Post from: My Media Center Blog

Post from: My Media Center Blog

Fortunately for me, my cable company has not yet implemented SDV so I haven’t really been concerned about the tuning adaptor. I know a lot of people have been affected by it (including Andres), so I’m sure they are all ecstatic to hear this news. I’m more excited to finally get recordings that can be played on other PCs and carried over to a clean install of Windows 7!

Here’s to hoping that this actually gets released fairly quickly! Come on ATI, get with it already!!!

Post from: My Media Center Blog

To take advantage of the deal, click on the link for the hard drive above and then scroll down and look for “Combo Deals” on the left hand side of the screen. Click “view all” and it will be the 3rd one down in the list. Just click “Buy This Combo” and you’re on your way to getting a sweet deal on a 1TB hard drive and dock!

Post from: My Media Center Blog

If you don’t mind going the refurbished route, Buy.com has Microsoft Certified Refurbished Xbox 360 (read FULL 1 year warranty, same as brand new) that includes an HDMI Xbox 360 with 20GB hard drive, extra wireless controller, and 3 games for only $199.99 with free shipping!

Post from: My Media Center Blog

You may remember from a previous post that I set up an older Dell PC to be my Home Server and I couldn’t be happier with it. If you don’t have an old PC laying around and are looking to get into a Home Server cheaply while also being energy efficient, this might be your best bet. No word on how long it will be priced this low so don’t take any chances if you’re thinking about getting one.

Post from: My Media Center Blog

Although it appears as though S1Digital has figured out a way to enjoy the benefits of Softsled, it’s not exactly what most of us wanted. In order to take advantage of this, you have to purchase a pricey Digital Entertainment Platform consisting of an Entertainment Server, a Media Center client, and a control solution. The package starts at a whopping $3,500, according to CEPro. I’m not saying it’s not worth the price, but this is most likely out of the average consumer’s budget for a home entertainment solution.

One of the first thoughts that popped into my head upon reading about S1Digital’s breakthrough was that if they can do it, someone else will figure out a way to do it too. I’m looking forward to seeing the Media Center community come up with a way to do this, just as they did getting CableCARD tuners working on an OEM machine when that was supposedly impossible.

If you want to read more about the Digital Entertainment Platform, be sure to check out S1Digital’s press release.

Post from: My Media Center Blog

Post from: My Media Center Blog

We are pleased to announce the Windows Home Server Power Pack 3 Beta which improves the Windows Home Server experience with Windows 7 and Windows Media Center by providing the following new features: Backup and restore of computers running Windows 7, Windows 7 Libraries integration, enhancements for Windows Media Center, and better support for netbook computers.

If you are running Windows 7 on your home computer and are a current Windows Home Server user, we need your help!

Important: You will need to sign up as a beta participant of the Windows Home Server program on Microsoft Connect in order to download the Power Pack 3 Beta. https://connect.microsoft.com/WindowsHomeServer

New in Power Pack 3 Beta

Windows 7 Backup & Recovery

Windows Home Server performs a full image-based backup of Windows 7-based computers, allowing for a complete computer recovery in the case of a hard drive failure, or restoration of a single file or folder in the event of accidental deletion or loss. After the Windows Home Server Connector software has been installed on a computer running Windows 7, Windows 7 Backup warnings will be suppressed and users will no longer receive a notification to back up their computer. Windows Home Server can back up Windows XP SP2 or later, Windows Vista and Windows 7-based computers.

Windows 7 – Backup
Windows Home Server completes an automatic image-based backup of Windows-based computers every day.

Windows 7 Libraries

Power Pack 3 Beta will add Music, Photos and Videos shared folders on the home server to Windows 7 Libraries making the content available for applications such as Windows Explorer, Windows Media Center, Windows Media Player and other applications that use Windows 7 Libraries. This allows users to quickly access all their content in one organized place that is always available, searchable and expandable. Users can also search a specific library without having to know where the files are stored.

Windows 7 – Libraries – Pictures
Windows Home Server content is automatically added to Windows 7 Libraries after installing the Windows Media Center Connector software.

Windows 7 – Windows Explorer Jump List – Music Library
Users access the libraries through Jump Lists by simply selecting Music, Videos or Photos. All content is accessible from one organized location.

Windows Search

Windows Search 4 has been included with Power Pack 3 Beta to improve query search times, indexing times and reliability. If users are searching across multiple computers, extended remote discovery increases the efficiency of searching across all document libraries. Files encrypted with Encrypting File System (EFS) are now supported with search.

The image below is an example of searching across a music library where files are located in multiple places: the home computer Music folder, the home computer Public Music folder, and the home server Music shared folder. Users can add other locations to Windows 7 Libraries.

Windows 7 – Libraries – Music – Searching for Aerosmith music content on the home server
Searching for content in the library folder will not only search the home computer but also search the home server.

Power Pack 3 Beta makes Windows Home Server compatible with netbook computers that have small screen sizes and low resolution. A home server makes a great storage and backup solution for ultra-portable computers.

Windows Media Center Enhancements

Last March, Power Pack 2 added functionality that allowed Windows Media Center and Media Center Extenders to easily access the content on a home server. Power Pack 3 Beta builds on this functionality. When the Windows Home Server Connector software is installed or updated on a Windows Media Center computer, the next time a user starts Windows Media Center they will be prompted to install the Windows Media Center Connector. Users will notice a new Home Server selection in Windows Media Center menu.

Windows Media Center view – Home Server

TV Archiving

The TV Archive tile in Windows Media Center will give users the option to move recorded TV content to the home server in a variety of resolutions. The recorded TV shows are archived in the correct resolution for the type of device that will be used for playback. TV Archive is optimized for Windows Media Center computers, Windows Mobile-based phones, and the Zune player, however, any device capable of playing WMV files can take advantage of this feature.

· TV – Original Resolution

· Windows Mobile – 320 x 240, 500 Kbps, .WMV

· Zune – 640 x 480, 1500 Kbps, .WMV

Users can select individual TV shows, a series of shows, or all TV recordings to automatically be moved to the home server. Because Windows Home Server storage space can be easily expanded, users can keep all the TV shows that they want in their collection.

Windows Media Center view – Home Server – TV Archive view

Console Quick View

Console Quick View allows users to see statistics about the home server through Windows Media Center and Windows Media Center Extenders. This is a convenient way to view many aspects of the home server without needing to access the Windows Home Server Console. This feature allows users to view and monitor a number of home server indicators:

· Storage – Pie chart listing the percentage allocation of the home server storage

· Drives – List, size and health of hard drives installed on the home server

· Backup – List of computers being backed up and their current backup status

· Shared Folders – List of Shared Folders by name with health status and duplication status

· Media Counters – Count of music, photos, videos and recorded TV files on the home server

· Health – Health of the entire home network

· Home Server – System information of the home server’s hardware and manufacturer info

Windows Media Center view – Home Server – Console View

Timing of the Power Pack 3 final release has not been determined. With your help to test the Beta, we hope to release the update prior to the Windows 7 General Availability date of October 22.  Power Pack 3 will be a free update to existing Windows Home Server users via Windows Update. Thanks for your support!

- The Windows Home Server Team

Post from: My Media Center Blog

If I hadn’t already set up one of my old PCs to be a Windows Home Server, I would be all over this deal. If this sounds like a deal you want to take advantage of, act fast. It expires June 25th, 2009.

Post from: My Media Center Blog