Archive for the ‘Windows 7’ Category
RAW Image Support – W7/Media Center 32/64 bit
September 22nd, 2009
I feel like I just hit the jackpot.
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 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
Posted in Digital Photography, Media Center, Windows 7 | 
Tags: Digital Photography, Windows 7, Windows Media Center
Windows 7, Play To, and a Samsung DLNA enabled TV
July 24th, 2009
This is a love story. Sometimes diving off the technology cliff means you follow your heart and take a chance on emerging/converging standards. When my nine year old once upon a time bleeding edge first of its kind 45 inch front projection component only HDTV developed the purple blotchies, I knew it was well past time to replace it. It was an ugly beast as well.
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.
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Old TV before the attack of the Purple Blotchies |
New Samsung LN52B750 |
Posted in DLNA, Media Center, Networking, Windows 7 |
Tags: DLNA, Windows 7, Windows Media Streaming
Windows 7 WMP Internet Streaming Adapts to Connection Speed
May 6th, 2009
The more I use WMP secure Internet streaming, the more impressed I become. The empowering technology is obviously very slick and smart. I discovered that the bit rate for streaming is adaptive and adjusts to your connection speed. While I don’t have any technical details or white papers that explain the inner workings, I sense that on the host end, the connection type and speed is auto detected and the bit rate set accordingly.
So far, I’ve determined that on a host that is hard wired to my home router, the bit rate is 2000 and if the host is wireless 802.11n, the rate is 1200. Note that I am streaming no DRM’d HD content recorded using a Digital Cable Tuner and a CableCard. The client was my ASUS EeePC netbook, connected via 802.11n wireless. This means that most broadband users should have a wonderful experience. Comcast’s flagship speed is 12/2, so certainly the experience will be a good one for Comcast customers, especially considering that most will have standard definition Media Center recordings. (Disclaimer, I work for Comcast and this does not in any way represent any official statement or endorsement.). Given my own experience with these HD recordings, anyone streaming HD recordings or HD Videos will have a great experience as well. I’m not easily impressed, but this stuff is amazing.
The bit rate is shown in the upper left corner of Windows Media Player when you first start streaming a TV Show.
Here are some screen captures showing this data.
W7 RC Secure WMP Internet Streaming is Impressive
April 30th, 2009
None of the info I’d see on the web mentioned much about the ability to stream Recorded TV in Windows 7 over the Internet as part of the just revealed Windows 7 Windows Media Player Internet Streaming function added to the release candidate for Windows 7. I decided to try it for myself.
First, this is secure streaming between computers I own. The provider available for the RC is Windows Live, and any computer used as either the host or the client MUST be associated with your Windows Live ID (the same one on each computer). You’ll need to set permissions on the host machine within Windows Media Player, as well.
I decided to try streaming an episode of Stargate Atlantis recorded in High Def from the SciFi channel as a first test. I about fell over because I didn’t expect it to work at all and had guessed that if I could get it to work, it would be glitchy and unwatchable. Wrong. While the content is downsampled, I’d watch it in a heartbeat wile travelling.
Incredible to me, the client I was using was an Asus EeeePC also running build 7100 W7.
While I’m no Steven Spielberg, I managed to capture a bit of this experience:
Clubhouse Tags: clubhouse, media center, Media Center Windows 7, windows media center, how-to, Tip