As it turns out, for whatever reason, the Microsoft RAW Codec does not support the D7000. I’m not sure why, since Adobe and others now support it, and the D7000 has been available since mid October 2010.

Anyway, if you have a supported camera, the new codec most definitely is supported inside Windows Media Center if you want to view your RAW images there. You won’t get detailed EXIF info in View Details, but you certainly can display your images on a large screen. The screen capture below shows one of the folders (highlighted) from an Orchid Show I attended in 2009 where I shot with my D700 and the Nikon 105mm Macro lens. Thumbnails appear as expected.

Selecting the folder displays, as expected, thumbnails of all the RAW NEF images within it:

And of course, selecting an individual image invokes a larger, full screen view:

I’m VERY happy to see this support, and I am hoping that the folks at Microsoft issue a new version quickly with better support for the D7000.

The “Start” Screen is “swipable” and apparently every app on your system will appear as a tile. I like this concept a lot (and hope that there is an easy way to search for apps if there are hundred’s installed to avoid scrolling through an ungainly number of pages (thinking of my iPad…). The “snap” feature appears to allow two apps to switch focus (but only two) which is cool for a tablet interface, but I am not sure if that works for me on a desktop/laptop used for mainstream work with multiple apps open all the time. I guess we will find out in time. But for a tablet format, I vote YES.

In some ways, the interface reminds me of Windows Media Center. But speaking of WMC, while this first demo touched on Pictures and Videos, I didn’t see any TV functionality in the screens that quickly scrolled by in the presentation. There are a lot of missing pieces, and I hope Microsoft reveals info soon.

You’ll need to install Dot NET 3.5 if it isn’t already present, Bonjour from http://support.apple.com/kb/DL999 and finally the app from his home page.

After running the install (it is a little quirky, see the comments posted on his page), I was indeed able to stream from my iPad to Windows Media Center. I fired up Videos on my iPad and selected Avatar (which I ripped from my owned BD Ray movie).

I touched the AirPlay icon to display AirPlay enabled devices

and sure enough, I could select Windows Media Center!

Both the iPad and the WMC machine were on 802.11n 5GHz wireless and it didn’t take long at all for the movie to start to stream on WMC.

Interestingly enough, I could drag the timeline with a mouse and playback started instantly from that point. I didn’t have any video or audio issues at all.

Even though the app is not currently supposed to work with Photos on the iPad, I tried a slide show, as I see that as a more important application for me than videos. I was able to manually move between 5 or 6 photos before WMC froze, but the potential is there.

I’m all for a universal ecosystem of smart, connected devices, and I love seeing apps like this one. I’m not seeing the app show up in the Extra Libraries (it IS registered) so I don’t know if the app can send content FROM MCE to an iPad (but I would really like to see that since that would have more real world use for me).

Kudos to Thomas Pleasance for these first steps!

Tuned in and watching the first recorded episode of this show on my TV.

the iPad app is listening and syncing/downloading content. Note that other info about the current show and the upcoming episode in the series is also available.

The app is a great education experience for kids and adults alike with instructional quizzes and FAQs.

Notes from the field about this episode showed the dangers of producing a show in an unpredictable environment.

Kudos to everyone at the Weather Channel for the vision to offer a multimedia experience spanning devices in real time. I hope this is the beginning of a new era. We’ve come along way since Former FCC Chariman Newton Minnow’s famous “Vast Wasteness” 1961 speech.

Comcast promised this was coming, and they’ve done a great job. This really rounds out my options for viewing content wherever I am.  Does it replace Netflix on my iPad? Not yet. But the two complement each other nicely. Comcast promised more and better “TV Everywhere” and they are delivering on that promise.

I fired up the updated Xfinity app that showed as an update and here is a walk through:

First, iPad users will see a new Play Now button (I’ve drawn a red arrow to show this on the screen shot below). This is the key to streaming to the iPad.

After selecting Play Now, you can filter by Network, Genres, Titles, Movies, Series.

Parental Controls are available (but you can elect to not show again)

Once an asset is selected, it is fairly quick to load (about 37 seconds over my home 802.11n WiFi)

I’ve selected a Harry Potter movie available on HBO. Note the HBO GO logo

And here is a shot showing the movies running on my iPad. Slick.

I now have multiple sources for entertainment on my iPad and a larger choice of content. I’m hoping that Live TV streaming is next.

I’ve used myDVR on my iPxx devices to remote schedule recordings, and I watched the CES demo video that Brian Roberts did and drooled.

After installing the app, at first run, a welcome screen appeared, which I dismissed (being a Type A) kind of geek. Actually, after logging in, I could tell that the application already knew about my two DVR boxes as they were already paired from my use of myDVR.

The Guide in this new app is FAR more usable than the one included with the original Comcast iPhone app. There are filters, as shown below (but I have not yet found a way to specify favorite channels.  Filters aren’t “sticky” so being a HD snob, I do have to turn the setting for HD only to ON each time I launch the app (and am hoping this will change to a sticky setting).

Once a show is selected, two choices are available, record or watch on TV. Record works in the same way as the older myDVR app, but WATCH TV is awesome. As you can see below, when WATCH TV is selected, an animated icon pops up and the channel changes on the TV. (Full disclosure, when I installed this yesterday, channel changing didn’t work for me. I opened a ticket and it was fixed 24 hours later).

Comcast has more features coming, including the ability to watch some shows directly on the iPad. 

(Update 11/17) Engadget has posted a video showing off both current and future capabilities of this app. Currently (and I’ve reported this to Comcast), the On Demand listing in the app isn’t as up to date as the EPG on the STB itself. Also, with On Demand, you still have to pick up the Comcast (or Harmony-whatever) remote to confirm “purchase” of an On Demand asset. I’ve asked that they consider a settings option to override this annoying behavior. We’ll see.. (I’m thinking of getting a Red Eye mini which will at least let me confirm from the iPxx device).

What makes this app interesting to me is that, to change channels, NO IR device is needed. This is a good thing because the iPad/iPhone devices do not have onboard IR (although there are some third party add-on devices available). The iPxx device actually communicate with the DAC (Digital Addressable Controller) via some web service that sends commands to the local DAC when you make a channel selection over your WiFi or 3G Internet connection. To accomplish a real time channel change, a lot of moving parts need to communicate and work seamlessly. I’m impressed.

Thanks, Comcast, for a great contribution to my connected home lifestyle!

I thought about this for a bit and then tested to see if an HTML page could be hosted locally, placed in the C:ProgramDataMicrosoftWindowsStart MenuProgramsAccessoriesMedia CenterMedia Center Programs folder with the appropriate MCL and PNG file. The answer was yes, and this now opens the door to more customizations.

Further, I thought that the still images needed to be refreshed. Not much value in watching an image on the screen that just sits there. I fired up Microsoft Expression Web and created a page and added in a META REFRESH tag to reload every xx seconds (I used 30 seconds as the interval). While tables should not be used for layout on a page designed to be viewed in a real web browser (a deprecated means of coding), a nested table structure proved perfect for display inside Windows Media Center. I specified the Segoe UI font and ended up with something that looked pretty decent and worked.  Here is the view inside Windows Media Center:

Here is the HTML code. You will need to replace the hostname, port, image path as I documented in the post linked above. The mycameras.html file I created contains the following:

The MCL file (mycameras.mcl) is as follows:

After removing the files I created and used yesterday, I placed the html file, the MCL file, and the new PNG file in the C:ProgramDataMicrosoftWindowsStart MenuProgramsAccessoriesMedia CenterMedia Center Programs folder. Next I launched Windows Media Center,and  opened Extras.

I finished by adding my new My Cameras extra as a top level Extras menu item.

Now, if I add more cameras, I can just edit the existing HTML. I’m sure I’ll have to change (reduce) the size of the displayed image to get more on a single page, but I now have a personal IP Camera viewport inside Windows Media Center. (And naturally, I’ve added the second camera to my iPhone and iPad Smartvue configuration).

My goals were to be able to check activity in my parking lot/walkway on demand from Windows Media Center, my iPhone, and my iPad. The web is a wonderful wealth of information, and putting this together was not really difficult. And definitely worth sharing with others.

Back in 2002, I wrote about adding an Internet Camera to my home network.  Obviously, 802.11b with WEP doesn’t interest me any more, but since the device has a 10/100 Ethernet port, connecting to a MoCA network or using an 802.11n wireless bridge makes the device usable with more modern networking technologies. The device can display a live view with either an ActiveX control or Java (neither of which is usable on an iPxxx device or Media Center friendly.  The trick was to find a way using only a web URL to display real time images. Most IP Camera vendors don’t document this.

Then I found the Smartvue web site, which not only listed the URL format for images for a huge variety of IP cameras, but pointed the way to free iPhone and iPad apps. The iCam support site also has a neat interactive test page to determine the proper URL to use and includes some options not listed at Smartvue.

I tested the image path samples on the Smartvue site and found the correct one for my DCS1000W by testing with Internet Explorer using the internal IP, my FQD URL (dynamic DNS) and on my iPhone and iPad.

First up was adding what was needed to view inside the Media Center interface. I found the info to create an MCL file and accompanying tile for Windows Media Center on The Digital Lifestyle and got started tweaking. Here is a sample MCL file to use as a guide:

Since I need to view on both laptops away from home and desktops at home, I used the fully qualified dynamic dns name from my dynamic DNS provider, the port number, and the image path as shown above. (And my home router has the corresponding port forwarding set up. My router supports loopback (and supports dynamic DNS providers), so this guarantees a sweet experience.

Below you can see the MCL file and the PNG image I created (in Photoshop, but Windows Paint will work) and where these were placed so that they would be available to all users. As stated on The Digital Lifestyle information, I had to create the last two folders.

I opened Media Center, and the new Camera tile was displayed as expected. When I opened it, I received a standard Windows login credentials prompt because my IP Camera is protected with a username and password. But since I had already opened the site in IE and selected “remember password”, I could select OK either with the mouse or the remote. Next,  the expected warning about compatibility with the Media Center interface and selected to not warn me and view anyway (a one time task).

I also added the Tile to the top level menu (right click or i on the remote)

And here’s the view inside Media Center of my IP Camera (we had a frost last night so there is some condensation).

Integration with my iPxx devices was next.  Smartvue provides FREE apps for both the iPhone and iPad in the Apple App Store and they are both pretty neat. (And they have apps for Blackberrys, Android’s and more !) They also support a way to view password protected cameras like mine (documented on the bottom of the third party camera page AND in the apps themselves).

On the iPad, with the larger display, there is a list of cameras on the left and the view from the selected camera is on the right, (Out of the box, both the iPad and iPhone apps have some default cameras configured, but you can delete/edit, etc.)

And on my iPhone, here’s the default list, with my own camera at the bottom:

And the view from my iPhone:

And, the camera itself can send email and a screen shot when motion is detected, so no matter where I am, I’m going to know who’s pulled into my other parking space or is walking to my front door!

1. The ability to stream from ANY of my computers (using Play To or anything else) to more than one music player/renderer simultaneously.

2. To be able to control the volume above individually or together.

3. Play Pandora Radio and other Internet sourced digital music

4. Use existing/create new playlists

5. Use iPhones, iPads and  iPxxx whatever to control and manage the device as a remote control (including graphical menus).

6. Use the system as an alarm clock with choices to wake from alarm, music, Internet music, whatever

7. Wireless connectivity in my Living Room

8. A system that was upgradeable.

9. Quality sound

10. Expandability

I’m still stunned that I found a system that does ALL of the above. (And I’m betting I discover more features – I’ve only had a few hours experience with this all, so my exploration and discovery has only just begun).

First, it’s a nice looking system. Available in Black or White, it will fit in anywhere,

Connecting two of these to my complex network was mindlessly simple. I plugged one into a switch uplinked to my router and connected the power. As for the second one, I stuck it in my living room and plugged in the power. The two units found each other over wireless 802.11n automagically, without my having to do anything. My network is secured by WPA2-AES, but Sonos uses “SonosNet 2.0” which is a secure AES peer to peer mesh wireless network, so this is a separate, but secured network. Interestingly, the speakers have two Ethernet ports for Ethernet bridging. And they also have a jack for a powered sub woofer which the devices find automatically. The docs state that you can use TWO of these in a single room for left/right stereo, but I’m wowed by just one in my living room and another upstairs that covers my loft home office and master bedroom.

I downloaded and installed the latest Sonos controller pc software from the Sonos website (rather than even opening the enclosed CD). After installing the software, I had to push a combination of buttons on each speaker to link to the software, but that was easy and fast. I saw that  firmware upgrades were detected for both speakers and they were downloaded and  applied seamlessly. I then connected my existing Pandora account through the Sonos Controller software. Done!

I fired up Windows Media Player (already set up for “Play To” with my Samsung TV which was not turned on at the time) and as you can see below, both units were available for Play To.

And of course, it worked beautifully.

I’ve got music stored on a flock of computers, including WHS1 and Vail. So how can I stream to my new Sonos speakers without moving from the sofa or booting up a laptop? Well, Sonos has apps for the iPad/ and for the iPhone/iTouch.  Just below is a screen capture from my iPhone. I can browse all my media servers and drill down to Artist, Album, etc. etc. and add to queues, play now, (etc. again). And I can stream my Pandora stations, too!

The iPad Sonos controller software, with more screen real estate, is a real knock out, as shown below.

And yes, there is a Line-In on the speakers themselves to connect even more devices. Like a Zune or whatever. Both the desktop software and the iPad software allow me to set alarms and sleep timers (!)

I will be setting up a series of alarms that I can turn on or off. This is so slick.

The sound is great. Sonos supports a wide variety of music formats (but not WMA lossless or Apple AAC enhanced
or Fairplay). Most of my content is mp3, so I’m all set.

This is the most advanced, converged system I’ve seen, and I’m more than just a little impressed. Kudos to Sonos for having the vision that supports my connected home.

I just had one of those A HA moments and uploaded one of them to my iDisk in the cloud  (which comes with my MobileMe subscription).  I had been thinking of iDisk as a place in the cloud to stash files, but not as a streaming server.  I downloaded the iDisk app to my iPad (and to my iPhone) and yup, I’ve got another place to store media files that can be served to my computers and iPxxx devices over the Internet.  Apple supplies 10GB of cloud storage space (compared to the 25GB Microsoft supplies with SkyDrive, but MS doesn’t seem to have an App in the App store <G>).

Here are a couple of captures from my iPad:

Update: if you are a Rogers customer, this may have triggered lower usage limits. CBC news is reporting that Rogers is lowering their download limits.

Here’s what you’ll see if you access the site from a Canadian IP address.

CBC news has posted info, including the fact that this will be streaming only (no DVD’s by mail). “English only to start, French to follow over time”.

I don’t know if Media Center access to Netflix for Windows 7 Canadian users will be turned on at launch, but am trying to find out.

One comment, if you are a HD snob (and I have no qualms admitting that *I* am), the content is pitiful. And the content for PC’s and Mac’s (a subset) is shameful.

I’d ripped a bunch of movies at 720p to stream to my iPad using Air Video and other options. I was browsing the network folder over RDP that housed these mp4  and double clicked The Day After Tomorrow without really knowing what might happen. My expectation was that since RDP has been so bad at streaming media of any kind that it would be dreadful. To my surprise, it actually worked smoothly and well, including video and audio in sync.

Here’s a shot of my TV where you can see the RDP session and the movie in a Windows Media Player window.

And here is it when I expanded to full screen

I admit that I prefer the Windows Media Center interface over RDP as that losses the menu bar and gives me full screen. But this brings up interesting possibilities of traveling to a friends house with my Push2TV adapter and WiDi enabled laptop and having access to a remote library over the Internet. Probably won’t work as well over the Internet, but I’m up for trying.

Ingredients:

Vail (WHS2) Beta

Apple iTunes x64

Air Video (Free from the App Store)

iPad

DVR-MS Recorded TV files

Well, Vail is in public beta. I’m disappointed that there isn’t any Media Center functionality (i.e., whole home networked Media Center), but at least I’ve got a slick way to stream my unprotected recorded TV (and other video formats) while away from home.

I’m going to be purchasing the full version of Air Video. This one’s a keeper and then some. I set up the free version today and I’m, well, wowed.

Air Video streams quite a number of file formats natively, and can convert some (but not all) in real time and stream. That includes dvr-ms (but not, unfortunately, wtv). I’m looking for a slicker way to automatically convert my wtv files to dvr-ms, but for now, I right click a wtv on a W7 machine and then select convert to dvr-ms. Enough for a demo and to know that this is one app I’m going to be using alot. The Free version of Air Video only allows 3 files in a folder, so for now, I’ve divided a few files up accordingly and stored them on my Vail machine. That was the hard part. Or at least manually distracting.

In order, I

1. Installed iTunes x64 (this includes Bonjour – if you already have iTunes without Bonjour, you will need to install it)

2.  Downloaded the server side software. Configured it by specifying the folders

3. . Downloaded and installed the Air Video Free server software from iTunes on my iPad

4.  Specified the server on the iPad in Air Server Server settings.

5.  Started watching streaming recorded TV over 3G (also works at home on WiFi)

Note: If your router isn’t UPnP, you will need to forward TCP Port 45631

You can see you can play in real time with Live Conversion. This worked perfectly for me. You can also convert and queue up various titles.

Full screen in landscape view on my iPad is totally watchable.

The current iPad/iPod app really made me sit up and take notice. It’s really  slick. And it works as advertised. I had created a favorites list of channels that I record from all the time (movies mostly) and can easily access my favorites lineup and schedule recordings on either of my two Comcast DVRs, make changes, and everything syncs up quickly with the schedule on the physical boxes. Way to go, Comcast. (Microsoft, if only you could think a little more outside the box and offer this kind of functionality for Windows Media Center. You once had MSN Remote Record and blew your chance at evolving from that very early start. Yes, there are third party apps, like Remote Potato, but it doesn’t come close to the elegance of the Comcast app. And with what Brian Roberts demo’d, I’d say that Comcast has won the slingfest…)

The Comcast App does more than Video, it does email, voicemail, and on the iPad, this is quite usable for me.  First, I went to http://www.fancast.com to activate the myDVR application. Since I’ve used the Fancast site before, I’d already specified my channel lineup.

To get to the schedule, just tap The Guide.

  The Guide is very readable on the iPad, and of course you can rotate the iPad for a landscape view. You can select several predefined views within the app, but I find it best for me to use the Favorites list that I created on the iPad.

Anything previously scheduled will show as a red dot. And you can select a scheduled show to make changes from this screen.

I’ve scrolled on to the next day and decided to record Mamma Mia.  I can schedule, set reminders and view other show times.

If I want to change to my other DVR, I just tap Record On DVR and can make the change. And I can record on both if I so desire.

Once I’ve decided to record, I get a message indicating that the request has been sent to the DVR.

As promised, when I view the guide on the iPad, within a few minutes, I can see that it is a confirmed recording.

If I select the show, I can make changes.

And if it is a show/movie/series (yes I can setup series recordings too) that I want to tell someone else about, Comcast provides a link that opens an email message, pre-populated, with the summary above for you to address, maybe add a few comments, and send.

All in all, this is really slick. Far better than scheduling on the actual DVR (in my opinion).

I don’t know when it will be available in various Comcast markets, but it is slowly getting rolled out.

This technology, first demo’d at CES 2010, may be one of the bigger successes in the HTPC and networking arenas as new computers (currently only laptops) hit the market with the Intel 2010 i3/i5/i7 processors. In a nutshell, I can use a laptop computer with an Intel i5 processor, Intel’s embedded graphics chip, Intel’s 6200 WiFi adapter, and a Netgear Push to TV bridge to stream any content I want to any TV connected to a PTV device over HDMI. The tiny Netgear device is connected to the TV via HDMI, and everything happens over a wireless Personal Area Network between my laptop and the Push to TV device.

So why is this such a big gap filler for me? My current home theater setup includes V2 Media Center extenders connected to the three HD TV’s in my home, with the Media Center desktop residing in my loft home office. What I can’t get with this set up (without buying a PC and connecting one to every television) are all the Internet based Media Center extra’s such as Internet TV and Netflix.  Problem solved. With WiDi, I’ve got a nice, light (4.2 pound) 13.3 inch widescreen laptop to use anywhere in my home, around town, or on the road AND I’m able to display all of these Media Center extras. I gain the ability to browse the web and display anything I want on my TV’s.

The technology is nearly idiot proof. Connect the Netgear device via the included HDMI cable. Hit the special button on the laptop keyboard and enter a 4 digit code after your device is found. All the networking setup is handled without user intervention. WPA2 security is configured via WPS (wireless provisioning services) behind the scenes to secure the Personal Area Network (PAN) connection between the laptop and the PTV device. An ICS connection to the Intel internal WiFi is also established behind the scenes. You won’t see this in any of Windows 7’s GUI’s or discover it with netsh, but it is present. In fact, while the 6200 Intel NIC is a/b/g/n capable, when using WiDi with the Netgear device, it is not possible to connect to the 5GHz radio in a dual band router. An error message is returned stating only 2.4 GHz is supported. Some additional good news, even in my overly saturated 2.4 GHz environment of 19 different SSID’s, I had absolutely no interference.

My 52 inch TV, Netgear PTV attached via HDMI, waiting for a connection

WiDi equipped Laptop, connected and ready to rock and roll

The quality is awesome. My recorded (via cable card and OCUR/DCT) content looks great. (All the DRM rules apply here.)

Some HD Recorded TV..

Stargate Atlantis in full HD, via WiDi

Internet TV (the missing piece in my home theater experience) in Windows Media Center looks good.

Star Trek content, Windows Media Center Internet TV

Streaming Star Trek from Windows Media Center via WiDi.

Anything I want using the Media Center interface is streamed to the connected TV, music.. pix… videos..

Music – WMC via WiDi

Anything displayed on your desktop can be streamed. Want to read email? Use Windows Live Messenger? Participate in newsgroups or forums? Browse the web? Yep, it’s in there.

Windows 7 – Everything and anything over WiDi

And for me, there is another huge gap filler. My main beef with Windows Media Center Internet TV is the lack of HD content. With a 52 inch state of the art 1080p TV, can you blame me for wanting HD streaming? Here’s the good news. If one of the networks or other source offers an asset in HD for streaming, WiDi handles it effortlessly. As shown earlier in this post, Windows Media Center Internet TV offers a large amount of CBS content, including (at least at the present time) all three seasons of Star Trek, the original series. Inside Media Center, only SD is available, but I can navigate to the CBS website and view the remastered Star Trek original series in glorious full screen HD.

Needless to say, I’m a very happy camper these days.

Clubhouse Tags: clubhouse, media center, Media Center Windows 7, windows media center, WiDi, Intel Wireless Display, how-to, Tip

So, what can you do with two tuners? You can watch one show on live TV and simultaneously record a different show on another channel. Or you can record two shows at the same time (or two that overlap with different starting and/or ending times). Dual tuner support encompasses watching live TV using a Media Center Extender device while another family member is watching live TV on the host MCE 2005 machine (or while recording a different show on the host MCE 2005 machine).

Dual tuner usage in MCE 2005 requires both TV provider sources (channel lineups) to be identical. For example, you can configure two set top boxes (STB’s) or two cable out of the wall connections, but you cannot use one set top box and one out of the wall cable connection or one satellite and one antenna connection. The reason for this is pretty simple. Windows XP Media Center 2005 utilizes a single program guide source and uses the “first available tuner” to complete each task that requires a TV tuner. The rules for Windows 7 tuners really have not changed that much and are listed here.

Tip: If you have two different set top box models from the same provider, you can use them as long as they both receive the same programs on the same channels. For example, you can use a Motorola/General Instruments DCT5100 and DCT6200 set top boxes to configure dual tuner support.

As you read the rest of this article, you’ll find the following information:

1. Obtaining and Installing a Second TV Tuner

2. Configuring or Adding IR (infra red) receiver hardware with dual set top boxes and dual IR emitters

3. Configuring MCE 2005 to support dual tuners

Obtaining and Installing a Second TV Tuner

All Media Center computers from major computer makers such as Hewlett Packard, Gateway, ViewSonic, etc. included a single TV tuner card in previous versions of MCE. Media Center 2005 computer models and beyond may include single tuners or dual tuners and in some cases, no tuners.  To help insure that any additional add-on hardware not originally supplied with Media Center Edition computers is compatible, Microsoft opened a Designed for Windows XP Media Center Edition Logo Partner List web site and the Windows Logo’d hardware site.  If you are adding a second tuner, be sure to select hardware that is certified.

I have been using MCE 2005 on a Gateway 901x Media Center pc which, like many other MCE computers, has no expansion slots. And like computers from several other manufacturers, it has only a single IR (infra red) receiver built into the computer chassis that supports only a single IR emitter. The IR emitter is required to control the STB (set top box) from your cable or satellite provider. If you have two STB’s, you would need two emitters.

Adding a USB external tuner is easy for most people and can be done in a very short amount of time.  Microsoft supplied me with a Hauppauge WinTV USB 2.0 tuner and provided (beta) MCE2005 compatible drivers. External USB TV tuners are externally powered, so in addition to an available USB slot, you’ll need an available AC power outlet or socket on your surge protector.  A different option for advanced users proficient in adding and removing internal pc expansion cards is to install an internal PCI tuner. This will involve removing the computer case and in cases where there is no PCI slot, removing an existing card, such as the internal modem card. (This won’t be an option if you are a dialup user and no free PCI slot is available). Again, be sure to select a TV tuner from the Logo Partner List web site. I’ve also tested a two internal tuner configuration on the Gateway 901x by removing the internal modem card and installing a second internal PCI TV tuner.

To install your new second tuner hardware:

1. Power off your Media Center computer and all peripherals.
2. Install the TV tuner hardware following the manufacturers instructions and connect the USB cable if you are installing an external tuner
3. Turn on your equipment
4.   Windows XP should automatically discover your new hardware.
5. When prompted, insert the driver CD in your CD drive and let Window’s Plug and Play install your new hardware or follow the manufacturer’s steps to install drivers.

When completed, power off your computer and connect the cables and emitters to your STB’s.

Configuring or Adding a dual emitter capable USB IR receiver

If you are using dual set top boxes, you will need to use two IR emitters to enable MCE 2005 to change the channels. One end of each emitter is inserted in a port on the IR receiver; the other is placed over the IR window on each STB. If your Media Center Computer included an external USB receiver, you may already have hardware that supports a second IR blaster. For example, the first generation Media Center computers from Hewlett Packard, such as the HP 873n, shipped with an external USB IR receiver that can control two STB’s. Other computers, such as the Gateway 901x, are equipped with only a single internal chassis based IR receiver. Microsoft has engineered MCE 2005 so that an external USB IR receiver that supports dual tuners can be transparently added to any Media Center computer, whether or not an internal IR receiver is present.

If you need a new USB IR receiver to use dual IR emitters, you may be able to purchase a kit from Newegg.com or eBay. You’ll receive the IR receiver, the IR emitter cable, and a Media Center remote control. If you already have an IR receiver that supports dual emitters and can’t find an IR emitter cable locally, SmartHome offers several IR emitters on their web site. When you have all the required hardware, setup the IR receiver.

1. If you have an emitter cable plugged into an internal chassis based IR receiver, remove it and plug it into the external IR receiver.
2. Plug the emitter cable for the second STB into the second port in the IR receiver.
3. Attach the other end of the emitter to the STB by placing it over the IR window (use a flashlight to find this).
4. Verify that the second STB is connected to the second tuner using the proper cabling.

Configuring Media Center Edition 2005 for Dual Tuner Support

Once you have all the hardware installed and connected, you’ll need to spend about 15 -30 minutes configuring or reconfiguring your Media Center 2005 computer.

Don’t be daunted by the large number of individual steps outlined below. If you follow them carefully, configuration will be easy.

The steps are listed below:

1. From the Media Center menu, select Settings, TV, Set Up TV Signal. Acknowledge the region.
2. Select Configure my TV signal  automatically (Recommended)
3. Windows checks each of your signals automatically and compares them.
4. A confirmation is displayed confirming that two cable STB’s were successfully detected.
5. Verify again that both STB’s are set on channels that you know you can receive. (For best results, don’t select the same channel on both).
6. Select your type of provider (Cable or Satellite)
7. If you’ve previously configured your system (for example, configured with a single tuner) a window will display with choices for modifying channel change settings or reconfiguring all set top box settings. Select Reconfigure all set top box settings.
8. To identify the first STB (Cable Box A in the wizard as shown below), use the controls on the set top box itself (not the remote) to change the channel up or down. Try the other STB if the channel does not change in the Media Center inset window.

9. If you have a cable or satellite company provided remote control for your STB, chances are that Media Center can identify settings automatically. (Note: If you don’t have a remote control for your STB, select NO remote control. A list of STB manufacturers will be displayed. Select each codeset until you find the correct one. Tip: If automatic identification in steps a and b below fail, select Back and use manual identification. Do not select Cancel.)

a.       When prompted, press and hold 0 on the set top box remote (not the Media Center remote control). Tip: If you are too close to the IR receiver, you may have a problem with the signal being recognized. There is a “sweet spot” approximately 3-7 feet away that is optimum for performing this automatic configuration.

b.      When prompted, press and hold the Enter button. Important: your STB remote may have both an Enter and OK button. Be sure to use the Enter button.

10.  Put down the STB remote and pick up the Media Center remote control.

11.  Select the number of digits corresponding to the highest channel you receive.

12.  Specify whether or not you need to press Enter on your STB remote to change channels

13.  Use the Media Center remote and if your service has 3 digit channels, enter a 3 digital channel number that you know you can receive.

14.  If the channel does not change, select the Try Next IR Emitter button on the Media Center menu as shown in the image below.

15.  Verify that the channel changes correctly. You can try several channels you know you receive to be sure, even though you are only prompted to do this once.

16.  Determine whether the speed to change channels on the first STB is Fast, Medium, or Slow by pressing the page up/page down keys on the Media Center remote six or more times. Media Center will attempt Fast, Medium, and then Slow as you step through this portion of the wizard. When you are successfully able to change channels, select The channel changed correctly.

17.  Next, the wizard assists you in configuring the second TV tuner. To identify the second STB (Cable Box B in the wizard), use the controls on the second set top box itself (not the remote) to change the channel up or down.

18.  The wizard guides you through configuring the second STB repeating steps 9-16 above.

19.  The final sequence specifies and downloads the Program Guide. You should be connected to the Internet while performing these steps.

20.  Select Yes to using the guide and accept the Guide Terms of Service.

21.  Enter your zip or postal code.

22.  TV signal providers in your area will be displayed. Select your provider.

23.  The Program Guide for 14 days will download. This can take up to 20 minutes. You’ll be notified when complete.

For additional assistance, I recommend you visit the forums on http://thegreenbutton.com.

Clubhouse Tags: clubhouse, media center, Media Center Windows 7, windows media center, how-to, Tip

I’ve been bemoaning the lack of support for Nikon NEF 64 bit support for as long as I can remember inside Windows Explorer. And I’ve been wishing for RAW support for NEF inside Media Center forever.

I’m happy to say that there is a really nice solution.

The free image codec pack at http://www.fastpictureviewer.com/codecs/ had all the answers and gave me the brass ring.

Here’s a snippet from their web site on what is supported:

Raw Image Formats
Extension(s)	Name	Autorotate	Metadata	Remarks
*.dng	Adobe Digital Negative	Y	Y
*.cr2, *.crw	Canon Raw Image	Y	Y
*.raf	Fuji Raw Image	Y	Y
*.3pr, *.fff	Hasselblad Raw Image	Y	Y
*.dcr, *.kdc	Kodak Raw Image	Y	Y
*.raw, *.rwl	Leica Raw Image	Y	Y
*.mrw	Minolta Raw Image	Y	Y
*.nef, *.nrw	Nikon Raw Image	Y	Y	Can be configured to skip raw conversion and always use embedded previews.
*.orf	Olympus Raw Image	Y	Y
*.rw2	Panasonic Raw Image	Y	Y
*.pef	Pentax Raw Image	Y	Y
*.arw, *.sr2, *.srf	Sony Raw Image	Y	Y
Additional Features
Extension(s)	Name	Remarks
All formats	WIC Thumbnail provider for XP	Provides support for thumbnail views in Windows XP Explorer (SP3), for all the above formats and all existing WIC-enabled codecs.
All formats	WIC Import Plug-In for Photoshop	Enables Adobe Photoshop to directly import images from any installed WIC codec. The plug-in is available as a separate download in 32-bit only at this time (so it won’t work on Photoshop CS4 64-bit edition for the time being).

I shoot Nikon RAW NEF.  And I have full support now inside Windows 7 RTM. Explorer thumbnails, even inside Windows Media Center. Here’s the proof. Worth 3,000 words and a whole lot more.

Thumbnails inside Windows Explorer of my NEF files in Windows 7

Picture Details inside Windows Media Center/Windows 7

A folder filled with NEFs is now viewable inside Windows Media Center

Yes, XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 all can play with this. I’m excited, are you?

http://www.fastpictureviewer.com/codecs/ 

Clubhouse Tags: clubhouse, media center, Media Center Windows 7, windows media center, how-to, Tip

I did a fair amount of online research and put three HD TVs on my “see and compare” list based on features. The best features were on a Samsung 52 inch LN52B750 that also happened to be on sale for $600 off at the time. The picture quality from High Def sources is absolutely stunning. Breathtaking. I was hooked. And there was a LOT of icing on the cake to go along with a superb TV.

Old TV before the attack of the  Purple Blotchies	New Samsung LN52B750

Reading all the user guides which were available on line (to get a good idea of features and performance) really focused me on the Samsung because in addition to all the jacks you’d ever want (4 HDMI, 2 Component, 2 USB, PC, Ethernet, optical digital sound in and out plus some legacy analog ports) it looked to have full DLNA 1.5 support. DLNA “server” software is supplied with the TV (and is downloadable online from Samsung’s support site) but my instincts told me that this TV should work with Windows 7 native DLNA “Play To” support. And I was right on the money.

In my opinion, the Play To/Streaming enhancements in Windows 7 are some of the coolest new features in Windows 7. The team responsible for this work has an extensive blog post at http://blogs.msdn.com/e7/archive/2009/05/12/media-streaming-with-windows-7.aspx which explains and showcases the technologies involved. It’s really about an ecosystem of smart, transparently connected devices and this is something I’ve been passionate about for several years.  With Windows 7, we’ve reached a real break through. Anyone, novices included, should be able to use and have fun with this technology set. It might give neighborhood geeks like me some free time back because a non geek can easily get it working.

The Samsung LN52B750 (and all the B750 line apparently) include a full set of DLNA 1.5 features. When I display the source list on the TV,  all of my DLNA 1.0 and 1.5 devices are auto detected and displayed. You can see part of this list below, but it also detected my WHS box and additional computers.

Note that it this point, the Samsung TV does not appear to be able to pull the list of available shared media from my Windows 7 computers (or other sources). A folder structure is displayed, but no content is visible to pull and stream. However, using Play To on a host Windows 7 machine (PUSH technology) works beautifully. Perhaps future firmware updates from Samsung will enable “pull”. I hope so!

This TV is all about connectivity, including the Internet. The Samsung TV has onboard Ethernet and accepts a Samsung 802.11n wireless USB adapter. Out of the box, there are some Yahoo Widgets, including YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook. Samsung has done a great job with this. Hit the Internet button on the remote and you’re off and running. You can sign in with a existing Yahoo account, too. There is a handy on screen button to run TV in a smaller window while the Widgets, etc. display. You can toggle back and forth. I’ve already used the connection to pull down a firmware upgrade for the TV itself. Another “well done” for Samsung.

I have a fairly sophisticated home network. Everything here is dual homed. One network is Wireless N (both 2.4 and 5 GHz) plus GigE wired Ethernet, and a second network is MoCA plus N. MoCA is short for multi media over COAX. 

W7’s Network & Sharing Center displaying my dual homed network

W7 Network Map of one network segment. The line along the bottom is the second network.

I’ve got desktops, laptops, digital picture frames, NAS boxes, wireless access points and of course my new Samsung TV networked.  Below is a partial view of my networked home (some devices are not powered on all the time).

Barb’s Home Network 

Did I mention that my new TV includes a wired Ethernet jack and can accept an 802.11n (2.4 GHz) special USB adapter? Samsung offers a wireless 802.11n USB adapter as an accessory. It is powered by a Ralink 2880 radio. I was hoping that any wireless N USB adapter would work since I have a bucketful of those here, but only the Samsung branded one will function. Samsung supports Windows Connect Now (WCN) via push button and of course you can manually configure the wireless network. It’s fast and easy to set up.

You can access the settings for media streaming options from several places on a Windows 7 computer. One way to do this is from the Network Window. Right click the device (TV in this case) and then select Media streaming options from the shortcut menu that displays.

From the Media streaming options window you can then specify what permissions to set for each computer and device. This is very easy and intuitive.

Once permissions are enabled, it’s time to have a LOT of fun.

From within Windows Explorer, if there is an available device on the network, right clicking a media file or a group of selected media files invokes a shortcut menu that offers Play To as a choice.

Once you’ve sent media on its way using this method, a Play To window opens with a list of the items selected. You can drag and drop additional content into this window and even mix and match images, music, recorded TV (non protected). 

On the TV, the incoming streamed content is auto sensed and auto displayed. You’ll see some meta data briefly as shown below.

The meta data header will then disappear and you’ll get a nicely displayed image.

The same technique works for music files, at least for MP3’s. I was not able to send WMA ripped music using Play To. Microsoft has put me in touch with Samsung, and they are investigating. Samsung obviously wants to get this right and I’m hopeful that this will be fixed with a firmware update. Note that since I’m running sound through a Home Theater Receiver, I do have to switch the receiver to a different audio input. I ran a digital optical cable from the TV to the receiver and that handles the sound streamed over the network perfectly.

I’ve saved the best (in my mind anyway) for last. And that is Recorded TV from Windows Media Center. Frankly speaking, I was VERY surprised at the support for this. Both dvr-ms and wtv formats ARE supported. It is important to note that only non protected (non DRM’d) recorded TV will work. I hope Microsoft can change this severe limitation, because this is a kickass feature and then some. I’d also like to see Play To supported inside the Windows Media Center interface itself.

In the image below, I’ve right clicked an episode of Stargate Atlantis (non protected recording from the Sci Fi – now Sy Fy – channel), And once again, Play To (TV) appears as a choice.

My mouth dropped to the floor and I was speechless when this actually worked (see screenshot below). I think this is the future and  that I’ve found a time machine.

It takes a lot to get me excited and I’m VERY excited about this technology. My virtual hat is tipped to Microsoft for the slick implementation and to Samsung for being visionary and being one of the first to embrace this very cool convergent world.

And if you have read this far, I have two recommendations for you. The first is to upgrade to Windows 7 just as soon as you can and the second is, if you are shopping for a new HDTV, the Samsung B750 line will rock your world.

Clubhouse Tags: clubhouse,Windows 7, media center, Media Center Windows 7, windows media center, how-to, Play To, Windows Media Streaming,DLNA,Tip

Note that now that this is officially discontinued, there definitely won’t be firmware updates to provide additional codec compatibility. This would seem to mean that the more expensive DMA-2200 (has an on board DVD player that isn’t all that great but does have the Toslink port) probably won’t see firmware updates either.

This is a V2 extender that works with Vista and Windows 7.  Note that Linksys (and everyone else) also killed of their V1 extenders, which worked only with Windows XP Media Center Edition.

All things considered, as long as you understand you are buying a discontinued product, this is a pretty good deal. I suspect that the price may drop even further as time goes on.

Clubhouse Tags: clubhouse, media center, Media Center Windows 7, windows media center, Tip

What you will need for optimum functionality and how to connect it:

1. Coax cable from wall to DTA RF IN

2. cable from DTA to existing Media Center tuner

3. Media Center Remote control

4. Either a built in eHome Receiver or external USB eHome receiver

5. IR two way blaster cable. The DTA adapter comes with a remote and an IR extender. Do NOT use the IR extender to plug into your eHome MCE receiver.

6. Carefully position the sticky adhesive on the LED on the end of the blaster cable over the receiver eye on the front of the DTA. Plug the other end into the port for you eHome IR receiver or the port on your USB eHome receiver.

7. The DTA has a switch on the back to set it to Ch3 or Ch4, for purposes of TV Setup on MCE this setting should not matter.

Now you are ready to re-run TV Setup. Open Media Center, Navigate to Tasks/Settings and then run TV Setup again. This article was prepared using Windows 7, but the steps are nearly identical for older versions of Windows/MCE.

Following is a screen by screen walk through using a Comcast DTA:

1. Since we are discussing DTA’s in thee USA, this is applicable to the United States only. Confirm the US region.

2. Specify your zip code

3. Agree to the terms of service

4. You’ll need to remain connected to the Internet throughout setup. Agree to the PlayReady EULA.

5. Play ready will download and install from Windows Update. This may take a few minutes, so be patient.

6. TV setup data will download

7. Windows Media Center will examine your TV signal

8.  Windows Media Center should detect your DTA and classify it as a set top box

9.  Select Cable

10.  Attempt automatic configuration. If this fails, you will need to re-run and select manual setup.

11.  Currently, the Windows Media Center remote database does not contain the code set for DTAs. Use WMC’s identify functionality to proceed. Use the remote supplied with your DTA. You may need to press one or more keys (and possibly all of them, but fortunately, there are not a large number of keys on this remote).  Select Next to start this process.

12. Press and hold the 0 key. You may be prompted to do this more than once and prompted to select different keys on your DTA remote. Follow the instructions until completed.

13. A message will display when the remote has been identified and the codes established.  Use your Media Center remote to complete TV setup.

14. Select two digits

15. Select enter the channel number and wait

16. Test channel changing by entering a one or two digit channel number that you know you can receive.

17. Use channel up and channel down to test and establish the speed at which commands need to be sent to successfully change channels

18. In my early testing, I found that Slow was the proper setting.

19. A confirmation will display

19. On Windows 7 (still in beta so this may changed) I needed to update PlayReady

20. The Program Guide will download (may take a few minutes).

21. Confirmation displays

22.  Guide Listing finished updating, time to enjoy TV again.

This article will be updated as needed.

Clubhouse Tags: clubhouse, media center, windows media center, how-to, Tip

The HP MediaSmart Connect x280n ships with a handheld remote that is worthy of its own blog review. Most of the remote controls that I’ve seen shipping with Media Center Computer, Media Center Extenders, etc. are lacking in one or more key features. For one thing, if it doesn’t have some kind of back lighting, it isn’t usable for me in a home theater environment. A couple of the remotes I’ve received along the way from Microsoft and others DO have back lighting, so fortunately, since these things are interchangeable, it hasn’t been a problem for me. My other big gripe is that I have other components with remotes (you know, TV’s, home theater receivers, X10 lighting, and other components like Xboxen, DVD player’s, et all) and I hate remote clutter. For years I’ve used Philips Prontos. And I’ve programmed them with macros that are activity based. Perfect for my needs.

HP has definitely raised the bar when it comes to supplying a premium hand held remote. The images here are NOT to scale and are meant to show the layout and shape as well as features. Both the D-Link (left) and the Linksys (right) are pretty basic remotes. And they do what they are supposed to do. The D-Link DSM-750 has a secondary proprietary MediaLounge interface and their remote works seamlessly with it as well as the Media Center interface.

So what do I like and what do I think sets this remote apart? First, there is a very tactile cursor pad. Then there is the blue back lighting so I don’t have to fumble in the dark. The remote includes universal remote functions and allows you to add 4 additional components (TV, set top box, DVD, Aux, etc.). I haven’t set anything up yet, but for most people this will be more than enough to banish other remotes. There is no macro capability, so my Pronto will stay on the coffee table. And if someone wants to supply a Pronto ccf/pcf file and upload it to remotecentral.com.. I might go the other way and include a device on my Pronto. (Yeah, I can use “learning” and do it all myself). Another really big plus is the “sleep” button. (Think “Green”).

A final BIG plus that I want to highlight today is that the “Green Button” provides one touch access to turn the x280n on and fire up the Media Center Extender interface, and get you connected without going through the MediaSmart menu. Otherwise, you press the power button to reach the main menu and can select the MCX or HP interface from there.

My only complaint so far is that I prefer the play button to be centered, larger and standout more like on the D-Link remote and some of the MS reference designs.

Some of you may remember that back in December 2006, Microsoft and AMD shipped me a Velocity Micro Cinemagix Pro Cinema Entertainment System.

This AMD Athlon X2 system with an ATI x1950 dual DVI card, 2 gigs RAM and huge hard drive was a wonder. Microsoft installed Windows Vista x64 Ultimate and Office 2007 and I was in, well, computer heaven. It was exactly the box I’d spec out myself. Perfect in every way. And certainly the fastest computer I’d ever had in my home.

It was perfect then, but today it is more than perfect. It returned last week after visiting the Velocity Micro factory where it received a BIOS upgrade and a tune up. Why send it back for a BIOS upgrade? The only thing missing was Digital Cable Tuner compatibility (to use CableCARD technology to view and record high definition TV). That feature was not available at the time I received this computer, but IT IS NOW.

To use CableCARD technology with Windows Media Center in Windows Vista, you need five pieces:

1. A machine with a certified (by CableLABS) DCT BIOS
2. A video card with HDCP compliance
3. A monitor or TV that is HDCP compliant
4. A Digital Cable Tuner (formerly called OCUR device)/DCT (or two if you want to watch and record at the same time)
5. A CableCARD from your local cable company.

Velocity Micro is offering this amazing machine with either an internal or external DCT. (You can add a second tuner as well).

I’ve got two external DCT’s attached to this machine and I’m in, well, high definition TV heaven.

If you’ve been waiting for the ability to watch and record high def TV on a kick-ass machine, run, don’t walk to Velocity Micro and customize one of these. Even if you aren’t into high def, this is one great computer.