Entertainment 2.0 podcast

Entertainment 2.0-Episode 52: Quit Yer Whinin'!

Athursby — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 08:33:00 GMT

Oh do we have fun this week! After moving through a ton of reader email and comments (THANK YOU!), Josh and Adam get into the question of fair use and recorded TV. How long should you be allowed to keep your recordings? Can you archive them forever or are you obligated to buy the DVD series once it’s available? We try to focus on these questions this week. (Notice I said we try. We stray a bit!) We had some great emails and comments this week and you’ll find links shared by our listeners below. Don’t forget to call and leave us a voicemail (1-877-856-4933), post a comment or email us your questions and comments. Our shows are getting better and most of that improvement has to do with listener feedback and questions like yours. We don’t know everything but if we don’t know, we’ll find out for you.

Show notes:

Click here to download Episode 52!

As always, we want to thank Dragon Global, creators of Show Analyzer for their support of Entertainment 2.0.

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Entertainment 2.0-Episode 50: Happy Halloween!

Athursby — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:47:00 GMT

It’s the week of ghosts and goblins and while you and your kids are pigging out on candy this weekend, take a listen to the latest Entertainment 2.0. If nothing else, hearing our voices should be enough to scare kids away from your house tomorrow night.

This week Josh and Adam are dressed up as Media Center enthusiasts who are wondering where their content is going to come from in the next 10 years. Will we even need TV tuners in that time? Let us know what you think!

Not much in the way of show notes this week. We take time to answer some questions, discuss the new Netflix and Internet TV functionality that we released with Windows 7 last week as well as bring up the old extender vs. PC argument again.

Thanks to those who joined us live this week. Even when we have audio issues it’s a fun time. Be sure and join us next week! Also, don’t forget, you guys help make our show. Drop us an email, leave a comment or a voicemail (1-877-856-4933) and we’ll include it in next week’s show.

Click here to download Episode 51.

Don’t forget, you can support us by supporting our sponsor, Dragon Global. Show Analyzer is still the only commercial skipping software that will touch a WTV file. Why watch ads when you can just get back to your show!

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Entertainment 2.0 Episode 50: Windows 7 Launch Party

Athursby — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 23:33:00 GMT

After almost ten months of testing, reinstallations and general playing around, it’s finally time to get that retail version of Windows 7 installed and start enjoying everything that Microsoft has brought to the table in 7MC. We’ve already posted about why you should bite that bullet and upgrade and for this week’s show we discuss not only the new features of 7MC but some of our favorites as well.

To celebrate the release of Windows 7, not only were we joined by Show Analyzer creator, Jere Jones, but it was our first live show in a long time. Thanks to the folks that were able to join us and we hope you come back! As of now we’ll be broadcasting on Ustream every Wednesday at 8PM Eastern. You can go to the Entertainment 2.0 page here on The DMZ to listen.

Also, to add to the celebration, we were able to give away what we called our “Windows 7 Media Center Starter Pack”. This included:

Windows 7 Ultimate (Provided by Dragon Global)
Show Analyzer (Provided by Dragon Global)
My Movies 3 (Provided by Brian Binnerup)

Congratulations to Mike, who was listening live, on winning the prize pack!

We had a ton of emails and comments to review this week and we appreciate everyone who takes the time to write. You help make the show. This week we’re asking for comments about what your favorite Windows 7 feature is. We’ll share them next week.

Don’t forget to give us a call and leave us a message as well. Just dial 1-877-856-4933 and leave us a message. We like getting our listeners on the show so keep them coming!

Show Notes:

MKV to WTV with ToDVR-MS (thanks Ogre!)
Voicemail
Comments and Email
New Windows 7 features
Our favorite Windows 7 features

Click here to download Episode 50!

Entertainment 2.0 is sponsored by Dragon Global. We thank them for their support!

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Entertainment 2.0 Windows 7 Launch Party!

Athursby — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 13:31:00 GMT

With the launch of Windows 7 on Oct. 22nd, we’ve decided to celebrate and we want to include our listeners! First of all, on Wednesday Oct 21st, Josh and I will start broadcasting live again. You can join us starting on the 21st every Wednesday at around 8pm EST. We never start at exactly 8 but you get to hear the preshow chat if you’re there.

This week being the launch of Windows 7, we’ve decided to make it extra special. If you join the show live on Oct. 21st, we’re going to give you the chance to win our “Windows 7 Media Center Starter Pack”! What’s included you might ask? How bout this:

A copy of Windows 7 Ultimate (Courtesy of Dragon Global)
A full Show Analyzer license (Courtesy of Dragon Global)
A full My Movies 3 license (Courtesy of Brian Binnerup)

In order to have a chance to win, you’ll have to join us live this week. Only live listeners from the United States are eligible. Sorry everyone else. We’ll announce contest details on the night of the show. We’ll also be polling the live audience during the show as to their favorite Windows 7 features. If you can’t make it live though, you can share your thoughts here. Leave a comment and let us know what you like the most about Windows 7 and in particular, Media Center in Windows 7. We’ll include your comments during the show! So again, join us at 8PM EST on Wednesday October 21st for your chance to win a complete Windows 7 Media Center starter kit! Just head to the Entertainment 2.0 page here and you'll be all set!

Entertainment 2.0 Episode 49: Rippin' It Up

Athursby — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 12:26:00 GMT

We’re finally back after a one week hiatus and hopefully it’ll be the last one we take for awhile. We hope no one missed us too much. This week we start off by running through the comments, questions and emails from the last show. Thanks again for all of your feedback!

Once we get through the weekly stuff, it’s on to this week’s topic: ripping and encoding DVDs. You’ll find links for all of the software we discuss down below in the show notes. Much like everything else with HTPCs and Media Center, there’s no one way to do things and certainly no single right way. We try and give you all the info you need to get your collection viewable on your Media Center machine and your extenders.

Thanks again to everyone for writing in and calling. We wouldn’t have a show without you.

Show Notes:

Voicemail
Comments and Emails
Windows 7 In Touch Forums
New Media Browser Community Site
DVD Shrink
DVD Decrypter (Sorry, you’ll have to Google this one yourself :)
Make MKV (Same here!)
VideoRedo
DVR-MS Toolbox
DMZ Terms and Policies

Click here to download Episode 49!

Be sure to follow The Digital Media Zone on Twitter! You can also follow Josh and Adam individually. If you have something to share just go ahead and make use of that contact form or leave a comment for us here and don’t forget, you can be a part of the show by calling 1-877-856-4933 and leaving us a message!

As always, Entertainment 2.0 is sponsored by Dragon Global’s Show Analyzer. The only commercial skipping software available for Windows 7 and WTV files. Thanks for their support!

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Episode 48: First Fireside Chat of the Season

Athursby — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 17:42:00 GMT

This week, as Adam warms himself by the fire, he and Josh get a chance to cover all of the great emails and comments we’ve received in the last two weeks. You guys make our show what it is so keep them coming! There are a ton of options for contacting us and you’ll find them listed below.

We also take time to discuss your various 3rd party options when it comes to movie cataloging and viewing within Media Center. There are some great options out there when it comes to displaying your movie collection and we talk about three of them. Each has it’s pros and cons and you’ll find links to them below.

Don’t forget that your voice can be a part of the show! Just call 1-877-856-4933 and leave us a message. We’ll get you dropped right in. Of course you can always use the contact page to reach us or find us on Twitter!

Show Notes:

Click Here to download Episode 48!

Don’t forget that you can support us and skip some commercials at the same time! Entertainment 2.0 is sponsored by Dragon Global, creators of Show Analyzer, the ONLY commercial skipping solution compatible with Windows 7 WTV files.

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Episode 47: CEDIA 2009 Part 2

Athursby — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 19:20:00 GMT

We step back to CEDIA one more time this week but this show is a bit different. This week we get a great opportunity to talk to two people who were at the show and who help provide two very different perspectives. Joining us this week is Derek R. Flickinger of The Custom Integrator Show and Ben Drawbaugh of EngadgetHD. These two Media Center mavens give us the low down on what some of the CEDIA announcements mean to Media Center as well as provide context on where we may be headed. It was a pleasure to record this week’s show and we hope you enjoy listening to it!

We didn’t get a chance to get to comments and email this week but as always, we’ll be sure to get to them at the start of next week’s show. We do appreciate the feedback though so keep it coming!

In lieu of show notes this week, we’ll provide you all the links you need to follow not only us, but Ben and Derek as well.

Click here to download Episode 47!

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Episode 46: We Still Love You Europe

Athursby — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 16:31:00 GMT

Back again and now that CEDIA is finally over we can talk about some of the other news that came out of the expo. We can’t really call this part 2 of the CEDIA series since we’re saving that title for a special show. A lot of what we discuss continues to focus on CableCard but again, there was some other good news last week and you’ll find the links below.

Once again, our listeners haven’t disappointed us with responding. We had a lot of great comments and email that we get to share this week. Keep them coming! You can also always call and leave a voicemail-1-877-856-4933.

Show notes:

CableCard poll results
Emails and comments
Managed Copy shown at CEDIA
Dish Network tuners demoed
Ceton Tuner already in the wild
Media Center Studio
ZuneHD launched-Apps and Games on the way

Click Here to download Episode 46!

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Episode 45: CEDIA 2009 Part 1

Athursby — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 12:16:00 GMT

No folks, we haven’t split this week’s episode. We just figure there’s enough info to share that we’ll be spending Episode 46 talking about all of the CEDIA developments as well. Not only that but as of this episode, we’ve only heard from Microsoft and none of the partners so hopefully, we’ll have even more next week!

For this episode we’re joined by Richard Green, a long time Media Center user, and Josh Shenkle, contributor to The DMZ and regular guest, to go through some of the things we’ve already heard from Microsoft. This year it’s all about Cablecard and getting high quality, premium HD content into Media Center. You can read some of the announcements on The DMZ including the announcements that SDV support is coming as well as the fact that the OEM restriction for Cablecard tuners has been lifted. Great news for those of us like myself who are unwilling to use a hack to get that great HD content. We also discuss what the upcoming relaxed DRM restrictions mean to MCE users.

Thanks to everyone who left comments and voicemails. We used a random number generator to pick our winner and murphyr64, who left a comment and a voicemail is our big winner! He’ll be receiving a DSM-750 extender courtesy of D-Link. Congratulations to him! Keep the comments and VOICEMAILS coming!

We enjoyed putting voices with some of our listeners and we want to hear more. If you have a question or comment you’re always welcome to leave it below but consider calling our toll-free number and we’ll get you on the show! (1-877-856-4933)

Don't forget to follow us and our guests on twitter! It really is the best way to keep up on what is going on here on The DMZ and with Entertainment 2.0!

Click here to download Episode 45!

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Entertainment 2.0-Episode 44: The Listener Show

Athursby — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 12:49:00 GMT

It’s a slow, slow week leading up to CEDIA folks and with not having read the listener comments and email from Episode 42, we decided it was a good idea to turn the show over to you, the listener! This week Josh and I spend the majority of the show reading and responding to listener comments and questions. We always enjoy reading comments and emails so keep them coming!

Expanding on the comments from last week’s show as well as emails we received, Josh and I attempted to discuss some finer points of HD and premium content in Media Center.

We also take time to try and help someone get away from broadcast content and move to a full internet solution. While this isn’t really possible, there are a few apps that can at least help. You’ll find links below.

Don’t forget, we want to hear from you! Leave a comment, send us an email or use the contact page. You can also leave a voicemail at 1-877-856-4933. In fact, you may just want to do both this week!

Starting today until Wednesday September 9th at 12pm EST, if you leave a comment, you’ll get one entry to win a D-Link DSM-750. If you leave us a voicemail, you get two! By doing both you get a total of three chances to win this great extender! You can read Josh’s full review here.

Show Notes:

Content alternatives:

vmcPlayIt
tubeCore (free two week trial
tunerfreeMCE
PlayOn Server (paid app-required for vmcPlayIt and tubeCore)
HD-PVR on Sale at Buy.com (Sorry folks, looks like this one is gone but it’s still down to $204 with free shipping.)
All but the ZuneHD discontinued

Click here to download this week’s show.

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Episode 43: Why Aren't HTPCs Mainstream?

Athursby — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 19:15:00 GMT

Thanks for joining us for another show this week! This time we step away from discussing the latest Media Center news and even expand the show for the week to talk less about Media Center specifically and more about HTPCs in general. For Episode 43, Josh and I are joined by Andy VanTil, creator of DVR-MS Toolbox and Brent Evans of Geektonic to try and figure out why HTPCs haven’t taken off considering the value they add to people’s media enjoyment.

It’s another long one this week but you’ll want to listen to the whole show. Andy and Brent share why they believe HTPCs haven’t become mainstream and how that might change in the future. We hope you enjoy it!

Don’t forget to leave us comments here, email us using the contact page or, leave a voicemail at 1-877-856-4933 and we’ll get your comments on the show. We appreciate our listeners and your continued support!

Click Here to download Episode 43

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Entertainment 2.0-Episode 42: The Angry Show

Athursby — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 06:33:00 GMT

Back again folks! Thanks for joining us on this week of not such good news for Media Center enthusiasts. But, like any good enthusiasts, we take our lumps and keep moving!

There is some good news this week amid all the turmoil however. The best (for me) being that it’s now possible to convert non-MCE supported video containers to DVR-MS. Not only can you flip MKV and AVI formats to something native to Media Center, but the conversions are high quality and the software is free! Anyone who’s paid for conversion software knows it can be expensive and those days are over when it comes to Media Center.

We also get to the bad news of the week. Specifically the rumor that Dish Network has put their Media Center tuners “on hold” for the foreseeable future. That, coupled with the idea that’s floating around that the Zune HD won’t support AC-3 audio (used in ATSC recordings) is really a one, two punch to Microsoft supporters.

Show Notes:

Click Here to download Episode 42!

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Entertainment 2.0-Episode 41: Pete Stagman and PC Security

Athursby — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 14:18:00 GMT

Back for another great week of Entertainment 2.0! This week, Josh and I are joined by Media Center MVP Pete Stagman. Pete helps us walk through this week’s news and shares his experience with PC security and making sure your home network is protected from all sorts of attacks. He’s been doing this a long time and we appreciate him sharing his knowledge with our listeners!
We also get to announce the winner of our AverTV Combo G2 this week! The winner of this great tuner is Phil Lozen of Living High Def. Thanks to everyone who donated. It’s a personal cause for me so it is greatly appreciated!
We’ve received some great emails and comments lately. Keep them coming! Don’t forget, you can reach us by leaving a comment or using our contact page. You can also leave pictures of your HTPC and comments on the Entertainment 2.0 drop or call us and leave a voicemail at 1-877-856-4933. Leave a good message and we’ll get you on the show!

Click here to download Episode 41!

Show Notes:

Thanks again to Pete for taking time to speak with us this week!

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Entertainment 2.0-Episode 40: Netflix, Anti-Pack and Show Analyzer, Oh My!

Athursby — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 23:13:00 GMT

For being the slow time of year, there sure is some great Media Center related news out there. It’s only about one month until CEDIA kicks off and hopefully we’ll have even more to talk about then. For now though, we get a chance to talk about some 3rd party applications as well as a new feature that’s coming to Windows 7 Media Center.

For me personally, the biggest news this week is that Show Analyzer has gone public beta. That means that everyone can start skipping those commercials. Just take Show Analyzer, pair it up with DVR-MS Toolbox and you’re ready to go. And, Andy Van Til, the developer of DVR-MS Toolbox has been hard and work and given us Anti-Pack, the anti codec pack. Save yourself some trouble and have a look. Links in the show notes.

Click here to download this week’s show!

Notes and Links:

Don’t forget as well that you still have a few days to land an AverTV Combo G2 NTSC/ATSC/QAM tuner for your Media Center! Just go to Diabetes Action, donate $1 and you’re entered to win. Please add the note “DMZ Giveaway” to your donation so we know you’re entered to win the tuner. For every dollar you donate you get another entry so $1=1 entry, $5=5 entries, etc. All entries must be received by Tuesday, August 11th at 12:00PM EST. Help DMZ raise money for diabetes research and get a new tuner at the same time! Thank you to AverMedia for sponsoring our contest this month! There haven’t been too many entries so far so your chances of winning are pretty good!

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Entertainment 2.0-Episode 38: Catching up and More Giveaways!

Athursby — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 13:09:00 GMT

Back again and it’s time for another show! We spend this week catching up on the news since Josh has returned to the work-a-day world. Not only that but we’ve got another giveaway for you!

This week we take time to talk about some recent reviews that have been written regarding Media Center as well as help you save money on your Windows 7 upgrade.

Don’t forget, we want to hear from you! Drop pictures, MP3s or leave us a note on the Entertainment 2.0 drop or call us toll free and leave a message for the show at 1-877-856-4933 and we’ll get you on the show. You folks help make the show!

Show notes:

Click here to download this week’s episode!

As stated above, it’s time for another giveaway. This time we have the AverMedia AverTV Combo G2 tuner card up for grabs. You can read Adam’s review here.

If you’d like a shot at adding this tuner to your HTPC setup, it’s pretty simple. Just go to Diabetes Action, donate $1 and you’re entered to win. Please add the note “DMZ Giveaway” to your donation so we know you’re entered to win the tuner. For every dollar you donate you get another entry so $1=1 entry, $5=5 entries, etc. All entries must be received by Tuesday, August 11th at 12:00PM EST. Help DMZ raise money for diabetes research and get a new tuner at the same time! Thank you to AverMedia for sponsoring our contest this month!

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Entertainment 2.0: Episode 38-The Soothing Sounds of Josh Pollard

Athursby — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 21:17:00 GMT

We’re back for another week! No special guests joining but the show is still worth it, trust me. This episode was actually recorded a week ago so you’ll notice we cover some stuff that’s been out there for a bit. Josh is on vacation this week but we wanted to get a show out to you fine folks! We’ll be back up to date starting next week.

Just a few topics to cover this week and you can find the links below. We are looking for some feedback as well! We haven’t done a live show in almost a month. Is it something people miss? We’ve had some issues with it and while we’re happy to continue to record live, we’d like to know if it’s something people enjoy and if it adds value to the show. Let us know by leaving a comment here!

Don’t forget, we want your regular input as well! You can share your Media Center setup by using the Entertainment 2.0 Drop and you can leave us a voicemail with your questions or comments at 1-877-856-4933. We want to hear from our listeners!

Click here to download this week’s show!

Show Notes:

Be sure and listen to the whole show if you want to understand the title. A special treat awaits you at the beginning of the show’s closing song. Enjoy!

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Entertainment 2.0: Episode 37-PC vs. Extender: Part 2

Athursby — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 23:14:00 GMT

Welcome back to part 2 of our discussion on PCs and Extenders with Ben Drawbaugh and Josh Shenkle. We continue right where we left off last week and this half is a bit longer. Just chock full of great info though so listen closely.

We still want to hear from you! You can upload pictures of your setup or leave us a note over at the Entertainment 2.0 drop or you can call and leave us a voicemail at 1-877-856-4933. Questions? Comments? Want to make fun of Josh? Leave us a message and we’ll get you on the show. We like audience participation!

Click here to download Part 2 of Episode 37

You can click here to head back and download Part 1 if you missed it.

We want to thank Ben and Josh for joining us for this double episode. Great guests make for some great conversations and these guys were great guests! Maybe we can convince them to come back some time.

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Entertainment 2.0: Episode 37-PC vs. Extender: Part 1

Athursby — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 19:38:00 GMT

You read that title right. This week is the first half or so of a two part episode. We had so much fun with our guests Josh Shenkle and Ben Drawbaugh that we ended up going for over two hours. This week we talk about the PC vs. Extender models for running Media Center and all of the things that factor in to making a decision on how to run your setup.

In this first of two parts, we talk about the PC side of the argument and some of the good and bad that you get with connecting your HTPC directly to your HDTV or viewing area. We also got to announce the winner of our first contest this week!

The bad part is that we didn’t announce it until the end of the show so you’ll have to wait for Part 2 to actually hear it in the show but we’ll go ahead and announce it here. The winner of the Hava Platinum HD is: George Condoyannis Congratulations to George on winning. We’ll be shipping that out this weekend and we look forward to hearing how it works out for him. We want to thank Hava for letting us have this contest!

Stay tuned to Entertainment 2.0 for more upcoming contests.

Click here to download Part 1 of Episode 37.

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Episode 36-Derek Flickinger

Athursby — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:36:00 GMT

This week we’re joined by one Derek Flickinger. You might know DrFlick from The Custom Integrator Show over at The Digital Lifestyle. He has some great insight into how to use Media Center for whole home solutions and he was nice enough to share them with us this week. It was great having Derek on and he’s welcome back anytime!

As well, we’re announcing our first contest this week! It’s our first opportunity to provide a prize to our listeners and we’re pretty excited about it. From now until 12:00 noon on Wednesday the 8th of July, simply answer the following question by using our contact form: What year was Interactive Homes Inc. incorporated? You can only get the answer by listening to the show so head down a bit and hit that download link. Or better yet, use one of the subscribe buttons further down and listen every week!

When you send us the answer by using the contact form, be sure and include your name and email address so we can contact you for shipping information. The winner will be decided by random draw during next week’s show. Pretty simple: The names go in a hat and the one pulled is the winner. Tune in next week to see if you’ve won!

What are you entering for you ask? This week we’re giving away a Hava Platinum HD. Adam reviewed this tuner awhile back and Hava has been gracious enough to let us give it to one of our listeners. Follow the links above to get all the details.

Click here to download this week’s show!

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Episode 35: Media Browser

Athursby — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 14:07:00 GMT

If you usually join us for our live show each week you’ll have noticed already that there wasn’t one. Luckily we have a really good reason for that! Josh and I had the opportunity to speak with Jas Manghera and Sam Saffron of Media Browser this week. We had to bump the show a day or two due to time zone restrictions but it was completely worth it. Sam and Jas share some of their insight into where Media Browser has come from and where it’s headed. Thanks to both of them for giving us the time to share it with you! We should be back next week for the live show. You can join us on Wednesday night by using the Entertainment 2.0 page here on The DMZ. We’re still working on which streaming service will provide listeners the best experience but we encourage you to join us if you can. Also, don’t forget we want to hear from you! If you have questions or something to share, you can leave us a voicemail at 1-877-856-4933. As long as it’s related to the show and family friendly, we’ll get you on the show. If you have pictures or would rather post a comment about your setup, you can use the Entertainment 2.0 drop to share those things as well.

It should be noted that we had a few Skype issues during this week’s call. While there were some sections that didn’t come out quite right, we believe you’ll still get all the great information about Media Browser that Sam and Jas shared with us. There’s also a “bad” edit in there but we just didn’t want to lose some of the information they shared. This is also the point that Sam joined us.

Click here to download Episode 35.

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Episode 34: MCE Problems and Debacles

Athursby — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 12:18:00 GMT

Yep, Media Center had some troubles this week and we talk about them on this week’s episode. First, Media Center made the news as an HTPC solution which couldn’t handle the DTV transition here in the U.S. It’s not as though it was a secret that this was coming so to see our preferred solution not be able to handle it was kinda sad. As well, it seems that during the RC stage of Windows 7, your Xbox 360 extender has to call home (using Xbox Live) every time you use it. This caused some issues this past Tuesday when MS shut down XBL for maintenance. While maintenance is something we expect, some people didn’t like the fact that their extender was useless for 24 hours. Thanks to all of the listeners for sending in the email for the show this week. You help make the show better with every email! Show Links:

OTA antenna suggestion from Carl (and some better pricing)
Dark Extenders

Remember, you can leave us a voicemail at 1-877-856-4933 and we’ll get you on the show. Thanks again to every one who joined us live. We hope to have a more stable solution for you soon. Click here to download Episode 34 or listen below:

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Episode 33: MKV and Twitter. Wait, what?

Athursby — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 15:57:00 GMT

We’re back for another week and though news all over the site has been slow this week, we think you’ll enjoy the latest episode of Entertainment 2.0. We cover a few topics this week and really get into some codec and container talk with a special impromptu guest, Jere Jones, creator of Show Analyzer. Jere was listening to the live show so we decided to get him on to help hash out what the Divx Technology Preview is doing to get MKV files playing on the Xbox 360 extender. Jere is currently working on his own filters to get this going and he shares a lot of what’s going on behind the scenes when you start streaming a file to an extender.

We also covered TwitterMCE this week. This application allows you to view and send tweets from inside Media Center. While useful, Josh and I both agree there’s something a bit better needed and we discuss it during the show.

A few general show notes for everyone as well. We’ve moved the live show over to Talkshoe. We feel this will allow us to provide a much better live experience for those who can join us during the week. The best way to get there is to head over to the Entertainment 2.0 page here on The DMZ and click the box to listen live. Also, starting this week, you can call us toll-free and leave a voice message for the show. Simply call 1-877-856-4933 and we’ll get your message on the show. If you have comments or questions, we’d love to play them during the show each week.

Show Notes:

TwitterMCE

DTV Transition: Rescan on Saturday morning

VOB streaming in Media Center

Divx Technology Preview

Click here to download Episode 33 or listen live below

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Episode 32: Pop Pop!

Athursby — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 12:39:00 GMT

Time for another show here during the first week of June, 2009. Thanks once again to those who joined us live. Unfortunately they probably got the best listening experience this week as the title of this week’s show references the fact that you’ll here some interference during the show. We’re not sure where this came from considering that no one heard it while recording the show. With changes we plan on making for next week’s show, this will be the last time we’ll have to put a note like this in the show.

On to the content. Media Center news has been lacking as of late. With E3 going, and the Windows 7 RC in the wild, Microsoft is obviously focusing on other things, as it should be.

We did find some news to cover this week however and we discuss several topics related to the Media Center ecosystem.

Show Notes:

ZuneHD A/V Dock is a Media Center Extender?
Firewalls and Virus protection on a dedicated HTPC
Free-to-Air satellite and guide data: a question for listeners
Windows 7 retail: October 22nd, 2009
Network DVRs
AverTVHD Duet

Click here to download Episode 32 or listen below:

[mp3]www.thedigitalmediazone.com/wp-content/uploads/ent20/ent20-episode32.mp3[/mp3]

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Episode 31: So...

Athursby — Fri, 29 May 2009 01:25:00 GMT

After taking a bit of a break, we’re back this week with number 31 of Entertainment 2.0. While there hasn’t been a whole lot of news since the last show, Josh and I cover several things that have come about including the talk about the just announced ZuneHD and how it might integrate (or should integrate) with Media Center.

Show Notes:

We didn’t take the opportunity last night because of after-show distractions but we want to once again thank everyone for joining us live. It’s always a lot of fun and as before we encourage all of our listeners to join in even if just for a short time. You can miss a lot by not seeing the chat room.

As always, if you have something to share, be sure to leave a comment here or upload pictures, audio files and comments on the Entertainment 2.0 drop.

Click here to download Episode 31 or listen below:

[mp3]http://www.thedigitalmediazone.com/wp-content/uploads/ent20-episode31.mp3[/mp3]

Subscribe to Entertainment 2.0:

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Episode 30: The Longest Episode EVAR (But Totally Worth It)

Athursby — Fri, 15 May 2009 20:08:00 GMT

You read that title right. This week we went over 2 hours but I have to say, you’ll want to listen to the whole show. This week, Josh and I are joined by Ben Drawbaugh of EngadgetHD fame for a great discussion on a lot of Media Center topics (with a healthy dose of fun). Ben has a lot of knowledge when it comes to integrating Media Center into your home and he shares it with all of us this week.

We did cover a few news items as well. You can find links in the show notes below. Don’t forget to share your Media Center experiences on the Entertainment 2.0 drop. We’re always happy to get info from listeners so let us know how you’re using Media Center in your home.

Show Notes:

Click here to download Episode 30 or you can listen below. Thanks again to those who joined us in the chat room. You guys make it a lot of fun! Also, thanks to Ben Drawbaugh for joining us. It was a lot of fun and very informative as well. Come on back anytime!

[mp3]http://www.thedigitalmediazone.com/wp-content/uploads/ent20-episode30.mp3[/mp3]

Episode 29: More Cable Card and New Toys

Athursby — Fri, 08 May 2009 13:31:00 GMT

We were able to go live again this week and it is fun! Josh and I both missed the live show last week so it was good to have the chat room there while we recorded.

Once again, we talked about Cable Card this week. You can find the link in the show notes which will show you how to turn any Vista or Windows 7 machine into a Cable Card capable PC. It’ll be interesting to see how this develops over time!

Also this week, we get to hear about Josh’s upgrade to his HTPC. He’s done a full upgrade and shares the parts used and how it’s working out so far.

This week we also talk a bit more about content and getting that online video we all want into Media Center. There’s a new app available and you can find the link down below.

Thank you to everyone who joined us last night. If you’d like to join in on Wednesday nights just head to the Entertainment 2.0 page here on The DMZ at around 8pm EST.

Don’t forget to share your setup and anything else you’d like us to mention on the Entertainment 2.0 drop. We’ll do our best to work your content into the show!

Show Notes:

Click here to download this week’s episode or listen below:

[mp3]http://www.thedigitalmediazone.com/wp-content/uploads/ent20-episode29.mp3[/mp3]

Episode 28: Gotcha Cable Labs

Athursby — Fri, 01 May 2009 19:32:00 GMT

This week’s show focuses a lot on content. Tools for getting it and breaking the rules. First off though, we want to thank Greg from the UK for sharing a setup he made for his parents on the Entertainment 2.0 drop. You can find a picture of the box and Greg’s write up below. Don’t forget, you can share too!

This week we cover several stories that came out earlier this week. You can find all the links below:

Don’t forget that The DMZ is actively seeking writers and podcasters. If you have a digital media related topic you’d like to share your thoughts on, you can use the contact link at the top of the page or email info@thedigitalmediazone.com. We’d love to have you join us!

Click here to download Episode 28 or listen below:

[mp3]http://www.thedigitalmediazone.com/wp-content/uploads/ent20-episode28.mp3[/mp3]

Greg from the UK:

Well someone has to be first…

Here’s the HTPC I built for my parents last year. The case is the HFX micro, it acts as a huge heatsink (note the fins) which the CPU and GPU are connected to via heat pipes. This makes it completely silent. Only when I put my ear to the case can I hear the hard drive, which itself is in a rubber sleeve.

The prominent VCR underneath is the main reason I built it for them. My Mum had dozens of videos under the TV with the show names written on the back of the boxes. With Media Center, she of course no longer has to shuffle through all the boxes. Also, as most of the TV watching was time-shifted, using the VCR meant nothing was recorded digitally, which seemed a pity. (Not that she minded, she also can’t tell the difference between SD and HD). In 2012 when the analogue signal is switched off (in the UK) the VCR would no longer work, so I had considered buying a PVR for them, but none of them looked that good. I tried Media Center, and wasn’t disappointed.

Recently, my parents Hi-Fi broke and my Dad was considering buying a new one. I showed him the Music library feature of Media Center in case he liked it, he did of course and now is happily riping his CD collection. I set up Windows Media Player on the desktop PC to rip and transfer the music to the HTPC over the network automatically (via homeplugs). The HTPC is connected directly to 2.1 speakers so that the TV can be turned off and music will continue to play.

I installed the excellent (free) LogMeIn remote access software to use when things go wrong, (I live a few hours away on the train) but this has been rare. To begin with my parents would try to use the old TV remote rather than the Media Center remote, so I had to hide it. They have become accustomed to Media Center really well, despite the fact that my Mum refuses to use the normal PC.

Love the show, keep up the great work,

Greg
York, UK

Episode 27: Josh Makes Babies Cry

Athursby — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 18:42:00 GMT

Welcome back to the show folks. We had a bit of trouble recording last night but family comes first and we were still able to get the show out today! The one good part is that I had an opportunity to pay homage to Monty Python.

This week we take time to talk about Hack7MC yet again. Michael Healy is really cranking out the hacks and customizations for 7MC and while we were going to talk about two of them this week, we ended up covering three! Find links below.

We also talk about the value of high end custom Media Center systems vs. building your own/buying from companies like Dell and HP. There are good and bad points of each and we do our best to hash them out. As well, be sure and listen to the whole show. I’m not going to post the link here but we’re making some changes that we think listeners/readers will be happy with. The podcast is staying the same, just moving a bit.

Leave us your comments or contact us on Twitter (Adam, Josh) if you have any questions, comments or anything else you’d like to share!

Show Links:

13 Million Media Center Users

Hack7MC-New 7MC theme

Hack7MC-Replace Movie Strip with Media Browser

Hack7MC-Color Channel Logos

Microsoft Smooth Streaming

Click here to download the latest episode or listen below:

[mp3]http://blip.tv/file/get/IanDixon-Entertainment20EP27423.mp3[/mp3]

Episode 26: I forgot!

Athursby — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 19:42:00 GMT

Note: Somehow, I completely forgot to come back and hit publish on this article last week. I apologize to all of the listeners who get Entertainment 2.0 from here at The Digital Lifestyle. The Bonus: You get two episodes in one week! Check back Thursday for Episode 27!

It’s that time of the week again. Thanks once more to everyone who joined us for the live show last night. I’m (and I think I can type for Josh) really enjoying the live aspect of Wednesday nights so I encourage you to join in the fun! Just click the “Live Show” tab at the top of the page and you’ll be all set.

We took time this week to cover a little news that’s come out recently. Notably possible MKV support in build 7077 or Windows 7 as well as the rumored ZuneHD and the possibilities it brings. We also touched on an article written by TechRadar detailing 7 companies that MS should look to buy. Two of them were Media Center related so Josh and I shared our opinions on those.

We hope everyone is enjoying the show. We look forward to your feedback! Comment below or send us a message on Twitter. We always want to hear from you!

Don’t forget about the Entertainment 2.0 drop! No one has left us any content yet and Josh is starting to get upset about the whole situation. Since his hockey team most likely won’t go very far in the playoffs he needs something to look forward to so upload your system pics or leave us a voicemail!

Click here to download Episode 26 or listen below:

[mp3]http://blip.tv/file/get/IanDixon-Entertainment20EP26530.mp3[/mp3]

Episode 25-ShowAnalyzer

Athursby — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 12:14:00 GMT

Another great episode this week. Josh and I were lucky enough to speak with Jere Jones, creator of ShowAnalyzer. We got a lot of great info from Jere about the history and the future of commercial skipping in Media Center, including a time frame on when WTV files will be supported. Have a listen to find out!

We took some time to cover other topics such as file conversion and Zune integration. You can find all the links in the show notes below. Thanks again to everyone who joined us live last night. It’s getting to be a lot of fun watching the chat while we record. Keep coming back!

Show Notes and Links:

Zune Job Posting
Video Conversion and DVD Ripping
Ben Drawbaugh’s DVR-MS Profiles
Slysoft (DVD Ripping)
Skibit.org (DVD to WMV conversion-Thanks to Richard Miller)
ShowAnalyzer—Commercial skipping and other fun with Jere Jones.

Thanks again to Jere for joining us and for all the listeners last night. Tons of fun! Remember, you can follow Josh and Adam on twitter. As well, upload your system pics and mp3s or leave us a voicemail at the Entertainment 2.0 drop.

Click here to download Episode 25 or listen below!

[mp3]http://blip.tv/file/get/IanDixon-Entertainment20EP25671.mp3[/mp3]

Episode 24-Random Thoughts and Issues

Athursby — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 16:20:00 GMT

With no one joining us this week, Josh and I take time to cover a few different issues. These are some of my favorite shows as there’s very little in the way of show notes. We sort of just go with it and it makes it enjoyable.

This is also the first week of streaming the show live. For now, we’re doing this through Ustream and you can listen here on the blog by clicking the “Live Show” tab at the top of the page or by clicking here. The show may be moving at some point but for now, Ustream works so we’ll go with it.

Some of the topics we cover this week:

Kids and equipment
Hulu playing games again
Software changes for us
7068 changes
Content…yeah, this one snuck in on us a bit

Entertainment 2.0 drop

click here

I’d like to take a minute to talk about audio quality with the show as well. While we do our best to make sure it’s as good as possible but unfortunately this isn’t always possible. Last week there was noise in the background. This week there is, from time to time a slight popping sound that can be heard. I believe that I’ve been able to take care of this but it’s a learning process. These issues aren’t anything on Josh’s side so I’ll take responsibility for them. I hope you’ll stick with us through the issues. We’re not in a professional studio but each episode will only get better!

[mp3]http://blip.tv/file/get/IanDixon-Entertainment20EP24542.mp3[/mp3]

Episode 23-DVR-MSToolbox

Athursby — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 19:14:00 GMT

Back once again and this week Josh and I get a chance to speak with Andy Van Til, developer of DVR-MSToolbox. Most Media Center users know about this app, but I’ll have to admit that I had no idea everything it could do. This episode we get some great insight into the app and where it may be headed. Not only that but Andy takes time to explain some of the underlying processes at work with both DVR-MS and WTV files.

We also touch on a little bit of a DRM issue I’ve been having and The Digital Lifestyle’s 2nd annual Enthusiast Competition.

Enjoy the show! Click here to download or listen live below:

[mp3]http://blip.tv/file/get/IanDixon-Entertainment20Ep23883.mp3[/mp3]

Episode 22 - Hacking 7MC

Athursby — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 20:42:00 GMT

This week on the Entertainment 2.0 podcast, Josh and I are joined by Michael Healy of Hack7MC. I frequently repost and link to Michael’s site because he really shows you how to tweak and get your 7MC installation working. Even if you’re not running the beta and are going to wait for a retail release, this is a site you need to bookmark.

This week we also take time to talk about Ian Dixon’s Media Center Health Monitor and how you can make use of this great tool not only for yourself but for other Media Center installations.

As always, we welcome your comments and questions. You can reach Josh through Cheap Geek and you can find me here! Also, leave your pictures, comments and voicemail on the Entertainment 2.0 drop.

Click here to download Episode 22

Or listen here:

[mp3]http://blip.tv/file/get/IanDixon-Entertainment20EP22911.mp3[/mp3]

Episode 21-Media Center vs. SageTV

Athursby — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 03:37:00 GMT

If you follow Josh or me on Twitter, you know we, along with a few others, have been pushing this out for a few days now. Today comes the episode I’ve been waiting to record, and I hope you’ve been waiting to hear for awhile now. This week’s show brings together 5 HTPC users to debate the finer points of Media Center and SageTV. Joining Josh and I are Brent Evans of Geektonic, Tim Campbell, HTPCentric co-host and Josh Shenkle of mnmaven.com. With Josh Pollard moderating, we go through some of the features of each system. Not much for show notes this week but I wanted to post two of the links we discussed during the show. These are related to plugins related to each software:

Thank you to Brent, Josh and Tim for joining us this week. It was a lot of fun and I hope this is something we can do again in the future!

Click here to download Episode 21.

Or listen live here:

[mp3]http://blip.tv/file/get/IanDixon-Entertainment20EP21120.mp3[/mp3]

Have you ever used another HTPC solution? If so, which one and what did you think? Comment and let us know!

Episode 20-How To Scare Your Spouse

Athursby — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 00:37:00 GMT

Welcome back for another show! Not a whole lot in the way of show notes this week. Instead of a lot of news, Josh and I take time to simply discuss some of the reasons why we use Media Center. We do cover a few other things however and you’ll find the links down below.

For the Question of the Week, we’re asking why YOU use Media Center. What got you started and why do you continue. Did you want to dump the cable DVR/Tivo or was Media Center your first DVR system? Let us know! You can find the contact info at the bottom of the post.

I’ll throw this out again as well: if you’d like to leave us a voice message to answer the question of the week, upload your mp3 to the Entertainment 2.0 Drop or call 646-495-9205 x 44828 and leave a message. We’ll be sure to include it in the show!

ngRC
Pete Stagman speaks with Doug Berrett (WebGuide)
Hulu—again

Click Here to download the latest episode!

Contact Info:

Adam on Twitter

Josh on Twitter

Cheap Geek (Leave Josh a message with the contact form)

Email the show

Episode 19-Call Your Grandmother

Athursby — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 18:39:00 GMT

Another week and another episode! We cover several topics this week, several of which are actually helpful. Josh also introduces a new feature to the show and we need your help to make it work! Each week we’ll now have a listener question of the week and we want to hear from you! This week:

How do you, or would you use home automation in your home?

We look forward to hearing from the community on this! You can comment here or use the links below to contact us!

You’ll have to excuse the audio this week. It’s all there but the levels are a bit off due to having to do some amplification. This is all my fault as I, for some reason, decided not to set my software up properly when I reinstalled it. This will only be for this week as I’ve already made the adjustments for the next show.

Thanks for listening!

Click here to download the latest episode!

Show notes:

Commercial Skip in 7MC:
1. 1. Lifextender
  2. ToDVR-MS and DVR-MS Toolbox
A Bit More Media Browser
Zune Coming to TV and Mobile? (Via The Digital Lifestyle)
Update your Windows 7!
Linksys DMA-2100 Review

Again, thanks for listening. I’m listening to the show while writing this and again, I apologize for the audio this week. It’ll be all fixed for the next episode.

You can reach us using the following links:

Email Cheapgeek

Josh on Twitter

Email Entertainment 2.0

Adam on Twitter

Episode 18-Welcome the Co-host!

Athursby — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 18:52:00 GMT

After a longer bit of time than what is now usual, the podcast is back! This is most likely the day you’re going to see new episodes released as Wednesday nights are when I, and the new co-host Josh Pollard, have time to record. Josh, who writes Cheap Geek, will now be hosting each week. I’m extremely excited about this and I think it’s going to add a lot to the show. This should be the last time you see the word “me” in the show notes!

Show Notes:

Again, I welcome Josh as a co-host and I look forward to our future episodes. He’s got more experience than I do and I hope to learn from him as we work together. Below you’ll find the links to follow each of us around the net.

Click here to download episode 18!

Episode 17

Athursby — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 19:47:00 GMT

A new week, a new episode. Thank you to Josh, the MN Maven, for joining this week. An avid Media Center user, he's been doing this long enough to know what works and what doesn't. I appreciate him taking the time on a Sunday to produce a great show.

I'm really enjoying these shows and I hope you are as well. Remember, if you want to join me for an episode, you're more than welcome! Just drop me an email, or DM me on Twitter and we'll set up a time.

Below you'll find some of the things we talked about this week. We didn't cover all of the news but to me, it's a lot more fun finding out how the community uses Media Center.

Click here to download Episode 17!

-HD-PVR working with 7MC

-HeatWave and OML

-TDL New Content

Hosting for the Entertainment 2.0 podcast is provided by The Digital Lifestyle. Thanks Ian!

Episode 16

Athursby — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 17:17:00 GMT

Welcome back to the Entertainment 2.0 podcast. This week I'm joined by Josh Pollard of Cheap Geek. Josh is a Media Center user and enthusiast and he's helped provide a great show today.

There aren't a lot of show notes to speak of. This week we cover some of the posts from last week as well as talk about Media Center use in general. As always, you can leave your comments, Media Center set up pictures, etc. on the drop or leave a voicemail at 646-495-9205 x 44828.

You can read Josh's blog or follow him on Twitter. You can follow me on Twitter as well. I look forward to hearing from more of you and hope you enjoy the show!

Click here to download episode 16!

Here are the few show notes we do have this week:

-Gizmodo Gets It Wrong

-Plugin Index

-EncodeHD 0.96 beta Available

-Boxee in 7MC

Entertainment 2.0-Episode 15

Athursby — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 20:36:00 GMT

Welcome to episode 15 of the big show. Nice long one for you today as Ray Casey of R* joins me not only to talk about his custom installation company but also to help run us through the news from the past week. This is the first time someone is joining me for the whole show and I enjoyed it. I'd like to get this going on a regular rotation (fits into the whole "community blog" concept I want) so if you want to join, send me an email or a DM on Twitter and we'll work on some scheduling!

Show Notes:

Interview with Ray Casey of Arestar (R*)
Custom Media PC Case
Media Center Diagnostic Tools
Windows 7 MSI Installer Bug
7MC Compatible Tuner Cards
How to Customize your Vista Media Center
We Live in Bizarro World

Click here to download this episode!

Thanks to Ray for joining the show this week. I look forward to doing it again. Remember, if you don't have time to do a full episode, I still want to hear from you! Upload your MP3 to the drop or leave a voicemail at 646-495-9205 ext 44828 and I'll put it on the show!

Bandwidth for this netcast provided by The Digital Lifestyle