Addicted to Digital Media

Windows 7 Launch Updates (including new offers!)

Sean Alexander — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:02:54 GMT

Watch Launch event live here at 8am.
PC World lines (courtesy Brandon LeBlanc). Why not? Win7 broke pre-order records on Amazon UK, ousting Harry Potter.
See what others are tweeting here or use the new Bing Twitter search in real-time here.
Launch offers here, as Microsoft Online Store starts selling PCs, 3rd Party software.
Have multiple PCs? get a Win7 Family Pack while supplies last.

Sonos S5 – On my Christmas List

Sean Alexander — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:19:42 GMT

Out sick today :( but had to share this overview video before heading back to bed. The new Sonos S5 - just what I need for the next block party.

Tip: Update your NVIDIA Drivers for Windows 7

Sean Alexander — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:55:52 GMT

If you're running Windows 7 and have an NVIDIA video card, now might be a good time to update your drivers. I recently learned of a fix that resolves some issues with Windows Live Movie Maker when you change aspect settings. Lasted WHQL-certified drivers are dated October 5th 2009 (out of the oven and just cooled).

Video HowTo: Zune HD AV Dock integrated into MINI Cooper S

Sean Alexander — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 15:37:11 GMT

As the number of cars with built-in 3.5mm Aux Audio jacks increases, one has to wonder whether those fancy in-car systems are really needed? Here you can see how I added HD Radio, and Remote control support with either a Zune HD AV Dock or Zune HD Sync Dock (which is cheaper but doesn't include an HDMI cable). The MINI Cooper S has a built-in USB port and despite the scary warnings from the manufacturer (BMW) regarding unapproved USB devices, it worked perfectly to provide power and charging while the car was on. Even if you don't have a USB plug, there are a number of affordable solutions in-market.

The only thing I didn't do was permanently mount the dock. Either way, the AV dock is just the right size to mount to a cupholder/organizer/insert, something I intend to add later. FM reception may vary as well depending on where you put the FM/HD Radio antenna - (the smurf-blue item you see in the still shot above was used to tuck the FM antenna under the carpet).

My only real complaint is needing to control the top-level UI via touch instead of completely from the remote. This is because the AV dock is designed to be driven from a TV via the HDMI port. I didn't have a sync dock to determine if this is also the case I'm following up with the Zune team to see if this could be a user-option in the future.

(Shot on a Canon HV20 HDV Camera w/ Wide Angle lens, edited in Windows Live Movie Maker on Windows 7 RTM) Dust courtesy summer in Seattle, WA.)

HowTo: Fix Windows 7/Windows Live/Mesh login issues

Sean Alexander — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 15:58:58 GMT

A few days ago, I updated my LiveID credentials and noticed no matter what I entered into Windows Live Mesh, I couldn't log in on my Windows 7 systems. Through some trial and error, I discovered the reason: I had enabled remote streaming in Windows Media Player which uses a new feature called "Link Online IDs" to connect me to my home PC for streaming. It's a simple feature- a small plug-in adds my Windows Live ID to my credentials on the PC. It appears Mesh also uses this feature so when I updated my online password, my credentials broke. There's no notification, just the 401 access denied error. What makes this even more unusual is that I can log into websites and Zune which also use Live ID without issue. It appears Mesh looks to your PC credentials as the "Master list" while the web browser and Zune are app-specific.

But it's an easy fix. Just go Start and type "Link Online IDs" into the Search box. Then launch the top option and click "Update credential" for Windows Live. Now go back and re-attempt login into Mesh - problem solved.

HowTo: Add Network Drive Support to Windows Live Movie Maker

Sean Alexander — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 15:21:08 GMT

While Windows Live Movie Maker has many redeeming qualities, the simplification of the experience also meant the team hid the ability to access media such as movie clips off a network drive. Turns out, this can be a major contributor to project crashes and issues if you're trying to share over weak wireless networks. This was a big disappointment for those of us with large home video libraries on Windows Home Server and stable home networks. I've since resolved the issue thanks to the following post - yes, you can re-enable network drive support. Read the How To: here, courtesy Andreas J on the Windows Live team.

HP Mini 311 w/ Nvidia ION: Best Netbook on the Market?

Sean Alexander — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 13:57:24 GMT

Laptop Magazine has started putting the HP Mini 311 through its paces - and the early results impress. As the first netbook based on Nvidia's ION LE graphics chip paired with an Intel Atom N270/280 processor, the diminutive Mini garnered a PCMark05 score of 1,917- nearly 500pts above the average netbook. What's more, the older "Diamondville" N-series processor in a recent report outperformed the newer "Poulsbo" Z-series clock for clock.

The HP Mini 311's 3DMark06 scores were even more impressive at 1,386 which is a full 1,200 points over the average. That's not a typo.

Battery life is still being run through its paces, however I went ahead and purchased the 311 based on early feedback (Note to FTC- I bought it with my own money thanks <g>). I really wish the configurator gave me the option of 2GB of RAM however there is puzzlingly an option for a 2nd battery at half-price. Hopefully this isn't a statement about the overall power consumption of a device with graphics that reportedly performs about as well as the MacBook Air at a fraction the cost. Of course the processor is rather diminutive in stature but despite this, the unit will reportedly do Blu-ray with an external drive. I will be testing it with the optional 802.11n against an HD Homerun network HDTV tuner and Windows Media Center wirelessly among other scenarios.

Speaking of which, one has to wonder with an Acer Ferrari laptop, when is the MINI car company going to get in with all these "Mini"s running around? No mind. I'll report back here once I have the 311 in my hands and load Windows 7 Ultimate on it for review.

New Call of Duty: Modern Combat 2 Trailer “Infamy” in HD

Sean Alexander — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:08:48 GMT

Latest trailer here, and also saw the game featured on NFL football last night- this gave me the chills.

Yes, I will be in line on launch day - 11.10.09

NControl mixes iPhone and Windows 7 Media Center together like PB and Chocolate

Sean Alexander — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 21:01:42 GMT

A quick visit over to TheGreenButton.com and I found the latest release of NControl - a versatile Windows Media Center remote control app for iPhone. NControl is a free iPhone/iPod Touch application that allows you to use your iPhone/iPod Touch as a remote control for your Media Center. It enables users to browse through pictures, video, recorded shows, tv channels, as well as navigate the Media Center interface. It also has a set of standard buttons found on traditional remotes such as play, pause fast forward, rewind, stop, mute and volume. I really like the tactile "swipe" feature for scrolling through the Windows 7 Media Center menu.

NControl Media Center plugin is also a free download. This plugin will allow the NControl iPhone application to communicate with Media Center and Media Center Extenders. Feel free to install it on as many machines as you please.

Here's to hoping for a Zune HD version in the future ;)

Download NControl here.

iPhone Game ported to Zune HD in 12 hours

Sean Alexander — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:13:36 GMT

Joystiq and Redmond Pie are reporting an iPhone multitiouch game has been ported to Zune in less than a day. The game, "Wordmonger" is a cross between Bejeweled and Scrabble and was ported using the recently released XNA Game Studio 3.1 (with Zune HD extensions) now available. This is a good sign for those looking forward to more games for Zune HD (homebrew and otherwise).

Should Satellite Radio give up on Space?

Sean Alexander — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 16:52:42 GMT

Five years ago, I signed up for Sirius radio service. When my wife got a new car with a free preview of XM we became a two-service family. Despite my protests, we continue to keep both services for the programming. As my annual re-uppance on Sirius draws closer, I've started wondering why I would/should continue to pay for Sirius as a satellite-delivered service? In the past year, SiriusXM clients for mobile handsets have cropped up (browser-based and stand-alone apps which together cover all the programming) and coincidentally, I've stopped using my satellite receiver altogether. The result: 4x fewer dropouts on my daily commute, better quality Sirius and XM programming over my phone than I've ever experienced via satellite, even over AT&T's burdened network. Which started me thinking - is there a future for Satellite radio in space?

Dedicated satellites are costly. When you consider the $100M in annual capex required to launch and operate satellites (excluding engineering costs) to support the SiriusXM network is it really worth it? The strategy was borne out of a time when data access on a mobile device was largely a pipe dream. The Sirius FM-5 satellite took three years from announce to launch in June 2009, and just went active with a lifespan of just 15 years. In the past three years, large swaths of wireless spectrum have been freed by the digital cutoff, 3G+ networks are rolling out across the US, on hardware expected to be software-updatable to 4G technologies such as LTE. Wouldn't it be better to start moving now to terrestrial digital delivery as a part of a mixed-media network?
Subscriber churn continues to be a problem. Set aside the high dependency on trial in new cars as a vehicle for acquiring subscribers - last year Sirius XM saw nearly a third of their subscribers churn for a net gain of 1.6M subscribers to 19M to end the year. There's a problem with value prop for consumers.
Wireless operators dealing with "FCC: The Next Generation". With the FCC expected to unveil a plan for open Internet access for broadband providers, wireless operators may be next. Compounded by increasing pressure over exclusive phone deals, and the FCC's interest in the "He said/She said" situation over the iPhone App Store approval of Google Voice, will mobile networks be democratized and need to focus more on content and service differentiation for growth?

Seeking Alpha has a good overview of the bull/bear/ludicrous market situation with SiriusXM. The de-listing problem should be solved soon with a reverse stock-split approved last May, however saddled with debt, and ongoing high costs, one has to wonder if SiriusXM is considering a "Plan B" alignment with one or more operators a little closer to the ground? In the meantime, I'll be dropping my Sirius satellite subscription in favor of Internet delivery to my phones and Sonos. It may only save me a few bucks a month, but it's worth it.

Is Zune HD a sellout? (and Zune Video Marketplace on Xbox)

Sean Alexander — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 20:25:05 GMT

I've refrained from writing during the launch of Zune as I work with the team, but it's clear folks are getting the word - Just like Windows 7, Zune makes people "more happy". Engadget is now reporting, "If various stores on the internet are to be believed, the Zune HD is selling out in a pretty big way." This is all good news for the fledgling device, but what I'm really excited about is Zune Video Marketplace on Xbox 360. The below video gives you a good overview of the features including the ability to buy or rent a video on one screen and play on all three - the TV, PC, or Zune HD. On the Xbox, you'll get 1080p streaming over your broadband connection. I can confirm it really works as-advertised. As for when, I can only say it's, "Coming soon" ;)

Let us know if you're hearing about local sellouts as well. I know the Zune team is working hard to respond to demand.

Family Room: Media Center Circa 2005

Sean Alexander — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 18:53:58 GMT

Family Room: Media Center,
originally uploaded by sean_alexander.

In January 2005, I posted the following picture of my Windows Media Center setup. In the past five years, we've had a 2nd child, and moved once. I also moved to TiVo Series3 when HDTV became generally available and WMC in Vista didn't deliver the experience I was looking for. Windows 7 changes all of that. My wife has, on her own, started using Windows Media Center and Windows 7 has the DVR/MovieLibrary/Music/Photogallery for the home. We've also added a Windows Home Server to the mix. In the coming weeks, I'll be posting details here (again) about our setup, just five years later.