I have posted the vote page for the Media Center Show Awards 2006.

The aim of the awards is to highlight and give some recognition to the great work done by the Media Center community.

There are category's for:

• Best Media Center Utility
• Best Online Spotlight Applications
• Best Communication Tool
• Best Community Resource
• Best Hardware Manufacturer
• Best Enthusiast Blog
• Best Microsoft Media Center Blog
• Best Free application (non-commercial) application
• Best Commercial Application
• Outstanding Design Award
• Best Vista Media Center Application

If you enter your email address when completing the form you will be entered in a prize draw for some free software including mNewsCenter and Media Center Communicator.

So go and vote now please!!

CE Pro have a nice editorial on Vista Home automation software being shown off a EHX (Electronic House Expo)

I think 3rd party development for Media Center is really coming of age with Vista. Checkout the slick UI on Embedded Automation's mControl for Vista

Read More on CEPro

I am a big fan of Webguide and Doug Berrett has added live TV streaming to the application.

So you can use it as a software extender (as you can with Orb). I have not tried the streaming part yet, I can't wait to give it a go.

Don't forget you will be able to vote for Webguide as the best free Media Center Application in the Media Center Show Awards later this week

Well done Doug, and I will be getting Doug back on to the show in the future.

The aim of the awards is to highlight and give some recognition to the great work done in the Media Center community and I will be putting the vote page up on Monday.

So if you have a favorite Media Center related blog, addon or web site or anything else worth including let me know at isdixon at gmail dotcom and i will add it to the nominations list.

Nial Ginsbough has another new application out for Media Center (he is turning them like a production line!)

This one is Big Screen Contacts, something I have mentioned on the show before, a 10 foot interface for your contacts. Its Media Center Markup Language so again its a rich UI.

More info on his blog

As mentioned in a previous post the Media Center SDK for Vista,v5.0 is ready for download.

This has all the documentation for developing Media Center applications and samples applications Q and the wonderful Z

You can see some of the SDK in action on this Media Center Show Extra and you will be able to see Z in  action on a future Extra show.

If you a developer get it downloaded now :)

Download it from HERE

Microsoft have a new sample application with that really shows the power of Media Center Markup Language. The application called Z shows virtually a whole new UI for Media Center highlighting how developers can use this technology to make there own apps.

The potential for fantastic new applications is amazing.

The slickness and visual eye candy is wonderful, the developers have done an amazing job of highlighting the possibilities of Media Center, including a Folder viewer for music files (something lots of people have asked for), and a download manager (with complete source code!)

The application is a fictional company called Z that offers Movies, TV and Music, and it really shows you what could be done. See the screen shots bellow, its amazing and I really hope that some content companies see this and wake up to the fact that Media Center presents a real opportunity to get content in to the digital home via the TV and the 10 foot interface.

Not only is it a great looking application, Microsoft have given away the source code, so you can look over the code and see how its done.

I must really commend the team at Microsoft for doing this application, it serves the purpose of showing the capacities of MCML, show developers how its done with the source code and inspiring developers and users a like.

I must also compliment Thomas Hawk and the wonderful pictures included in the application.

Download it with the rest of the SDK HERE  and more details on the Media Center Sandbox blog

Look out for Z in a Media Center Show Extra

Well done Nial, he has a rant about a lot of people missing the point about Vista Media Center and the development opportunities. There will be some fantastic new applications for Media Center, Nial himself has developed some great programs.

MCML is how Microsoft develop Media Center, and its not all assembly code, its XML. Some great stuff is coming out and I am in total agreement with Nial

I think a lot of people just don't really get what Vista is all about - and its very much a case of what you 'dont see' that makes it such a powerful platform. To (mis)quote Jim Allchin's interview on Channel9 - 'Users wont realize for 3-4 years just how powerful the new underlying security features are in Vista - because they wont see it'..

One of the most important 'hidden' features for me of Vista is the way it empowers developers to be able to create incredible software - by providing an awesomely powerful platform, API's and developer tools. This is an area which I believe Microsoft have really dominated over the past 10+ years - and I personally believe one of the reasons they have more or less wiped out the competition.

Link to Big Screen Blog: Rant: The 'Hidden' Goodness of Vista Media Center

CE Pro has a nice article on Onevoice's new remote with voice control, a great way to control Media Center and use it with Skype.

More details on this on the Media Center Show soon

One Voice is showing at EHX a Media Center remote with the intercom built in, along with an adapter that plugs into the Media Center. The My Voice Remote communicates via 900-MHz RF to the adapter at distances of up to 150 feet away.

link:

CE Pro § [EHX] One Voice Remote Has Built-in Mic for Voice Control of MCE and Skype