There has been lots of talk about the new MCE app My Movies that enables you to catalog your DVD collection on your MCE machine.
What would make it a killer app was if it cataloged your DVD collection automatically. As it is today you have to go to 2′ to enter in information about your DVDs (though it does use IMDB to suck all the content in so it is relatively easy).
Have a Media Center and want to manage your recordings from the web? Check out our MSN Remote Record Beta (via my co-worker MCreasy).
Today I learned about Media Discovery in Media Center 2005 so I thought I’d share what I learned with you.
In Media Center 2005 we have a mechanism called ‘Media Discovery’ which enables you to add folders of music/videos/photos to your Media Center libraries. It has several access points and different speeds of indexing. Read on if you want to hear more about what is going on with Media Discovery.
Entry Points
Firstly, there are two entry points to this ‘First Run Module’ (named so because it uses the same UI template as the modules in First Run, the experience you get the first time you start Media Center):
Adding Music
Now, I should first point out that your music collection in Media Center uses the same library as your music collection in Windows Media Player.
When you run through Media Discovery for music the folders you select are added to Windows Media Player’s list of ‘Monitored Folders’. While it is adding the content you see a dialog telling you that it is adding media. You can dismiss the dialog if you want to do other things but the important thing to note is that dismissing the media discovery adding media dialog will slow down the discovery of music content significantly. It will go from using the highest priority thread level to the lowest. And yes, even the highest priority level is not as fast as F3 search in Windows Media Player. The other note here is that if you dismiss the dialog while it is still adding and then close Media Center because media discovery has completed then media discovery will stop and not resume again until you re-launch Media Center.
So if you have a large music collection that you want to add to Media Center using Media Center I recommend not dismissing that dialog!
Alternatively, if you have a large music collection, launch Windows Media Player, use a F3 search to look for all your content, then add the folders you want monitored to Windows Media Player’s monitored folder list (File -> Add to Library -> By Monitoring Folders). This method is much faster but you obviously can’t do it with your remote control.
Adding Pictures and Videos
As for pictures and videos, they do not use a Windows Media Player type library and so adding content to them is fast.
Adding network shares
I did not learn much about adding network shares today. What I did learn is that the reason it takes so long to populate the list of shares is that we go off an ping all the available shares and this process is costly if you have a lot of shares. Fortunately this is a problem that users only hit ‘at work’ since at our office we have tons of shares, but your typical home user does not have hundreds of shares.
How does this fit in with Media Center Extender?
When you install Media Center Extender you are asked during the setup if you would like to use the same folders for media content that your Media Center uses. If you answer yes, the Extender account will monitor the same list of folders.
The problem with this approach is that the Extender still needs to go off and index the content into the library the first time you enter an experience on the Extender. Also changes made to your Media Center monitored folder list are not mirrored in the Extender account (afaik).
Since releasing Media Center 2005 what have we learned?
Questions? And if you are one of my co-workers and have something to add let me know :).
Softie, Chris Sells, A Reason For A Home Gigabit Network:
The XBOX Media Center Extender kit comes with a remote and remote sensor that works for playing DVDs, too, thus saving you the trouble of buying both. I’m in love!
That’s cool since you can’t ‘remote’ DVD playback from your Media Center.
D-Silence, Dell Offers MS XP Media Center Upgrade For $19:
Until November 22, customers can custom-configure their new PCs with Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 for as little as $19 more than Windows XP Home Edition after $20 instant savings, including the Dimension 3000, 4700, 4700C, 8400 and XPS systems.
That’s a great deal considering buying the Media Center OEM version from Newegg will cost you $135.
If you’re buying a new machine and on the fence about MCE, get the software now, and add some tuners later. Of course MCE minus the TV tuners is still an excellent way of enjoying your pictures, videos and music. (Do I sound too markety?)
LA Times, TiVo Will No Longer Skip Past Advertisers (via PVR Blog):
By March, TiVo viewers will see “billboards,” or small logos, popping up over TV commercials as they fast-forward through them, offering contest entries, giveaways or links to other ads.
Wow. I think I’d quit if we did this.
Also, this just in from Wired News, Senate May Ram Copyright Bill
:
Under the proposed language, viewers would not be allowed to use software or devices to skip commericals or promotional announcements “that would otherwise be performed or displayed before, during or after the performance of the motion picture,” like the previews on a DVD.
From PVR Blog about the Tivo ads while fast forwarding:
I doubt a single customer would ever ask for this kind of feature, and that it happens while you skip commercials just drives the point home.
People buy PVR/DVRs for three reasons (in no particular order):
To take one of the top three features that consumers demand and expect and alter it in such a tragic way is awful. But what really amazes me is that TV studios and networks look at the top three DVR/PVR features and think, ‘The way to profit from fast forwarding is to change our ad model’. What they should be thinking is ‘Maybe we need to rethink our revenue model’. If so many consumers are going out and buying Tivos to skip commercials that they need to invent a new advertising model, then perhaps their fundamental assumption that advertising should be their primary driver of revenue is incorrect.
Consumers want to skip ads ergo remove the ads! Charge consumers more! If people are paying ~$100+$10/month for Tivo or ~$1000 for a MCE to primarily skip ads, then remove the ads, put us out of business, and collect our revenue yourselves.
Just going through some info kicking around in Outlook and found this tidbit about being able to watch QuickTimes movies (.mov) in Media Center.
QuickTime Alternative (via Omar Shahine):
QuickTime Alternative will allow you to play QuickTime files (.mov, .qt and other extensions) without having to install the official QuickTime Player. It also supports QuickTime content that is embedded in webpages.
Disclaimer: I haven’t tried it yet.
Guide to Original Aspect Ratio (via Kottke’s link).
All I want to know is, why isn’t The OC Season 1 available in 16:9? Especially when Fox broadcasts it in 16:9 for HD.
And while we’re linking to guides, here is a guide to PAL and NTSC.
Looks like we have 7 openings (keyword = ehome) in eHome (the division responsible for Media Center and Media Center Extender) for programmers, testers, and product planners. Apply today :).