media center

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vmcPlayIt Released

March 25, 2009 Keith 0

Eric just launched the new Media Center interface for PlayOn, which he is calling vmcPlayIt. I haven’t given it a whirl yet, but I suggest you give it a try. http://myweb.cableone.net/eluttmann04/projects/vmcPlayIt/default.htm Update: I have successfully installed and tested vmcPlayIt, which uses PlayOn as the streaming engine/server. There are a few kinks that can be worked out, such as having to restart the program a few times. You can read all about it over on The Green Button. Overall, this is a huge first step! I’m excited that I can now stream in this new way to all of my extenders. Thank you PlayOn and vmcPlayIt!

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The Search for Internet TV….on my extenders

March 21, 2009 Keith 0

I’m a cheapskate; I’ll be the first to admit it. With that said, I am always looking for ways to save money. I currently have cable TV at my house with only the most basic channels + free HD. What I would really like, however, is the ability to stream internet videos directly to my TV so I can limit the dependence on my cable company and so I can browse and pick shows any time I want (on demand). It’s no secret that I currently use Windows Media Center to stream and watch content on all of my household TVs. This includes any videos on my PC, live TV, recorded TV, music, etc.. The missing piece is solid internet TV integration. I would love to have access to Hulu, CBS, NBC, ESPN, Netflix, Fox, etc.. content on demand via one slick Media Center interface. There really isn’t a solid […]

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My Windows 7 Experience – To Date

January 11, 2009 Keith 1

It didn’t take me long to find my weekend project. I jumped on the extremely large Windows 7 bandwagon, and I’m glad I did. On Friday night (yes, that is what it has come to on a Friday night), I partitioned one of my hard drives and installed Windows 7 on my main computer. I can now dual boot and use Windows 7 or Vista Ultimate. Of course I didn’t upgrade my Vista install since I really didn’t know what to expect. Let me state that I believe Windows 7 lives up to the hype. Here is a taste of what I have found to date: Windows 7 OS Installation: The install was beyond easy. Windows has always been an easy install, but this time around it didn’t ask me the pointless/easy questions. It was one or two questions and then off to the races. The install timing was pretty […]

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CES 2009 Starts Thursday

January 7, 2009 Keith 0

I’m pretty pumped. The 2009 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), being held in Las Vegas, starts tomorrow. I am very interested in the all of the presentations and keynotes. However, what really has my attention is what Microsoft has in store for Vista Media Center (VMC). It was recently announced that the partnership between Microsoft and DirectTV to build a tuner into VMC was dropped. Many are hoping an announcement around Dish Network integration is made at the show tomorrow. I’m a cable customer and expect to be one for the foreseeable future, but it is still of interest. I also can’t wait to learn more about any upcoming HTPC solutions being presented by partners (give me more cable-card options!). Being one of the only people on the planet that doesn’t hate Microsoft (yes, I use Live Search over Google), I’m also interested in their other announcements. I am curious to […]

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Windows Media Center – W7MC

January 4, 2009 Keith 0

I currently use Vista’s Windows Media Center (aka VMC) product to fulfill all my in-home (and outside, actually) entertainment desires.  I am running VMC on a central server with 4 tuners (two HD tuners and 2 normal cable tuners).  I have 3 media center extenders throughout the house.  This setup allows us to watch movies, home videos, TV and a handful of other media.  I can also listen to my entire music collection, shoutcast, or even tune into the local radio stations (or radio stations far away, for that matter). VMC has its share of shortcomings, no doubt.  My biggest complaint is the incorporation of the cable-card devices.  I need premium HD channels and you need specific hardware to make this work. Honestly, this is more of a hardware issue than VMC.  Only a few hardware manufacturers are providing compatible cable-card readers.  I believe there is some Microsoft partnership related […]