mac mini, will bring a Front Row-like interface to televisions.
