The Digital Lifestyle.com: Windows Media Center news, podcasts, videos, forums and wikis

Boxee Beta Unveiling December 7

Ian Dixon — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 08:46:46 GMT

After Windows Media Center Boxee is turning out to be one of my favourite applications for watching media on my TV. It works great on the PC connected to my TV and works on my Apple TV too. So I was interested to see that in December they are planning to launch a new look beta at an event in Williamsburg with general availability at CES in January.

I think Microsoft need to keep an eye on Boxee

via EngadgetHD

Digital Cable Advisor Tool has been released

Ian Dixon — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 08:14:34 GMT

It looks like the tool that Microsoft talked about at CEDIA for checking if you system is capable of working with CableCard has been released. The tool called the Digital Cable Advisor should be showing up in the Extras gallery in Windows 7, after you have installed the tool it will run an analysis of your system and it will check things like graphics card performance. If everything passes you know your good to run a DCT

ATI also released the updated firmware for their DCT that enables the less restrictive DRM settings so you will be able to start playing with those commercial skipping applications

Of course non of this is available over here in the UK so checkout the gallery at Missing Remote

Entertainment 2.0-Episode 52: Quit Yer Whinin'!

Athursby — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 03:33:00 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.

	Entertainment 2.0 Subscriptions

How to launch 3rd Party MCE add-in with a Logitech Harmony remote

cw-kid — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:55:00 GMT

Following up on my recent post entitled How to launch Media Center directly in to a 3rd party app, I’ve been looking at how to launch My Movies and RadioTime MCE using a Logitech Harmony 550 universal remote control.

Searching on the internet it seems some people on Vista Media Center were using macros to move the cursor up / down, left /right on the MCE menu to click on the My Movies icon, which is not ideal and wouldn’t work on 7mc anyways.

Others were using software such as Intelliremote or ControlRemote however I did not want any additional software installed and running in order to achieve this.

So I have used a keyboard shortcut method, however there is one issue with this, you need a Microsoft MCE 2005 IR keyboard to teach the Harmony the IR codes of the keyboard shortcuts. Luckily for me I had one of these MCE keyboards kicking about the place.

First thing I did was to create two new shortcuts for Windows Media Center one to launch My Movies and the other to launch RadioTimeMCE. I used the method I described in my last post here to create these shortcuts. I didn’t want them on the desktop so I created a folder in my Start Menu called MCE Custom Shortcuts.

In this folder are my two Media Center shortcuts:

Windows Media Center – My Movies

Target: %windir%\ehome\ehshell.exe /entrypoint:{8984aed5-7c9d-42f0-b2ad-c39bbcf04a25}\{810d7b87-1300-4aed-a700-1c6179f8f14b}

Windows Media Center – RadioTime MCE

Target: %windir%\ehome\ehshell.exe /entrypoint:{4c36cf23-bf48-4f93-86c5-78009734d21a}\{4c36cf23-bf48-4f93-86c5-78009734d21b}

Now we need to assign some keyboard shortcuts to these Windows Media Center shortcut icons.

Note: Important, only create your keyboard shortcut key after you have moved the custom shortcuts to the start menu. As the first time I created the icons on the desktop, then set the keyboard shortcut keys and then moved them from the desktop to the start menu, however I found the keyboard shortcuts then did not work so I had to remove them and add them again.

Creating the keyboard shortcut keys:

Right click on the first Windows Media Center shortcut from the start menu as shown above in this case the My Movies one. Select properties from the menu.

Click in to the Shortcut key field with your mouse and then enter a key combination on the keyboard. You can probably use any thing you like here I used Ctrl + Alt + M

Click Apply and then OK.

Now repeat this process for any other icons you are setting up, in this case the RadioTime MCE one.

For this one I used Ctrl + Alt + R

Test that they work by entering the newly created Keyboard shortcut keys and ensure Media Center is launched into the correct 3rd party add-in.

Ok now our Media Center PC is configured we need to use the MCE 2005 IR keyboard and the Harmony software.

I am presuming your have already added your Media Center PC so just click the Learn IR button under the Media Center PC device.

Click for larger image

Scroll down to the bottom of the list and in the Learn a New Command type “My Movies” and then click the Learn New Command button.

Click for larger image

Now this is where the MCE 2005 IR keyboard comes in to play, line it up with the Harmony remote control and then enter the keyboard shortcut key you setup earlier on the Media Center PC. In this case it was Ctrl + Alt + M

It should then say Key Detected, the Harmony software will ask you to confirm this key again and hopefully after that it has learnt the new IR code.

Click for larger image

Once you have successfully learnt the IR code repeat the process for any other shortcuts you are setting up, in my case I got the Harmony to learn another command called RadioTime using the Ctrl + Alt + R keyboard shortcut key.

Finish the wizard and click Done

Now you need to assign your new commands, in the Harmony software go back to the Device tab and click the Settings button on the Media Center PC device. Then select Adjust Inputs from the list and click Next.

On this screen I chose to delete the My DVDs and Radio inputs as these are for the inbuilt DVD / Movie Library and Radio area’s of Media Center which I won’t be using.

I then added two new inputs one called “My Movies” and one called RadioTime”

Click for larger image

On this next screen you assign the new inputs to your newly created commands that will now appear in the drop down list.

Assigning My Movies input to the My Movies command

Click for larger image

Assigning RadioTime input to the RadioTime command

Click for larger image

Finish the wizard and click Done.

Now save the changes to the remote control.

On my model the Harmony 550, I click the Devices button on the remote control, select Media Center and I can then scroll through the pages on the screen and see the new options My Movies and Radio time, when I press either one Media Center is launched in to the correct 3rd party application. Job done!

In addition you could assign your new commands to a custom button such as A or B for example.

Summary

I think this wasn’t such a bad way to set this up as you don’t need to install any additional software, the only downside is you need an MCE 2005 IR keyboard which you might not currently have.

Next I need to figure out how to change the page layout and item order that shows up on the remote controls LCD screen and bring my new entries to the first page.

Taking a break this week

Ian Dixon — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:26:43 GMT

I have been away this week so The Media Center Show is taking a week off, I will be back next week talking Windows Media Center and the digital lifestyle with email, news and an interview

Don’t forget to keep your emails coming in and don’t forget about the TDL Reader the Windows Media Center addin that enables you to get all of the content from TDL directly in Media Center and its completely free!

Download the 32bit or the 64bit version

Taking a break this week

Ian Dixon — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:26:00 GMT

I have been away this week so The Media Center Show is taking a week off, I will be back next week talking Windows Media Center and the digital lifestyle with email, news and an interview

Download the 32bit or the 64bit version

MSN UK launch music download service beta

Ian Dixon — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:17:42 GMT

Today MSN UK have launched a new music download service. The service offers around a million DRM fee tracks for download and seems to be focusing on music discovery like the Zune marketplace does. While the paid service looks good I will be interested to see how the free streaming service which will be going in to private beta soon looks.

I wonder why they don’t just brand it as a UK Zune service and get the Zune name out there, maybe it will be once it comes out of beta?

Try the site as http://downloads.music.uk.msn.com and also read Jamie Thomson’s post on it

Details from Microsoft:

MSN Music service will offer a large and competitively priced music library. Offering a rich web-based experience, users can discover, play and download music as well as enjoy features such as personalised playlist creation. The music library will constantly be updated along with artist information such as biographies and discographies. The music store will also integrate with the rich editorial content of the MSN Music channel.
Using a new or existing Windows Live ID, the new site makes it easy to access, browse, connect and purchase music. In addition, all paid for downloaded content will be free of digital rights management (DRM) protection.
MSN Music service will continue negotiating to add more songs, albums and content. The paid for content will allow users to download full tracks or albums (DRM free) and will work on a credit system, which is paid for by credit card.
Pricing Information:
Pack of 10 credits - £7.99
1 credit = 1 standard single
10 credits = 1 standard album

TDL Mobile Show #14

J. Ortiz — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:17:00 GMT

Sheldon is back this week and the show kicks off with him giving a few of his thoughts on the B&N Nook discuss in last week's show, along with news of some new enterants. Android then takes over with news of devices and OS updates dominating this week's mobile arena. Have a listen and leave a comment. Don't forget to subscribe!

[mp3]http://media.libsyn.com/media/iandixon/TDLMobileShow014.mp3[/mp3]

Listen Here (download mp3) - Subscribe via RSS - Subscribe with Zune - Subscribe in iTunes

Show Notes

Creative Readying e-reader?

Asus Eee Reader set for 2010

Droid Review on Engadget Mobile

Google Announce Android 2

Google Announces Maps Navigation

HTC Android 2.0 Devices Coming...No 1.6 In Sight

Droid Eris to Follow Moto Droid on Verizon

Blackberry Storm2 lands on Verizon in BOGO deal

HTC - No Android version of the HD 2, shows love for MS & WinMo

Big Announcement From SE Coming Nov. 3...Teaser Video Released

Nokia N97 Firmware 2.0 Now Available

iTunes Update blocks Palm Pre...Again
vodafone 360 service launches with H1 phone

App of the Week: Shot for Android

@JoseROrtiz, @SheldonW, @jondickinson

Super-simple, no config commercial removal in Windows 7

simonster — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:30:00 GMT

I think I’ve found something too good to be true. I was just looking about on codeplex and came across this project WTVWatcher by Paul Bruce. It almost has me shaking in my seat for it’s simplicity and ease of use.

What Paul’s done is created a little tool that requires no installation (but we will do a little bit to make it even easier!) that watches your recorded TV folder for new WTV files, when it spots one it uses Windows 7’s built in WTV to DVRMS conversion (which is rapid) to convert the program to DVR-MS. Very cool, nothing sexy, but brilliantly useful.

Okay, Okay, I know there are people screaming, but DVRMSToolbox does that and ShowAnalyzer can remove commercials without the need to convert them. Personally I don’t get on with the former, I know it’s really well loved and super tool and if you want all singing all dancing its the best choice. I however struggle with it, I’m simple like that. Second ShowAnalyzer costs money, which again is well deserved because it’s an excellent application and lots of work’s gone into it, but not everyone can convince the Mrs that it’s required.

So here we go, get rid of commercials in Windows 7 recorded TV…

Get the tool from the project on Codeplex
Unzip it to your Recorded TV folder
Run WTVWatcherConsole.exe then copy it to the Startup group on the Start Menu
Download and install Lifextender (it’s a dead project, but still my favourite for this stuff)
Once Lifextender has started up (it’ll be a blue orb in the notification area) right click the orb and select Options… the tick Automated Library Scanning and Automatically scan when new files are detected, click save and your done. Kick things off right away though by starting WTVWatcherConsole.exe

That really is it, files converted and commercials removed with no hassle. Oh and it’s all free! Oh yeah, and thanks to superbar goodness and using the built in converter you get a progress bar for conversions!

HeatWave makes a come back for Seven MC

cw-kid — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:03:00 GMT

One of my favorite little Media Center add-ins HeatWave has made a come back for Windows 7 Media Center in the form or version 1.2

The author James aka MCExtended posted details on the TGB thread here.

You can download HeatWave from the links below:

32 bit

64 bit

Clubhouse Tags: clubhouse , story , media center , heatwave

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!

	Entertainment 2.0 Subscriptions

ATI cards "struggling" with HD channels in Windows 7 Media Center

Ian Dixon — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 08:40:29 GMT

I read a report on PC Pro’s web site that some ATI cards are struggling with HD content in Windows Media Center. The post quotes forum members from AMD’s forums complaining that HD content from the BBC recorded via Freesat will not play on certain ATI Radeon cards. ATI told PC Pro that it may not all be down to ATI’s cards:

Despite the numerous complaints, AMD says it's not certain that ATI cards are to blame. "A forum poster on a British enthusiast site has drawn our attention to a possible issue with ATI Radeon graphics cards and HD content broadcast by BBC when used with Windows Media Center (in Windows 7)," the company says in a statement sent to PC Pro.

"We are looking into the matter and first need to determine if the issue mentioned on the forum is in fact related to our hardware, and if so, is it repeatable and persistent, or an isolated case with other hardware or software contributing to the problem. Once we have done so, we will determine next steps."

I don’t have Freesat or a Radion so I have not been able to test it, have any of you readers experienced any issues with HD in Media Center and ATI graphics cards?

Apple TV 3.0 software update

Ian Dixon — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 17:06:44 GMT

I have been playing around with a hacked Apple TV for a few weeks its nice and it can run some extra apps in its hacked form but I found the out of the box Apple software I found a little lacking. Now Apple have updated the Apple TV software to 3.0 and it has a new shiny UI

If your a big iTunes user then the Apple TV could be a good device for you but if looking at integrating it with your own content (like recorded TV) then it may not be the right device

Via Missing Remote

Apple Press Release:

Apple Introduces Apple TV 3.0 Software With Redesigned User Interface
Enjoy iTunes Extras, iTunes LP & Genius Mixes on Your HD TV

CUPERTINO, California-October 29, 2009-Apple® today introduced new Apple TV® 3.0 software featuring a redesigned main menu that makes navigating your favorite content simpler and faster, and makes enjoying the largest selection of on-demand HD movie rentals and purchases, HD TV shows, music and podcasts from the iTunes® Store even better on your TV. You can now enjoy iTunes Extras and iTunes LP in stunning fullscreen with your Apple TV, as well as listen to Genius Mixes and Internet radio through your home theater system. The new Apple TV software is available immediately free of charge to existing Apple TV owners, and Apple TV with 160GB capacity is available for just $229.

"The new software for Apple TV features a simpler and faster interface that gives you instant access to your favorite content," said Eddy Cue, Apple's vice president of Internet Services. "HD movies and HD TV shows from iTunes have been a huge hit with Apple TV customers, and with Apple TV 3.0 they get great new features including iTunes Extras, Genius Mixes and Internet radio."

The redesigned main menu on Apple TV gives you instant access to your favorite content. Recently rented or purchased movies, as well as other content including TV shows, music, podcasts, photos and YouTube, are accessible directly from the new main menu. The new software also allows Apple TV users to enjoy stunning fullscreen iTunes Extras and iTunes LP, including great new movie titles such as "Star Trek" or classics like "The Wizard of Oz" and albums such as Taylor Swift's "Fearless (Platinum Edition)" and Jack Johnson's "En Concert." iTunes Extras gives movie fans great additional content such as deleted scenes, interviews and interactive galleries. iTunes LP is the next evolution of the music album, delivering a rich, immersive experience for select albums on the iTunes Store by combining beautiful design with expanded visual features like live performance videos, lyrics, artwork, liner notes, interviews, photos, album credits and more.

Now Apple TV users can enjoy Genius Mixes through their home theater system and listen to up to 12 endless mixes of songs that go great together, automatically generated from their iTunes library. Customers can also enjoy Internet radio, allowing them to browse and listen to thousands of Internet radio stations, as well as tag favorite stations to listen to later. Apple TV's support of HD photos is enhanced with iPhoto Events, which simplifies finding your favorite photos on Apple TV, as well as iPhoto® Faces, which gives access to photos organized by people identified in iPhoto.

Apple TV users have direct access to a catalog of over 8,000 Hollywood films on iTunes including over 2,000 in stunning HD video available for rent or purchase. Users can also choose from a selection of 11 million songs, 10,000 music videos and over 50,000 TV episodes to purchase directly from their Apple TV or browse and enjoy the iTunes Store podcast directory of over 175,000 free video and audio podcasts. Purchases downloaded to Apple TV are automatically synced back to iTunes on the user's computer for enjoyment on their Mac® or PC or all current generation iPods or iPhones.* iPod touch® or iPhone® users can download the free Remote app from the App Store to control their Apple TV with a simple tap or flick of the finger.

Pricing & Availability
The new Apple TV software is available as a free automatic download to all Apple TV customers. The 160GB Apple TV is available from the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $229 (US). Apple TV requires an 802.11b/g/n wireless network or 10/100 Base-T Ethernet networking, a broadband Internet connection and a high definition widescreen TV. Video availability varies by country.

Apple TV easily connects to a broad range of widescreen TVs and home theater systems and comes standard with HDMI, component video, analog and optical audio ports. Using high-speed Wi-Fi, Apple TV automatically plays your iTunes content without setup or management.

*Movie rentals work on iPod classic®, iPod nano® with video, iPod touch, iPhone, iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.

The Media Center Show #229 – Andrew Edney

Ian Dixon — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:56:00 GMT

This week Window author and Windows Home Server MVP Andrew Edney joins me to give us an update on the Windows Home Server world including the latest hardware from HP and Lenovo and an update on Power Pack 3. Plus Andrew talks about Windows 7 and his new Windows 7 book!

I have a roundup of the weeks news and an update on my home Media Center project

[mp3]http://media.libsyn.com/media/iandixon/TDL_MediaCenter_20091029_229.mp3[/mp3]

Listen Here (download mp3) - Subscribe via iTunes - Subscribe via RSS - Subscribe with Zune

Vote for the show on podcast Alley - Join The Media Center Show Group on Facebook - Join the Windows Live Group - Follow me on Twitter

Listen to TDL Mobile, the show all about the mobile lifestyle!

Links from this weeks show:

Music by Ian Dixon

Clubhouse tags: clubhouse, media center, windows media center, how-to

The Media Center Show #229 – Andrew Edney

Ian Dixon — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:52:00 GMT

I have a roundup of the weeks news and an update on my home Media Center project

[mp3]http://media.libsyn.com/media/iandixon/TDL_MediaCenter_20091029_229.mp3[/mp3]

Listen Here (download mp3) - Subscribe via iTunes - Subscribe via RSS - Subscribe with Zune

Vote for the show on podcast Alley - Join The Media Center Show Group on Facebook - Join the Windows Live Group - Follow me on Twitter

Listen to TDL Mobile, the show all about the mobile lifestyle!

Links from this weeks show:

Music by Ian Dixon

Clubhouse tags: clubhouse, media center, windows media center, how-to

WindowsMediaCenterExperts Twitter list

simonster — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:23:14 GMT

In the last few hours Twitter has made a very cool feature available to all, lists. Yep, a list. Why is that cool? Well it makes it really simple to share tweets from people who know something cool about a subject, like er Windows Media Center.

I’ve created this list WindowsMediaCenterExperts and I’m intending to gather up all the experts so you can find out what they’re talking about in one place (other than thedigitallifestyle.com obviously!)

I need your help it’s very incomplete, and it right now only includes a few people from my list who I could spot in the 10 minutes I have before I get to the office. So what I want you to do is to nominate people to be on the list to me on Twitter by Twitter name in a DM or a @reply.

This list should be really useful to us all, thanks for the help.

[EDIT: Folks it looks like I jumped the gun, and the feature isn’t there for all. That said I can still build this list for us so send me your experts!]

DIY Windows Home Server Build - JukeBox

Ian Dixon — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:56:00 GMT

At Automatedhome they have great guide to building a DIY Windows Home Server. The box is called the JukeBox MKII and has an impressive 8 SATA drives and Mark does an excellent job explaining the components used.

The original version of the Jukebox used Windows XP so its good to see that replaced with Windows Home Server

The old server waiting to be upgraded

Use Google Voice with Your Existing Number

J. Ortiz — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 05:29:00 GMT

Google voice offer tons of features that eclipse the way your phone number works with your existing carrier. Unfortunately, in order take advantage of the feature rich service, you must forgo the number that you have been so loyal to, carrying it with to various carriers thanks to porting. Well, Google has now made available what they are dubbing a "Light" version of Google Voice that allows you to use some of GV's great features, like Google Voicemail, with your existing number. You can still opt for an additional number and simply add Google Voicemail to another phone if you so choose. Want more details? Head on over to the Official Google Blog for info.

Google Blog

How to launch Media Center directly in to 3rd party app

cw-kid — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 15:07:00 GMT

These command line switches have been covered before but I’ve seen a few posts recently with users asking how can I launch Media Center directly in to this or that third party Media Center add-in or into a particular area of media center itself.

I’ve just tested this out and I was able to launch 7MC directly in to Media Browser, My Movies 3 and TunerFree MCE, but this method should work for any third party entry point.

You can see a list of some of these command line switches here.

A new one for 7MC for example is: ehshell.exe /nostartupanimation which will launch 7MC without the fan fair start up animation.

Ok back to launching directly into our third party apps the command is:

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

So in this example I will show you how to look in the registry to find the application and entrypoint GUID’s for My Movies 3.0. but you can apply this method to any media center applications you have installed.

Open up the registry editor by running regedit

Navigate to the following area in the registry:

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

In here you will now see a list of entry point GUID’s down the left hand side, as shown in the screen shot, click on each entry on the left hand side in turn and look in the right hand pane until you see the Media Center application you want to launch into. In this case My Movies.

Click the image for a larger view:

Make a note of the entry point GUID value in this case it was:

{810d7b87-1300-4aed-a700-1c6179f8f14b}

Now on the right hand side make a note of the application GUID value in this case it was:

{8984aed5-7c9d-42f0-b2ad-c39bbcf04a25}

Now I have all the information I need to launch my Media Center directly in to My Movies 3.0 and my finished command line is:

ehshell.exe /entrypoint:{8984aed5-7c9d-42f0-b2ad-c39bbcf04a25}\{810d7b87-1300-4aed-a700-1c6179f8f14b}

So now I can either just create a new desktop shortcut for Windows Media Center and include my /entrypoint switch or perhaps create my own .cmd file to launch media center.

Creating a new shortcut to ehshell.exe in the C:\Windows\ehome directory

Copy and paste your entire /entrypoint switch after ehshell.exe as shown below.

Now when I double click this new shortcut for Windows Media Center I am always taken straight into My Movies 3.0 or any other third party Media Center application of my choosing.

And as a bonus tip, run this command to launch 7MC straight in to Netflix:

windowsmediacenterapp:{e6f46126-f8a9-4a97-9159-b70b07890112}\{982ea9d3-915c-4713-a3c8-99a4688b7c59}?EntryPointParameters=

I’m assuming these are global GUID’s and will work for all users? Let me know.

TDL Mobile Show #13

J. Ortiz — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 14:27:00 GMT

We may as well call this week's show the Nook episode! With Sheldon taking a little break, and Jon still battling with his ISP, Jose goes solo this week and dissects Barnes & Noble's eReader announcement and details. Of course it wouldn't be a TDL Mobile show without smartphone news, so Jose sprinkles a little bit of WinMo & Android news, and even a little strife between Nokia and Apple. Leave comments on the post and don't forget to subscribe!

[mp3]http://www.pxlconcept.com//blog/wp-content/podcast/TDLMobileShow013.mp3[/mp3]

Listen Here (download mp3) - Subscribe via RSS - Subscribe with Zune - Subscribe in iTunes

Show Notes

00:01:11 - Barnes & Noble Announces Nook

00:28:45 - Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10

00:31:36 - Google Hardware?

00:33:09 - HTC Releases Hero Kernel

00:36:12 - Nokia Sues Apple

00:38:45 - WinMo 6.5.1

00:41:34 - HTC HD2 up for Pre-Order on Amazon UK

App of the Week

00:42:49 - Mileage for Android

@JoseROrtiz, @SheldonW, @jondickinson

Watching TV without a Tuner

Ian Dixon — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 08:09:29 GMT

There are many ways of watching TV in Windows Media Center that don’t require a TV tuner and with new addins like the Sky Player and Internet TV it looks like Microsoft are pushing Media Center in the IPTV direction. However you don’t have to wait for the new addins to watch TV on Windows Media Center, Sarah Perez on Channel 9 has published a guide to some of the many 3rd party TV apps for Media Center. The guide includes TunerFreeMCE, Boxee, SecondrunTV and many others and it really highlights the power of Windows Media Center. If you install all the listed apps you will never run out of content to watch on Media Center!

Media Center without a TV Tuner

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!

	Entertainment 2.0 Subscriptions

Another Commercial Skipping guide and now even with CableCard!

Ian Dixon — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:35:10 GMT

I posted about Engadget HD’s guide and I someone missed Mike’s excellent post on how to do commercial skipping in Windows 7. As Windows 7 will bring a relaxing of CableCard copy protection the guide should work for HD content to, so follow the link to the 4 page guide

When the announcement came that ATI would be releasing a new firmware for its cable card devices which would properly support the Copy Freely protections of shows, I got excited. For the past 2 years, I have been a dedicated cable card user within my Vista Media Center to enjoy high definition recordings via Comcast, even though it meant ditching my favorite (and I do mean favorite) plugin, DVRMSToolbox, commonly referred to as DTB. Seeing people who have used the firmware already got me thinking happy thoughts...

You see, DTB is what gave me the magical power to analyze television recordings, find the commercials, and then skip instantly past them when I watched. And with ShowAnalyzer, I was even able to start this process while the recording was still going on! The original firmwares for the ATI tuners however had a copy protection flag on all recordings--whether the broadcaster flagged the show or not--which prevented the ShowAnalyzer from being able to scan the file. According to reports, with this new firmware anything NOT flagged as Copy Protected should be able to be scanned and thus allow me to use DTB and ShowAnalyzer once again

How to automatically skip commercials in Windows 7 Media Center

Ian Dixon — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:27:47 GMT

Ben Drawbaugh has a great guide on commercials skipping in Windows Media Center and as we all hate commercials its well worth looking at. The guide uses DVRMSToolbox, DVTAddin and ShowAnalyzer and takes you step by step through the setup process

Skipping commercials on a HTPC DVR has been around for a long long time, but it isn't always the easiest thing to setup. And even if you do get it working, there are so many options, it can take some time before you get it working the way you want it. So in the spirt of Windows 7 day, and the fact that the next major version of ShowAnalyzer is being released, we figured we'd write up a how to with a few tips and tricks of our own. We start by downloading and installing the main components; DVRMSToolBox, the DTB Media Center Add-in and ShowAnalyzer, and finish off with some troubleshooting for when things go wrong. So if you use Media Center, click through and never pick up the remote to skip a commercial again.

Good work Ben!

Video: Using a Small Form Factor PC as a Media Center System

Ian Dixon — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:32:00 GMT

For the last few years I have been using my Xbox 360 as an extender connected to my TV and have been really enjoying the Windows Media Center experience. But times are changing and there are more and more services come to the browser so when I got chance to try a Niveus ZONE I hooked it up to my TV.

I really like the flexibility having a PC connected to the TV brings and its just as simple to use as the 360 so the WAF has not suffered.

So I am going to do a series of videos looking at the pros and cons of using a PC and this first one looks at some of the reasons why I moved

(sorry the audio level is so low)

Download WMV – Download M4V – Watch via Youtube