Microsoft Expert Zone, Burn, Archive, and Share Digital Videos Using Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005.
Tim Muscott, a group program manager in eHome, describes how he shares personal digital videos with friends and family. Learn how to burn, archive, and share digital videos using MCE.
Thomas wonders why I don’t use Comcast Foundation Edition.
I would definitely try it out except that my building has signed an exclusive contrast with Millennium Cable, which is a huge bummer.
As for my setup. I have a ATI x600 graphics card and an ATI ATSC capture card (I think it’s unreleased?).
Scott Williams thinks Microsoft has lost it’s groove with respect to product naming and points to Media Center, What’s in a name?:
I think that Windows Media Center Edition 2005 is an excellent product, but sheesh, you practically have to take a breath while saying it and it sounds lame. If Apple came out with a media center product they would probably call it iRock or something like that. The last good Microsoft name I can remember off the top of my head is XBox. It does a great job at sounding interesting and even manages to detach itself somewhat from the stigma of being a Microsoft product.
Yes, I’d love an XBox type name for Media Center.
Suggestions?
Update: Ming also goes off and explores some names:
Whatever name’s out there, MS needs to seriously rebrand its OS. Windows followed by 10 descriptors (like XP Pro N for Europe) just doesn’t cut it anymore.
I called and cancelled our $80/month digital cable subscription from Millennium Cable today.
When the customer service rep asked why, I said that all the channels I wanted were available via over the air HD broadcasters. He at first didn’t know what OTA was but I explained it and he followed up asking ‘what if there were a special promotion, would you stay?’ and I responded that it certainly was hard to compete with free. And not just free, but free and works with my Media Center.
Of course, HBO isn’t available via either OTA or through Millennium so we’re out of luck there when Six Feet Under comes back on. We’ll likely turn to an alternative distribution mechanism to get the shows and I’ll feel a bit guilty, but not so guilty since it doesn’t matter how much I’d be willing to pay I still couldn’t get them in HD short of moving into a new building. Millennium does offer HBO via standard def digital cable, but I’ll be honest, I can’t watch standard definition TV anymore.
I’m a HD convert and there’s no going back.
Recently Inside Digital Media interviewed both Joe Belifore, general manager of eHome the Microsoft division responsible for Windows Media Center (MP3 of the interview) and Jeremy Allaire, CEO of Brightcove the new video delivery platform (audio interview).
I have a new living room Media Center. Here are the specs:
My feedback is really all about the case. It looks fine. But I hate how you have to open up the hinged covers to watch a DVD and plug in devices. I’d rather the case manufacturers find an elegant way to always make those connections and drives available. Personally, I wouldn’t buy a case that hides critical inputs behind covers. I also found it really hard to add an extra internal hard drive so I’d like to see the internal layout revisited.
Bruce Yehl is having some problems with his MCE not recording.
Yes, I agree that very vague error message is lame. I’m sure while we were designing it we thought that we need a very friendly error message because if the error message was ‘error 0×09839 dshow graph is corrupt’ you’d be equally upset. While I can’t make any promises, rumor has it that error message is being improved in a future release to achieve the proper balance between telling you too much and too little.
A lot of people have been linking to the Media Player 10 FAQ and commenting that it now supports RSS. After the fifth post on this I finally clicked through to see what the fuss was about. And after comparing and contrasting it with the Media Center 2005 FAQ I get it. Unlike our team, WMP actually updates their FAQ and so it is important that you can be notified when new questions are answered.
Take away: We should improve our MCE FAQ.
Does MSN Remote Record for MCE not support OTA ATSC??
