But you don’t need to buy a new TV for the effect. You just need to dust off your old HTPC. And…that’s pretty much absurd, right? This whole concept seems like it’s still searching for its right place in time. But in 2018 we have numerous options for streaming content from laptops to TVs, so maybe we’re almost there again.

The basic concept is this: You download, install, and run the new Hue Sync app on your Mac or PC. Then, with the Hue app on your iOS or Android device, you configure what it calls entertainment areas. You specify the hue devices you want to sync with your content and their relative location to you and your screen. The more hue devices you have, the better the experience.

Back on your computer, select the entertainment area you just created, choose the desired effect intensity, and click Start light sync. Then stream away to your TV by mirroring through AirPlay, Chromecast, Miracast, or even an old-fashioned HDMI cable, if necessary. Of course, if you do still have an HTPC, you can just install it right on there.

Depending on the content you’re watching and the number and positioning of your Hue lights, the effect can be pretty impressive…and addicting. If you didn’t need a reason to buy more hue devices before, this just may be what pushes you to open your wallet. Our suggestions are for [amazon_link id=”B0167H33DU” target=”_blank” ]Light Strips[/amazon_link], the [amazon_link id=”B07GXB3S7Z” target=”_blank” ]Hue Play bars[/amazon_link], and the [amazon_link id=”B00I811PG6″ target=”_blank” ]Hue Bloom[/amazon_link]. Hue Sync also works with gaming and music. Play around with the different settings to explore all your options.

We hope that someday this technology will just be licensed and built directly into TVs by the manufacturers, but we’re not there yet. In the meantime, you’ll need to rely on streaming from your laptop. Or just relax like it’s 2010 again, watching those recorded shows on your sweet Media Center PC.

The post It’s Like 2010 Again with Hue Sync on Your HTPC (or Laptop) appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

SiliconDust, the company behind the HDHomeRun products, is a company we’ve followed closely since this site’s inception. Their OTA and CableCARD tuners can’t be beaten, and they continue to innovate with new services like the HDHomeRun DVR. Now they are expanding their offerings again with a premium TV streaming service called HDHomeRun Premium TV. At its core, the service offers access to 45 premium channels (like ESPN, CNN, and AMC) for $34.99.

HDHomeRun Premium TV is meant to be the perfect companion to the company’s existing OTA tuners. In fact, you’ll need to have at least one of their supported devices (HDHomeRun CONNECT DUO, EXTEND, or QUATRO) to gain access to the streaming service. If you have one of the dual-tuner devices you’ll be able to stream two channels from the premium TV service at once. If you have the Quatro you’ll be able to stream four channels at once. Owners of the CableCARD-equipped HDHomeRun Prime are understandably out of luck. It seems unlikely that a customer who is already paying for cable would want to pay for another premium TV service, but there’s another reason for the lack of support. Building in support for the new service would require the CableCARD tuner to be re-certified by Cable Labs, and that’s not an inexpensive or fast process.

Any streaming video service is only as good as the content it delivers. HDHomeRun Premium TV is launching with a nice lineup of channels. You’ll be able to watch CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, CNBC and C-SPAN for your news fix. If you’re into sports you’ll have access to ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPNews, ESPNU, and ESPN Classic. Unfortunately they don’t have any of the NBC or Fox Sports properties. For kids they offer Nickelodeon and Disney. Of course they also have some of the most watched cable channels like AMC, HGTV, USA, Food, TLC, SYFY, FX, TNT, and The Weather Channel. The offering won’t perfectly fit what everyone is looking for, especially some sports fans, but there’s almost definitely something for everyone.

If you’ve already got one of the supported HDHomeRun tuners then you can preview the new service now. Just update the firmware on your tuner by visiting the my.hdhomerun.com webpage from a computer on your home network. The new channels will appear in the guide within the HDHomeRun apps and you can watch them for a few minutes to see that they work just like watching OTA channels.

One big feature that sets HDHomeRun Premium TV apart from much of the competition is that if you also subscribe to the HDHomeRun DVR service you can record from the premium channels just as you do with OTA channels.

HDHomeRun Premium TV’s channels can be watched just about anywhere the OTA channels can be viewed. That includes Windows 10 and Mac computers, Xbox One, Android mobile devices, Android TV (including the NVIDIA SHIELD TV), and iOS devices. While you can watch the streams on practically any device, perhaps the biggest downside to the service is that even though the premium channels are streaming over the Internet, they can still only be viewed from devices on the same network as your tuners. You won’t be able to watch ESPN on your phone from the airport.

HDHomeRun Premium TV is available now in the United States and will be coming soon to Canada. It can be had for $34.99/month and it doesn’t require an extended contract. With the fall TV season starting, and football right around the corner, it’s the perfect time to give the new service a try. Do it’s many features, like OTA and cable channels in one interface, out-weigh the few cons? Let us know in the comments below!

The post SiliconDust Introduces HDHomeRun Premium TV Streaming Service appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

Updated January 12 at 11:15am: Channel Master has given us updated information regarding Amazon Video and Netflix.

Channel Master is on hand at CES again, and we were fortunate enough to catch up with them to check out their forthcoming SMARTenna+ and STREAM+. We’ve talked about their previous product, the DVR+, numerous times in the past. The time has come to release a new model, and the STREAM+ has a long list of upgrades.

The Channel Master STREAM+ is a completely redesigned product from the company. The form factor is completely different. While it looks nice, some may dislike the fact that it won’t look like most of the other devices found in a typical A/V cabinet. It has two over-the-air (OTA) tuners built in. Rounding out the hardware, it has a quad-core processor, HDMI 2.0 port (with HDCP 2.2), 10/100 Ethernet, 802.11 AC wireless, USB 3.0, Bluetooth, and a MicroSD slot. This hardware is then put to use by Android TV (version 7). It’s all controlled by a basic remote control that also has voice search capabilities.

For those of you who may not have used an Android TV product for a while, it now has a built-in live TV app called Google Live Channels. It even has an integrated grid guide for channel programming data. Instead of creating their own TV and DVR solution they decided to use Google. That choice seems like a smart play to us. Google’s Live Channels app also pulls in guide data without requiring a subscription fee. Anything that is recorded with the device must be watched on it. There isn’t a solution for remotely watching recordings on separate devices. That may limit the appeal of the STREAM+ to cord cutters who only have one television. That’s still a pretty big market though.

The storage situation for the DVR gets a little interesting. Remember that MicroSD slot that it has? At launch that is the device they are touting for storing your TV recordings. Apparently inserting a MicroSD card is actually what initiates the DVR setup process. It supports up to 512 GB of storage. For some people that will be enough, especially given that it only has two tuners, but for many customers, they will need greatly increased storage capacity. When we spoke with Channel Master, they told us that their plan is to eventually support adding a larger external hard drive via the USB 3.0 port, but they still have a few bugs to work out with that feature.

Because the Channel Master STREAM+ is also an Android TV box you’ll be able to download and install most of the streaming apps you’d desire. YouTube and Netflix are obviously there, along with plenty of paid TV options like Sling TV, PlayStation Vue, and others. The one notable exception is Amazon Video. It’s our understanding that currently, the NVIDIA SHIELD TV is still the only Android TV device to support Amazon’s streaming service. After originally publishing this article Channel Master informed us that at launch the STREAM+ won’t have Netflix or Amazon Video. They are discussing options with the stream video giants though. You’ll be able to enjoy most of those apps in 4k too, because the STREAM+ supports up to 4k60 video playback. Another standard feature of Android TV is that the device will work as a Chromecast target and integrate with Google Home.

The Channel Master STREAM+ is available for pre-order now. They are stating the $99 price is an introductory price, so if it sounds like the device for you, make sure to order soon. Orders placed now should ship in April.

For more discussion of this product, check out the latest episode of the Entertainment 2.0 podcast. We covered this, and many other new announcements, in our weekly entertainment technology show.

The post Channel Master STREAM+ is a $99 Android TV DVR appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

Update (January 10, 2018 3pm PT) — This post has been updated to reflect the naming information we just received from SiliconDust. For what it’s worth, we like the new name, HDHomeRun Connect Duo+, better than HDVR.

Yesterday we brought you the news that SiliconDust has announced plans to release a six-tuner CableCARD tuner this year, but that wasn’t their only new product announcement. They also announced plans for a new stand-alone DVR solution for cord cutters called the HDVR 2 HDHomeRun Connect Duo+.

The HDVR 2 HDHomeRun Connect Duo+ will be a product aimed at cord cutters who are looking for an easy way to get an over-the-air DVR without running server software on an always-on computer. To accomplish this, SiliconDust will take their two-tuner HDHomeRun Connect Duo and added extra processing and storage. This will allow them to then run their HDHomeRun DVR software directly on the Connect Duo without the need of a computer.

SiliconDust is initially planning to put 250 GB of storage on board. This should allow for around 60-hours of HD recording. It won’t be expandable directly through USB, but if the user later purchases a NAS, they can install the HDHomeRun DVR software on it. We were told that if a user does that, all of their recording schedules and preferences would seamlessly work on the new NAS.

Two tuners might not be enough for all customers, but SiliconDust doesn’t have any plans at this time to make four or six tuner versions of the HDVR HDHomeRun Connect Duo+. They don’t see the need because the HDHomeRun ecosystem already allows you to easily add more devices to your network.

The HDHomeRun DVR service from SiliconDust is a full-featured live and recorded television solution that runs on Windows, Linux, MacOS, and many NAS devices. It requires almost no configuration. Once it’s set up, live and recorded programs can be viewed from practically any imaginable device. They have client applications for Windows, Android, Android TV, Xbox One, Roku, Fire TV, iOS, and more. The DVR service does have a $35 per year subscription fee, but that one subscription covers as many devices as you can throw at it. That’s a deal you’re not likely to get from your cable television provider.

SiliconDust wasn’t ready to discuss pricing of the new box. The plan is to release the HDVR 2 HDHomeRun Connect Duo+ around mid-year. As always at CES, release dates should always be taken with a grain of salt.

For more discussion of this product, check out the latest episode of the Entertainment 2.0 podcast. We covered this, and many other new announcements, in our weekly entertainment technology show.

SiliconDust HDHomeRun Connect Duo+ Press Release

The post SiliconDust Plans HDVR All-in-One DVR and Tuner (Update: Connect Duo+) appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

With the HDHomeRun Prime 6, you’ll be able to watch any channels that are provided by your cable company. That even includes premium channels like HBO. If your cable company requires the usage of a tuning adapter for switched digital video, then it can be plugged directly into the Prime 6’s USB port.

Many cable television providers use copy-protection on some or all of their channels. While there are HDHomeRun apps for Windows, Xbox, Android, iOS, and many other platforms, not all of them are able to watch copy-protected content. Currently, the only devices which support playback of copy-protected shows are Windows 10 PCs and the Xbox One. If you’re a subscriber of the HDHomeRun DVR it’s important to note playing back of copy-protected recordings isn’t available on any platform. That functionality will be released when the HDHomeRun Prime 6 launches.

SiliconDust told us that they are targeting a mid-year release for the HDHomePrime 6. Unfortunately, they are a company that has a history of missing release dates. Granted, those delays typically stem from down-stream suppliers, but we still won’t be holding our collective breath come this summer. It’s also worth noting that if you’ve been frustrated by the fact that a six-tuner Prime was announced three years ago, they did fill us in on what caused most of the delays. Apparently, they had issues where chip suppliers were all lined up to produce devices for them. Then those vendors got acquired, and the chips SiliconDust was depending on were scrapped. This actually happened twice during the development of this device. That alone accounted for about 18 months of the delays.

Pricing is another detail that can be difficult to get out of exhibitors at CES. Fortunately, SiliconDust told us that they plan to sell the HDHomeRun Prime 6 for $199. The current three-tuner model retails for $135, so we’re satisfied with the price of the bigger unit. Back in 2015, when the device was first announced, they said they were hoping to keep it under $150. We were surprised at the time, so we’re not surprised or too disappointed that they weren’t able to hit that aggressive price point.  The three-tuner model will be coming to end-of-life, so this new device effectively replaces it.

Also worth pointing out is the size of the new device. It’s about the same size as the new Quattro tuner. The device pictured is also just a prototype. The final tuner will have a metal frame and shiny logo like their other products.

The HDHomeRun Prime 6 wasn’t the only new announcement from SiliconDust, so check back later for more news from the company.

For more discussion of this product, check out the latest episode of the Entertainment 2.0 podcast. We covered this, and many other new announcements, in our weekly entertainment technology show.

Update: SiliconDust is also planning an all-in-0ne OTA DVR solution.

The post SiliconDust Announces HDHomeRun Prime 6 appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

SiliconDust’s newest device is called the HDHomeRun Connect Quatro. It’s a simple and sleek square design. The top of the box has the HDHomeRun logo stamped into it. The back only has a coax input, Ethernet and power jacks. That’s it. Other than the aesthetics, the most important feature is the inclusion of double the usual number of tuners. Having four tuners should give users more head-room when trying to schedule recordings, or when multiple people want to watch different programs throughout the house.

If you don’t have the need for four tuners, SiliconDust has also revamped their dual-tuner model. It’s now called the HDHomeRun Connect Duo. It has the same beautiful design as the Connect Quatro, but it has half the tuners.

Neither of these devices have started shipping yet. They will be available at Best Buy stores starting October 8^th. The four-tuner Connect Quatro will be exclusive to Best Buy through the holiday season. The new HDHomeRun Connect Duo will be priced at $99. The HDHomeRun Connect Quatro will set you back $149.

It’s important to note that both of the new devices will work with the company’s DVR solution, HDHomeRun DVR.

Are you looking for more tuners? Have you been considering cutting the cord, but needed more than two tuners? SiliconDust may just have the product for you. Sound off in the comment section below.

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Today Plex took a major leap forward. For starters, you no longer need to be running a beta version of the Plex Media Server to use Plex DVR. Anyone with a Plex Pass subscription and a supported TV tuner can utilize the functionality. They’ve also brought their live TV functionality more in line with what we expect from a DVR solution. It now supports time shifting (the ability to pause, rewind, and fast-forward live television.) While watching a show you can even see an overlay that displays a list of what’s currently showing on your other channels. It’s not quite a traditional grid guide, but it’s close. If you pop open the playlist queue overlay it will also show you the next few shows to air on that channel.

With this new Plex Media Server release also comes new versions of the client applications for Android (phones and tablets) along with Apple TV. They join Android TV and iOS (phones and tablets) as platforms which can manage the DVR and watch live television. Plex continues to work on updating their other clients, so hopefully we’ll see this functionality on Windows 10 and Xbox One soon.

Will this new, and long-awaited, functionality finally be enough to get you to switch from Windows Media Center to Plex? Are there still features that you absolutely must have before switching, or have you already moved on to a different solution? Sound off in the comments below.

Source: Plex Blog

The post Plex Live TV and DVR Out of Beta appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

Plex offers one of the best solutions for cataloging and consuming your personal media collections, and we talk about it all the time. We’re big fans, and we’ve been using it for our movie libraries for years. Last year we were thrilled to see Plex release a DVR solution, but it had some key missing features. The biggest missing feature has been addressed today, and that is live TV support.

Today Plex has released a new version of their Plex Media Server, and some of their clients, to enable the capability to watch live TV through Plex. Previously with Plex DVR you could only schedule recordings, and then you could only view them once they had completely finished recording.

If you’re a seasoned Plex user you might be wondering how this all works. After all, previously you’ve only been able to manage DVR recordings and schedules via the Plex web app. Well, today Plex is releasing updated apps for Android TV and iOS devices. These new apps will allow you to fully manage the DVR. You can view the program guide, modify your recording schedule, and everything else that’s only been available through the web interface in the past.

We know that most of our audience is wondering about the Xbox One and Windows apps. They haven’t been updated yet, but Plex has assured us that they plan to release updates for those platforms too.

Plex also announced today that they are expanding their TV tuner support. No longer will you be required to have an HDHomeRun tuner. Some tuners from Hauppauge, AVerMedia, and others, have been added to the list. Even the TV tuner which was released specifically for the Xbox One is supported now. You will have to move that tuner over to the machine that is serving as your Plex Media Server though. For the complete list of supported devices please see this article.

There have been other improvements to Plex DVR. They’ve made the scheduler smarter, and they now will highlight programs that you’re more likely to enjoy based off of other things you’ve watched. Plex also handles overlapping recordings on a single channel now.

Plex Media Server continues to be a free product, but you need to be a Plex Pass subscriber to have access to the DVR and Live TV functionality. A subscription can be purchased for $4.99 per month, or $39.99 for a year of service. They also offer a lifetime option which is ordinarily $149.99. Right now you can grab the lifetime option for 20% off, at $119.99.

We’ll be digging deeper into Plex’s new features over the coming days, but we’d also like to hear how it’s working for you. What features are you still looking for? Sound off in the comments below.

The post Watch Live TV on Plex appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

Updated February 2nd 3:15pm ET to correct the problem mentioned for Windows 10 PCs. It’s MPEG-2 video that isn’t supported natively in Windows 10.

Today SiliconDust announced a massive new feature for their Xbox One app, HDHomeRun. The new update is specifically geared towards users who have an HDHomeRun Prime. If you have that CableCARD-based tuner, you can now view live copy-protected content on the Xbox One.

As a quick recap, some cable providers put a layer of copy-protection on some, or all, programs. Prior to this update, if that copy-protection is enabled then you can only view the non-DRM enabled programs. Which channels and programs are protected is entirely up to the cable providers. For some people, only premium channels (like HBO) are copy protected, but other providers protect everything.

If you’ve already got the HDHomeRun app on your Xbox One make sure to update it to the latest version. It should work for live playback without issue. If you’re part of the HDHomeRun DVR program, you can’t record copy-protected content yet. Recording, and the playback, of copy-protected content will come later.

Many of you also realize that Xbox One and Windows 10 both use UWP apps that can be shared across both platforms. Unfortunately, the answer to whether this update will work for Windows 10 PC users is a far more difficult question to answer.

SiliconDust is saying that many PCs which have a built-in screen (like laptops, tablets, and all-in-one PCs) may support copy-protected playback. There’s a huge list of requirements to fully support DRM on PCs. While SiliconDust didn’t fully specify what those requirements are, there’s no reason not to try it. The app is free after all.  

Update for further clarification: For PCs that connect to a monitor or television via HDMI, the app may not support copy-protected content currently. This is due to an issue with the way HDCP is handled. SiliconDust is working directly with Microsoft to address this, and an updated app will be released once a solution has been made available.

If you are able to play back copy-protected shows on your PC, you may not get any audio video. There is a simple, but frustrating, solution. The problem stems from the fact that Windows 10 doesn’t natively include support for Dolby audio MPEG-2 video. To get it working you’ll need to purchase the Windows DVD Player app from the Windows Store. It will set you back $14.99. Nick from SiliconDust says that a future version of Windows 10 (perhaps the Creators Update) won’t require the DVD player app. 

We’ve got a few more clarifying questions out to our contacts at SiliconDust. If we receive any more details, we’ll be share to pass them along to you. Let us know how the app is working out for you!

Source: SiliconDust

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Everyone wants to know when HDHomeRun DVR is going to be released. Their plan is to launch a release candidate (RC) in Q1 this year. That RC will include over the air (OTA) and unencrypted cable support in the United States, Canada, U.K., New Zealand, most of Western Europe, and Finland. For those of you with copy-protected channels using the HDHomeRun Prime, unfortunately you’re going to need to a wait a little longer. They’ve not forgotten about you, and there’s been a tremendous amount of work in making sure they will be able to support the capability on multiple platforms. They also need to make sure they do it right otherwise they could face massive fines. So expect support for copy-protected cable to come after the official release. The release candidate period is expected to last for two to four weeks.

There’s one last thing to remind those of you who were Kickstarter backers about. As part of your pledge you’re receiving a one-year subscription to the HDHomeRun DVR service. Don’t worry, because your year of service hasn’t even started yet. It won’t start until they’ve officially released the product.

One thing that you may or may not have noticed over the New Year holiday is that SiliconDust changed the guide data provider in many regions. Previously they were using multiple sources for different regions. Over the New Year holiday they completed the transition to put everyone on Gracenote. If you’re seeing any guide data issues, make sure that your tuners are using the latest firmware.

There’s another initiative that SiliconDust would like to make their customers aware of. They recently released a redesigned version of the HDHomeRun Extend. They were able to remove the fan from the device and simply use a better heatsink to keep the temperatures down. If you’ve got a model with a fan in it, you can send it to SiliconDust to have them swap the fan out for the new heatsink.

Lastly, SiliconDust continues to work with other partners. For example we discussed recently that some Samsung TVs were able to natively connect to HDHomeRun tuners. Unfortunately that functionality was disabled shortly after it was released. It turns out the firmware that enabled it was never mean to be released. SiliconDust continues to work with Samsung to get that feature optimized and turned back on. Maybe you’ve purchased an LG TV because you love their WebOS user interface. If so, you’ll be pleased to know that SiliconDust is also in talks with the Korean manufacturer to enable playback on their TVs also.

The post SiliconDust Update on HDHomeRun DVR and More appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

The Homebase Hub is a hardware and software offering. The box is built around Intel’s NUC. It comes in two variants (oddly named the Hub White and Hub Blue, despite the fact that they look identical.) The White is based on the latest generation Intel Celeron processor. It has 2 GB of RAM, a 32 GB SSD for fast performance, and 2 TB of storage for media. The Hub Blue has an Intel I5 processor, 8 GB of RAM, a 128 GB SSD, 2 TB hard drive, and sports Intel Iris Plus 640 graphics.

Both the Hub White and Hub Blue have HDMI 2 ports and support 4k video at 60 frames per second. They also have 802.11AC Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Bluetooth, 7.1 audio, and a plethora of USB ports. The Hub Blue even sports a USB-C Thunderbolt 3 port.

If you have fairly light needs, and don’t plan to do any serious gaming, the Homebase Hub White should be powerful enough for your daily task. If you’re into gaming, or just like to ensure you have power to spare, you’ll want to spring for the Hub Blue.

Software and strategic partnerships set the Homebase Hub apart from just building your own Windows 10 home theater PC. The Hub can, and probably should, be paired with an HDHomeRun tuner. With the HDHomeRun app you’ll be able to watch Live TV. For recorded TV they’ve partnered with Plex to use the Plex DVR. Of course you’ll need a Plex Pass subscription to use Plex DVR. That’s where Homebase’s partnerships come in. With the purchase of a Homebase Hub you’ll get a one-year Plex Pass subscription included.

The other major software piece comes in the form of a custom launcher that the team has built. Windows 10’s Start menu doesn’t offer a great experience in the typical living room situation. The Hub’s launcher provides a look and feel similar to iOS. You’ll be presented with a grid of large icons to choose from, and those icons can also be grouped together. To control all of this from the comfort of your couch, they’ve included a remote control. It has your typical navigation and playback buttons. It also sports a keyboard on the back which will make typing in search queries a lot more convenient.

Another one of their partnerships, this one with Tonido, turns the Homebase Hub into your own personal cloud. With that software you’re able to access all of your files from any connected device. You can also automatically sync content from your mobile devices, like your camera roll, straight to the Hub. This will be managed by an app they are creating which will also double as a remote control for the Hub.

The Homebase Hub White will be available in March for $399. The Homebase Hub Blue will be available shortly thereafter for $799. The hardware inside is rock-solid. We’ve often recommend the Intel NUC as the basis of a home theater PC. This product really hinges on the software, and if they can get the remote control to play nicely with all the apps. We’ve had pretty limited success using remotes to control Windows UWP apps. For example, Plex works well but Netflix is pretty miserable. If the problem is simply apps that don’t elegantly support keyboard input, I’m not sure that the Homebase team can even do anything to resolve this issue. Also, while the launcher they’ve designed is usable, we don’t particularly care for the dated iOS design language they’ve used. We’re definitely going to keep an eye on the Homebase Hub, and we’ll keep you all updated.

The post Homebase Hub – The Next Windows Home Theater PC? appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

mpconverter is a tool that has been created to make importing Windows Media Center recordings into Kodi and Plex a painless process. For some shows, like your typical prime time dramas, you could simply rename your recorded files and place them in a folder structure that is supported by Plex. But that doesn’t work for everything. One key example is sports. You see, Plex and Kodi both use TheTVDB to get metadata about shows. If you recorded a soccer match there isn’t going to be a listing for it on TheTVDB.

mpconverter takes a different approach to migrating recordings. Instead of looking at an online database for metadata it simply looks at the WTV file that was created by Windows Media Center. It’s a solution that seems so simple! Of course Windows Media Center knew what it was recording, so why not take the metadata that’s already stored with the recording when moving it over to Kodi or Plex?

Metadata migration isn’t the only thing that mpconverter does. It will also transcode the recordings. It can use either FFMPEG or Handbrake to do the conversion, and the mpconverter developer has already done the hard work of creating transcode profiles that will result in high quality video files.

If you’re like us, you probably have quite a large library of recorded shows. Fortunately, mpconverter also has tools to automatically process all of the files in your recorded TV library. Whenever a new show is recorded the tool will detect it and perform all its magic.

mpconverter has a lot more features than we’ve been able to cover in this short post. It’s a tool that can be configured to make a transition from Windows Media Center pretty painless with just a little bit of setup work on your part. Did we mention it’s free? At that price you’ve got nothing to lose! Check it out and let us know how you like it. And if you have any feedback for the developer make sure to leave a comment on his blog!

Source: mpconverter

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Plex has taken the home theater PC market by storm over the last few years. It’s media library and playback application has come to almost every conceivable platform: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Xbox, Roku, and more! We’ve become huge fans of the service, and we’ve even been checking out their latest features such as DVR capabilities and advanced photo collection management.

If you purchase a Plex Pass, or one of the Plex apps, between now and 11:59 PM PT on Tuesday November 29th, the company will donate 50% of the payment to Plan International USA. They are a 4-star rated charity that works to enable children around the world to realize their full potential.

If you’ve been on the fence about signing up for a Plex Pass, there has never been a better time to purchase. If you’re already a Plex Pass subscriber, then consider giving a gift subscription to someone else.

Whether you are buying for yourself or someone else, please head over to the Plex Pass site and give today.

Source: Plex

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Plex is rolling out a new service called Plex Cloud. The idea is simple: instead of building, running, and maintaining your own Plex server at home, let them host it for you in the cloud. We’re all used to hosted web apps by now. In fact, many of you may already access your home Plex server by going to their website. The bigger question you’re probably asking is where you’re going to store your media files. Plex is currently working with Amazon to host all of your media in the Amazon Cloud Drive.

Hosting your gigantic media library on Amazon’s servers isn’t cheap, but it may not be as much as you’re expecting either. Currently you can sign up for Amazon Cloud Drive for $59.99 year in the United States. Amazon also says that storage is unlimited. That’s about the price of one hard drive (which may or may not hold all of your media.) You can also use Cloud Drive to host other files too.

So for $60 per year, plus a Plex Pass ($5/month, $40/year, or $150 lifetime), you can have the easiest media server available. Right now you’ll need to ask for an invitation to try out the new service. So what are your thoughts? Are you ready to ditch the always-on PC, and the maintenance required to keep it all going, in favor of a cloud-based solution? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: Plex

The post Plex Takes Their Server and Your Media to the Cloud appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

Last August we reported that Microsoft had announced at Gamescom that DVR functionality would be coming to the Xbox One. We were as excited as everyone else at the idea that the Xbox could become the only box under the televisions of cord cutters. Unfortunately, it looks like that won’t be happening.

Today the Verge’s Tom Warren reported that Microsoft has said they’ve officially put development of the DVR functionality on hold.

“After careful consideration, we’ve decided to put development of DVR for Over-the-Air TV on hold to focus our attention on launching new, higher fan-requested gaming experiences across Xbox One and Windows 10 … We’re always listening to fan feedback and we look forward to bringing more requested experiences on Xbox One, Windows 10 and Xbox Live this year.”

Later the news was officially confirmed by the Xbox team at the Xbox Uservoice page where there were over 2,300 votes for DVR functionality.

So while the possibility of using your Xbox One as your over-the-air DVR isn’t completely off the table, it seems highly unlikely that we’ll be seeing those features anytime soon. One thing to keep in mind is that Microsoft’s press briefing at E3, the biggest video game trade show of the year, is less than a week away. They could have something even better planned to announce then.

If you’re a cord-cutter, or over-the-air DVR functionality is something you’ve been looking forward to, there are some other options worth considering. The most obvious solution is to just hook up a different DVR through the Xbox’s HDMI input. The Channel Master DVR+ offers a great experience, and doesn’t have any subscription fees. You could also get your video entirely over the internet. In addition to all of the regular video apps, like Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu, you can subscribe to Sling TV through your Xbox One.

There’s one more potential option that could become available soon. We’ve been keeping an eye on our friends at SiliconDust and their HDHomeRun DVR. It’s not officially complete yet, but their offering supports both over-the-air and cable tuners. Currently there’s no easy way to use it directly from an Xbox One, but we think that’s going to change soon. That’s because they already have a Windows 10 UWP app for watching and scheduling recordings, and this summer Microsoft is going to roll out support for UWP apps on the Xbox One. It seems extremely likely that we’ll see the HDHomeRun View app on the Xbox One very soon.

How are you feeling about today’s news? Do you think Microsoft will have something to announce at E3 to make up for this disappointment? How does this news impact your plans for media consumption in your house? Let us know in the comments below.

The post The Xbox One DVR is Dead, so What’s Next? appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

Mounted to the top of triangle shaped case is a small 720p 220-lumen projector. The projector has its own power cable and receives its video signal wireless from the computer. This allows the user to place the projector in the most convenient location in the room. It is capable of projecting an image at up to 110” from a distance of 2.4 meters. The projector also has a tripod mount on the bottom to make mounting it much easier.

The Ideacentre 610s can be fitted with the latest generation of Intel processors all the way up to the Core i7. It tops out at a beefy 16GB of RAM. The 610s includes either a 128GB SSD or a 2TB HDD. It includes an Nvidia GeForce 750 Ti graphics card, which will more than adequately handle non-4k video duties. It should scratch your gaming itch too, as long as you are not looking to play the latest high-end games. On the back, it features four USB ports, three of which are USB 3.0, Ethernet, HDMI, optical audio, and a standard 3.5mm audio jack. It also includes 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.

The price of the Lenovo Ideacentre 610s will start at $849, and it should begin shipping in June.  It is definitely an interesting new entry into the HTPC market. The only thing we are disappointed in is the resolution of the projector. While the projector is not top-of-the-line, it should make for a good starter setup for anyone looking to get into the home theater PC space. After all, there’s nothing preventing you from eventually hooking the Ideacentre 610s to a different external projector or television.

The post Lenovo’s Ideacentre 610s Packs a Projector with its New HTPC appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

We mentioned during Entertainment 2.0 episode 348 that JRiver Media Center developers were planning to start a Kickstarter campaign that we were extremely interested in. The campaign’s purpose is to fund the development of a new add-on for JRiver Media Center that would add advanced DVR capabilities to the HTPC software, including copy-protected CableCARD content support.

JRiver’s Kickstarter campaign launched last week, and they’re going to need plenty of help to get this funded. They are looking to raise $100,000. The campaign is specifically to launch an add-on to JRiver Media Center called TVPlus. MC currently has TV tuner support. It even works with CableCARd tuners. However, it doesn’t support copy-protected (also called “play once”) programs. That’s where TVPlus comes in. The new add-on will bring full support for copy-protected TV programs. That means you’ll be able to record HBO, and anything else your cable provider offers via CableCARD, right inside of JRiver Media Center.

The Kickstarter campaign is partially being used to fund the licensing fees for Microsoft’s PlayReady DRM. This is the same DRM scheme that is used by Windows Media Center to enable copy-protected recordings. The campaign only offers three reward levels. For a $20 pledge you’ll get the upgrade to TVPlus for free, but you’ll need to already own a copy of JRiver Media Center 21 to use it. For $60 you’ll get a copy of JRiver Media Center 21, plus TVPlus, for Windows. For $70 you’ll get the Master License of JRiver Media Center 21, which can be installed on Windows, OSX, and Linux, and the TVPlus add-on. Keep in mind that TVPlus will only work on Windows though.

If you’re feeling abandoned by Microsoft’s dismissal of Windows Media Center, then JRiver Media Center may fill the void left in your home theater PC. JRiver’s software even works on Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10. While JRiver Media Center has users all over the world, the TVPlus add-on will only be provided to US customers.

We’re really excited to see another well known HTPC software provider jump into the protected CableCARD space that has been left by Windows Media Center. We do have some concerns though. The first is JRiver’s target delivery date for the TVPlus add-on. They are hoping to make it available to customers in March of 2016. That is only four months away, and only about three months from the end of their Kickstarter campaign. Unless they’ve already done most of the work, which seems unlikely, that doesn’t give me them a lot of time to finish development.

Our biggest concern with JRiver’s Kickstarter campaign though is how it’s being run. They don’t seem to be promoting it much outside of their own forums, and it’s lead to fairly weak numbers. As of this writing they’ve only raised a little over $4,000 toward their $100,000 goal, and there are only 17 days remaining.

We really hope that JRiver meets their goal set forth in their TVPlus Kickstarter campaign. With Windows Media Center no longer seeming like a good option the community needs alternatives. SiliconDust is still working on their HDHomeRun DVR, and now JRiver could give them some competition from a company who already knows how to make full-featured home theater PC software. If you’re interested, don’t delay! Time is running out!

Source: Kickstarter

The post JRiver Looks to Kickstart Copy-Protected CableCARD Recordings appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

Recently I came across the new Roku 4 and decided to investigate.  I have a been a Roku user for years and own three Roku 3 units.  I always felt they offered the best overall experience and had a multitude of options for additional content.  On my main setup, I use my Roku for content other than movies, and on the rest of my TV’s I use them for everything else.  The integration of Plex makes Roku a natural choice for me.  When I read about their new version I was intrigued by the new Roku on paper.  It had the potential to combine everything I need into one small box, a dream we all have to simplify the number of items we have attached to our TV’s.  There was one particular feature that peaked my interest and that was the possibility of pass-through audio.

The Roku 4 spec sheet was vague, but after doing a bit of research it appeared it had the potential of supporting pass-through audio.  I did not much care about 4K yet as there is little content and what is there is compressed for streaming.  The one existing limitation of the older version had was down sampling of the audio which is why I never used on my main setup.  This is OK on other televisions, but not acceptable in the living room where everything is fed into my Onkyo receiver.  I immediately ordered one as the potential for replacing my HTPC seemed feasible and within reach.  If this device worked I would be able to save on power, space, and get the simplicity of a one stop solution which would allow me to eliminate one additional box under my TV.

Setup

Setup on the Roku 4 is extremely simple.  Setting up the main unit took only a couple of minutes and after logging into my account using my computer, it updated all the apps and channels that I had configured on my account.  The whole process took about 10-15 minutes including a firmware update for the Roku itself.  Once that was done, I had to log into the various accounts and channels (a painful process) that require a unique account.  I then stepped through all the audio, video, and network settings and everything was ready to go…

Round One

Now that everything was set up, I was excited to test the audio capabilities of the Roku 4 using Plex. I loaded a movie that contained a DTS-MA sound track.  I looked at my receiver, and to my disappointment it showed that it was outputting DTS not the DTS-MA I expected to see.  I went back to audio settings and tried every combination to see if I could get the audio to pass through natively but no luck.  Everything I tried produced the same result.

Next I tried a movie with a TrueHD sound track hoping that would provide me different results.  It did provide different results, but unfortunately it was worse.  The movie would not even load if it contained only a TrueHD audio track and if Plex was set to the native video resolution.  To clarify, when I rip my movies, I use no video compression and I only leave the HD audio track.  All other audio is stripped out.  After spending another 30 minutes playing around with settings I came to the conclusion that this was not going to work.

Before I sent the unit back I thought I would get some input from their tech support to see what they would say as it appeared this device did not do as I hoped it would and allow pass-through of the native audio sound tracks to my receiver. I contacted their tech support and was able to chat with a live person even though it was 9 pm PST.  I explained the issue and all that I had done to resolve the issue.  After going back and forth having me try a few things including a full reset, they said they were sending me a new unit as they believed the unit was defective (even though I did not think the unit was actually bad).  I asked the agent just to make sure if I was interpreting their spec sheet correctly, and that the Roku 4 was designed to allow for audio pass-through, and they confirmed that indeed it should.  Given the lack of other options, I agreed and they immediately sent me a new unit.  They were extremely responsive and pre shipped a new unit all without the use of a credit card and without receiving the old one first.  Though I was skeptical this would correct it I was very pleased with the customer service they provided.

Round Two

I had contacted them on a Tuesday evening and by Thursday of the same week I had a new unit.  I could not wait to get home and try it out.  After I hooked it up, I went through the setup again and immediately went to Plex to test the same two movies I had used with my original box.  Unfortunately, my suspicions were confirmed and the new unit did exactly the same as the original.  After doing additional research and some further testing, I concluded that Roku has a different interpretation of what “pass-through” and HD is than I do.  It will not play full resolution HD nor will it allow the native playback of HD sound tracks.  It certainly will not, based on what I experienced, be able to replace my HTPC for movie playback.  If it cannot playback full bit rate 1080P content then it does not come close to being able to replace my HTPC, certainly not until they patch this unit so that it can live up to its potential.

Overall Impression, Limitations, and Conclusion

In addition to not allowing pass-through or direct play, I found the unit is a bit sluggish for having a quad core processor.  The menus and interface are snappy however when you start a movie playback it is actually slower than I expected and under certain conditions, even slower than the Roku 3.  When playing Terminator-Genesis, it took 7-8 seconds just to start the movie and that was with a reduced bit rate.  To add insult to injury, I could not even play any movies using “direct play” from Plex without stutters, lockups, or error messages.  It forced me to lower the bit rate before it will play to avoid getting error messages.  I know this is a new product and future firmware may address some of these concerns, however in the meantime the unit is truly a disappointment for home theater enthusiasts.  The idea and vision that this unit would replace an HTPC is far from reality, especially if you want to play full resolution video/audio native content and not be forced to down sample in order to play it.

I guess we will have to wait for the Roku 5 (or 6, 7, ???) and maybe then they will figure out that users who want to play 4K and HD content will not want to down sample bit rates for video or to hear the audio as it was recorded.  In my view of this unit, Roku has made some misleading claims on the capability of this unit.  They want you to think it will play 4K and HD content but in reality, it only does it on reduced bit rates which defeats the purpose.  If you have a Roku 3, do not bother to upgrade unless you need faster wireless.  If you are in the market for buying a unit, buy the Roku 3 as you will not be giving up anything especially if you have it attached to Ethernet.  Though I was very pleased with their customer service, to say I am disappointed with this version of the Roku would be an understatement.  I have already requested an RMA from Amazon and will be returning this unit and hooking back up my Roku 3 which actually works better until such time that they figure out what HD means.

The post Roku 4 – A Dream But Not Reality appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

They’ve not only fixed the My Media Center app, they’ve also made some modifications. They’ve applied a new design to the app to try to make it fit in more with the new UI design of iOS going back to iOS 8. They’ve also made some enhancements to make the app look and work better on the larger iPhones that were introduced with the iPhone 6 and 6+.  Below are the release notes for the new version.

• New look and feel
• Performance Optimizations
• iOS 8+ Optimizations and UI Tweaks
• iPhone 6 & 6+ Optimizations
• iOS 9 Ready

Ceton isn’t quite done with it though. They are planning another release with more bug fixes and optimizations, so be sure to give Ceton your feedback on the new version of My Media Center. If you’d like to beta test the next version you can still sign up to do so. Just head on over to the thread at The Green Button for details. Below is a video demonstrating the new look to the app.

The post My Media Center for iOS Fixed appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

Today they shared some good news and bad news. Starting with the bad, SiliconDust is behind schedule. It’s disappointing, but frankly it doesn’t seem like Kickstarter campaigns ever launch on time. In their most recent update they stated the release candidate is about eight weeks behind.

With the bad news behind us, there’s plenty of good news to share. First, if you just can’t wait to get your hands on what SiliconDust is developing, you don’t need to wait anymore. Even if you weren’t a backer of their Kickstarter campaign, or if you only pledged $30 to the cause, you can get in now. Head on over to this page, and you can purchase access to the latest Early Access releases right now. The purchase price is still $60 to get in early, but if you were a $30 backer you can use coupon code KICKSTARTER30 to knock the price down to $30. You’ll need to make sure you use the same email address you used with the Kickstarter campaign when you checkout to get the discount though. Of course, to use the HDHomeRun DVR you’ll need to have an HDHomeRun Prime, HDHomeRun Extend, or HDHomeRun Connect to tune either cable or over-the-air television.

There’s even more good news if you’re a Windows user. In this update they also announced they’ve developed a proof of concept HDHomeRun VIEW app for Windows. It’s a universal app (meaning it will be available through the Windows Store), and it currently runs on Windows 8.1 and 10.

It’s certainly disappointing to hear that SiliconDust is behind schedule on the HDHomeRun DVR, but they’ve gone the extra mile by letting eager fans get access to it early. Did you miss out on the campaign? Are you planning to jump in now to see what SiliconDust has in store? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: HDHomeRun DVR September Update

The post Despite Delays You Can Get the HDHomeRun DVR Early appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

Unfortunately, mid-September is about the worst possible time for My Media Center to break. That’s because it has an amazing feature that we really love. It has a special section that shows all of the premieres that are airing on TV soon. With the big fall television season kicking off in September, that feature was sure to see a lot of usage.

While the app still hasn’t been fixed, there is good news for My Media Center iOS users. Ceton is working with the original developer of the app to fix it. There have been a lot of changes to iOS since the last version of My Media Center was released, so the upgrade is bigger project than usual. You can help though! Head on over to this thread at The Green Button for instructions on how you can sign up to beta test the app upgrades.

It’s never good to see an app break due to an operating system upgrade, but at least Ceton is working to get this one fixed quickly. We’ll keep you posted on when it’s been fixed.

Source: The Green Button via Alan Booth

The post My Media Center for iOS Fix in the Works appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

Earlier this week Mr. Davis issued a post with instructions for fixing the missing Netflix plugin in Windows Media Center. The fix involved downloading a copy of the plugin that he had found on a machine that had not been updated after the official removal on September 15th. At the DMZ, we’re not big fans of software being distributed by those who don’t own the license. We discussed that on the latest episode of Entertainment 2.0, and Davis heard our concerns.

Davis updated his post to include a new solution. The new download attempts to find the files needed by the Netflix plugin on your machine. It seems that sometimes the update doesn’t fully clean up after itself, and his process can find the old files and restore them. This new option should ease concerns of those who didn’t like the idea of downloading Microsoft software from a non-licensed entity.

While both of these options for restoring the Netflix plugin should help users right now, it’s not known how long they will continue to work. This plugin uses the Silverlight-based video streams, and Netflix has been migrating most of their apps to use HTML5 instead. When Netflix finally pulls the plug on Silverlight this Windows Media Center plugin will almost certainly break.

The good news is that Davis is working on a brand new Netflix plugin for Media Center users. It will be based off of Netflix’s HTML5 sources, so it won’t be left out to dry when the Silverlight feeds go away. He’s also going to handle authentication differently than how he does with his AmazonMCE plugin. The Netflix plugin will just be hosting the browser version of Netflix inside of Windows Media Center. This means you won’t be providing the app developer with your login credentials. (Update: This was worded poorly. As the developer noted in the comments below, AmazonMCE doesn’t provide the developer with your Amazon credentials. Some people have concerns over providing credentials through third-party apps though. This won’t be a concern with the Netflix plugin that he is developing. Our apologies for misconstruing how AmazonMCE handles authentication.) Of course the website doesn’t currently support remote controls, and having remote control support is critical in a Media Center plugin. That’s the main area where Davis is focusing his attention. Hopefully he finds a way for us to sign in to the Netflix site once, and then use a remote control for the rest of experience.

While the news is somewhat mixed, at least there are options for Windows Media Center users who still want access to Netflix content. Keep an eye on the DMZ for any further developments.

The post Short and Long-Term Fixes for Netflix in Windows Media Center appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

The launch of Windows 10 was in many ways a great event for Microsoft and fans of their products. It also signaled the end of an era. With the launch of Windows 10 came the next official step in the demise of Windows Media Center. The much-beloved DVR and media collection application is not included in any version of Windows 10, and it was removed from any system that had it when upgrading to Windows 10.

Many speculated that eventually some enterprising hackers would find a way to port Windows Media Center to Windows 10. Well, they have. Last week it popped up on a well-known community forum. Once they figured out how to bring WMC back they made downloadable packages and simple instructions that anyone could follow.

Of course, as one might expect, there are a lot of issues with this hacked together release of Windows Media Center. It’s unable to get guide data. Some have had trouble getting CableCARDs to activate. There have even been issues with scheduled recordings.

Even if this attempt at getting Windows Media Center running inside of Windows 10 worked perfectly it would be impossible for us to recommend. First there are the legal issues with redistributing Microsoft software. Then there are the potential security risks that come from installing software from unknown sources. In short, this is a neat project that some people worked on, but it should not be anyone’s go-to solution for setting up a Windows Media Center machine. We’re as sad as the rest community about the loss of WMC in Windows 10, but the solution is to build a machine on Windows 7 or 8.1.

The post You Can Now Install Windows Media Center on Windows 10, but You Shouldn’t appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

Mr. Robot

This last week was scheduled to have been the airing of the season finale, and with the way the season was going there were many fans waiting on pins and needles to see it. USA decided to postpone the showing though, and it seems as though they made the tough decision for the right reasons.

Last Wednesday morning there was a horrible incident in Virginia where a reporter and cameraman lost their lives to a shooter on live television. Apparently the finale of Mr. Robot has a scene which is similar to last week’s tragedy. USA released a statement in which they said:

“The previously filmed season finale of Mr. Robot contains a graphic scene similar in nature to today’s tragic events in Virginia,”

This was absolutely the right thing for USA to do, but there could be one small for the millions of fans of the show. Their DVR’s almost certainly think that they have recorded the finale of Mr. Robot already. That means that when the finale actually airs, September 2, many DVR’s will view the episode as a rerun.

If you’re a fan of Mr. Robot, you should double check that your DVR is set to record it come Wednesday night.

The post Mr. Robot Finale Delayed — Fix Your DVR appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

Then in June of 2011 Google purchased Sage TV. Google immediately shut Sage TV down, and that appeared to be the end of Windows Media Center’s biggest competitor. We assumed at the time that some of the Sage TV technology would end up in Google’s other TV-focused products, and it looks like it did. However, anyone looking to build their own HTPC based on Sage’s technology was left with nothing.

In March of this year, anyone still hanging around the Sage TV forums might have noticed an announcement that Google was going to be opening the source code for Sage TV. They didn’t provide an exact timeline of when it would become available, but they did say that it would be months, not years, from happening. We’ve now reached that fateful day. Yesterday Google released the code on their github account.

While the source code for Sage TV is now available, you’re going to need to be a developer to actually use it. Google hasn’t released a compiled version that you could simply download and install on your machine. They have provided decent instructions for how to compile the code though. So now the question is, will the community move forward with code that could be over four years old, or will it linger and die on github? There have been a couple of issues posted already, and one pull request has already been submitted. Maybe more importantly in these early days though, is that the new Sage TV Open Source forum is seeing a decent amount of activity already.

Only time will tell what comes of Sage TV and its new-found freedom. Will you be following the project? Might it be the next future replacement for Windows Media Center users who have felt burned by Microsoft? Let us know what you think in the comments below!

The post Sage TV Released as Open Source appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

Update: When we initially posted this article it seemed like it would be mostly good news for Windows Media Center fans. However, a lot of people have had problems getting their guide data updated since the switch in providers. If you’re having troubles, please check out these places for troubleshooting steps and tips to fix it.

The Green Button: Media Center EPG Cutover

Microsoft Connect: Media Guide Expired

Most of the Windows Media Center news this year has focused around whether or not our favorite DVR software is being killed off. We’re obviously in the “not dead” camp. One of the primary reasons we’ve said that it isn’t dead is that Microsoft continues to make Electronic Program Guide (EPG) data available to the Media Center guide. As long as you have guide data, the DVR functionality within Media Center should continue to hum along as it has for over a decade.

Since the launch of the Xbox One console, it has included live TV control and an integrated EPG in some markets. We’ve always assumed that the Xbox was pulling that guide data from the service as Windows Media Center. Therefore, as long as the Xbox has guide data, so would Windows Media Center. We were wrong, but that’s about to change for the better! Windows Media Center has used Zap2It as it’s guide data source for years. However, the Xbox One uses Rovi. It doesn’t make sense for Microsoft to use multiple providers to get essentially the same data, so starting today Microsoft is converging their guide data.

Microsoft is now releasing an update that will cause Windows Media Center to retrieve electronic program guide data from Rovi, the same source being used for the Xbox One. Currently this change is only happening for customers in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Brazil. If you live in one of these regions your Media Center machine should display a notification informing you of the update. For some people, you won’t need to take any action at all, but for others you will. In some cases you may be required to walk through the TV Setup experience again. We’re not sure on what specifically could cause you to walk through TV Setup again, but we were told by Microsoft that it is a possibility for a small number of customers.

It’s also worth noting that you should watch the behavior of your recordings over the next few days. There’s a possibility that some series and single recordings may not record as scheduled. If this occurs, you may need to stop or cancel current scheduled recordings, then re-establish the recordings as you originally intended. This should correct the issue, though you may end up seeing affected series split into two groups in your recordings.

In most markets you really shouldn’t see much of a change. Rovi gets most of the same channel line-ups that Zap2It does. There may be some outliers though. The amount of data you receive shouldn’t change either. The goal is to continue to provide about two weeks of guide data.

This guide data provider change was unexpected, but it’s good news for Windows Media Center users. This move is geared towards providing guide data at least through the end of the support life cycle for both Windows 7 and Windows 8. That means you’ve got at least another five years before you need to try to find a replacement for your guide data, or perhaps Windows Media Center entirely. We also want to hear how the guide data change works for you. Was it a fairly seamless transition, or were you unable to get the appropriate channel line-up?

For more information, please see this Microsoft Knowledge Base article.

If you experience any unanticipated issues, you can report your issue at the Program Guide Feedback Center on Microsoft Connect.

The post Microsoft Breathes New Life into Media Center Guide appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

Alongside of Windows Media Center, I have also been using Plex for all my mobile needs. I won’t get into all the details of how I rip my BD in this post, but once I have an uncompressed version of just the movie (all the previews and menus removed), I use MyMovies to handle the meta data as well as automatically perform a MP4 rip of the movie for use with Plex and for transferring to my iPad when I need to travel. I really did not want to have two copies of every movie but since Plex does not support folder structures, I did not have much choice. I had experimented with creating MKV in the past which work with Plex but the results were mixed and playback was not nearly as smooth or as consistent as I wanted.

The Solution

Step forward to the present day and Plex has come a long way from the time I interviewed their lead developer for BYOB podcast. It still does not work with BD folder structures but it has become very adept at working with uncompressed MKV files with pass through for the lossless audio which is important to me on my HTPCs that are attached to receivers. Add to the equation a highly polished Home Theater package that does not require a third party player to work on top of continued excellent mobile support, support for virtually every platform including the Xbox One, the ability to share your library, and you have a combo that is hard to overlook for movies or recorded content.

I had over 256 BD movies ripped to folders when I started experimenting with how I could capitalize on Plex and take advantage of having only one file, be able to play that content in full resolution (video/audio), as well as be able to stream it to my iPhone, iPad, Xbox One, Roku, or my Android tablet without the need to have two copies of the movie. Since I had the movies already ripped, I used MakeMKV and repackaged a dozen movies into an MKV container to test with Plex. Since there wasn’t any transcoding to do, it only took on the average about 3-6 minutes to repackage a BD movie from a folder to a single MKV file.

After experimenting with the dozen movies, I found that everything worked better than I expected. Running Plex Home Theater software, I was able to play the movies perfectly without stuttering, with chapter support, and with lossless audio pass through. Along with the excellent playback on the PC, the same MKV file could be streamed (transcoded on the fly as needed) to my mobile devices, Roku, and Xbox One without a single performance issue. I tried various combos and everything worked so well that I was sold. The ability to have one movie file handle virtually every device, give me the uncompressed performance, and allow me to migrate away from my tried and true Arcsoft software, was the perfect combination of everything I wanted. In addition, I found Plex to do an outstanding job at managing Meta data which also cut out a step that I was presently doing. Now my challenge was to convert my entire collection to MKV.

Process

I am fortunate to have a bit of extra storage since I have moved most of my storage requirements to my QNAP TS-451, leaving my original 15T sever to handle the repackaging before it gets repurposed. To get things started, I copied my collection from the QNAP where I store my content to the server so I could do this work without impacting my current setup. Fortunately for me, MakeMKV works very well with multiple sessions which allowed me to repackage up to nine movies at a time, though six seemed to be a more manageable number on the screen. This allowed me to finish 201 movies in a bit less than two days (I cut a few out that I did not like anymore from the original 256). I was doing them in batches and though it was a bit monotonous, it did go pretty quick. Once I completed the repackaging, I copied everything back to the QNAP and finished configuring the Plex Server. I run Plex Server on a VM which calls the movie files from my QNAP. Though the QNAP works fine as a Plex server, I have to run other things on a VM anyway so it is easier to remote in to one VM and do all the work from one place as well as off load the task from the QNAP which is doing many other things.

When all was said and done, I ended up with an outstanding setup that does everything I want and more with little to no compromise. The completed setup now streams the same file to my collection of devices without the need for different formats or the need for a second file. Below is a list of devices that I am supporting all of which now benefit from the Plex streaming.

• 2 Xbox Ones
• 3 Rokus
• 2 HTPC’s
• 3 iPads,
• 4 iPhones
• 3 Android Tablets
• 3 laptops

Conclusion

It was a bit of work getting things converted and setup, and the options in the Plex Home Theater software can be confusing the first time you explore, but in the end the result is outstanding. Compared to Kodi (XBMC) and EmBy (Media Browser) both of which I tried, this is a far superior solution if your needs are primarily playback of stored content to virtually every device made (except the Apple TV which I am sure will be coming soon). Plex has come a long way and they have managed to inject their player into all platforms. Their focus certainly has been flexibility and they have done an outstanding job with the product. If you are like me and your focus is on playback of media, then give Plex a try, you will not be disappointed.

Application

Mobile Support

iPhone

 iPad

 Android

The post Moving a Movie Library from Media Center to Plex appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

To watch live over-the-air television in the United States and Canada with your Xbox One you’ll need to purchase Hauppauge’s WinTV HVR-955Q. The process of setting up the tuner with the Xbox One isn’t incredibly complicated, but it’s also not the most intuitive to a typical Windows PC user. In addition to walking you through setting up the tuner we also setup the Xbox One to use a Windows Media Center PC through the console’s HDMI input. The idea is that you can have your live TV, but also continue to use another device, be it an HTPC, another gaming console, or streaming stick, and easily access it through the OneGuide.

We expect that Microsoft will release TV tuner support to North American users in the coming weeks, so if you’re thinking of picking a tuner up we hope this video will help you get it setup as quickly as possible.

The post How to Set up the Hauppauge WinTV-955Q with Xbox One appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

For years, at least since 2009, many have announced the death of Windows Media Center. It’s no surprise to our readers that we don’t agree that it has been killed. Even with the latest announcement that it won’t be included in Windows 10, we still don’t think our beloved HTPC software of choice is dead.

It’s simple really. As long as we can continue to use Windows Media Center as a DVR, we can’t call it dead. There are two events that will need to happen for us to officially call it dead. First, the operating systems on which it runs will need to cease being supported by Microsoft. Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 still have Windows Media Center, and they won’t see the end of their support lifecycles until 2020 and 2023 respectively.

The other event that could kill Windows Media Center is if Microsoft stops providing electronic program guide data. If Microsoft has a date in mind for this, they haven’t published it. It’s our thought that Media Center’s guide data is being pulled from the same source as the Xbox One’s OneGuide. Therefore, our guess is that Media Center’s guide data won’t be going away anytime soon.

That being said, it would be foolish not to keep a closer eye on the guide data we’re receiving. So today we’re launching Is Media Center Dead Yet? We’ve written an app that runs on our Windows Media Center machines to poll the guide data. It then checks to see how many days of guide data are available and publishes that information to this site’s backend. Now you can check out www.ismediacenterdeadyet.com and see just how much guide data is available. A normal day should see between 12-14 days worth of guide data. As long as there is more than a few days of data remaining, we won’t consider Windows Media Center dead yet.

The post Windows Media Center Death Watch appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

While this  marks the end of an era, we’re not calling it the death of Windows Media Center. Sure, it won’t be available in the next version of Windows, but that doesn’t mean that current installations will cease functioning. If you have a Windows 7 or Windows 8.x Media Center computer setup, it will continue to work the way it has for years. That being said, it’s important to know that if you were to upgrade an existing Windows Media Center machine to Windows 10 you will lose Media Center. On the flip side, why would you even want to upgrade a perfectly functioning HTPC? Many Media Center users are still using Windows 7 as their HTPC’s base operating system, because Windows 8 offered few compelling reasons to upgrade an HTPC.

So if Windows Media Center isn’t dead, when will it be? We’ve said for years that we’re going to keep on using Media Center until something that is far more compelling becomes available or until Microsoft stops providing electronic program guide data. After all, Media Center wouldn’t be a very useful DVR solution without TV listings. While we don’t have any inside information to rely on, we don’t expect that Microsoft will stop providing that guide data anytime soon. If we had to put money on it, we’d guess that the Xbox OneGuide uses the exact same data feed. We’re assuming that as long as the Xbox One is getting guide data that Windows Media Center users will too.

What’s Next?

So what should you do? Is now the right time to abandon Windows Media Center? As with most difficult questions, that depends. If you’re using the TV functionality, and you’re using a CableCARD tuner with copy-protected channels, you don’t have many options. Windows Media Center is still the only PC-based DVR solution to support copy-protected CableCARD usage. If you fit into this category, your only other options are to use your cable provider’s DVR or switch to TiVo. SiliconDust’s forthcoming HDHomeRun DVR is hoping to support copy-protected content too, but we’ll most likely be waiting a few months before we know for sure.

If your TV viewing is limited to over-the-air content, then you actually have a lot of options. Again, TiVo has an offering. ChannelMaster and Tablo also have interesting products for those seeking over-the-air service. If you’d like to stay in the Microsoft camp, you can even use the Xbox One to view over-the-air TV, but you can’t use it to record. We’re hoping that will change soon.

So while there are obviously other options on the market for fans of Windows Media Center, we don’t feel that any of them offer the total solution that Media Center does. There’s no doubt that many have already moved away from Windows Media Center. It’s definitely hard to see Windows Media Center taking one more step toward extinction. But as long as Microsoft keeps the guide data flowing, we’ll keep talking about it and writing about it to support its enthusiastic community of users. And many of us at the Digital Media Zone will continue to use it in our homes and with our families.

The post This is Not the Death of Windows Media Center appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

For years we’ve been using HDHomeRun TV tuners from SiliconDust on our home theater PCs. Usually we’ve paired those tuners with Windows Media Center, but unfortunately Microsoft’s DVR platform hasn’t been updated in years. It’s left users wondering whether Media Center will even be supported going forward, and if it isn’t, then what should users do? SiliconDust is now working on an option. Today they launched a new campaign on Kickstarter for what they are calling HDHomeRun DVR.

The HDHomeRun DVR solution works a little differently from Windows Media Center. Instead of having one central recording machine, you can mix and match tuners, PCs, and network attached storage (NAS) devices. In fact, an always-on PC isn’t required at all. The HDHomeRun DVR software will run directly on Western Digital MyCloud and QNAP  NAS devices. If you already have a home theater PC you could set it up to be your HDHomeRun DVR also. It will support Windows, and Mac OSX. Of course you’ll also need one or more HDHomeRun tuner devices. The HDHomeRun CONNECT, EXTEND, and PRIME devices are all supported. If you’re not familiar with these devices, the CONNECT and EXTEND are over-the-air tuners while the PRIME is a CableCARD tuner.

To watch your live or recorded TV HDHomeRun will have apps for Windows, Mac OSX, and Android to start. If they hit their stretch goals (which weren’t specified) they’ll also have apps for iOS and Kodi. The HDHomeRun DVR should even support copy-protected content, but they also list support for copy-protected content as a risk factor for the campaign.

To get access to HDHomeRun DVR early you’ll need to contribute at least $30 to the Kickstarter campaign. That’s also how much a yearly subscription will cost once it’s made available generally. Higher priced tiers of the campaign could get access to the DVR software as early as August of this year. The plan is to have it generally available by September.

Source: Kickstarter

The post SiliconDust Trying to Kickstart HDHomeRun DVR appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

Microsoft has partnered with Hauppauge, a company that long-time Windows Media Center fans are very familiar with, to enable the Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-955Q to work with the Xbox One. When pairing the two devices, along with an antennae, you’ll be able to watch live TV on your Xbox One. You will also have full OneGuide support. That means you’ll have a full electronic programming guide for all of the channels that can be accessed locally for you. You’ll also be able to use the Kinect to switch channels and pause live TV playback. While the Xbox One doesn’t have full DVR functionality, it does reserve 4 GB of storage so that it can buffer up to 30 minutes of live TV.

Using a TV tuner directly with the Xbox One also allows you to stream live TV across your network to SmartGlass apps. So you could grab your Surface and watch live television, even if someone else is playing a game on the Xbox One.

Currently the Hauppauge tuner functionality is only available to users in the Untied States and Canada who are In the Xbox Preview Program. Microsoft has not announced when they plan to release the feature publically. They also haven’t announced any plans to support any other tuners. While having the option to use an over-the-air tuner is great, we’re still hoping to see full DVR functionality and the ability to use external CableCARD tuners.

Source: Xbox Wire

The post Microsoft Brings OTA TV to the Xbox One in the US and Canada appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

Click here to download episode #313

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Show Links:

• Ceton Products on Sale for the Big Game
• Sprint snags its first Lumia smartphone
• Plex update for Windows, Windows Phone brings Plex Home and playlist support
• Windows 10 is Ruining Windows Tablets
• 8-inch and larger Windows 10 tablets only will have the desktop
• This Week’s Deals for Xbox Live Members
• Xbox Preview Program – Xbox One Controller Firmware update
• PlayOn gets ready to launch a desktop app with ad skipping
• Fox loses appeal of it’s preliminary injunction against Dish

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The intro music is a song called Rogue by Raw Stiles

The post Entertainment 2.0 #313: Media Center with a Minor in Plex appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

To help cheer on the ‘hawks, Ceton is marking down their InfiniTV 6 (both the network and PCIe versions) CableCARD tuners, and their Echo Windows Media Center Extender. Over at Amazon (perhaps coincidentaly another Seattle-based company) you can get the InfiniTV 6 ETH and InfiniTV 6 PCIe for only $199! That’s $100 off the normal price. You can also pick up the Echo for $99! That’s a 45% savings off the regular price!

You can save an additional $10 on your order by using promotion code HAWKSWIN. You’ll have to place your order by midnight on Sunday January 25th to get this great deal though. So snap up an InfiniTV 6, and a few Ceton Echos so that you can you show the big game on every TV in your house!

The post Ceton Products on Sale for the Big Game appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

Click here to download episode #312

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Show Links:

• My Memories for Windows Media Center Updated
• Spotify app gets update
• Windows 10 for smartphones shown off for the first time on a Lumia 1520
• Microsoft Brings Xbox Gaming to the PC
• I Try Microsoft’s Crazy HoloLens
• Xbox Gets Its Mojo Back, Winning November and December at U.S. Retail
• Xbox One Goes Back Down To $349

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The intro music is a song called Rogue by Raw Stiles

The post Entertainment 2.0 #312: Cortana, Can You Fix Windows? appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

My Memories for Windows Media Center is a fun little plugin from one of our favorite developers. MJT Software, the developer behind Recorded TV HD, created My Memories as replacement for Windows Media Center’s built-in screen saver. For My Memories to remain installed on any HTPC it would need to be great. After all, the built-in screen saver that was introduced in Windows 7 is frequently regarded as one of the best ways to show off a Media Center install. Fortunately for all of us, My Memories doesn’t disappoint.

My Memories offers a unique, and highly configurable, photo slideshow screen saver for Windows Media Center fans. It displays your photos in interesting layouts, and includes the date on which each photo was taken. There’s a lot to love about My Memories, and for more details you can check out our announcement post from when it was first made available.

While we’ve loved My Memories from it’s initial launch, even great products can be made better. My Memories has seen a significant update that brings along some great new features. For starters, you can now include videos in the screen saver. But what’s the most impressive addition is a feature called Time Machine. You can set it to show you photos and videos from your collection on this date from a number of years ago. We think it’s a brilliant feature that you’re going to love. There are more updates too, so we’ve included the full change log below.

• Added Time Machine! – Check out photos and videos “from this day in history.” You’ll see photos and videos that you took X number of years ago on the current date by selecting the Time Machine icon in the upper right hand corner. If Time Machine is turned on you will see the icon if there are images and/or videos taken on that day in history.
• Added Videos! – You must enable in the settings. Due to major stability problems, this will only work on HTPC. The videos will only play when media isn’t currently paused or you would lose what you were watching before the screensaver turned on. There is an option to mute the audio unless the video has focus.
• Added automatic rotation of images based on EXIF camera metadata.
• Added “wiggle” when an image or video gains focus so it is easier to see which you have selected. – Will only work on HTPC and Xbox – other extenders do not support animations.
• Screensaver should not launch when Media Center is not in focus. So if you minimize it to use Hulu Desktop, or some other program, the screensaver should not start.
• Changed animation when selecting an image so that it will zoom in more so you can see more details of the image.

For more information, and to purchase My Memories for Windows Media Center for only $5, head on over to the My Memories site.

The post My Memories for Windows Media Center Updated appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

Click here to download episode #311

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Show Links:

• Cable Labs Changes OCUR Specification Expanding Copy-Freely Content – MythTV Users Rejoice
• Beta firmware candidate for InfiniTV available – 15.1.13.152
• SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime software updated
• Microsoft announces the super-affordable Lumia 435 and Lumia 532
• MICROSOFT TO DISCONTINUE ORIGINAL KINECT FOR WINDOWS
• Live webcast details for our Windows 10 media briefing next week
• Windows 7 support: What happens on January 13, 2015?
• Xbox One February System Update: Game hubs and TV updates now in Preview
• Microsoft Opens Up More CPU Power On Xbox One
• Microsoft and Turn 10 Studios to debut Ford’s all-new GT in Forza Motorsport 6

Send us your feedback by email and voicemail! (1-877-856-4933)

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The intro music is a song called Rogue by Raw Stiles

The post Entertainment 2.0 #311: DisKinect appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

While we were in Las Vegas for CES we got to spend a little quality time with Intel’s NUC team. They were there to show us the latest generation of the device, and all of its improvements. The NUC has always been an interesting device as it’s an Intel-built small form-factor (SFF) PC that is built to impress. We love to see SFF PCs as home theater PCs, because they typically use less energy, are small enough to hide in your entertainment stack, and sometimes look nice if you aren’t able to hide the PC.

Intel’s NUC platform continues to evolve as their processor lineup does likewise. This year’s model comes packing the latest Broadwell processors. As in previous years you’ll be able to customize a NUC with a Core i3 or Core i5 processor. New for this year is the ability to load it up with all the power of a Core i7 processor. Another big improvement is that they have a taller model that will support not only M.2 SSD cards, but new in this 5th Generation, there’s also room for a traditional SATA3 2.5″ SSD.

Connectivity always matters, and this generation Intel is including even more options built right into the NUC’s motherboard. In addition to the standard 10/100/1000Mbps Ethernet adapter, they are including an 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4 chip. The chipset in use, the Intel Wireless-AC 7265, also supports Intel Wireless Display for wireless screen sharing from other devices.

The other new feature that Intel was really excited to show us was their new lid design. At first we thought this was just going to be a silly pitch for personalized lids, but it’s actually much more interesting than that. For starters, they are releasing the design for the lids to the community so that anyone can use a 3D printer to make whatever they can dream up. More importantly though, other partners are making useful products to attach as lids. The most interesting one we saw was from Hauppauge. They’ve built an ATSC tuner into a lid that if it’s styled right, will look as if it came right from the factory. Intel said that we can expect to see the Hauppauge lid available within the next month.

If you’re looking to pick up a new 4k TV then Intel’s NUC will have you covered there. The new Intel HD Graphics 6000 can push 4k video with ease.

We’ve always thought the Intel NUC provided an interesting opportunity for home theater PC builders. Intel’s 5th-generation version continues to make an even stronger case for itself. If you’d like to pick one up, the Core i3 version will be available in January. The Core i5 version will be available in March.

For more information head on over to Intel’s NUC site. If you haven’t seen our coverage of Intel’s Compute Stick, you’ll want to check that out too.

The post Intel Shows Next-Generation NUC appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

It is an entire computer (processor, memory, storage, graphics chipset, etc) all squeezed into a large HDMI dongle. The Compute Stick is based on Intel’s Bay Trail Atom processor, and it will be sold in two variations. The high-end model includes 2 GB RAM and 32 GB of onboard storage. If that’s not enough storage you can always expand it via the MicroSD slot. For connectivity it has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth built-in. You can also attach other peripherals to it via the full-size USB port. It plugs into a TV or monitor via the HDMI plug at the end, and it’s powered via Micro-USB.

A PC isn’t very useful without an operating system, so they are including Windows 8.1 with Bing. This entire PC, including the operating system, will be sold for only $150!

There is a low-end version of the Compute Stick also. It only has 1 GB RAM and 8 GB of storage. It doesn’t include Windows either. Instead it ships with a variant of Linux.

The Intel Compute Stick seems tailor made for usage in the living room as a media PC. Of course being huge Windows Media Center fans, that was our first thought too. The downside to that idea is that you’d have to upgrade to Windows 8.1 Pro with Media Center which will add over $100 to the cost of the device. But you still will have only dropped about $250 total.

You should be able to buy your own Intel Compute Stick in March. We’re looking forward to getting our hands on one soon.

The post Intel’s Compute Stick is an HDMI Dongle PC appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

Today we met with SiliconDust, maker of the much-loved HDHomeRun TV tuners. They weren’t actually showing off new products, but they did discuss their product roadmap with us. While they were hesitant to give dates on anything, there was a lot of good news.

SiliconDust has spent the last year expanding its reach into Europe markets. They’ll continue that into 2015 as they will be launching a 4-tuner 2-tuner DVB-T2 device for over-the-air customers. For free satellite customers you’ll soon be able to purchase an 8-tuner DVB-S tuner. And on the cable front, users of DVB-C can expect an 8-tuner device later in the year.

In the US we will soon see the 3-tuner HDHomeRun Prime, their CableCARD tuner, replaced with a 6-tuner version. That’s great news on its own, but even better is that they are still going to attempt to keep the price point under $150. Again, SiliconDust wasn’t providing any dates on anything, but we’re guessing this will happen in the second half of the year.

On the app front SiliconDust’s Android app continues to do well, and they have an iOS app in beta. They are already on Amazon Fire TV, but they told us that the Fire TV Stick doesn’t support MPEG-2 video. That means that the Stick would only support the versions of the HDHomeRun that have built-in transcoding.

For Microsoft fans, they told us that Windows Media Center users are still their biggest base of users. Perhaps more importantly though, when we asked them about Xbox One support they provided us with a very intriguing answer. They have an Xbox One development kit, so they are obviously having conversations with Microsoft about bringing support to the game console. We weren’t provided with any details about development, or how those discussions were going with Microsoft, but it sounds as if Microsoft also tends to dictate the timeline for the release of apps on Xbox. So even if SiliconDust has completed the app, they could face a significant delay before it’s even made available.

While we couldn’t pin SiliconDust down on any dates, it does sound like 2015 could be a very interesting year for the company. By the next CES we’ll have a 6-tuner CableCARD tuner at an aggressive price, along with OTA, cable, and satellite offerings across North America and Europe. If they manage to turn our Xbox Ones into DVRs that could very well be one of the biggest stories of the year for this community. As always, we’ll be following SiliconDust closely, so keep your eye on the DMZ for all of their upcoming announcements.

The post SiliconDust To Update Products and Expand Apps appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

Today at CES 2015, Dish announced a new service to target so called cord-cutters and cable-nevers. Cord-cutters are users that ditched cable, and cable-nevers are typically a younger demographic that has never had cable TV in the first place. The service is available from a new subsidiary of Dish called Sling TV LLC and is aptly called Sling TV. Confusingly, it has nothing to do with SlingBox which is owned by the same parent company as Dish.

For $20 per month, Sling TV allows access to content that is traditionally walled off by cable subscriptions. The live channels that will be available at launch are ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, TBS, Food Network, HGTV, Cartoon Network and Disney Channel. Sling TV is expecting to add more channels and features later. There is also support for paid on-demand content. Users will also be able to play back content that has aired within 3 days of the initial broadcast. You can expect to be able to pause, rewind, and fast-forward live TV. That makes this service somewhat of a pseudo-DVR.

All of this will allow people to get access to that content without the song and dance involved in signing up for a cable subscription. Usually that includes a hefty monthly fee and more often than not, a terrible DVR box. Lastly it’s worth noting, that the service does not require a contract and is billed month-to-month. For example, a user could sign up for the package during the NFL season, watch ESPN during that time, and then cancel after the season ends.

The service doesn’t include any hardware like the aforementioned cable box. It simply integrates into a bunch of existing hardware that you might already have. At launch Sling TV will support  iOS, Android, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Nexus Player, Xbox One, Roku, LG and Samsung Smart TVs, and will have a website for Mac and PC users. Here’s hoping they make that website remote friendly, so HTPC users can gain access as well.

This service should be quite interesting to cord-cutters and cable-nevers. It allows a flexibility of access to content the cable industry has really never seen. It embraces the Internet as a delivery mechanism for video content. In my mind, the success or failure of this service really depends on two key factors. If the primary factor of leaving cable, or never signing up for cable is price, this may be a great option. If the primary factor is an apathy toward the content of cable TV, then this may not be a silver bullet. Of course it could be a combination of the two, since life is rarely divided up into such neat boxes. If nothing else, it will be interesting in the next year to see if this sparks a renewed interest in the demographic that has left cable behind.

via TechCrunch, Engadget, Yahoo and Sling TV

The post Dish to Launch Sling TV: A $20 per Month Internet Streaming Service appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

The end of the year is a time that many of us take extended vacations from work, and we often use that time to spruce up our home technology. It’s also a time where we tend to purchase a lot of gifts for people. And of course, after all that work is done, we like to sit down and relax by watching TV.

How about spending a little bit of money sprucing up your Windows Media Center PC with one of our favorite plugins? We discovered a deal going on over at the Facebook page for Recorded TV HD that will get you the fantastic plugin for half-off its normal price! A fan of the app convinced the developer to offer a holiday discount, so he decided to share the savings with anyone else who stumbled across the conversation. Fortunately for you, we’ve discovered what’s required to get the deal. It’s pretty simple, just send $10 via PayPal to support@recordedtvhd.com.

Source: Facebook

The post Recorded TV HD Half-Off appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

There’s no such thing as “too many tuners”, so why not add six more tuners to your home theater PC? The Ceton InfiniTV 6 PCIe is an internal CableCARD tuner that adds six digital cable tuners to your setup. That means any channel you could watch with a DVR from your cable provider can now be watched through your Windows Media Center PC. During this sale you’ll save 33% off the regular price. You can pick it up for only $199.

If your home theater PC already has enough tuners to satisfy your needs, maybe you’d like to expand your setup to include another TV. Ceton’s Echo is a Windows Media Center Extender that allows you to watch all the live and recorded TV from  your main Media Center on another TV. It also gives you access to your pictures, music, and video libraries. Right now you’ll save 45% as it can be had for only $99.

The sale ends at the end of the day on November 3rd, so don’t wait!

The post Halloween Savings on Ceton Gear appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

Unfortunately, we’re now down to one option. With no warning ArcSoft has completely removed TotalMedia Theatre from their site. A reader first pointed out to us that the software was no long available on the site. Later, an ArcSoft employee stated the following in their support forums:

TotalMedia Theatre is currently unavailable for sale on our site. This is intentional.

Later, the same employee added this:

Official statement is it’s been “discontinued for strategic business reasons”.

We’ll keep a close eye on the situation to see if they reverse course. We’re also looking at what other options exist for users that might not be as well known. In the meantime, what are you using for Blu-ray playback on your home theater PC?

Thanks to Curt for the tip!

Sources: Twitter and ArcSoft Forum

The post ArcSoft Drops TotalMedia Theatre appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

Josh

Josh began using Windows Media Center full-time in the Windows Vista days. His family loved having greatly increased storage capacity for recorded TV, access to all of their music, photos, and videos, and a fantastic user experience. He began by using an Xbox 360 as a Media Center Extender before building the ugly HTPC you see here in 2009.

Custom-built HTPC
AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 5200+ @ 2.7 GHz
Gigabyte GA-MA780g ATX Motherboard (on-board Radeon HD 3200 video)
4 GB RAM
1 TB HDD (80 850 GB partitions)
Internal BluRay Drive
Windows 7 Ultimate SP-1 64-bit
Ceton InfiniTV 4 PCI

Additional Hardware

Ceton InfiniTV 6 ETH
Atom-Powered Windows 8 “Server” for Movie Storage

Additional Software
Cyberlink PowerDVD 13 
DVRMSToolbox
ComSkip
Haali Media Splitter
MCEBuddy

Media Center Add-ins/Utilities
Ceton My Media Center
Audio Renderer Updater
My Channel Logos

Richard

Richard’s been using Windows Media Center since Windows XP Media Center Edition. It’s not the primary DVR in his home, but it is the central hub for movies, archived TV, and Recorded TV overflow. Richard’s been known to rage about not giving up his Media Center until Microsoft pries it from his cold, dead hands.

Mac Mini  
Intel Core I5-3210M @ 2.50 GHz
8 GB RAM
OWC Mercury 80GB SSD
Windows 7 Professional SP-1 64-bit

Additional Hardware
Microsoft Media Center IR Receiver
Logitech Harmony Ultimate Remote 
FAVI Mini Bluetooth keyboard 
SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime
miniStack MAX w/ Blu-ray reader (3TB for recorded TV)
Drobo 1st gen (5TB for TV series storage)
Drobo 5N (12TB for movie storage) 

Additional Software
Amazon Unbox Video
AnyDVD
ArcSoft TotalMedia Theatre 6 
DVRMSToolbox
Virtual CloneDrive
Haali Media Splitter
iCloud
ShowAnalyzer

Media Center Add-ins/Utilities
Ceton My Media Center
My Channel Logos
My Movies
Niveus SiriusXM
Recorded TV HD

Chris

The post What’s In Your Media Center? appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

When Microsoft first announced the Xbox One they really emphasized the media and TV capabilities of the new console. For the next year they focused almost exclusively on games, and all the special features the console provides to gamers. This month, Microsoft has mixed up the news by announcing some great new media features and showing off some great new games.

Earlier in the month Microsoft announced that they were releasing a digital TV tuner for the Xbox One. It was news that was quite unexpected, but very welcomed. The TV tuner connects to the Xbox via USB, and it allows you to connect an over-the-air antenna. This allows you to watch live TV, with complete OneGuide integration, without needing to use the HDMI pass-through. If you’re an American, don’t get too excited just yet. It is currently only being offered in select European countries as it only supports DVB-T, DVB-T2, and DVB-C television standards. Those are essentially the European versions of ATSC and Clear QAM. While there isn’t DVR support, it’s still a great option for integrating live TV into the full Xbox One experience.

The following week was the Gamescom event. Think of this event as European E3, held in Cologne Germany. Of course there were many gaming announcements at the show, and even a slew of new hardware bundles, but they also announced another set of big media features.

One of the biggest announcements was that the console will soon have a media playback app. This app will allow you to plug in a USB connected drive and listen to music, view photos, and watch videos that are stored on it. To make it even more enticing, the list of supported codecs and containers is much longer than that of the Xbox 360. It includes H.264 and MKV, among the many others. Notably, WTV is missing from the list. In a future update to the app it will also support pulling content from DLNA servers on your home network. There’s no shortage of software that can be configured to serve up content via DLNA, so this could be an attractive option for many.

The other exciting feature to be announced is live streaming of TV from the Xbox One to any device running the Xbox One SmartGlass app. Microsoft makes SmartGlass apps for all popular mobile platforms including iOS, Android, Windows Phone, and Windows 8. The app would give you complete control of the OneGuide experience while streaming the video straight to your mobile device. This could all be done while someone else in your house is using the Xbox One to play games. It appeared to be a truly cross-platform option for offering live TV to mobile devices, regardless of the video service.

Unfortunately, the original announcement was light on details. One key restriction that wasn’t initially announced about the TV streaming feature was that it will initially only work with the new TV tuner. That means it only work in a few European countries, and only for over-the-air content. This isn’t entirely surprising, but it is disappointing none-the-less. When we discussed this feature on Entertainment 2.0 we wondered how this feature might work with copy-protected content, and if Microsoft would need to work out licensing deals with the TV operators. It looks like they may need to, and that could mean a long delay before many American Xbox One fans might be able to use this feature.

Even with the limitations of some of these new features, it’s still an exciting time to be following what Microsoft is doing in the living room. Obviously the Xbox One is a great gaming device, but as the media features continue to expand it is increasing its potential to actually become the device that is plugged into input one on your TV. Here at the DMZ we’d still like to see a Windows Media Center Extender app be released for the platform. There’s huge support for this idea across the Xbox community also. Regardless of what happens, we can at least be excited by the fact that Microsoft isn’t sitting still. They continue to bring new features every single month. With a few more years left of life for this product, the sky really is the limit.

The post Microsoft Expands its TV and Media Strategy appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

Pandora is one of the oldest, and most loved, names in online streaming radio. Most of us have been using the service to enjoy playlists that are full of only the music we like for years. Last year Pandora created a new view of their website that was intended to be used on televisions. It was specifically created to work with the Xbox 350 and PlayStation 3. Fortunately, Chris Barnes was able to find a work-around that enabled home theater PC (HTPC) users to get the same great experience.

We’re sad to report that Pandora has updated their site again, and this time around no one has been able to find a way to make it work on HTPCs. That’s where you come in! We’ve received numerous comments and emails about how the site no longer works. And for every person who does contact us, there are many more who are experiencing the same problem, but haven’t written in. It’s time to go straight to Pandora about the issue. Our hope is that if we can show an overwhelming demand for this experience that they’ll re-enable this functionality.

We’re making it really easy for you to give Pandora your feedback.

Take to Twitter. Are you on Twitter? So are they, so send them a tweet! Here’s the tweet we’ve been sending to @pandora_radio:

tv.pandora.com can bring Pandora to HTPCs. But it’s blocked! @Pandora_radio: Please make it available, in beta, to any Chrome user!

Tweet this message, or something similar, and as long as you include @Pandora_radio, they’ll see it. You could even just retweet our original message!

Send them Email. You can also send feedback to them at pandora-support@pandora.com. Express your interests, but be respectful (remember…these are real people we’re appealing to)! Here’s the email message that one of our team members sent:

A while ago, you released a 10-foot interface for Pandora that you’re using as a hack for enabling Pandora on Xbox and PlayStation through their respective browsers. The UI is designed to work with standard arrow key/d-pad buttons and as a result, it works great with home theater PCs, including Windows Media Center. I should say that it worked (past tense), because through a series of updates, you’ve seemingly strategically blocked anyone trying to use this interface if they’re not on the Xbox or PlayStation? Why?

Home Theater PC users are often the most avid of technical users, and I could argue HTPC users trying to access Pandora on their big screen are likely significantly dedicated users. So how about ending the cat and mouse game and, instead, allowing anyone who goes to tv.pandora.com to enjoy the 10-foot experience you’ve created?

You should expect to hear from more of your paying customers (like me) about this issue. I write for a blog about digital media, and I host a weekly podcast about Windows Media Center. Our listeners and readers are asking about this, wondering why any company would block users from accessing their product.

At this point, you’re unlikely to support a platform like Windows Media Center (which is in its last years of expected support). But an unsupported beta/labs version of your 10-foot interface would be a great addition to any HTPC. So why not throw a bone to the enthusiasts who know their way around a URL? Seriously…these people really do. Check it out: http://www.thedigitalmediazone.com/2013/06/13/using-pandora-on-an-htpc/

The post Help Bring Pandora to Home Theater PCs appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

For those looking to add TV tuners to their home theater PC you can save big on Ceton’s 6-tuner InfiniTV 6 devices. Both the internal, PCIe, and external Ethernet versions are on sale for the weekend. You’ll get the biggest savings on the [amazon_link id=”B00D97B9BU” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]InfiniTV 6 PCIe[/amazon_link]. It can be had on Amazon for only $189. That’s $110 off the normal price! Maybe your HTPC is of the small-form-factor variety, and you don’t have room for an expansion card within the case. Ceton’s got you covered in that scenerio too. You can buy the [amazon_link id=”B00CBXEKZ0″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]InfiniTV 6 ETH[/amazon_link] for only $199. That’s $100 off the regular price. They are both essentially the same device, with the only real difference being how the tuners connects to your PC. And even if you already have a few tuners in your HTPC you don’t have to worry about Windows Media Center’s built-in tuner limit. Ceton’s drivers remove that limit, so you can go wild adding as many tuners as you want!

Maybe you’ve already got more TV tuners than you can use, and instead you’d just like to experience Windows Media Center on another TV in your house. If that’s the case you can pick up Ceton’s [amazon_link id=”B008TZJ126″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Echo Windows Media Center Extender[/amazon_link]. It’s marked down to only $99.99. An extender like the Echo brings all of the base functionality of Media Center to another TV via your network. You can watch live and recorded TV, listen to your music library, view your photo collection, and watch all your favorite movies.

The sale ends June 16th, so don’t wait!

The post Ceton Gear on Sale for Dads and Grads appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

This time around they have discounted both the PCIe and Ethernet versions of the InfiniTV 6 CableCard tuners. If you’re looking to add six tuners to your Windows Media Center PC you can do it two different ways. While both options are discounted this weekend, for some reason, they aren’t the same price. If you’d like to use the internal version, you can get the [amazon_link id=”B00D97B9BU” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]InfiniTV 6 PCIe for $189.99[/amazon_link]. If you’ve had your heart set on expanding your tuner pool across your network then grab the [amazon_link id=”B00CBXEKZ0″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]InfiniTV 6 ETH for only $199.99[/amazon_link]. Both tuners are great options. You don’t need to worry about bumping up against the Windows Media Center tuner limit either, as Ceton’s drivers remove the limit.

If you have enough tuners already (if that’s even possible!) and you’re just looking to expand the number of televisions on which you access Windows Media Center, then you’ll want to take a look at the Ceton Echo. It is a full-featured Windows Media Center Extender which means you can enjoy all of your live and recorded TV from any other television on your network. The [amazon_link id=”B008TZJ126″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Echo is marked down to $99.99[/amazon_link]. That’s an $80 discount off of the regular price!

The sale only runs through May 26th, so if you’ve been considering picking up one of these products then you better act quickly!

The post Save on Ceton Products for Memorial Day appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

Josh and Richard are back for a huge announcement from a small gathering at a Microsoft event. Microsoft launched the Surface Pro 3 this week when everyone was expecting them to finally unveil the Surface “Mini”. It’s a huge announcement, but it’s not the only Microsoft entertainment technology news of the week. There’s some bad news for devoted Windows Media Center fans. Nokia has also launched a new phone. The Skype app for the Xbox One has gotten a much-needed update while there’s news of lots of Halo action coming to the new console. Microsoft is also taking a big step into the home automation space, and Richard has all the details straight from the source.  If you’re not listening live you’re missing a lot of fun, so make sure to join Josh and Richard for the live recording of episode 279 on Tuesday, May 27th at 8:00pm ET!

Click here to download episode #278

Subscribe to the Show

• Subscribe via RSS
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Show Links:

• Microsoft Officially Not Supporting Windows Media Center Bugs
• Microsoft released Lumia 630
• Microsoft introduces Surface Pro 3: the tablet that can replace your laptop
• Microsoft Said to Back Off Plans to Debut Smaller Surface
• A New Snap Experience for Skype for Xbox One
• Signs point to pending external drive support for Xbox One
• ‘Halo: The Master Chief Collection’ coming to Xbox One this year, collects ‘Halos 1-4’
• The Halo Journey
• Microsoft, INSTEON Collaborate on Home Control

Send us your feedback by email and voicemail! (1-877-856-4933)

Follow us on Twitter: Josh Pollard and Richard Gunther.

Like us on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/theDMZ

Check us out on Google+

The intro music is a song called Rogue by Raw Stiles

The post Entertainment 2.0 #278 : Decepticons appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

While the fear of a fatal bug not being fixed has always been a small possibility, we now have a very big reason to fear such a scenario. A bug was posted on the Windows Media Center section of Microsoft’s Connect site dealing with a guide data issue. In this bug it appears as if a television show originally airs in a country other than the U.S., then it will always show as a repeat for American viewers. While this isn’t an “end of the world” type of bug, it can wreck havoc on your scheduled recordings. The truly scary aspect of this bug is that Microsoft has decided not to fix. Even more scary though is the reason for dismissing the bug. A Microsoft employee left the following comment on the bug thread after changing its status to “Resolved as Won’t Fix”:

We are aware of the issue of shows airing in another country being marked as a repeat the first time they air in the US. Unfortunately, the media center client and services are not being actively updated anymore, and developer resources have been assigned to other projects.

Sorry we can’t help you further on this.

The “media center client and services” aren’t being updated anymore? They aren’t being updated at all? Not even to fix bugs? And why does this Microsoft employee speak so casually about the product? They didn’t even capitalize Media Center as a proper noun. What will happen the next time there is a major guide data issue? Will it get fixed? If not, that’s truly the end of the road.

In situations like this there is always a possibility that the employee reacted in a way that he shouldn’t have. But this situation certainly won’t be giving anyone a warm and fuzzy feeling about the future of Windows Media Center. Most of us Media Center users have resigned ourselves to the fact that we won’t see new features added to the application. Those of us who are still using it would like to just see it continue working. But there is also the issue of users who have moved on to Windows 8 machines. With Windows 8, Media Center is a purchased add-on to the operating system. It doesn’t just come for free anymore. That leads to the question of what are we paying for if Microsoft isn’t even supporting it anymore?

Here at the DMZ we’ve always tried to remain optimistic, or at the very least content, about Windows Media Center. This new situation definitely brings concern and doubt into the situation though. We can hope that this one employee over-stated the situation, or that this situation only applies to this one bug, but we won’t really know until Microsoft makes an official statement or we see a continued pattern of this behavior.

The post Is Microsoft Officially Killing Support for Windows Media Center? appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

Today a new version of Amazon Instant Video for Windows Media Center was released, and it fixes the video playback issues. It does this by using Silverlight, yes really, instead of Flash. As if fixing this issue in less than a single weekend (remember, this is being developed by a single person who isn’t charging for his work) wasn’t enough good news, he also threw in a new feature: You can now watch movies in HD!

So if you’ve noticed the plugin stopped working, or you haven’t even tried it yet, head on over to his website to download the new version.

The post Amazon Instant Video for Media Center Now Uses Silverlight appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

So here is my question: “How many people can we get to commit to backing the development of a trakt Windows Media Center plugin?”

Take a look at the trakt.tv website to see if you would be interested in having this for Windows Media Center. Beyond keeping a history of what you watch through Media Center there are quite a few features that this could also add, such as recommendations.

With my current workload and life schedule there is no way I could spend the time on writing it and then give it away for free. I don’t know what the pricing of the plugin would be, that would probably depend on the amount of community support, but I can say it would probably be in the $5 range. There also could be other Media Center developers who would be willing to take this one on as well,  just comment below if that’s you!

So here is where you come in… just vote!

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

The post How About a trakt Windows Media Center Plugin? appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

What does that mean for you? It means huge savings on the Ceton InfiniTV 6 (both the network and PCIe versions) and a massive discount on their Echo Windows Media Center Extender. If you head on over to Amazon you can get the [amazon_link id=”B00CBXEKZ0″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]InfiniTV 6 ETH[/amazon_link] and [amazon_link id=”B00D97B9BU” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]InfiniTV 6 PCIe[/amazon_link] for only $249! That’s $50 off the normal price. You can also pick up the [amazon_link id=”B008TZJ126″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Echo for $99[/amazon_link]! That’s a whopping $80 off the regular price!

You’ve only got a few days to take advantage of this sale. It ends January 28th. You might not want to waste any time though, because these products could combine to make an amazing Super Bowl party! Imagine a Ceton InfiniTV 6 powering your massive HDTV, plus using five Ceton Echo extenders to keep the game on five more televisions around your house! No matter where people go around your house they won’t miss a single minute of action of the big game!

The post Ceton Products on Sale for the Super Bowl appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

tubeCentric

tubeCore, the main product from tubeCentric, was a plugin that allowed users a way to stream Internet content directly into Windows Media Center. It works really well with PlayOn, another product we really like, and amazingly tubeCore even supports Media Center Extenders! Fortunately, despite the fact that the app is no longer being developed or supported, you can still download it and use it! Who knows how much longer the plugin will be around though, so hurry up and grab it while you still can!

Source: tubeCentric

The post tubeCentric Closes Up Shop appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

There’s obviously a lot of concern that Microsoft won’t be keeping Windows Media Center around for too much longer. You wouldn’t know that by looking at the User Voice site for Microsoft’s Xbox Video platform!

Two ideas have quickly risen to the top of the suggestion list. The first is titled “Media Center Extender Support.” The request is simple. They want to see Windows Media Center Extender software available on the Xbox One, and perhaps all of the Windows platforms through the Xbox Video app. The second idea bears the title “Add a cable+DVR accessory with Ceton InfiniTV.” This idea was suggested today, and already has risen to number two on the list with 901 votes as of this writing!

The first idea is simple, and the second is more thorough, and possibly interesting. Both of them sound awesome! Obviously there are no guarantees that Microsoft will work to implement either of these ideas, but over the last year we’ve seen Microsoft take many big actions to listen to their customers. Here’s hoping they are listening to the Xbox Video users too!

If you just can’t wait for Microsoft to implement these ideas, perhaps you can build your own Windows Media Center environment. Pick up a [amazon_link id=”B00CBXEKZ0″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Ceton InfiniTV 6 ETH[/amazon_link], and maybe a [amazon_link id=”B008TZJ126″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Ceton Echo[/amazon_link] or [amazon_link id=”B00D9EPI38″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Xbox 360[/amazon_link] to use as an Extender. Pair these with a Windows PC that you already own and you’ll have a great home theater PC setup of your own!

Update (1/21/2014): For some unknown reason, the original entry for a DVR Accessory using the Ceton InfiniTV was removed. It had made it to number two in the list. A new entry has been created. Go and vote on the new entry to really show Microsoft how much we want it!

The post The Voice of Windows Media Center Users is Growing Louder [Updated 1/21] appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

So, my question to you is, “How do we keep Windows Media Center alive without Microsoft’s help?”

Option 1. We keep it alive by using it in its current form until it naturally goes away due to competition or gets cut off by Microsoft. Metaphorically speaking, Windows Media Center is on life support, and we are waiting as long as possible to pull the plug because we just can’t cope with its death.

Option 2. We try to prolong the life of Windows Media Center with the help of developers. We can do that by adding the things that we are missing and the things we didn’t know were missing. To extend the life support metaphor, this is us on our knees praying for a miracle as well as finding the best doctors to find a way to save our friend. (Obviously, this is not nearly as important as human life… just trying to make this interesting.)

We Pick Option 2. Now What?

First let’s talk about where Windows Media Center currently is.

• We have an amazing recording engine as well as an amazing recordings interface thanks to Recorded TV HD [shameless plug].
• We have great CableCARD tuners and mobile apps to control our scheduled recordings thanks to Ceton!
• Ceton has also given us an extender in addition to Microsoft’s own Xbox 360 as an extender. No, they aren’t perfect, but they work very well!
• We have a very good interface for interacting with our photos, videos, and movies. Great options are built-in or can be supplemented through other 3rd party plugins like My Movies, Media Browser, etc.
• We have channel logos thanks to My Channel Logos!
• We have Netflix – THANK YOU MICROSOFT!
• And now we have Amazon Instant Video thanks to a couple of great developers!
• We have a great website and podcast at The DMZ [thanks Mark! –ed]!

That’s a lot of great stuff! What are we complaining about? Well I guess it depends on…

What else do we need? What are we missing?

If we need an app, tell the Windows Media Center developers, like me, your idea. It may or may not be possible depending on the (aging) Media Center SDK, but developers are great for finding workarounds. It just may take a little longer than expected. If they think it will be worthwhile and beneficial to the community they just may create what you’ve asked for!

What’s The Point?

Unlike mobile platforms, where there are thousands of developers, there really are only a handful of Windows Media Center developers. Almost all of them are doing it in their spare time because being a Media Center developer does not pay the bills. Because of this, the Media Center developers need the community to help them with ideas and to motivate them!

There are still many Media Center users out there, but it seems most of them don’t know about 3rd party plugins. Made For Media Center was an awesome attempt to create a store/repository for Media Center plugins. Is there anything else that can be done in that aspect?

How can we get more people excited enough about Media Center to help us in this? One way is to tell people about The DMZ and the Entertainment 2.0 podcast, as well as sharing all of your favorite Media Center plugins with people you know and all over social media.

What Do You Think?

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Let’s get a discussion going. What should we as the community do? What is Windows Media Center missing? Honestly, I’m very happy with what we’ve got! In a way, I’m just writing this post for the people out there complaining to say, “let’s do something about it!”

The post Keeping Windows Media Center Alive Without Microsoft appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

The quest for the perfect home theater PC is a constant balancing act of form, functions, and aesthetic appeal. AMD had a few reference designs on display this year in the form of tablets and hybrids. One in particular caught our eye though—the design of their super-sleek mini PC was striking.

They had a unit set on top of a television paired with a couple of Xbox controllers running Fifa 14, which we played with. Roughly the dimensions of a business letter envelope this fanless wonder with solid graphical horsepower had us all wishing it was a real product we could put through the paces with Windows or XBMC on our TVs back home. They were not able to provide specifics about the internals but commented we should see something from an OEM with the guts of this before end of year.

Most intriguing about their design was the incorporation of a front facing camera that created a bit of a lip meant to rest on top of the television or somewhere nearby, creating additional interesting possibilities for video calling applications and more. The unit had a single port to connect to a tiny breakout box, not much bigger than a box of matches, that contained the HDMI, power, and USB ports—all over a single DockPort cable back to the main unit. The breakout box could easily be mounted strategically behind the TV set it was connected to.

Another unit we were able to spend some quality time with was an actual product we can look to buy in the first half of this year. A modular PC concept under the name Tango gave us a glimpse of what may someday manifest itself into how all of us use our computer/phone hybrids in dockable scenarios floating between home, work, and travel. The builders of this product are seeking funding on Indiegogo now, and the base unit will sell for $299. It contains an AMD A6 5200 APU, Radeon HD8400 graphics chipset, adjustable amounts of DDR3 RAM, up to 8GB, and mSATA storage options.

This PC in a form factor similar to a portable 2.5” HDD is meant to go wherever you go and be docked in a housing that connects it to power and ports. The $69 docking unit provides 3 USB 2.0 ports, 1 USB 3.0 port, 100Mbit Ethernet, 802.11N wireless, and a single HDMI connection. The actively cooled docks are meant to remain static, while the PC can be carried wherever you go. The performance off of this design was more than adequate as we played Call of Duty: Modern Warfare at 1600×1200 with 4x antialiasing.

Sparking Our Imaginations

With AMD’s presence in every current-gen console system from Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft we were excited to see Microsoft’s Project Spark on display. For those of you not familiar with Spark, it takes concepts from Minecraft and Little Big Planet to provide players or designers a way to create game experiences that can be shared with the world. We were afforded a massive overview of the game’s capabilities and crowd sourced potential from one of the team members responsible for delivering the final product. He demonstrated world creation, character manipulation, and how to adjust very nuanced portions of the individual elements in the game through a marvelously simple programming implementation.

Think of it as a recipe, or modular rules engine, that takes no coding skills whatsoever. For those of us that have written little to no programming, the capabilities to create a highly customized unique experience were astounding. Kinect integration allows for motion and speech capture that can be directly imported into the game’s character models. A portion of the time we played with someone’s in game version of Ryse: Gladiator Arena fighting. The possibilities for creating worlds on the go with your PC version and picking them up on the console when we got home made us wish we could spend some of our time doing that on the flight back.

Back to the Future

The glory days of AMD beating Intel to the market with the first 64-bit 1GHz CPU seem like a distant memory. With the form factors and graphical horsepower they incorporated in their offerings after acquiring ATI and dominant presence in the major gaming consoles of the day, one can only hope they continue to grow and innovate in ways that keep their competition on their toes.

The post AMD @ CES 2014 appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

The Zotac ZBOX 01520 is a sphere-shaped computer case. The very first thing that came to mind when we saw it was the Nexus Q. It’s about the size of a mini-basketball, and obviously the bottom and back panels are flat. There is also a thin LED light band circling the entire case. It produces a subtle chasing effect of light. They showed the light in blue, but they told us that the color could be configured in the BIOS. The light can also be completely disabled, but we didn’t find it too bright.

Inside of the Zotac XBOX 01520 you’ll find an Intel Core i3-4010U (4th generation Haswell) with integrated Intel HD 4400 graphics. The board also has 802.11ac WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, gigabit Ethernet, HDMI, and DisplayPort. It also has four USB 3.0 ports and two USB 2.0 ports alongside a memory card reader. All of the ports are tucked away on the back of the case to keep the front looking clean.

As is the case with most of Zotac’s offerings, the 01520 is sold as a bare-bones computer. That means it doesn’t come with any storage, memory, or an operating system. You’ll be able to buy in this basic configuration for $399, or for an additional $100 you can throw in 4GB of RAM and 500GB hard drive. Zotac didn’t provide us with a release date on this PC.

Zotac also had a Steam Machine prototype on display in their booth. They weren’t providing all of the details on the box, but they did tell us that it will be available with desktop versions of the Intel Core-I5 or I7 processor. It also sports a very powerful discrete graphics card that will be user-upgradeable. They are targeting a base price of $500 for the device, but again they didn’t have a release date.

Zotac

The post Zotac Shows a Spherical PC and a Steam Machine Prototype appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

Very quickly Davis was able to fix the bugs that were preventing it from working at all, and he released it for the rest of the world to enjoy. He could have stopped there, but he didn’t. Since resuming development of the add-in Marc Davis has gone on to add even more features. His latest releases include adding remote control support for play, pause, fast forward and rewind, and HD playback of TV shows, and that’s only a couple of the features he’s added. Did we mention he’s been working on this for less than two weeks? The progress he’s made is pretty remarkable, but there’s one thing he’s done that we appreciate even more than adding features and fixing bugs: he’s been listening to user feedback! Many of the feature ideas that he’s already implemented came straight from suggestions of users of the plug-in.

Amazon Instant Video for Windows Media Center Updated currently supports playback of Amazon Prime video, including movies and television shows. It also has Watchlist support to make it easy to find the content you’ve queued up on the website. As is the case with most of these streaming content plug-ins, it won’t work on Windows Media Center Extenders. It also doesn’t allow you to purchase or rent content yet, but that’s a feature he’s hoping to add soon. The plugin is available for free, but if you like what he’s doing please go to his site and give him a donation. You’ll also want to check out Entertainment 2.0 episode 257 where Josh sits down with Marc Davis to discuss how he got involved with the add-in, what he’s added so far, and what features are yet to come.

The post Amazon Instant Video for Windows Media Center Updated appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

Whenever we write about Recorded TV HD we feel the need to mention that it is one of our all-time favorite add-ins for Windows Media Center. That is of course still true, but we must say we like it even more when it can be purchased at a discount! Right now you can purchase the Whole Household license for only $15! That will give you the ability to install it on every Windows Media Center PC in your house. Don’t forget, it will also run on all of your Media Center Extenders. If you’ve been looking for more control over your recorded TV library then now is a perfect opportunity to check out Recorded TV HD. There is a free trial, but we’re sure once you try it you’re going to want to buy it. Don’t wait though. This sale is a Christmas sale, so it will only be around for a couple of weeks.

Source: Recorded TV HD

The post Recorded TV HD Half-Off for the Holidays appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

The post Ceton Discounts InfiniTV 6 and Echo for the Holidays appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

Nexus brand expanding

Many sites are reporting that a Nexus branded TV initiative may come in early 2014 from Google. It has been rumored that at CES 2013 Andy Rubin showed some form of it with motion controls similar, perhaps, to Microsoft Kinect. This rumor is well timed with CES 2014 just around the corner. What this may mean for the conquest of the family room against the juggernauts of Apple, Microsoft, and Sony all vying for our eyeballs should lead to interesting turf wars. Here is a possibility I would like to offer up.

Nexus TV could directly compete with Xbox One

Long has it been bantered about that Google wants to make in-roads into a console gaming type system. Perhaps Nexus TV extends the vision of Google TV and folds in gaming as a direct competitor to Microsoft’s Xbox One platform? Microsoft’s approach in their latest generation of console is to always have gaming, web browsing, and TV rapidly accessible with integration that will grow tighter as time goes on. Microsoft does this in a way that Sony and Apple have yet to try to strike a balance on.  Google TVs like the [amazon_link id=”B00EDTR7BO” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Asus Cube[/amazon_link] or [amazon_link id=”B009IBX7Z2″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Vizio Co-Star[/amazon_link] already leverage HDMI passthrough to overlay what is going on with your TV set long before the Xbox One did. Sony themselves released several iterations, most recently, in the [amazon_link id=”B00DBPU8KS” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]NSZGS8[/amazon_link] that never crossed the gaming boundary the way the Xbox One does. If the motion controls are included with this Nexus TV I would think that Google would not dedicate that to just a glorified Google TV experience and games may well be on the horizon.

The post Is Google Preparing a Nexus TV? appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

[amazon_enhanced asin=”B004HKIB6E” container=”” container_class=”” price=”All” background_color=”FFFFFF” link_color=”000000″ text_color=”0000FF” /]

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Right now they are offering two of there newest products on sale. You can [amazon_link id=”B00CBXEKZ0″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]save $30 on the InfiniTV 6 ETH[/amazon_link]. That is their six-tuner Ethernet based solution that we love for its flexibility. You can also [amazon_link id=”B008TZJ126″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]save $50 on their Echo Windows Media Center Extender[/amazon_link]. That brings the total cost on that device down to $129! Both can be purchases on Amazon, and they qualify for free shipping with Prime, through Tuesday the 22nd.

The post Save Big on Ceton InfiniTV 6 and Echo appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

It seems as though Windows 8 Media Center users have been struck again with yet another problem. This time we have a user asking at the Microsoft Answers Community about a situation they have run into after upgrading their PC from the Windows 8.1 Preview to the final RTM version of the operating system. While the 8.1 Preview was in use, the user had used Windows Media Center to record copy-protected shows. Then the user upgraded to the final RTM version of Windows 8 and discovered that they can no longer play the copy-protected shows.

This is a scenario that we hadn’t even anticipated, and we certainly can’t find any record of Microsoft warning users that this could happen. If you’re using the Windows 8.1 Preview, and recording copy-protected shows with it, you might want to wait until you’ve finished watching them before upgrading. That’s easier said than done, of course, as you may have quite the backlog as the fall TV season started last month. Unfortunately there is no solution to this. We have to assume this doesn’t affect too many users considering the Preview broke Media Center plugins, and that hasn’t been fixed until the first major update to Windows 8.1 RTM which was released last week. Of course you shouldn’t have any problems watching copy-protected shows that are recorded after upgrading to the RTM version of Windows 8.1.

Source: Microsoft Answers Community via Barb Bowman

The post Upgrade From 8.1 Preview to RTM Breaks Protected Shows appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

Earlier this week we reported

The post Official Windows 8.1 Day One Update Fixes Media Center Plugins appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

If you already own Windows 8 then all you should need to do to start the upgrade process is go to the Store app. There should be a big tile indicating that you can update for free. That goes for Windows 8 and Windows RT users. You can even do the update if your machine is running the preview release of 8.1 that was made available this summer. However, if you have the preview version installed you will be required to reinstall you apps. Your files, documents, and user accounts will all be preserved though. Once the update completes it will actually have tiles on your Start screen for all the Windows Store apps you had installed previously. This allows you to reinstall them pretty easily, and preserves where you had them on the Start screen. Upgrade times well very depending on the device and your connection speed. The download is a little over 2GB in size, so you’ll definitely want to make sure you have enough room on your device prior to starting the process. Lower-spec devices will naturally take longer to upgrade also. The Surface RT that we upgraded took over 90 minutes to complete the process.

If the option to upgrade isn’t showing up in the Store there is an easy way to force the issue. Head on over to this support page from the PC you’re trying to update, and follow the instructions. Thanks to the Windows Observer for that trick!

Let us know how the update process goes for you, and how you’re liking the new updates!

The post Windows 8.1 is Now Available appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

Before you rush off to Windows Update to get this update you should know that it hasn’t actually been released by Microsoft yet. It has been leaked though, and many people have been installing it to find out what is inside. It has been confirmed to us to have fixed the Windows Media Center plugin issues without even needing to reinstall the plugins. While it’s great news that it fixes the issues, what we still don’t know is when Microsoft will actually release it. It could be that the general release of Windows 8.1 will automatically include these fixes. Or they could be provided separately as normal Windows Updates. At this point we’ll have to just wait and see, but we’ll let you know as soon as we know.

The post Media Center Plugins Fixed in Windows 8.1 with Coming Update appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

Step 1 – Boot to Desktop

Forcing Windows 8.1 to boot to the desktop is actually really simple, but it’s not easy to find the option. First, go to the desktop, then right-click on the task bar and click Properties. In the Taskbar and Navigation properties dialog that appears go to the Navigation tab. From there all you need to do is click the unnecessarily verbose option “When I sign in or close all apps on a screen, go to the desktop instead of Start.” Click the OK button to close the dialog. That’s it! Your PC will now boot straight to the desktop.

Step 2 – Launch Windows Media Center on Boot

This process takes a little more effort, but it’s still very simple. Microsoft hasn’t brought back the option within Windows Media Center to automatically launch, so you’ll need to set it up on your own. The easiest way we’ve found to do it is to create a shortcut for Media Center, and place it in the Startup folder of the “Start Menu”. We know what you’re thinking, “but the Start Menu doesn’t exist anymore!” While the Start Menu may be gone, its folder structure remains! Go to your Start screen and right-click on Windows Media Center. In the app bar, at the bottom of the screen, click on the option “Open file location.” That will open a File Explorer window right to the Windows Accessories folder. Copy the shortcut for Windows Media Center. Now, you’ll notice that you’re in the C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Accessories folder. Go up one folder level, and then go into the Startup folder (C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\StartUp). Paste the Windows Media Center shortcut.

That’s it! Don’t believe us? Reboot your computer and see for yourself!

The post Booting into Windows Media Center in Windows 8.1 appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

UPDATE: This post was written prior to the general release of Windows 8.1. If you are upgrading a Windows 8 Pro with Media Center machine via the Windows Store you will be upgraded directly to Windows 8.1 with Media Center.

We were thrilled today to learn that Microsoft had reversed its decision regarding waiting to release Windows 8.1 via MSDN and TechNet until the general availability date. We think it was absolutely the right decision to allow developers and IT professionals to have access to the semi-final code early so that they could work on readying their applications and environments for end-users when the operation system is officially released to the public on October 18. But what we really care about, here at the DMZ, is how Windows 8.1 affects Windows Media Center users. While we know that most have not seen a reason to upgrade their Windows 7 home theater PCs to Windows 8, some have. Those who have are most likely going to want to upgrade to Windows 8.1 too.

The first machine that we upgraded today was a Surface Pro. We’ve been running Windows Media Center on it rather successfully of late (and really enjoying it on the touch screen tablet.) So after the update completed we looked for Media Center within the Start Screen and couldn’t find it. Looking in the eHome directory within the Windows directory on the hard drive showed that most of the important files for Media Center had been removed!

All is not lost though! If you go back through the process of adding Windows Media Center you will be reunited with the beloved application. As a reminder, to do that, just go to the Start Screen and start typing “add features”, then select “Add features to Windows 8.1”. From there just follow the wizard option for providing a product key. After it installs and reboots the machine you’ll have Windows Media Center again. You won’t even need to go through TV setup again! Our test machine was using a Ceton InfiniTV 6 ETH, and it wasn’t able to find the tuners right away. To remedy that I just opened the Ceton Diagnostics app and clicked the button for “Discover Tuners”.

While it’s annoying to have to go through the process of installing Windows Media Center for a second time, we’re just happy that it’s still available.

The post Updating Windows 8 to 8.1 Removes Windows Media Center appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

Ceton’s blog post announcing the decision reiterates that the Echo remains a great option for Media Center users looking for a small, low-power Windows Media Center Extender. At [amazon_link id=”B008TZJ126″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]$179[/amazon_link], now on par with Microsoft’s Xbox 360, we’re hoping the holidays bring a price drop to help make the product more competitive.

Source: Ceton blog post

The post Ceton Cancels Android on Echo Project appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

We can quibble over his choice of the term “native” in his answer (if for nothing else to give optimists like myself a thread of hope that is about the width of a strand of DNA), but the fact of the matter is that Microsoft has for quite some time made it abundantly clear — through its disbanding the Media Center team, the lack of any new ecosystem development, the lack of support for legacy extenders in Windows 8, and now the lack of support in Xbox One — that Windows Media Center is the old Family Room OS, and that Xbox is the new Family Room OS.

And why should Microsoft continue to keep Media Center on anything more than life support?  This is the whole-home media OS that they invented a decade ago that is still slicker than anything Apple has every come up with for the home, and actually works really well with existing technology (i.e., Cable TV).   For most companies, the axiom is “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”  In Microsoft management circles, this axiom seems to have been distorted into “if it ain’t broke, wait until we take a crack at it.”

It’s all quite depressing for we, the Windows Media Center owners and advocates.  We, the tiny speck of an 8 million user base for Microsoft, are only advocates because the darned thing works and works well — and works better than any alternative on the planet.  We can only collectively imagine how useful it would be if Microsoft had continued to invest in it by creating a real ecosystem, app store, and revenue model to support its growth.  We dream of an alternate reality where Windows Media Center is the iPhone of the Home — where everything is effortless, connected, and automated so that anyone in the family can interact with their media anyway they like and virtually anywhere they like.  With the myriad of hacks and special plug-ins I’ve invested in over the years, my current Media Center setup is still highly capable, highly useful and would be downright depressing to give up.  Nothing else on the market even comes close.

Every day, I use my Media Center system to do everything I need my whole-home media management system to do for me.  And I smile just a little bit each time I use it because it makes almost every interaction so darned lovely and enjoyable.  But recently, I’ve also been feeling a bit of dread every time I smile, because I know deep down that the sand in the hourglass will eventually complete its journey to the bottom bulb, leaving us with an empty space that must be filled in with an alternative.  And, quite unfortunately, because the Xbox One does not support DVR or traditional live TV services (though, to be fair, it will support some live content from specific cable providers, but I’d argue that’s already too complex a story for a mass-consumer set-top device), Microsoft has left a gap about the size of the Cable TV industry in its product portfolio, leaving us nowhere to go.

Microsoft has developed quite a talent of late in squashing useful innovations that solve real problems real well, yet needed an extra push in setup/installation ease  (Media Center, Home Server), and doubling-down on offerings that either copy Apple’s over-simplified model unsuccessfully (Zune, Surface RT) or over-innovate and offer us things that may very well define the future (Windows Metro, Windows Phone, Kinect, Xbox One), but they don’t do such a great job providing real competitive value right now.

While pinning the future of the digital family room on Xbox makes a lot of business and practical sense, the lack of DVR and simple, uncompromising live TV support renders the Xbox One as a gaming machine and a device designed to enable the future of streaming TV. And while the future of TV content will surely be cloud-based streaming, the current reality and short to mid-term future will still be a world of DVRs and traditional cable TV program guides.

Microsoft has become a company that is addicted to over-thinking, over-future-proofing, and over-designing solutions in a bid to try to be relevant and exciting again in consumer technology.  It’s hard to watch.  Microsoft has so much talent in their ranks, but with such an inferiority complex at the management level, they are hindered in their ability to actually achieve what they desire — market success and consumer respect.

The Xbox One is a triumphant technology achievement, but I fear it’s too clever by half, and by short-circuiting any ability for Media Center compatibility or at least offering feature parity demonstrates that Microsoft is lacking a cohesive product road map for their own customers.  Perhaps the next generation of leadership for Microsoft will be able to step back, survey the landscape, and begin sorting all of this out in a way that suggests that the customer experience is actually more important that the ten-year technology strategy.

The post Xbox One: The Xbox that Doesn’t Do Media Center appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

According to the release notes, v 1.9.0 of Recorded TV HD brings a number of updates to this popular Windows Media Center add-in:

• Metro Theme Option
• Performance Increases
• TheMovieDB API upgrade (Mandatory! Must upgrade by 9/15/2013 or movie detection will no longer work)
• Genre auto-generation of artwork
• Changed the search option to the “add recording” option
• Fixed other bugs

Of these updates, the Metro theme is probably the most notable. While not necessarily true to the usual Metro hub patterns, the new theme delivers your movies and shows using a tiled interface not unfamiliar to Windows 8 and RT users. Section navigation and the detailed information display remain fairly similar to the other themes. You can select from a variety of background screens and accent colors—our hope is that we’ll see an option for some solid colors in there soon, making this feel even more like a Windows Store app.

If you haven’t yet tried Recorded TV HD, now’s a great time to give it a whirl. You can always download a free trial, and if you like it, hurry to take advantage of a 50% promotion for the entire month of September. That makes this already great add-in an even better bet. With the discount, it’s just $10 for one PC and all connected extenders or $15 for a household license that covers multiple PCs on the same network. The price already includes a lifetime of free updates. Give it a try and find out why we named it one of our best HTPC products.

The post Recorded TV HD Adds Metro Theme appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

To get started try this:

• Hit the Start button, type ‘cmd’ and hit enter
• type ‘cd C:\Windows\ehome’ to switch into the Media Center directory
• type ‘ehshell.exe’ to launch media center
• provide any of the switches below like this: ‘ehshell.exe /url:http://www.thedigitalmediazone.com/’

 Here are all the options:

ehshell.exe /entrypoint:{ application_guid }\{ entrypoint_guid }

 

This switch starts Windows Media Center and navigates directly to a registered entry point, where application_guid and entrypoint_guid are strings that contain the GUIDs of the application and entry point identifiers for the entry point to launch.

 

ehshell.exe /url: url

 

This switch starts Windows Media Center and navigates directly to a Hosted HTML application that is specified by url.

 

ehshell.exe /homepage: url

 

This switch starts Windows Media Center and navigates directly to a Windows Media Center web application that is specified by url.

 

 

ehshell.exe /addinfallbackpath: path

 

This switch starts Windows Media Center and uses the location specified in path to locate and load application assemblies. This location is only used after Windows Media Center attempts to load application assemblies from the global assembly cache (GAC) and \windows\ehome.

 

ehshell.exe /gdi

 

This switch starts Windows Media Center in Graphics Device Interface (GDI) graphics mode, which simulates a low-fidelity graphics environment that does not support DirectX graphics mode.

 

ehshell.exe /widescreen

 

This switch starts Windows Media Center with a 16:9 aspect ratio to enable testing widescreen display resolutions on systems that only have a 4:3 monitor installed. This switch works when Windows Media Center is started in windowed mode, but will not work in full-screen mode.

 

ehshell.exe /rtl
This switch starts Windows Media Center in right-to-left (RTL) display mode.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ehshell.exe /directmedia:general

 

This switch starts Windows Media Center in full-screen mode.

 

ehshell.exe /directmedia:music

 

This switch starts Windows Media Center in full-screen mode and navigates to the Music Library.

 

ehshell.exe /directmedia:video

 

This switch starts Windows Media Center in full-screen mode and navigates to the Video Library.

 

ehshell.exe /directmedia:tv

 

This switch starts Windows Media Center in full-screen mode and navigates to Recorded TV.

 

ehshell.exe /directmedia:pictures

 

This switch starts Windows Media Center in full-screen mode and navigates to the Picture Library.

 

ehshell.exe /directmedia:discplayback

 

This switch starts Windows Media Center in full-screen mode and begins playback of the disc in the drive according to AutoPlay registration.

 

ehshell.exe /nochrome

 

This switch starts Windows Media Center without the window frame (the border, caption, or toolbox) and does not display the Windows Media Center icon on the taskbar.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ehshell.exe /noshutdownui

 

This switch hides the Shut Down and Close tiles under Tasks on the Windows Media Center Start menu. Note that the Close tile is only available on Extenders.

 

 

 

 

 

ehshell.exe /controlbox: buttons

 

This switch lets you specify the buttons to display on the controlbox (the toolbar at the top right of the Windows Media Center window), where buttons is a comma-delimited list of buttons.

 

The following values can be used for buttons:

 

None: Displays no buttons.

 

All: Displays all buttons.

 

Minimize: Displays the Minimize button.

 

Window: Displays the Restore Down/Maximize button.

 

Close: Displays the Close button.

 

For example, use the following switch to display the Minimize and Close buttons:

ehshell.exe /controlbox:minimize,close

 

There are a few other things to note.  For the /entrypoint switch, the application_guid and entrypoint_guid can be found in the registry.  Fire up regedit and head to this path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media Center\Extensibility\Entry Points

Lastly, the /controlbox switch didn’t seem to work on my Windows 8 machine.  It’s one of the less than useful options, so I’m not terribly upset.

Sources: Hack7MC, Microsoft

The post Windows Media Center Command Line Options appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

The world of Windows Media Center is a quirky one:  With an estimated 8 million active users, WMC not only competes favorably with AppleTV’s 13 million (active & non-active) users, but it simultaneously is considered by its creator and steward Microsoft to be nothing more than an annoying pimple of a user base that just won’t go away.

This is all just an overly dramatic way of saying that with WMC, there’s a sizable platform, with precious little development and innovation occurring because Microsoft has sent strong signals to everyone who cares that we are a legacy community.

So when Google announced their latest little gadget, the Chromecast, I was pretty stoked. I use Windows and Android in my home, and Google just launched a drop-dead simple way to beam all kinds of cool content to my TV with no fuss.  Perhaps, I thought, with more app adoption, the future of my Home Theater would be not much more than Windows Media Center combined with a beam & stream option for the newer video and audio services.  What a great companion this would be to my WMC setup, I thought.

But before I hit the “buy” button on Google Play, I considered one very real reality for an HTPC owner:  The Chromecast requires its own HDMI input on my TV.  Yet, isn’t the whole idea of an HTPC is to have everything on one input, and ideally in a single, unified user interface? Even though changing TV inputs is fairly straight-forward on a universal remote, it’s just not elegant.  After much deliberation, I ended up deciding that changing inputs is HTPC heresy.

So, imagine my shock and glee when I wandered over to 1geek1tool.com and read this teaser for a new WMC plug-in:

Enjoy the ChromeCast benefits… without changing your TV inputs!

Well, halleluiah!  If someone didn’t just read my mind.  I immediately downloaded the plug-in and installed it.

Before I go on with my preview, some fast facts on Media Center Cast:

• It’s still in beta, but in a Google-beta kind of way (in other words, it works)
• It can be downloaded for free, but is limited to a 14-day trial
• Between now and September 1, the prices has been “slashed” by 50% to $4.99
• At the time of this writing, it is limited to YouTube and Google Play Music casting (and it’s not clear how much further this plug-in can go)

The lack of native YouTube integration has always been an unsightly bald spot for WMC; one that I’ve personally covered up by using Macrotube or XBMC.  Yet text entry and searching in these apps is just not that elegant unless you have a full QWERTY keyboard at the ready (which isn’t very home-theater-y and certainly not family-friendly).

But after adding the Media Center Cast plugin, I was able to start “casting” YouTube videos almost immediately from both my Chrome browser on my laptop as well as the YouTube app on my Nexus 4.  And because this plug-in solution uses YouTube’s Leanback interface to playback the video, you actually get remote control access to the video from your WMC remote — something that I don’t think is achievable if you use the actual Chromecast dongle.  Also, I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by the on-screen GUI when I beamed & streamed Google Play Music from my Nexus 4 — very slick!

Here’s the really good news: it works.  At least for YouTube and Play Music beaming & streaming. Unfortunately, the FAQ states that it does not support Netflix and Play Movies due to DRM restrictions.  It also doesn’t support Chrome Tab casting.  It’s not clear at this point whether this means these will never be supported or not, but be aware that there is no indication that this plug-in will or can fully replicate the support of the actual Chromcast dongle.

Yes, there are limitations, but these limitations are not really an issue because WMC already has a native Netflix app and plenty of ways to play back movies.  Then there is the future potential for smartphone and tablet apps like Spotify and Pandora to begin incorporating Google Cast technology, which would enable WMC users to easily beam & stream these subscription music services to our home theaters without having to leave WMC.  Wouldn’t that be lovely?

Yes, it would.

The post First Look: Media Center Cast – A Chromecast Plug-In for Windows Media Center appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

Just like the four tuner InfiniTV 4 PCIe card, it takes one CableCARD but this allows you to record six channels at once. Tuners can be shared over a network through software network bridging. Of course it also supports Switched Digital Video.

We’ve always loved Ceton’s TV tuners, and this one looks to be a stellar addition to their line-up. Look for a review of the network attached version of this card, the InfiniTV 6 ETH, soon. They should essentially be the same hardware. The only real difference expected is the form factor.

For more information, including detailed installation guides, take a peek at the official product page.

The post Ceton Releases InfiniTV 6 PCIe CableCARD Tuner appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

When Netflix finally announced that they would begin rolling out support for separate user profiles most of their customers rejoiced. My household is one that could really use that. My daughter loves to watch kids shows, like Tinkerbell and Super Why, but I like to watch dramas like House of Cards and Battlestar Galactica. That makes for messy preferences, and even worse, the possibility of a kid watching something they shouldn’t.

Being big Windows Media Center users, it’s the only way television is consumed in our house, we also greatly depend upon the Netflix plugin for it. The plugin is pretty well done, but it hasn’t seen any major updates in years. That’s why when profile support for Netflix was announced I just assumed the plugin would continue to work as it always had. Imagine our surprise when we went to turn on Wild Krats for our daughter and were greeted with the image above. The first feeling was one of excitement. That was quickly dashed however when the remote control couldn’t be used to select which profile should be used. To make matters worse, after selecting a profile we were confronted with this error message:

We tried both buttons on the dialog, and neither of them worked. Of course we have the computer directly connected to the television, so we can minimize Media Center and run Netflix from a web browser. That is a far less superior experience though, and it’s not one that will pass the family-acceptance test.

When issues have cropped up with the Netflix plugin for Windows Media Center in the past it has always become a pointing match between Microsoft and Netflix. This time around it looks like something Netflix is going to need to fix. One can hope that the issue is resolved soon. For more discussion on the problem check out this thread over at The Green Button.tv.

Updated: A workaround has been found. If all of the profiles except for the main one, which can’t be deleted, are removed then Windows Media Center will work the way it did before. You could call this a solution if the Netflix Windows Media Center plugin is the only way you consume Netflix, but if you’re looking to use the new profile support across multiple devices you’re still stuck.

The post Netflix Profile Support Breaks Windows Media Center Plugin (Workaround Found) appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

March 2010. Avner Ronan shares his vision of TV’s future—over the Internet—to thousands at SXSW. He sits on stage, across from a pioneer of a different sort, Mark Cuban. It’s an arrogant debate of futures possible. At first, the crowd is clearly with Ronan.

Indeed, Avner Ronan’s Boxee software and set top boxes offer home entertainment consumers flexibility and choices that more traditional means—like cable, satellite, and networks—do not. But Cuban’s a business guy, and his argument is that the money is on cable. Free content over the Internet, he asserts, is a dead business model. Despite the hopes and ideals of the crowd, Cuban arguably wins this debate.

Fast forward to October 2012. By this time, Boxee has scrapped its free, downloadable software product, focusing largely on hardware. With a USB tuner already on the market, they now introduce a new, sleek set-top box with tuner and unlimited recording storage…through the cloud. It’s an ambitious project, and the cloud DVR concept catches the attention of the tech pundits and press as a new era for entertainment storage and access.

Today. It’s July 2013, and we learn that Samsung is purchasing Boxee. Interesting news. Samsung’s smart TV experience has been widely panned, so acquiring a third party that specializes in Internet and traditional content aggregation could be the boon they need.

And the possibility of TVs with built-in cloud DVR capabilities…now that could be interesting. Well forget it. The Boxee DVR service is dead. That’s not hyperbole. They’re killing it. With barely a week’s notice, Boxee is shutting down its DVR service. If you were lucky enough to be one of its beta users, after July 10, you will no longer have access to any of the unlimited content that you’ve recorded to watch later.

We don’t really know yet why Boxee’s cloud DVR service is going away. Adoption has been slow, and certainly unlimited cloud storage would be challenging to scale to the size of Samsung’s market.

Boxee’s announcement:

We’re pleased to announce that the Boxee team will be joining Samsung.

 

We started on this journey six years ago, and have been at the forefront of the changing TV and video landscape. We believe that over the next few years the video market will change even more than it has in the past few decades.

 

Joining Samsung means we will be able to work on products that marry the best hardware and software in the TV space, products that will be used by tens of millions of people and will help to shape the future of TV.

 

We are excited about the next chapter for our team.

 

For Boxee users, we’re working behind the scenes to ensure there’s minimal impact to your devices. However, the beta Cloud DVR functionality we provided to certain Boxee TV users will be discontinued on July 10th. You will not have access to your existing recordings after that date. We realize many of you loved the service, and we’re sorry it won’t be available moving forward.

 

We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve built, and we want to thank you for being a part of our journey.

 

Sincerely,
Team Boxee

Perhaps more importantly, this is (another) good lesson about depending on cloud services. The tech community is so eager to push everything to the cloud. You may remember that To the Cloud was even one of Microsoft’s dreadful ad campaigns for its oft-rebranded Windows Live. But the cloud gives you less control over where, how, and when you can access your content than most companies would have you believe.

Online and cloud services come and go. Numerous photo sharing sites have shut down over the years. Even over the past weeks, we’ve lost several online services that people have come to depend on. Google just killed its RSS reader service and is screwing customers left and right by shoehorning chat users into Google+ Hangouts. Now we can add Boxee’s cloud DVR service to the list.

In what ways do you depend on the cloud? Do you have your cloud content available locally? Lets us know in the comments where you stand on all of this.

The post Samsung Acquires Boxee, Kills Cloud DVR Service appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

Editor’s Note: Unfortunately, it appears that Pandora has systematically and permanently blocked this from working on anything but Xbox and PlayStation device browsers. We are unaware of any further workarounds.

Unhappy about that? Let @pandora_radio know that Pandora should open the 10-foot interface at tv.pandora.com to any Chrome browser as an unsupported beta.

Pandora recently released a brand new HTML5 10-foot interface targeted at the Xbox 360.  HTML5 works everywhere, right?  Surely it it would work on any PC including Windows Media Center PCs…. Guess again.  It was massively disappointing to discover that, for whatever reason, it is not open to any browser.  If you go to https://tv.pandora.com/ like their blog post suggests, you will be met with an advertisement for how awesome Pandora is on the Xbox.  That is decidedly not awesome for the rest of us.  Luckily, there is a workaround!  At least for now, if the URL specifies a few parameters, Pandora can be fooled into thinking the browser is an Xbox.  Try this out:

https://tv.pandora.com/?mouseEnabled=true&dPadEnabled=true&vendor=microsoft&model=xbox&type=console&modelYear=2013

 

Updated:

https://tv.pandora.com/?model=xbox&audio=true&vendor=microsoft&showConsole=false&modelYear=2013&mouseEnabled=true&dPadEnabled=true&delay=true&type=console&version=4&badge=xrniqoryz3kpd46wj3kxto367senmsitdfuli3a

Oddly enough this workaround seems to only work in Chrome and Opera.  Windows Media Center and home theater PC users rejoice! Of course, integrating this with Media Center takes a little work (or a tool like Relaunch), so expect an update from us soon on that. Happy streaming.

Update: Looks like Pandora changed the parameters in the URL. Adding the new parameters to the URL appears to work the same as before. Thanks to John McGinley for pointing this out in the comments!

The post [UPDATED:] Using Pandora on an HTPC [Blocked] appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

The PCI-Express version of the [amazon_link id=”B003B4VLJQ” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]InfiniTV 4 can be had for $179[/amazon_link]. The [amazon_link id=”B005HQZTQW” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]USB version is going for $159[/amazon_link]. The [amazon_link id=”B008TZJ126″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Echo is marked down to $149[/amazon_link], and the [amazon_link id=”B00A4MW2I2″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]bundle with the PCIe InfiniTV 4 and Echo is available for $328[/amazon_link]. My Media Center, the tablet/smartphone app is on sale for $2.99 (down from $4.99). Head on over to Amazon for all of the savings!

The post Ceton’s Product Line on Sale appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

Today Peter Bright, Ars Technica’s primary Microsoft blogger, wrote about a supposed Microsoft internal email that debunked the always-on drama. Bright quotes the email as follows:

“Durango [the codename for the next Xbox] is designed to deliver the future of entertainment while engineered to be tolerant of today’s Internet.” It continues, “There are a number of scenarios that our users expect to work without an Internet connection, and those should ‘just work’ regardless of their current connection status. Those include, but are not limited to: playing a Blu-ray disc, watching live TV, and yes playing a single player game.”

One could continue to take a negative view by pointing out that this is a supposed leak responding to a supposed leak. Instead we’re going to take the optimistic, and logical, approach. It would be a mistake for Microsoft to only allow use of its next-generation entertainment console when connected to the internet. Some of the responses to this are especially laughable. One comment on Bright’s post indicated that this clearly proves that Microsoft did initially plan to enforce an always-on policy with the next Xbox, and that the mass hysteria that erupted forced Microsoft to change their stance. This is a ridiculous thought as it’s not as if the decision to require a constant connection would be an easy one to change. The next Xbox will be so much more than just a game console, as the Xbox 360 already is. Managing its connection to the internet will reside at the core of the entire system’s architecture.

Another interesting tidbit from the leaked email is that an internet connection won’t be required to watch live television with the next Xbox. Most are taking that as validation that Durango will allow live TV playback via an HDMI input. While that is probably the most likely scenario we’re going to wait until May 21 to get the rest of the details on that functionality

Source: Ars Technica

The post Next Xbox Doesn’t Require a Constant Internet Connection #DealWithIt appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

Last weekend the next version of Windows 8, known by the code name “Blue” hit the internet and made quite a splash. Since the day it launchedb I have been playing around with build 9364 and checking out what is included.

There are lots of changes and additions: SkyDrive has been integrated into the Modern UI version of the Control Panel, which is accessed from the Charms menu. There are new Modern UI apps, like Sound Recorder (which seems to crash whenever I try to open it), Alarms, and a calculator. There is Internet Explorer 11, but it is not much different from 10.

By now you have likely heard most of what has been added and changed in the next version of the operating system, but perhaps you have not seen it. So rather than droning on about what all is here, I would rather show you the screenshots I have grabbed over the days since this build leaked.

Remember: this is an early build and many things may still, and probably will, change. But it is a good first look at what you can expect. A word of caution if you are considering trying it out—do not make this your primary operating system. I have been testing it using Virtual Box and it’s buggy and just as likely to crash as it is to run.

The post Windows Blue: A Tour in Pictures appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

If the beta drivers don’t interest you then you can simply upgrade your card using the Ceton Diagnostics application. If the beta drivers are more your style, head over to the beta drivers page to get them.

[amazon_enhanced asin=”B005HQZTQW” container=”” container_class=”” show_border=”false” price=”All” background_color=”FFFFFF” link_color=”000000″ text_color=”0000FF” /]

The post Ceton Driver Removes Tuner Limit on Windows 8 appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

Do you recognize the name MJT Software? You should. They make one of our favorite Windows Media Center plugins: Recorded TV HD. Well, that same developer is back with another great Media Center plugin. This time they have focused on one of our favorite aspects of Windows Media Center: the screen saver. If you’ve never used Media Center that probably sounds ridiculous, but for anyone who has you’ll completely understand why we love it so much. At its roots it’s just a photo slide show, but we’ve always loved the way in which it displays the photos. We’ve often found ourselves just sitting and watching the screen saver instead of TV!

Mark Terborg, the man behind MJT Software, found himself often watching that screen saver too. The difference between him and us? He wanted it to be even better, so he did just that! He’s now launching a new product called My Memories for Windows Media Center.

My Memories is a replacement for the photo screen saver in Windows Media Center. For it to replace the built-in screen saver it’s going to have to be really good. As soon as it ran for the first time I knew it would do just that! Instead of just displaying one photo at a time it throws a handful of photos up on the screen at once. They are displayed like Polaroid pictures, with the date the photo was taken in the white matte section. Every few seconds (which is configurable) it will display another group of photos, but when it does so it will display them in a different layout.

The display of the photos is really nice, but what really sets My Memories apart is that it’s also interactive. On the surface that sounds silly. Why would you want to interact with a screen saver? You have to remember that these screen savers are so good that you’ll find yourself choosing to watch them. So what’s interactive about it? You can use the remote (or arrow keys on the keyboard) to select one of the currently displayed photos and zoom in on it. If, for some reason, you don’t want to enable the interaction you can turn that off in the settings. You can also customize how long the Media Center should be idle before displaying the screen saver.

There’s one other great feature to My Memories. It works on Windows Media Center Extenders! The built-in screen saver doesn’t even do that. Sticking with the theme of customizability, you can even configure My Memories to only be displayed on your extenders if you would prefer to stick with the built-in screen saver on your PC.

My Memories is a great Windows Media Center plugin, and we can easily see it being one of our most recommended plugins. There is one thing we wish we could change. By default it randomly picks from all the photos in your photo library. There is a way to customize what folders are used by the plugin, but it’s a little more work than we would like. You can find the instructions in the FAQ. Also, if you’ve made the jump to Windows 8 you’ll be happy to know that My Memories even runs on Windows 8 Media Center.

If My Memories sounds interesting you should head on over to the website and download the free demo. The limitation to the demo is that it occasionally replaces some of the images in the slide show with a demo image encouraging you to purchase it. If you like it then purchasing it won’t break the bank. You can buy the full version for only $5.

The post Announcing My Memories for Windows Media Center appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

We took a closer look at the new ZBOX ID83 while we were at CES, and the biggest improvement over prior models is the inclusion of an Intel Core i3 processor with HD4000 graphics. Intel’s Core series with HD graphics have always been at the top of our recommendation list for anyone looking for a new home theater PC, but it’s been hard to find PCs this small that incorporated these more powerful processors. If the Intel Core i3 3120M (dual-core, 2.5 GHz) isn’t powerful enough for your needs they will be offering it with a Core i5 option.

There’s obviously more to a PC than its processor though. The ID83 has 2 DDR3-1600 SO-DIMM slots supporting up to 16 GB of RAM and room for one 2.5″ hard drive. It also has HDMI and DVI-I outputs for video and optical audio out if you need that. It offers dual gigabit Ethernet ports along with 802.11n Wi-Fi backed up by two antennas. You will also be able to pair you Bluetooth devices with the computer as it includes built-in Bluetooth 4.0. There are also four USB 2.0 and two USB 3.0 ports around the chassis in addition to a memory card reader.

Clearly this box was meant to be used as Windows Media Center PC as it comes with an IR receiver and Windows Media Center remote. It’s also VESA mountable so that you can hide it right behind your TV. You can purchase a bare-bones model to supply your own memory and hard drive, or get the Plus option which includes 4GB of RAM and a 500GB 5400RPM hard drive. Zotac showed the ZBOX ID83 at CES this year, and they plan to make it available soon for under $500.

Press Release and Product Pages for ID83 and ID83 Plus

The post Zotac Shows New ZBOX ID83 appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

Instructions

Install the iCloud Control Panel. The first thing you’ll need to do is download and install Apple’s iCloud Control Panel for Windows. The setup program installs the components required to access and synchronize your iCloud content with your PC.

Sign in to iCloud. Once the installation is complete, you’ll be prompted to sign in to iCloud with your Apple ID. Presumably, you already have an Apple ID or you wouldn’t be interested in this tip!

Configure iCloud Options. iCloud can synchronize many different types of information and media to your PC. Note that if you leave iCloud’s default options enabled, your bookmarks, contacts, and other information on your PC may be synchronized through iCloud. For the purposes of this tip, clear all the options except Photo Stream—leaving only that one selected. You can learn about how to configure iCloud’s other features from Apple.

Choose which Photo Streams to Sync. Click Options for Photo Stream and decide which streams to synchronize with your Media Center PC. You can choose your own Photo Stream and/or streams that are shared with you. Note that if you include your own stream and you have Photo Stream enabled on your iPhone or other iOS device, all photographs you take with your device will automatically appear on this PC. By default, these streams are saved in your Pictures folder. You can change this if you’d like, but leaving it set to the default folder will ensure that the photos appear in Media Center.

Once that’s all set, click OK and Apply, then click Close. Open Explorer, and you’ll notice that the Photo Stream folder has been added to your Pictures folder and it’s been set up as a Favorite.

View your Photo Stream in Media Center. Now start Windows Media Center, and select the Picture Library tile under Pictures + Videos. You’ll notice the Photo Stream appears in your Picture Library, and you can choose between My Photo Stream and Shared streams. (There’s also an Uploads folder that you can use to push photos from your PC to your Photo Stream. You might delete this folder if you don’t intend to do that.)

The post Media Center Quick Tip – View Your iCloud Photo Stream in Media Center appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

The software has come a long way since those early days. It can now play on almost any platform, most recently Android.

However, like the other WMC competitors, it is usually meant for a home theater PC (HTPC), although it can be run on Apple TV and the aforementioned Android, which is still in beta and requires installation from an APK file.

However, now Arctic has released an XBMC set top box that can replace that home-built HTPC. The MC001-XBMC packs a lot of power, all in a pre-built box.

Specs:

• Dual Core Intel Atom D525 processor
• 2 GB of DDR3 RAM
• 1 TB  HDD
• XBMC 12 (Frodo) with OpenELEC
• DVD optical drive
• 7.1 Dolby audio
• 5 USB ports
• SPDIF optical audio out
• IR receiver with remote
• WiFi and Ethernet connectivity

The box also supports a number of file formats, including almost any audio and video file you can throw at it. In addition, you can even use .ISO files, which many of you probably will not need to worry about, but certainly brought a smile to my face. You see, I prefer to rip DVD’s to .ISO in order to save menus and extras.

All of this does not come cheap – the MC001-XBMC retails for $459, but if you care to grab your wallet now then you can get a major discount. The box currently is available for $229, but there is no word on how long this offer will be available.

While this device does pretty much anything you could want, even at the discounted price, it is still a bit pricey, given that a Google TV box, which can run XBMC, can be had for $99. Still, it is a nice package and worth taking a look at, especially if you are frustrated with Microsoft’s treatment of WMC in Windows 8.

Source: Arctic

The post Arctic Releases an XBMC Set Top Box, Bring Your Checkbook appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

Your product key must be activated no later than January 31, 2013.

Oddly enough, the email(s) that you’ve received says that it must be activated no later than February 1. Either way, time is running out! If you just can’t be pressured into making a decision right now there is a bright spot. If you don’t act now, but decide you want it later, it will only set you back $9.99.

You only have about ten days left to activate that Media Center key, so will you? We want to know! With so little time remaining, will you be installing Media Center on your Windows 8 machines? Answer in our poll!

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Thanks for reminding us Brent!

The post Time Running Out to Install Windows 8 Media Center for Free (Poll) appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

• If you bought a Windows 7 PC after June 2nd, 2012 you can upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for only $14.99.
• If you have Windows XP SP2 or newer you can upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for only $39.99.
• If you have a Windows 8 PC you can purchase the Windows 8 Pro Pack for $69.99.
• If you already have Windows 8 Pro you can get a key for Windows Media Center for free.

All of these offers expire after January 31, 2013. After that the prices go up as follows:

• Upgrading any PC to Windows 8 Pro will cost $199.99.
• Upgrade any PC to Windows 8 for $119.99.
• Upgrade a Windows 8 machine to Windows 8 Pro for $99.99.
• Adding Windows Media Center to Windows 8 Pro will cost $9.99.

For all of the details check out the Windows Blog.

The post Windows 8 Promotional Pricing Ending Soon appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

Without a doubt, SiliconDust’s Project:Connect was the thing we were the most excited about at CES 2013. The first phase of SiliconDust’s project is to allow owners of the current HDHomeRun Prime the ability to stream live TV to DLNA connected devices. That phase has officially started. You can head over to SiliconDust’s DLNA Beta Program site to register for early access into the beta. For the time being it is fairly limited. The current HDHomeRun Prime doesn’t support transcoding, so you’ll be streaming the native mpeg-2 video over you network. While you’ll technically be able to stream copy-protected content, you’ll need to be streaming to a DTCP-IP certified device. Unfortunately the only popular device capable of that right now is the PlayStation 3. Again, this is just the first step in SiliconDust’s bigger plan, but it should be a promising one. If you already have an HDHomeRun Prime, go sign up for the beta. If you’d like more information about it, check out our introduction, and full video walk-through here.

The post SiliconDust Launches Project:Connect Beta appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

We’ve been big fans of the Ceton Companion apps since they first launched. In fact, the for the last two years they’ve received “best of” awards from us during our year-end wrap-up shows. Perhaps what we’ve liked more than any single feature is that they are constantly being updated. With that, Ceton has launched a Windows 8/RT app, and updated the already existing iOS, Android, and Window Phones apps. With the updates also comes a new name. It is now called My Media Center. Ceton wanted to make it abundantly clear that all you need to use their app is a Windows Media Center box. You don’t need a Ceton InfiniTV tuner at all.

My Media Center for Windows 8 is the brand new release, and it is definitely the most polished of Ceton’s apps on its initial release date. Whether you’re looking through your movie library, recorded TV, or checking out what is premiering tonight, the design is always clean. Like Ceton’s other apps you have the ability to view your movie library, manage your recorded TV, browse the guide, view premieres, and control multiple Windows Media Center PCs and Extenders around your network. It even offers universal search through all of your media.

The DMZ has a lot of big fans of Windows 8. What we really like is when a Windows 8 app is really written to the design guidelines that Microsoft has put out, and when it takes advantages of the great features Windows 8 offers. My Media Center follows the vast majority of the design guidelines and supports the major features of the OS. For example, you can use the built in Search charm to search throughout the app. It also supports “snapped” viewing quite intuitively. In short, if you geek out on Windows 8 design (like we do) you’ll love all the effort that was put into My Media Center.

If you’re a Windows Media Center user you owe it to yourself to be using My Media Center to remotely manage it. If you have a Windows tablet then pairing it with this app will give you the best mobile management experience available. The Windows 8 version of My Media Center takes an app that we’ve loved for so long, and makes it even better. It’s simply the best version of the app available.

You can download My Media Center from the Windows Store for only $4.99.

The post Ceton Companion on Windows 8 and Renamed to My Media Center appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

Thanks to John for the tip!

Source: Microsoft Support

The post Windows Update Fixes Low Quality Video Issues with Windows 8 Media Center Extenders appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

The next item that Intel had to show was their forthcoming 22nm Atom system-on-a-chip processor, codenamed “Bay Trail”. It is the follow up to the Clover Trail line that is already offered in many devices including Windows 8 tablets. Bay Trail will be more than twice as powerful as the current generation of Atom processors and will also be quad-core. We can expect to see devices utilizing this new chip around holiday 2013.

Intel also discussed their next generation of the Core series processors and their specific requirements for any laptop wanting to use the Ultrabook designation. The battery life increase in the 4th generation Core series processors is the greatest increase in one generation in the history of Intel. These new processors will also support Connected Standby in Windows 8. This is the feature present in Clover Trail devices that keeps a very low-power consumption network connection active even while the PC is in standby. This allows it to always keep apps, such as your email, up to date. There is also new antitheft technology built in to help disable your PC if it’s stolen. Intel is also requiring that new Ultrabooks have a touchscreen and Intel’s wireless display technology called WiDi. They showed off a reference detachable laptop/tablet with a 4th generation Core series processor that was only 10mm thick, 850 grams, and could last for more than 10 hours on battery power. When docked with the keyboard it would last 13 hours. Maybe even more surprisingly, Intel is saying that devices like this should cost $799 or $899.

Intel also briefly talked about a partnership they have with Comcast to provide a new premium TV experience. It uses a Comcast Xfinity device that essentially creates a media gateway that allows devices around the house to watch live and recorded TV on their devices without using a set-top box. Unfortunately Intel didn’t offer any details. Potentially even more frustrating is that the press release seems to indicate that it would only be compatible with next generation Intel powered devices.

The press conference concluded with a look at Intel’s Preceptual Computing platform. The idea is to involve more of your senses when using a computer. They showed a 3D depth camera, similar to Microsoft’s Kinect, that they claimed could accurately track finer movement. When they actually showed a demo it didn’t look nearly as accurate as they had described it.

While we certainly wouldn’t call anything that Intel showed revolutionary, there were a lot of very nice improvements to their line of products. And let’s not forget, this company is absolutely dominating the PC processor space, and the enhancements that they are making to their products for tablets could keep them in the lime light for a long time to come.

The post Intel Takes Evolutionary, but Promising Steps Forward appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

We hoped to see the miniStack MAX on OWC’s virtual shelves last year after drooling over their hardware prototype at CES. But this year at CES Unveiled, representatives from OWC report that units are in a production run right now, and they expect to announce pricing and start distribution in just 2–3 weeks.

If you don’t remember the details, here’s a quick refresher: this external storage device has the same footprint as the latest-generation Mac mini, space for a SATA hard drive plus an eSATA interface, a USB 3.0 hub, Firewire ports, an SD slot, and a slot optical drive.

There are new details, too: the optical drive will be a Blu-ray writer. If they still go with the slot drive from the original hardware design, this will be one of the only external slot-drive Blu-ray solutions we’ve seen. With the Mac mini decidedly lacking in an on-board optical media drive, it’s the ideal companion device and the missing piece to turn the Mac mini into the perfect home theater PC.

Expect a thorough review from us once this product is available for review. With the promise of adding Blu-ray and eSATA support to the mini, this is one product we’re eager to get our hands on.

The post Mac mini + Blu-ray = HTPC Heaven, Courtesy of Newer Technology appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.

Fortunately a Microsoft employee posted at the Windows Experts Community about a fix being rolled out across the UK. No details were provided as to what caused the outage or even how it is being fixed. They say that the solution to the issue has already been deployed for users in the UK. If you’re in Ireland you’ll need to wait a little while longer though.

From the forum post:

Microsoft is aware of the issue with the Electronic Programming Guide for Windows Media Center in the UK and Ireland. We have identified the cause and have already deployed a fix for the UK. A solution for Ireland is in the works and we will issue an update when the issue is resolved.

We apologize for the inconvenience to Windows Media Center users in these countries.

Source: The Windows Experts Community

The post Guide Data Fix Rolling Out for UK and Ireland appeared first on The Digital Media Zone.