Ian Dixon: Computers and Internet

YouTube - Voice Control on Car PC - One Voice & StreetDeck

Wed, 17 Oct 2007 19:50:40 GMT

I am very tempted to put my Samsung Q1 in my car with and use it as my car entertainment system and now having seen this Youtube video of Streetdeck and One Voice's voice control software I am really close to doing it.

The video shows Streetdeck being control by voice (the same technology as Media Center Communicator for Windows Media Center). Watch the video then workout where you are going to put that UMPC!

Thanks to Erol for the heads up

Technorati Tags: UMPC , StreetDeck , Onevoice

New DRM scheme will let consumers stream cable TV over home networks

Sat, 25 Aug 2007 09:59:44 GMT

Thanks to Fieldhouse over in the forums for pointing this out:

Cable subscribers should soon be able to stream cable TV programming over their home networks, as CableLabs has announced its approval of a new streaming protocol. Called DTCP-IP (Digital Transmission Copy Protection), the new spec will use DRM to lock down content to ensure that it doesn't escape the cozy confines of cable subscribers' homes.

This sounds great, but as ever with things like this i will believe it when i see it and how long would it take Microsoft to implement something like this in Media Center? With the current pace of development it could be some time. Read the article for more details

New DRM scheme will let consumers stream cable TV over home networks

Technorati tags: DTCP-IP, cablecard

Pictures of the Sony UX1 in the Photo Galleries

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 14:15:00 GMT

I have a video review of the Sony UX1 I was sent for review out soon, so I have posted some pictures of it in the Photo Galleries. I must admit to taking a liking to the device, at first I couldn't get used to the small 4.5" screen but after a bit you do get used to it. What is also impressive is the speed of the device, it has a Intel Core Solo U1500 and I found it a lot quicker than the Samsung Q1, would I swap it for the Q1? find out in the video

I should have the video posted soon

Sony UX1 Pictures

Technorati tags: Sony UX1

Bluray v HD-DVD my take

Sun, 19 Aug 2007 08:34:45 GMT

Last week I got a review unit of Sony's XL301 Media Center PC complete with Blu-ray drive. I recorded a video review and in the review (out soon) in the video I said it was a shame that I had no Blu-ray film to try with it. So on Saturday I visited my local Blockbuster store to rent a Blu-ray film.

The first thing I noticed is that in terms of HD content Blockbuster only offer Blu-ray films and have no HD-DVD films. I have been thinking about getting a HD drive for a while and for me the best option would be a HD-DVD drive for the Xbox 360 but this now looks like it would be a waist of money as far as rental is concerned there is only Blu-ray, so to me this looks like the Blu-ray format has won (well in the UK)

HD-DVD can be better and cheaper but if the average consumer looks at their local Blockbuster and can only see Blu-ray then the that will be the format they go for. I can remember by parents having a Betamax video player and going to the video shops and watching the number of rental films drop from a parallel number with VHS down to non. So unless rental stores offer HD-DVD the war would be lost

As for my first thoughts on Blu-ray, I have to say I am impressed. The picture is fantastic, I had it connected up to my 50" Sony Bravia via HDMI and the audio via optical to my AV receiver for 5.1 sound

The film I rented was Pirates of the Caribbean- Dead Mans Chest which is a great fun film. It was a great picture with vivid colours, I found the colours via the PC and HDMI were richer than the Xbox via VGA. You can tell it's a better picture than normal DVD but its not like going from VHS to DVD. I guess here is the problem, its great but only a little better than DVD and I guess that is why the uptake is going to be slow, it is not like the vast difference from VHS to DVD so consumers are in no rush to upgrade and when they do it will to a format that has good features and plenty of content which just going off my one visit to my local Blockbuster (Chorley UK) was Blu-ray

Look out for my video review of the Sony unit and Blu-ray soon

Technorati tags: HD-DVD, Blu-ray, Sony

Major Skype Problems

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 16:18:52 GMT

I noticed today that one of my machines would not sign in to Skype. Well it turns out that Skype have a major problem at the moment, I noticed only 241,725 users online which is a lot less than the millions normally logged in to Skype.

I hate to think how much revenue they must be losing, and the disruption it is causing people that rely on Skype, which I have found normally very reliable

On Skype's blog they have some details:

UPDATED 14:02 GMT: Some of you may be having problems logging into Skype. Our engineering team has determined that it’s a software issue. We expect this to be resolved within 12 to 24 hours. Meanwhile, you can simply leave your Skype client running and as soon as the issue is resolved, you will be logged in. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Additionally, downloads of Skype have been temporarily disabled. We will make downloads available again as quickly as possible

Technorati tags: Skype

HDMI 1080p on standard Xbox 360? - Digital Spy

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 21:09:19 GMT

Interesting development on the Xbox 360 front. Cable manufacturer XCM say they are bringing out a HDMI cable for the standard Xbox 360 complete with 1080p support. One of the main selling points of the Xbox 360 Elite is the built in HDMI connection, so it will be interesting to see Microsoft's reaction to this if the story is true.

Gaming - News - HDMI 1080p on standard Xbox 360? - Digital Spy

Technorati tags: Xbox 360, HDMI

Microsoft Surface Computing

Wed, 30 May 2007 09:48:08 GMT

Just as I prepare to leave for the airport I saw the press release on Microsoft's new Surface Computing product.

It looks a fantastic user interface and at first it expected to be used in public places like Casinos. I can see that when the product becomes more mainstream that it would be great in the home, control Home Automation, Windows Media Center etc all from surface control.

Checkout the video on Channel 10

Extract from Microsoft's Press Release

Microsoft Launches New Product Category: Surface Computing Comes to Life in Restaurants, Hotels, Retail Locations and Casino Resorts

First commercially available surface computer from Microsoft breaks down barriers and provides effortless interaction with information using touch, natural gestures and physical objects.

CARLSBAD, Calif. — May 29, 2007 — Picture a surface that can recognize physical objects from a paintbrush to a cell phone and allows hands-on, direct control of content such as photos, music and maps. Today at the Wall Street Journal’s D: All Things Digital conference, Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer will unveil Microsoft Surface™, the first in a new category of surface computing products from Microsoft that breaks down traditional barriers between people and technology. Surface turns an ordinary tabletop into a vibrant, dynamic surface that provides effortless interaction with all forms of digital content through natural gestures, touch and physical objects. Beginning at the end of this year, consumers will be able to interact with Surface in hotels, retail establishments, restaurants and public entertainment venues.

The intuitive user interface works without a traditional mouse or keyboard, allowing people to interact with content and information on their own or collaboratively with their friends and families, just like in the real world. Surface is a 30-inch display in a table-like form factor that small groups can use at the same time. From digital finger painting to a virtual concierge, Surface brings natural interaction to the digital world in a new and exciting way.

“With Surface, we are creating more intuitive ways for people to interact with technology,” Ballmer said. “We see this as a multibillion dollar category, and we envision a time when surface computing technologies will be pervasive, from tabletops and counters to the hallway mirror. Surface is the first step in realizing that vision.”

Technorati tags: Microsoft, Surface Computing

Video coverage of the UK Smart Home Show

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 07:43:28 GMT

If your in to home automation and you didn't get chance to visit the Smart Home Show in Birmingham (UK) check out these videos from AutomatedHome.com

There is a nice short tour of the sights, plus videos of home automation.

Check out the videos on Youtube, oh and if you recognise the music in the Sights video thats because its one of my tracks :)

Technorati tags: Home Automation

My new UMPC

Thu, 29 Mar 2007 16:07:57 GMT

Since the Ultra Mobile PCs were launched last year I have been dying to get my hands of one. At CES this year I got to play with some of the new ones so when I has the opportunity to get a Samsung Q1 I jumped at the chance. The Q1 is one of the first generation of UMPCs, its a great device with a Celeron 900MHz processor with 1gb of RAM its performance is very good with Vista. It came with XP Tablet Edition so I did a clean install with Windows Vista and a search around the web provided the necessary drivers.

I installed Windows Vista Home Premium on it which of course has Windows Media Center built in and the device works great playing recorded TV locally or over a network. The touch interface works very well with Media Center and I found that as good as the specially designed Origami Experience UI.

I have got Skype up and running on it so I will be recording the next podcast on it, it should make recording interviews on the go (like I was doing at CES) much easier. I have got Office 2007 running on it so I can do my blogging on there too.

Over all I think its a great device and I am sure the next generation of UMPCs ( like the Q1P) will be even better, but this will do for me for now :)

Technorati tags: UMPC, Samsung Q1

Anybody going to The Connected Home in London?

Sat, 24 Feb 2007 08:33:39 GMT

While I know its not CES, The Connected Home show at Olympia in London (March 5-6th) looks interesting.

In fact it will be the first time IPTV has been shown on the XBox 360 in Europe.
Unfortunately I can't make it down there but if any readers are going I would be interested to hear whether Media Center is represented and what your thoughts are about the show.

Email ian @theDigitalLifestyle.com

Technorati tags: IPTV, Xbox 360, The Connected Home Show

My Vista video makes YouTube Most Viewed

Fri, 28 Jul 2006 10:00:37 GMT

The Vista XBOX 360 extender video that I posted on Tuesday has gone from a couple of hundred downloads on Tuesday to over 10,000 downloads yesterday. Someone also posted it on Youtube and it has made the Most Viewed with over 3000 views.

It show how despite a lot of negative comments about Vista there is a great deal of interest in Vista, Media Center and the XBOX 360

Great article on the Long Tail

Thu, 06 Jul 2006 10:45:39 GMT

If you enjoyed the interview I did with Chris Anderson talking about the Long Tail, checkout his article the extract from his new book on Wired.com

Orb launch free video mail

Wed, 24 May 2006 09:00:34 GMT

Orb continue to impress me with the roll out of new products that enable communications and entertainment on a many devices.

Now they have launched Videomail for Outlook and Thunderbird. Where this is interesting is that it uses the power of your home pc to enable you to watch messages sent to you on most devices at optimal bit rate.

So if your at work on your fat internet connection you get it at a hight bit rate or if your on your mobile phone you get it at a lower bit rate on what ever player your phone supports.

Oh and its free!

More details from Orb when Ian McCarthy comes on the show in a few weeks

ORB VIDEOMAIL LAUNCHED FOR USERS OF

MOZILLA THUNDERBIRD AND MICROSOFT OUTLOOK

Video email free of file constraints and playable on huge range of mobile phones

Emeryville, CA – May 16, 2006 – Orb Networks, the pioneering developer of software for instant enjoyment of content everywhere, today announced the release of Orb™ VideoMail for users of Mozilla® Thunderbird™ and Microsoft® Outlook.

For the first time, Orb VideoMail frees video-based communication through email from the constraints of file sizes and file formats and extends videomail’s reach to millions of mobile devices. Right from the email applications they use every day, users can express themselves with all the passion and precision that only video can provide.

“Until now, file-transfer through email was what passed for videomail. This was bad enough for a PC-only experience. It’s completely untenable in today’s world of mobile Webmail,” said Jim Behrens, CEO of Orb Networks. “Orb removes the barriers to videomail communication in our multidevice world. You shouldn’t have to think about file sizes or file formats when you’re sending a videomail, any more than you do when you’re writing a text email. With Orb VideoMail you don’t. This is true video mail: you author your message right from within the interface of your everyday email client; you make your message as long as you want; and you’re sure that your contact can get your message, even on mobile devices.”

“Combining Orb VideoMail with a Creative® webcam is the perfect way to make video-based email as simple and as universal as text-based email,” said Dr. Jeff Stoen, general manager for cameras at Creative. “From right within the email application you use daily, Orb integrates with Creative webcams – such as the new Live!® Cam Voice – to provide a seamless way to communicate with personalized, high-quality video messages.”

The Orb application running on the user’s always-connected PC streams the videomails that are authored within the Thunderbird or Outlook plugin on any PC and then securely transferred in the background from the plugin to the user’s Orb PC. The videomails stream to recipients in the right media formats, bitrates, and screen resolutions for the devices on which they open the videomails. Any device with a streaming Windows Media® Player, RealPlayer®, Winamp Player, 3GP Player, or Macromedia® Flash™ Player can play an Orb videomail, including mobile phones on any carrier network.

“Orb VideoMail puts the power of the Orb platform at the service of communication,” said Behrens. “Up until now, Orb has mainly been focused on empowering our users to ‘mycast’ all their home and Internet television, music, and video content to themselves wherever they are. Orb users could already share photos and streams of home videos right from their home PC without having to upload them. Now Orb-enabled mycasting includes videomails from our users to all their contacts.”

“The evolution of extensions like Orb VideoMail for Mozilla Thunderbird is exciting for users and a testament to the success of open source, community-driven projects,” said Scott MacGregor, the Mozilla Thunderbird project lead.

Orb VideoMail is available now for free download at www.orb.com/videomail.

Windows Live Messenger Invites - 4 left

Fri, 20 Jan 2006 17:25:10 GMT

I have 4 invites left now and I want to give them to Media Center Show listeners. So if you want one you will have to listen to the show and tell me who is on next weeks show :)

Update: all gone again

Roku M1000 SoundBridge

Wed, 21 Dec 2005 09:17:55 GMT

Last night I got a Roku M1000 SoundBridge for "testing" ;)

It's a Windows Media Connect device that streams music from your PC.

I must say I am very impressed with it so far. The package comes with every thing you need to get it working.

I unpacked it and plugged the power in and it detected my wifi network. Once you enter the wifi password the device reboots and searches for Windows Media Connect PC's. It found my PC and had to authorise it on the PC.

The Roku then found all the my music on PC and I could use the remote to play any of it or I could listen to Internet radio stations.

The only small issue I have found up to now is that it didn't seem to find any of my playlists from Media Center, oh and the display is very bright in standby mode so it lights the whole bedroom up and night.

All in all a great unit and it means that I can get rid of the CD's in our bedroom, another step forward for the connected home!

StartSomthing PC Design Competition

Mon, 07 Nov 2005 11:08:00 GMT

You may remember back on show 15 Sean Alexander talked about the PC design competition. Well you can vote for the best designs now.

In the entertainment section I particularly liked the Domino design.

So to get voting go to www.startsomethingpc.com

via (Sean Alexander's blog)

Big Gmail service problems

Fri, 14 Oct 2005 08:46:36 GMT

UPDATE: it's not just me, it looks like a problem across the whole service. Some account are ok and some are like mine

More here

For some reason my Gmail account has stopped receiving messages. I can send but nothing is getting in, not even spam. So I haven't had any email since yesterday afternoon, and as I normally get about 30 a day I am sure I am missing some stuff.

So if you wanted to email try my hotmail account isdixon at hotmail dot com

Goog old hotmail!

Yahoo jumps on to Podcasting

Mon, 10 Oct 2005 11:06:57 GMT

Looks like Yahoo has got in to the podcasting game.

http://podcasts.yahoo.com/

I must say this looks pretty nice, better IMHO that iTunes (I don't like the iTunes client using all my CPU up)

You can search for a show e.g. Grand Prix or Media Center and it lists all the podcasts in the director and then you can stream or subscribe to the show.

How long before MSN gets on to it?

Keynote from the PDC (updated)

Tue, 13 Sep 2005 20:09:56 GMT

Well Vista looks great and the sidebar is back! (and Sean Alexander is on the team) The Gadgets look cool too can't wait to see more

UPDATE: Just watched the Media Center demo, it didn't realy show off Vista Media Center, they showed a XAML application being launched from Media Center 2005

Vista is going to make a great platform for Media Center

Office looked impressive too the new menu system is very cleaver

Robert Scoble has some videos up on Channel 9

How to fix "Unmountable Boot Volume" message in XP

Mon, 12 Sep 2005 13:51:49 GMT

When I rebooted my PC today I got a bit of a shock, first off I don't reboot unless I have too then while shutting down I got a stop error.

So I restarted and Windows would not boot up. It would go through that cycle of trying to boot, blue screening then trying again.

So I turned off auto-rebooting after a crash (in the F8 menu on bootup) and the message was

"Unmountable Boot Volume"

This didn't look good and safe mode etc didn't work.

So I did a search and found that it could be that boot.ini was corrupt. So I booting from a Windows XP CD and then went to the recovery console got to the C: prompt and did DIR.

That gave me a message about being unable to enumerate the disk. So it look liked the C drive was in a bad way.

I tried a Chkdsk but as C was gone that would not work and it asked for autochk.exe, so I copied it to a floppy told XP where it was and chkdsk ran and correct the disk. I then recreated my boot.ini by using FIXBOOT then rebooted and all was OK.

I am happy to say it all seems ok (for now) and it just goes to show you that all is not lost when you get a message like that.

Still if it wasn't for having another machine with Internet access I would have been in trouble.

I hope Vista makes things like this a lot better

MSN and the Tablet PC

Mon, 22 Aug 2005 09:02:41 GMT

MSN released a very nice weather app for the MSN tool bar.

It works great on my laptop but on my Tablet PC I can't set the City. As the toolbar uses the mouse over functions and as soon as I move the pen away from the weather icon to write the city name in the dialogue box, the dialogue box disappeared as it has detected the mouse has moved away.

So you end up hovering over the weather icon again, the dialogue box appears I start to write and it disappears again!

So I ended up using the keyboard, just as when writing a blog post in MSN spaces on the tablet PC the Tablet PC tip does not appear when you want to write in the blog entry screen, you have to get the TIP to appear by clicking on the hotkey on the tablet. So far this is the only web site I have seen this problem on.

You would think that MSN test there stuff on a tablet PC, I can't be the only one blogging with MSN spaces on a tablet PC

So that's the Weather app and MSN Spaces that don't work well with a Tablet PC

why doesn't Spaces work right with a tablet PC

Sun, 17 Jul 2005 07:56:45 GMT

why doesn't this spaces editor work correctly with a tablet PC?

99% of web applications work with the ink control, the only thing that I can't do is create a blog post here. In the body of the editor the ink widget does not pop up. So I have to use the ink control on the bottom of the screen, very annoying as all other apps work Ok

So come on Microsoft test your apps with your platforms and how about Ink bogging?

when can we have that?

Why are more MS products not ink enabled?

Using your Pocket PC as a extra display for Windows

Fri, 10 Jun 2005 07:42:06 GMT

I found this application yesterday called SideWindow, it's in public beta at the moment and I downloaded it and gave it try.

Basically it turns your Pocket PC in to an extra display for you PC. So on my laptop I have the main display and Monitor running as a second display and now the pocket pc as a 3rd display.

You don't get a lot of screen area but still it better than the PPC doing nothing all day. If you had a Pocket PC with a VGA display it can use that as well.

I found it handy to drag the task manager window to it so I can keep an eye on what my pc is doing (as you can see from the picture). It also is clever enought to know when the pocket PC wants your attension and it puts the Pocket PC's display back on

For a beta is seems pretty stable (I did find I had to reboot for it to work after installing)

All in all a good use of the pocket pc when its sat doing nothing.

You can download the beta here

Alexander Grundner on Media Center,DRM and Linux

Mon, 16 May 2005 08:11:30 GMT

Alexander Grundner (Editor of eHomeUpgrade) pointed to his post "My Inner
Struggle with Microsoft, Linux, and DRM" where he talked about his struggle with DRM and upgrades from Microsoft "I'm finding it difficult to continue down the ($$$) upgrade path for a few new bells and whistles"

He points out that while Longhorn looks very slick and quick on a 64bit PC with PCI express etc Linux can be as quick on much older hardware. On that I can see that Linux and some of the free Media Center type apps look nice they don't have the out of a box experience that Windows Media Center has.

On DRM I agree with him, DRM should be fair for the users of the content as well as the creators "An Apple or Linux user should be able to use services tied to Windows Media DRM, just as much as a Microsoft user should be able to tap into Apple FairPlay protected content. It only makes sense for the progression of digital media services, and should be an undisputed right for all consumers."

There needs to be a standard for all platforms of DRM including CE boxes. If I have paid for some content I want to be able to listen/watch it on any device I had

Read the article for more details and let me know what you think

Updated IanDixon.co.uk to DotNetNuke

Thu, 12 May 2005 15:04:10 GMT

I spent lunch time updating iandixon.co.uk from a asp.net page I did in Visual Studio to a dotnetnuke page.

I have to say I am very impressed, it was very quick to install and create the site. Then I just spent some time customizing the skin and layouts.

So now if you go to http://iandixon.co.uk you see the DotNetNuke powered site and it only took just over an hour to get it up and running. There is loads more I can do with it but it's much nicer than the layout I did (http://iandixon.co.uk/menu) so I am pleased with it.

I liked the fact there is an RSS reader built in to it so I can get it to display my podcast feed on there.

I can add forums, membership and lots of other stuff too it in time, so if your setting up a web site then Dotnetnuke is very good starting point (and you get the source too) and all for free

The first Sponsored MSN spaces blog?

Wed, 11 May 2005 10:41:47 GMT

I don't know whether this is a first for a MSN spaces blog but I have got some sponsorship for this site.

From today Embedded Automation are sponsoring this blog. So here are some details on them:

Embedded Automation provides a suite of products for home automation and digital media centers. Our mHome products are targeted for Microsoft's Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005.

mControl software allows you to control your home from the comfort of your couch or remotely from any internet access point.

mNewsCenter is an RSS reader that has been specifically designed for Windows XP Media Center 2005.

mTheater platform is designed to maximize your home theater and home automation experience.

So for more details on them go to www.embeddedautomation.com

Media Center Guide Data Problems (UPDATED)

Sun, 01 May 2005 07:43:29 GMT

Why is it every time ITV add a new channel my guide data gets messed up on my MCE box?

This time Men and Motors ha been added and now I have no data available for ITV1.
I have tried re-scanning and setting the TV channels backup again but no joy. This is bugging me now. I am on the Winter Hill transmitter, has anybody else got this problem? It no longer records Corrie so big problems with my wife!

This sort of problem give MCE a bad name

UPDATE: Last night I used a fake postcode and got ITV back but lost Channel 5. This morning I put my normal code in and its all working! Who knows what fixed it

The PodcastNetwork on TV

Fri, 29 Apr 2005 07:31:47 GMT

Podcasting is getting bigger and bigger. Yesterday Mick Stanic co-founder of the The Podcast network (were my Windows Media Center Show is part of) was on Australian TV

Mick has posted a clip here.

And if your in to Movies, Tablet PC's,Jazz,AFL or anything else checkout www.thepodcastnetwork.com for loads of great shows (including the Media Center Show!)

Charlie Owen has another tip for Media Center development

Fri, 29 Apr 2005 07:27:09 GMT

If your developing for Windows Media Center there is one blog you must subscribe too. Charlie Owen (from the Media Center development team at Microsoft) publishes tip on Media Center development.

Charlie has a post about using TV safe colours for Media Center Center

TapiRex and Skype

Mon, 25 Apr 2005 07:52:18 GMT

Last night I managed to get time to install TapixRex from Christoph Buenger.

I don't use my Media Center PC for calls via a the phone line but I do use it for Skype and TapiRex has a Skype Add on.

So I installed it, picked Skype as my service and installed the Media Center add on. Now when a Call comes in to Skype it displays the details on the screen via the Media Center UI, Just what I wanted

I did have to change some of the setting in Skype to stop Skype poping up in front of the Media Center UI.

It's in Beta at the moment and can be dowloaded from here. Nice work, now how can I make calls from MCE?

Windows Media Center RSS Reader - Ready for download

Thu, 21 Apr 2005 20:46:32 GMT

You may have seen I have been working on my RSS reader for a while, well its now available for download.

The product called mNewsCenter is being launched by Embedded Automation, makers of mHome Home Automation for Windows Media Center (Ted Sighn founder of Embedded Automation was a guest on the first Media Center Podcast)

So if you want to check it out you can download free trial here

I am going to blog about some of the issues in writing a application for MCE in the future

Here are some details:
mNewsCenter provides the opportunity to quickly and conveniently read blogs, listen to and/or view podcasts, or view any other news site that supports the increasing popular RSS protocol. Having been designed for Windows XP Media Center 2005, mNewsCenter is also able to be enjoyed on your TV from the comfort of your sofa. In addition, mNewsCenter also provides a very intuitive and easy-to-use interface which is fully controllable with any media center remote control.

The Windows Media Center Show - Show 5

Thu, 21 Apr 2005 14:18:29 GMT

Show #5
This week I talked to Dean Weber CEO of One Voice Technologies makers of Media Center Communicator a very cool voice control system for Windows Media Center ( I talked about it in my blog)
We talked about Communicator, Media Center, Voice control systems and Harry Potter DVD's!

I played some comments in to the Skype line and read out some email

I also have a competition to give away some free software (thanks to www.myremotemouse.com) and played out with some more of my music.

Please keep the comments coming in to the skype line (mediacentershow) or via email to isdixon@gmail.com

Fix for MCE burning TV files

Wed, 20 Apr 2005 20:20:47 GMT

Chris Lanier has a post about an update for creating DVD's from recorded TV files

The fix is mainly for PAL users but its recomended for all users.

Note: You still need the correct the encoders for this to work e.g. Sonicecoders

Details from Chris:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=327035e8-5494-4a26-ba8a-24c1296d70bb&displaylang=en

File Name: Q894553_xpmce_sp2_x86_us.exe
Download Size: 2163 KB
Date Published: 4/20/2005
Version: 1

Overview
The Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Create DVD Update enables increased reliability when creating a video DVD using recorded TV files (.dvr-ms).

This update has the greatest impact for users who create DVDs using TV recorded from a PAL broadcast but is also recommended for users with an NTSC broadcast.

System Requirements

Supported Operating Systems: Windows XP Media Center Edition

Note: This update is only needed for Media Center PCs that support Create CD/DVD. If the Create CD/DVD option is not available in Media Center, please contact your computer hardware manufacturer for more information

My Mobile device pictures

Tue, 19 Apr 2005 12:33:45 GMT

I have uploaded some pics of my mobile devices (to Flickr). I have my HP Ipaq 5550 which is my current device and I also have a Compaq Aero 2100 (circa 1999) and a Apple Newton (circa 1995) which still works!

I have to say while the Ipaq is a great device (wifi, bluetooth etc) the feel of the Newton is fantasic. It has a real nice look and feel to it. I remeber pulling it out in meetings and people thinking it was somthing off Star Treck

The photos are here

Up coming Media Center Shows

Sat, 16 Apr 2005 08:12:53 GMT

I thought I would give you some details of up coming shows (The Windows Media Center Show)

We have:
Dean Weber CEO of One Voice Technologies developers of Media Center Communicator on the next show

Then Michael Sprague of Wavexpress makers of TVTonic for Windows Media Center

Also coming up soon; Thomas Hawk, Orb and other great guest.
Thanks for you support!

Thomas Hawk has some details about future Media Center versions

Sat, 16 Apr 2005 07:54:16 GMT

Thomas Hawk had a bloggers dinner with Jim Allchin, Microsoft’s Group Vice President for Platforms and on his blog post about it he talked about what we could expect to see in a future versions of Windows Media Center.

Read the post and find out more

Its look like Longhorn Media Center will be a very big step forward for Media Center. It also looks like the update for Windows Media Center 2005 out later this year (I talked about it in show 2) will have HDTV support

MCE is going to get bigger!

Lookout for a show with Thomas soon :)

Wireless Security

Fri, 15 Apr 2005 08:02:03 GMT

I downloaded a new program for my Pocket PC yesterday for testing wireless networks.
Its called Retina and it scans for available wifi networks and tells the SID name, the manufacturers and whether its WEP protected.

So I thought I would try an experiment. In my car I have a holder for my Pocket PC (HP Ipaq 5550) and I ran Retina on my journey home.

I drive for about 40mins from Manchester to Chorley and most of it is motorway. While in Trafford Park (all offices and factories) I found most networks (well all bar one) used WEP so I couldn't use there network.

But while driving home I found over 30 open wireless networks, with names like DEFAULT, BELKIN,NETGEAR. I could have used any of them for wifi access, hacking, downloading porn...

I also found 5 open BT home routers (with names like BTVOYGER etc) which I guess are configured by BT, you would think they would turn on WEP.

When I talked to a friend that had an open wireless access point, he didn't know that people could be sat outside his house stealing his bandwidth.

Maybe access points should have WEP (or some other security) enabled by default?

Thomas Hawk Interviews Brightcove

Tue, 12 Apr 2005 09:00:35 GMT

Thomas Hawk has interviewed Jeremy Allaire founder of Brightcove. He talked about Internet Television, IPTV and there new service for Windows Media Center and a lot more.

Read the arictal ,he talks about the service that will run on Media Center.

The more I read articals like this, watch TV via OnlineSpotlight and talk to people like Charlie Owen and TV Tonic I can see TV moving more and more to the Internet.

The Windows Media Center Podcast Show 4

Sat, 09 Apr 2005 11:58:23 GMT

The Media Center Show #4

This week I talked to Mick Stanic (co-founder of the Podcast Network) about Media Center.
We talked about EPG (or lack of) in Australia , Online Spotlight, Geek TV and Robert Scoble in 5.1 surround sound!

I could have talked all day with Mick!

To listen to the show go over to www.thepodcastnetwork.com/mediacenter

Please let me know what you think

Recording Skype Part 2

Fri, 08 Apr 2005 07:23:34 GMT

You may have seen I have been recording Skype calls for my podcast using a Bluetooth headset and a standard headset (you can't use one headset as you have to keep the In coming sound and outgoing sound on separate channels or you get massive feedback)

Well at last I found a better way. I got a Plantronics DPS-400 USB headset. So no for recording the call I can use the USB headset for my voice and the sound card for the callers voice so I get 2 clear audio channels enabling me to mix them in post production.

So the next interview I do will be so much better quality that the previous ones I have done. I can't wait!

(I have 3 interviews recorded already so you won't notice the change until a around show 7)

MTV comes to Media Center

Thu, 07 Apr 2005 08:36:33 GMT

From Thomas Hawk

MTV Launches Into Overdrive With New Interactive Hybrid Network Delivered Via Broadband

MTV is targeting Media Center for there new Interactive service. This space is really growing. Two out of the last 3 show interviews lined up (for the Medai Center Show podcast) we have looked at Online Spotlight and new services coming out for that area.

So I can't wait to see MTV's service

This is from the article

"MTV Overdrive" is delivered via Windows Media Video and Windows Media DRM. MTV will soon release a version of "MTV Overdrive" optimized for Microsoft Media Center Edition PCs, as part of an overarching strategic partnership announced in January by Microsoft and MTVN at the 2005 Consumer Electronic Show.

More Tips on MCE development - Screen Scaling

Wed, 06 Apr 2005 08:04:14 GMT

Charlie Owen again has a great post about Media Center development, this time is screen scaling.

If you writing MCE apps you need to read this post, it has made me go back and look at how I handle scaling in my RSS reader.

Read the post here

Skype line for the Windows Media Center Show

Mon, 04 Apr 2005 08:05:08 GMT

Just thought I would let you know I have setup a Skype voice mail line up for the show.
(thanks to the techAddition podcast for the idea)
You can call the Mediacentershow and leave a message. So please call in and leave your comments and feedback, and if its ok with you I will play the messages out on the show

So go in to Skype and call Mediacentershow

Thanks

The Windows Media Center Show - Show 3

Thu, 31 Mar 2005 21:03:54 GMT

Show 3 of my podcast "The Windows Media Center Show" is online at www.thepodcastnetwork.com/mediacenter
RSS feed is http://www.thepodcastnetwork.com/mediacenter/feed/

In this weeks show I talked to Charlie Owen from Microsoft eHome team, developers of Windows Media Center and he had with him Zetools (more details on them in the show)

A very interesting chat about Online Spotlight, IP TV, Video on demand and developing for Media Center
I also read out some email and feedback and of course played out with some of my music.

Please go to the Show Site for more details and the downloads

Great tip on developing with Media Center

Tue, 29 Mar 2005 20:30:45 GMT

Charlie Owen (developer of Media Center) has posted a great tip for working out what more media center is in (PC, extender, remote desktop etc)

Great for working out what features are available for the session. Read Charlie guide here subscribe to his blog for more MCE developer tips

Thanks Charlie :)

The Windows Media Center Show joins the Podcast Network

Sun, 27 Mar 2005 09:05:26 GMT

Great news the show has joined The Podcast Network.

What is the podcast network?

The Podcast Network is aiming to be the best collection of podcasts available anywhere that are managed and aggregated under the one roof.

The guys behind the TPN are Mick Stanic and Cameron Reilly. They are the duo behind the extremely successful G'day World Podcast.

They have loads of other great podcasts on there so take a look. They have big plans for the future (and they seem to be online 24 hours a day!)

So the new XML feed for the shows is http://www.thepodcastnetwork.com/mediacenter/feed/

and the web site is http://www.thepodcastnetwork.com/mediacenter

Shows 1 and 2 are up there now, show 3 will be up next week (when I finish mixing it!) and its going to be real cracker of a show

Ian

Low Cost Media Center PC

Thu, 24 Mar 2005 14:44:10 GMT

Thomas Hawk (again) has a scoop on a new lower cost easy setup MCE PC

Media Made Easy Announces the Availability of the Media Made Easy Media Center PC, Featuring Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005: Media Made Easy is announcing a new Media Center PC that they are selling under the moniker of "Media Made Easy Media Center PC."

more info on Thomas' blog

I will try and get the them on the podcast

RSS Reader For Windows Media Center Update

Wed, 23 Mar 2005 17:14:46 GMT

Just thought I would give an update on my RSS Reader

I have re-designed the reader to make the feeds navigation better and add Podcast support.
It now supports unlimited feeds, ad better feed editor and streaming of podcasts from Media Center.

I will post more details soon

Form factors for Media Center PC's

Wed, 23 Mar 2005 08:32:26 GMT

Its seems like there are more and more interesting form factors comming out for Windows Media Center comming out.

Chris has a round up on his blog about some out this week.

So for a Windows Media Center Show in the future I want to talk about the diffrent form factors for Media Center. If your a manufacturer (or know one) that builds MCE PC's I want to talk about your products on the show so please drop me an email.

MCE Customizer 2005 Beta

Mon, 21 Mar 2005 09:23:18 GMT

A Windows Media Center that I know has had a lot of work put in to it.
http://www.mcecustomizer.com

its a program that enables you to customzie your Windows Media Center and 2.1 beta is out

So download it and try it, I know Danne from mcesoft.nl has been helping him (the top guy he is!)

Here is a list of features:

Features:

- Hide Or Show Start Menu Items
- Autostart Enhanced DVD Content
- Set DVD Notification Timeout
- Set Skip Forward Interval
- Set Skip Back Interval
- Set More Info Panel Timeout
- Set Seek Bar Timeout
- Activate Display My Music As Last Viewed
- Display Wireless Passwords
- Edit EPG download related information
- Choose Temp & Store Path For Recordings
- Show Recording Notification Before A Recording Starts
- Set Recording Pre And Post Padding Time
- Enable Caller-ID
- Enable Concurrent Sessions
- Use unbuffered-IO transfer
- Enable Universal Remote Control
- Set Remote Control ID
- Optimize For Display Type
- Show Network Congestion Notification
- Show 'Not Enough Bandwidth For TV' Notification
- Prompt When Navigating Between Secure and Insecure Pages
- Prompt When Submitting Nonencrypted Information
- Prompt On Mixed Content
- Wake Up PC From StandBy Using Remote
- File Naming For Recordings
- Disable Refresh Rate Changes