Transcript: Windows Media Center Edition, September 16
Published: September 20, 2004
Chat Date: September 16, 2004
Please note: Portions of this transcript have been edited for clarity
Introduction
Moderator: Andy (Microsoft)
Welcome to today's chat. Our topic is Windows XP Media Center Edition. Questions, comments, and suggestions are welcome.
Moderator: Andy (Microsoft)
I'll now have the hosts introduce themselves.
Host: AlexFeinman (MVP)
Hello, I'm Alex Feinman - MVP for Windows Media Center
Host: Joe (Microsoft)
Hi, I’m Joe. I’m a developer on the Media Center TV Team.
Host: CoreyGouker (MVP)
I'm Corey Gouker a Media Center MVP, like to know more? Check out http://blogs.coreygouker.com.
Host: Nick (Microsoft)
Hey, all ... I'm Nick, a developer on the Media Center Extender team. And, by the way, we can't comment on unannounced products.
Host: Barb (MVP)
Hi, I'm Barb Bowman and I'm a Windows MVP. Media Center Rocks!!
Host: Todd (Microsoft)
Hi, my name is Todd; I’m a program manager in Windows eHome.
Host: Walter_Waltz (MVP)
Hi everyone! I'm Walter Waltz, Media Center MVP.
Host: Robert_Schlabbach (MVP)
I'm Robert Schlabbach, MCE MVP from Germany trying to push European issues...
Moderator: Andy (Microsoft)
And I'm Andy Quig, Communities Business Manager.
Host: Peter_Near (MVP)
Hi, I'm Peter Near, MCE MVP from Canada
Start of Chat
Host: Nick (Microsoft)
Q: I want to become an MVP. Any links?
A: If you're interested in the MVP program, find out more at http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/.
Host: Todd (Microsoft)
Q: Will you be answering question about MCE 2005 today? Is it OK to ask MCE 2005 questions?
A: Microsoft has not yet announced details regarding future version of Media Center.
Host: Nick (Microsoft)
Q: Can you explain the differences between Media Edition and XP Home?
A: A good place to start is http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/mediacenter/evaluation/default.mspx for this kind of information.
Moderator: Andy (Microsoft)
Q: How can I contact Microsoft?
A: http://support.microsoft.com/common/international.aspx?rdpath=fh;en-us;cntactms
Host: Nick (Microsoft)
Q: my MCE works fine, but I'm getting 'hum bars' (thick interference lines) on my TV screen, with a low buzzing sound. I split the cable going to the TV and PC, then I run an S-video cable back to the TV. Any device or hookup to prevent this?
A: Sounds like this might be a ground loop, but we can't be sure. For specific technical issues like this, a good place to ask is on the Media Center Newsgroup, at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/newsgroups/reader.mspx?dg=microsoft.public.windows.mediacenter
Host: Walter_Waltz (MVP)
Q: where do we post ideas for future updates?
A: If you have any suggestions for future versions of Media Center you may visit this website: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/mce/featurerequest.mspx
Host: Walter_Waltz (MVP)
Q: Is Media Center now retail and OEM media?
A: Media Center Edition is currently available through OEM outlets (i.e. HP, Gateway, Alienware, just to name a few). If you are interested in purchasing a Media Center PC please visit this website: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/mediacenter/howtobuy/default.mspx
Host: Todd (Microsoft)
A: (continued) Media Center is now also available through the system builder channel.
Host: Nick (Microsoft)
Q: I have Windows XP Professional on all my systems, in the future will there be updates to MCE?
A: Unfortunately, Windows XP Professional is not upgradeable to Windows XP Media Center Edition.
Host: Nick (Microsoft)
Q: What is the upgrade price from Home to Media Edition?
A: Same applies to Windows XP Home - no upgrade is possible.
Host: Todd (Microsoft)
Q: How long before Media Extenders are due to be available in Europe? I know MS is aiming at Christmas for the USA market.
A: We have not yet announced detailed plans regarding releasing Extenders in Europe
Host: Todd (Microsoft)
Q: When will the Media Extender Kit for the Xbox be released?
A: Media Center Extenders (both the set top box and MCX for Xbox) will be out in time for this year’s holiday season.
Host: Peter_Near (MVP)
Q: Will MCE include any additional WMP10 Add-ons?
A: There are no specific add-ons to WMP10 that MCE provides, but WMP10 does now handle Recorded TV quite nicely as part of your library.
Host: Barb (MVP)
Q: I have been having many problems trying to download the program guide from MCE. It always detects the connection in the test, and is able to receive the list of service providers, but can never connect to receive the guide, it just stalls at 0%...
A: Can you try s different zip or postal code and see if that downloads? If it does, reset back to your own and try again?
Host: Walter_Waltz (MVP)
Q: Should my next PC is a Media Center?
A: Yes.
Host: Peter_Near (MVP)
Q: Are the MCE MVPs blogging by any chance?
A: Why yes, there are some of us blogging here: http://mcemvp.us/blogs/
Host: Todd (Microsoft)
Q: What plans does Microsoft and its Partners have for MCE in Europe?
A: Microsoft is very interested in Media Center in Europe; currently, Media Center is available in Germany, the UK, and France.
Host: Barb (MVP)
Q: Can I use Remote Desktop to get to an MCE PC to schedule recordings?
A: Yes, you can. I do this all the time.
Host: AlexFeinman (MVP)
Q: Why should I buy a Media Center Edition PC?
A: Media Center computer allows you to organize and manage conveniently all your media. There are other exciting features coming that will make it worthwhile for even larger customer base
Host: Nick (Microsoft)
Q: What sort of System would you recommend to run XP MCE?
A: We have a showcase of Media Center PC Hardware available at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/mediacenter/evaluation/tours/default.mspx that might be what you're looking for.
Host: AndyV (MVP)
Q: I'm using a Hauppauge 250 tuner card to capture output from a Sony Freeview box via S-Video input and a GeForce FX5200 to send the output to the TV also via S-Video. The pictures are sometimes blurry. Is it worth spending a few £ on a better gfx card?
A: The problem may not necessarily lie on your graphics card and may be caused by low signal strength (I have had this before). What I did to cure the problem is to install a line amplifier as soon as the cable feed came into our house. This has greatly improved my reception and it is no longer fuzzy.
Host: Nick (Microsoft)
Q: Is there a way of reformatting the guide layout so it uses less screen space - DigiGuide on the PC uses smaller program boxes and therefore more data is readable on screen?
A: There's no way to currently do this, but we're continuing to look for ways to improve the Media Center experience.
Host: Joe (Microsoft)
Q: Using DVB-T, MCE Guide in the UK downloads say 66 channels but says that at least 20% are unavailable, is this data error from the guide that is out of step with channel providers data?
A: Most likely you are in an area where you can't receive the other 20% of the channels. The guide will be a superset of what you can receive in most cases. You can remove the channels you do not receive in Guide Settings.
Host: Todd (Microsoft)
Q: If I got Media Center would I have to pay a fee to watch TV on you computer?
A: There is no fee to use Media Center (even the Program Guide is free); you would of course need to pay for a cable or satellite connection from a cable/satellite provider in order to receive non-broadcast TV channels in your home.
Host: Todd (Microsoft)
Q: This isn't just about MCE2004, right?
A: Media Center version 1 questions are also fair game
Host: Joe (Microsoft)
Q: I think that a great addition to MCE would be to somehow make the red LED on the IR receiver flash when a recording is in progress so that you have a visual indication even if MCE is not in use... do you think MS would ever add a feature like this?
A: Thanks for the suggestion. I’ll forward this along to the group.
Host: Nick (Microsoft)
Q: Is there a way to schedule a recording which isn't found in the Guide?
A: Yes, you can do this via a Keyword Recording. To do this, go to My TV, then Recorded TV, then "Add Recording". There's an option there for a "Keyword" recording, which allows you to do exactly this.
Host: AndyV (MVP)
Q: Can MCE's recording system be hooked into by third party program guides (Digiguide, etc) to allow them to schedule recordings?
A: There is a third-party WebGuide software that is available for MCE 2004. As far as Digiguide or some other online TV listings provider, they cannot hook into MCE or MCE 2004.
Host: Barb (MVP)
Q: Why is there a need to transcode media when importing it into a Mobile Media Device? Why not encode it in a format that can be consumed directly?
A: The file size for decent quality recorded tv is pretty large. If you recorded tv initially at a size suitable for a PMC, it would look terrible on a regular tv
Host: CoreyGouker (MVP)
Q: I have failures while converting from DVR-MS to WMV in Windows Media Encoder 9. I use the NVIDIA MPEG2 decoder on my system. Can you suggest a better decoder?
A: There are some utilities available here: http://www.thegreenbutton.com/file.aspx?softwareId=33.
Host: Todd (Microsoft)
Q: When is the next scheduled Media Center chat?
A: We hold Media Center chats on the third Thursday of each month; our next chat will be October 15.
Host: AndyV (MVP)
Q: Any timeframe for retail MCE?
A: Please check www.microsoft.com/presspass for any updates regarding product availability announcements.
Host: Todd (Microsoft)
Q: Does MS plan to remove the MPEG2 hardware encoding requirement of MCE?
A: There isn’t a hardware encoding requirement for MCE - software encoding solutions have been shipping for a year now
Host: Todd (Microsoft)
Q: does MCE 2004 support hardware MPEG decoding?
A: MCE 2004 performs hardware-assisted MPEG decoding (the iDCT and motion compensation are offloaded to the graphics card)
Host: AndyV (MVP)
Thanks everyone!!!!!
Host: Barb (MVP)
CYA next month..
Host: CoreyGouker (MVP)
Great chat! Thanks everyone.
Host: Nick (Microsoft)
See you all later.
Host: Robert_Schlabbach (MVP)
Bye everyone!
For further information on this topic please visit the following:
Newsgroups: microsoft.public.windows.mediacenter
Transcripts: Read the archive of past Windows XP chats.
Website: Visit the home page for Windows Media Center Edition
