Transcript: Media Center, June 17, 2004
Published: September 7, 2004
Chat Date: June 17, 2004
Please note: Portions of this transcript have been edited for clarity
Introduction
Moderator: Andrew (Microsoft)
Hi everyone, and welcome to the Media Center chat!
Moderator: Andrew (Microsoft)
Today we are answering your questions about Media Center.
Moderator: Andrew (Microsoft)
Please note that we cannot comment on unannounced products, and in some cases may not be able to discuss specific aspects of announced products. This chat is primarily to discuss questions or issues with our current products.
Moderator: Andrew (Microsoft)
Now, I'll have our hosts for the chat today introduce themselves:
Host: Nick (Microsoft)
Hey, all, I'm Nick, a developer on the Media Center Extender team.
Moderator: Andrew (Microsoft)
I'm Andrew Brown, and I'm the MVP Lead for Media Center, and the moderator for this chat.
Host: Barb (MVP)
I'm Barb Bowman and I'm a Windows MVP and an Expert Zone Columnist. In real life, I'm a Product Development Manager for Comcast High Speed Internet. MCE rocks!
Host: Todd (Microsoft)
Hi; my name is Todd. I’m a program manager on the Media Center Extender team.
Host: AndyV (Microsoft)
Hi everyone. My name is Andy Vanosdale, one of the MVPs for Media Center. I make sure Nick and Todd have tons to do!
Host: Joe (Microsoft)
Hi, my name is Joe and I’m a developer on the Windows Media Center TV team.
Moderator: Andrew (Microsoft)
Go ahead and begin posting questions in the bottom window, and we'll get the chat underway.
Start of Chat
Moderator: Andrew (Microsoft)
Go ahead and begin posting questions in the bottom window, and we'll get the chat underway.
Host: Barb (MVP)
Q: is there any update for MC 2004?
A: Windows XP SP2 will include the update to MCE2004 (You can install the public preview now of RC2 and get the upgrade).
Host: Todd (Microsoft)
Q: Can you tell us about any features in MCE vNEXT?
A: At this time, we have not announced specific details regarding future releases of Media Center.
Host: Joe (Microsoft)
Q: Many people in Europe use both satellite and terrestrial/cable TV, that's because some local channels are not on satellite and international channels are only on satellite ... what about supporting two different kinds of tuners and merge the guides ?
A: This is great feedback. I will send it along to the TV team.
Host: Barb (MVP)
Q: What decoder do you recommend using?
A: Suggest you visit the Media Center newsgroup and ask other MCE users what their experiences are with different decoders as there are several to select from.
Host: AndyV (Microsoft)
Q: Can you tell us about the timeline for MCE Extenders and MCE XBOX Extender?
A: All information about the Media Center Extenders can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/mediacenter/evaluation/devices/default.mspx.
Host: Todd (Microsoft)
Q: What about a Media Center Extender software (or updated Remote Desktop client) for Windows XP ?
A: That’s certainly an interesting suggestion; I’ll pass it along to the appropriate folks.
Host: AndyV (Microsoft)
Q: What about adding satellite radios (sound only channels) to the Radio instead of the My TV component, would feel more logical for end users, Radio would be FM, Internet or Satellite?
A: This is a fantastic idea. I will make sure the product team is aware of this request.
Host: Nick (Microsoft)
Q: How can we remove an item from the main menu of the MCE app (like one of the downloadable games for instance)?
A: You can do this by highlighting the menu item, then pressing the Clear button on the remote.
Host: Joe (Microsoft)
Q: Does Media Center support playing video over remote desktop?
A: No. At this time Video/TV is not supported over remote desktop.
Host: Barb (MVP)
Q: I would like to suggest X10 integration with media center
A: Third party developers are free to add this kind of functionality through the extensibility SDK.
Host: AndyV (Microsoft)
Q: What about Video servers containing tuner(s) and connecting to Media Center across the LAN ? the scenario is having these near the satellite dish to prevent wiring sat coax when UTP is ready
A: You should really check out Media Center Extenders (not released yet). More information can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/mediacenter/evaluation/devices/default.mspx.
Moderator: Andrew (Microsoft)
Q: What about launching Media Center to other countries, does a timeline exist?
A: Currently Media Center is available in Japan, Germany, the UK, Korea, and France in addition to North America. We're always looking at expanding availability but have no plans we can announce today.
Host: Todd (Microsoft)
Q: Any other OEMs coming online to be building and selling Media Centers?
A: There is a wide variety of OEMs currently selling Media Center PCs; for a list of OEMs, visit http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/mediacenter/evaluation/products.mspx
Host: AndyV (Microsoft)
Q: as just mentioned, a caller ID and answering machine would be great.
A: Caller ID is already a feature within Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004. The answering machine application would be a great extensibility application for a developer to release.
Moderator: Andrew (Microsoft)
Q: Will it be possible to queue music (artist/album/song) without destroying the current now playing list in MCE 2005?
A: Unfortunately, we cannot comment on unannounced products, and in some cases may not be able to discuss specific aspects of announced products. This chat is primarily to discuss questions or issues with our current products.
Host: Joe (Microsoft)
Q: I would like Media Center to be able to record a show already in progress and preserve the video that occurred before I pressed record.
A: Great suggestion. I will forward this to the appropriate people.
Moderator: Andrew (Microsoft)
As a reminder, please make sure you post your questions with a "Q:" in front of them so we don't miss them!
Host: JamesEdelen (MVP)
Q: What about ehOutlook, being able to see my calendar, tasks and last emails using the remote control ?
A: This would be an excellent 3rd party plug-in to leverage the existing SDK, but it is not currently a built-in feature.
Host: Todd (Microsoft)
Q: Is MS going to offer a keyboard and mouse usable from a couch? Right now I only got 6 feet, short for a living room
A: Microsoft offers a multitude of wireless keyboard options that satisfy various product category needs. Media Center OEMs have the flexibility to offer a keyboard and mouse with their PCs that satisfy their target market - some OEMs offer products geared for the desktop, while others target usage from the couch.
Host: AndyV (Microsoft)
Q: Why can't we record FM Radio ? it seems to be going through the exact same processes as TV, shouldn't be hard to let us record it.
A: That is a great suggestion and it has been passed along to the right person.
Host: AndyV (Microsoft)
Q: redundant question, but is MS working on HighDef at all?
A: Absolutely! Microsoft has been working on High Definition (including a WMVHD standard).
Moderator: Andrew (Microsoft)
Q: Outlook email notifications would be great. Can this be looked into?
A: Good suggestion, we will pass that along to the product team.
Host: AndyV (Microsoft)
Q: integration between Media Player and a Tablet used as a remote?
A: I would search MSDN for an SDK for Windows Media Player and Tablet PC.
Moderator: Andrew (Microsoft)
Q: when will Windows Media Player 10 be final?
A: WMP is a separate team, so we can't comment on their schedule. Sorry!
Host: Todd (Microsoft)
Q: Will dual monitors enhance the MCE Experience?
A: I can think of a couple of different ways to use dual monitors with MCE - you can mirror your main monitor with TV out, delivering the MCE experience to two locations/display surfaces at once; you can also use multi-mon to watch TV on one monitor while working on the other.
Host: AndyV (Microsoft)
Q: What about using the Folder.gif/.jpeg as a thumbnail for My Videos folders like WinXP Explorer does, this would enable better customization and would be great for movies collections ??
A: This is a great suggestion, and I will make sure the My Videos team is aware of it.
Moderator: Andrew (Microsoft)
Q: Is there a way to see all upcoming episodes of a given program without having to go into search?
A: Unfortunately, there currently is no way to do this.
Host: Todd (Microsoft)
Q: Will MCE incorporate Digital Teletext? MHEG-5 in Europe?
A: Media Center currently supports analog teletext; digital teletext and MHEG-5 support is an interesting suggestion I can pass along for future versions.
Host: AndyV (Microsoft)
Q: I have WinDVD 6, and it works perfectly stand-alone. However when I try to watch a DVD within MCE, I don't see the focus for selecting something in the main menu, and neither can I see subtitles. Any idea?
A: I would post this to our public newsgroup (microsoft.public.windows.mediacenter). Someone in there may have the answer...
Host: Barb (MVP)
Q: Is there any support for video playlists (I have a large collection of music videos) they play audio, but no video.
A: Interesting suggestion.
Host: Joe (Microsoft)
Q: Any chances of being able to use a tuner card as a pass through? I’d like to play video games and watch my VCR on my Media Center.
A: At this time, playing video games through the Media Center video inputs is not possible due to the latency added by our pause buffer. The suggestion for a pass-through is great. I’ll pass it along.
Host: Todd (Microsoft)
Q: Can you answer questions regarding how the Online Spotlight sites like Movielink and CinemaNow will work with Media Center Extenders?
A: We are working with our Online Spotlight partners to ensure the best possible experience on Extenders.
Host: AndyV (Microsoft)
Q: can you queue a show you want to watch? In other words, have the channel change to a future show when it starts?
A: If you are in Live TV already, you will be notified if a show is about to record and request that it change the channel when it begins to record.
Host: Barb (MVP)
Q: you're on the guide see a show coming and queue to watch/remind you when it starts.
A: A reminder function is a great suggestion.
Moderator: Andrew (Microsoft)
Q: I know it's in the future but will MCE support Digital Cable Ready (CableCARD) tuners when/if they become available?
A: Until they become available, there's not really any way we can make a decision as to what level of support (if any) to provide.
Host: JamesEdelen (MVP)
Q: What do I need to do to get dual monitors to work with MCE? I am using an old Voodoo 3 2000 pci card now.
A: You will need to use a supported Video Card with at least 48MB of Video Memory.
Moderator: Andrew (Microsoft)
Q: What do you plan at Microsoft to update in the next media center edition ?
A: Please note that we cannot comment on unannounced products, and in some cases may not be able to discuss specific aspects of announced products. This chat is primarily to discuss questions or issues with our current products.
Host: JamesEdelen (MVP)
Q: When will we have a real SDK with the possibility to extend Media Center (not through external app or hosted Web browser) ? something like a base MCEItem class that can be extended and fits right in, including transitions ?
A: Much effort has been put into making Media Center easily extensibility, but new features and extensibility are always being considered.
Host: Joe (Microsoft)
Q: Is there a way to provide more details (actors, genre, etc) about a video file so MCE can display that information more like what a TV show has?
A: This is a great suggestion. I’ll pass it on to the feature team.
Host: AndyV (Microsoft)
Q: What about using one of the 2 infrared emitter ports of the ehReceiver to turn on/off the TV when the PC is turned on/off ? that would remove one more remote for many users!
A: This is great suggestion. I will make sure that team knows about your request.
Host: JamesEdelen (MVP)
Q: What format is the saved MCE media recorded in? (.dvr)
A: Information on the dvr-ms file format can be found at http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnwmt/html/dvrfilechanges.asp
Moderator: Andrew (Microsoft)
Okay, we'll be ending the Media Center chat in 5 minutes. Last chance!
Host: JamesEdelen (MVP)
Q: The remote control simulates standard VK_1, ... keys from the top of the keyboard, which in some localization are numbers only when caps-lock is on, what about switching to emulating Keypad keys to send numbers in all locales, (...)
A: Information on the workings of the remote can be found at http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnwmt/html/remote_control.asp
Moderator: Andrew (Microsoft)
Q: Any chance to see MCE sold in Stores?
A: We have found that the best experience with Media Center Edition is on proper hardware configured correctly by an OEM. We haven't announced any plans to make MCE available as a standalone product.
Host: Todd (Microsoft)
Q: can MS look also into having an optical audio out?
A: Many Media Center PCs on the market already have optical audio out; inclusion of this is up to the specific OEM
Moderator: Andrew (Microsoft)
Q: have you already started working on Longhorn Media Center edition, and when is it expected to be released (along with Longhorn Home/pro or after a while?)
A: Unfortunately, we cannot comment on unannounced products, and in some cases may not be able to discuss specific aspects of announced products. This chat is primarily to discuss questions or issues with our current products.
Moderator: Andrew (Microsoft)
This concludes our Media Center chat for today. Thanks for coming, everyone!
Host: Todd (Microsoft)
Thanks everyone.
Moderator: Andrew (Microsoft)
Please feel free to stay and continue to chat about Media Center or other Windows topics.
Host: Nick (Microsoft)
Thanks for coming, all.
Host: Barb (MVP)
See you all next month!
Host: AndyV (Microsoft)
See you all next month!
For further information on this topic please visit the following:
Newsgroups: Windows Media Center Edition
Transcripts: Read the archive of past Windows Media Center Edition chats.
Website: Visit the home page for Windows Media Center Edition
