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March 05

Orb's Web based Windows Media Center Extender

Somehow I totally missed a great feature of Orb. We all want a PC based Windows Media Center Extender (Microsoft had a rumored project called Softled that has never seen the light of day). The aim of this program would be to extend the Windows Media Center UI to other Media Center PC's around the home. So that you could watch live or recorded TV on any of your Media Center PCs no mater on which one the content was based on.

Over the weekend I installed the latest version of Orb and in the Orb directory I found Orb.MCL, an MCL file is a entry point file in to Windows Media Center so I double clicked it and Media Center loaded and I was prompted with a Orb login via a Media Center UI  

Once I logged in with my Orb account details I got a nice 10 foot UI version of my Orb account

I could select TV, audio, photos, videos and even documents. I selected Recorded TV and could watch any of my recorded TV programs with a thumbnail view of each video.

After a speed test (to ensue optimum video quality for the available bandwidth) the recorded TV streamed in to Media Center.

What is great about this is that it works regardless of location. So its not only does it work over you LAN, it works over the Internet just as the browser version of Orb works.

So you get the full 10 foot UI over a LAN or the Internet and access to all your content that is on your Media Center PC, the interface is no where near as slick as Windows Media Center but as it's a HTML Media Center application it works on Windows XP Media Center 2005 as well as Vista and requires nothing installing on the remote machine expect for the MCL file.

 

Picture above: Playing Top Gear at work streamed from my home PC on to my Vista Ultimate Laptop

You can download Orb for free from Orb.Com

 

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9:52 AM | Read comments (13) | Send a message | View trackbacks (0)
Comments (13)
  • View space
    Scott
    March 07 1:58 PM
    Iand,
     
    Ok, I must be the biggest idiot on the planet!!!  I installed version 1.0 and now my MCE will not record any of my shows I have set to record.  I uninstalled 1.0 and now my MCE acts like it is suppose to.  When Orb is installed does it turn off MCE functions so it has control of everything?  I even tried shutting down Orb and seeing if MCE would re-take control of recording and it does not.  Have you experienced this?  Basically what I want to use Orb for is to just be a way for me to watch my recorded tv the MCE records.  I don't want to use Orb to record shows.  Just a means for me to play the media when I am away from home.  If you know the answers to any of these questions please let me know.
     
    Thanks
    -Scott
  • View space
    Iand
    March 06 7:55 PM
    I am using 2.0
  • View space
    Scott
    March 06 6:52 PM
    Are you using 1.0 or 2.0?  I tried the 2.0 and it seemed to use a lot of resources on my MCE box and I had a hard time connecting with my 360 to it then.  I am uninstalling 2.0 and going to give 1.0 a shot.
  • View space
    Iand
    March 06 8:45 AM
    Scott - the MCL file is if you want to run the Orb front end on your laptop in Media Center, if you want to just use Orb you don't need the MCL file
  • View space
    Scott
    March 06 1:50 AM
    Iand,
     
    Ok I installed the software on my MCE and from my laptop I can get my my recordings via logging into the orb website.  My question is now what is the point of using the Orb.mcl file to my laptop?  I have not tried it because I can get on the orb website and get the info I need.
     
    Thanks
  • View space
    Iand
    March 05 8:43 PM
    Scooter

    all you need to do is install orb on your home pc then on any web connected PC go in to a web browser any enter http://mycast.orb.com and enter the user name and password you created when you installed Orb and you can get at any of your content on your home pc from work.

     

  • View space
    rakf1
    March 05 8:14 PM
    Orb can be added to "More Programs" in MCE using the following method:

    1. Open notepad and type the following and save as Orb.mcl
        <application url="https://mycast.orb.com/orb/html/index.html" name="Orb 2.0" thumbnailImage="orb.gif">
        </application>
    2. Create a orb.gif thumbnail image.
    3. Copy "orb.mcl" and "orb.gif" to a folder on your computer.
    4. Create a shortcut to "orb.mcl" and put it in "C:\Documents and Settings\rkris11\Start Menu\Programs\Accessories\Media Center\Media Center programs\"

  • View space
    rakf1
    March 05 8:14 PM
    Orb can be added to "More Programs" in MCE using the following method:

    1. Open notepad and type the following and save as Orb.mcl
        <application url="https://mycast.orb.com/orb/html/index.html" name="Orb 2.0" thumbnailImage="orb.gif">
        </application>
    2. Create a orb.gif thumbnail image.
    3. Copy "orb.mcl" and "orb.gif" to a folder on your computer.
    4. Create a shortcut to "orb.mcl" and put it in "C:\Documents and Settings\rkris11\Start Menu\Programs\Accessories\Media Center\Media Center programs\"

  • View space
    Scooter
    March 05 8:13 PM
    I thought since my media center PC is at home and records all my tv I would load the Orb software on it and then use that orb.mcl file on my laptop to watch TV.  Am I correct in how I need to do this?  I take my laptop to work with me and would love to be able to connect to my media center PC from work and watch my shows.  Like a sling box.  Let me know if what I am saying is right.
    Thanks!
  • View space
    Iand
    March 05 5:17 PM
    Webguide does, but there are a lot of things that Orb does that webguide doesn't, but I much prefer webguides UI for setup recording etc.
    That why I have both :)
  • Wayne
    March 05 4:16 PM
    Doesn't WebGuide 4 do pretty much the same thing?  Any advantage to using Orb for this other than it can work on a non-MCE machine?
  • View space
    Iand
    March 05 3:36 PM
    All I did was copy the Orb.MCL to a USB mem stick then on my laptop double clicked the mcl file and that will open up Orb on your Media Center PC
    There is a way of registering it in Media Center, maybe I will write some instruction for it
  • View space
    (no name)
    March 05 3:26 PM
    Ian,
     
    Are there instructions on how to make this work with Media Center PC?  I am very interested in trying this.
     
    Thanks
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