Netflix is finally officially available to Windows Media Center users. Starting tomorrow, users running Windows Media Center on Windows Vista Home Premium and Ultimate systems will see a new Netflix tile powered by Microsoft Silverlight within the “TV + Movies” section.  Just click into the tile and login with your Netflix account information. Once you’re in, you’ll have full access to the Netflix library as well as access to both your Instant and DVD queues. You’ll also be able to use the Windows Media Center remote control to navigate the player controls as well as the user queues within Netflix. The only down side – this is not available to users of Windows Media Center on any build of Windows 7 at this time.

[Check it out via eHomeUpgrade]

Technorati Tags: Netflix, Netflix Streaming, Microsoft, Windows Media Center

Ian Dixon from The Digital Lifestyle.com has created a pretty nifty video showing off the Windows Media Center SideShow Gadget running on his Windows Mobile handset. His posting also details the steps he took to get everything running – pretty cool stuff for all you Media Center fans (which includes me).

[Check it out via eHomeUpgrade]

Technorati Tags: Windows Mobile, Windows Media Center SideShow Gadget

If you’re looking for an all-in-one PC with a little more oomph, then you might be interested in the new Sony VAIO RT series. Featuring a 25.5 inch XBRITE-FullHD Technology LCD display, Intel Core 2 Quad processor, loads of memory and storage space, the RT series makes for a great high definition all-in-one TV/PC system. On the PC side of things, the VAIO RT is a multimedia powerhouse thanks to the Intel quad core processor, 4 to 8GB of memory, and loads of disk space. On the TV side of things, the system supports full HD resolutions, has a Blu-ray drive and comes with an HDMI input for connecting other HD devices such as a Sony PlayStation 3 or an Xbox 360 game console.

• Intel Core 2 Quad Processor Q8200 or Q9400
• 4GB to 8GB of memory
• 1TB storage capacity (2 x 500GB 7200 RPM SATA HDD)
• RAID 0 technology
• 25.5 inch 1920 x 1200 XBRITE-FullHD Technology LCD display
• Blu-ray Burner
• Media Card Reader
• Intel HD Audio with Dolby Digital Live
• 2.1 channel speaker system (2 x 5 watt stereo speakers + 11 watt subwoofer)
• NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT GPU
• Intel P43 Express Chipset
• NTSC/ATSC TV Tuner
• 5 USB 2.0 ports
• 1 IEEE 1394 port
• Headphone, SPDIF, Ethernet, A/V input, eSATA, HDMI input, HDMI output
• Intel Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth
• Windows Vista Ultimate 64 bit OS
• Measures 26.1 x 17.3 x 9.3 inches

The VAIO RT is now available for pre-order with prices starting at $3299.99.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Sony VAIO RT, All-in-one PC, full HD

Thanks to Amazon, it looks like the new Samsung MediaLive Digital Media Adapter (Extender for Windows Media Center) model MR-00EA1 will be coming out on October 15th, 2008. Price for the system is a fairly inexpensive $199.99. Now before you go out and pre-order this unit, you have to be aware that the MediaLive extender only works with 2008 Samsung HDTV sets – series 4 TVs 26 inches and up and series 5 and higher TVs. The extender measures 6.1 x 1.2 x 4.9 inches and weighs a mere 14.1 oz. Connection wise, the MediaLive extender supports Ethernet and 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi networks and supports 1080p streaming from a Media Center PC to a Samsung TV set.

Bummer that I have a Samsung 2007 TV set..

[Samsung MediaLive via Ian Dixon's Blog, EngadgetHD]

Technorati Tags: Samsung MR-00EA1 MediaLive Digital Media Adapter, Media Center Extender, Extender for Windows Media Center

Movea Inc. announced the retail availability of their new Gyration Air Music Remote control today. The new remote is designed to handle both home theater environments as well as PC systems by being both a universal remote as well as a PC mouse. Thanks to the included MotionSense technology, the Air Music Remote can be used to control the PC’s on-screen cursor via natural hand movements (or the magic wave of the hand as I like to think of this). The remote features a backlit LCD panel which is capable of displaying music selections from Windows Media Player, Windows Media Center, and of course, iTunes.

Features of the Gyration Air Music Remote include:

• Replaces all existing TV, cable, A/V, and Media Center remotes
• Eliminates the need for a PC mouse
• Standard menu navigation, alphanumeric keypad and shortcut buttons
• Radio frequency based and infrared based remote

The new Gyration Air Music Remote will be available for purchase at a price of $179.99 or $229.99 with a wireless portable keyboard.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Movea Inc, Gyration Air Music Remote

If you’ve been a follower of Krunker for some time, then you’ll know by now that I’m a big fan of home theater PCs and in particular Windows Media Center systems. Several years ago, I put together an awesome XP 2005 Media Center system using a Pentium M processor and it served its purpose wonderfully for at least two years – that is until Windows Vista came out and I needed a faster system underneath. Sadly, that machine is no more and in many ways, I’m no longer a proponent of putting the computer in the living room. Why you might ask? Well.. it boiled down to a simple idea – the Xbox 360 makes for an awesome Media Center Extender experience. So much so that I’d rather have an Xbox 360 in the living room than have a full fledged PC in there.

Of course, there are still many things that an HTPC can do that a Media Center Extender can’t do so.. if you’re still insistent on putting together an HTPC system, you might want to check out this article at PC Magazine entitled “Built It: A Living-Room Media Center PC”. It’s certainly not the prettiest looking HTPC system out there but it should be a good guide to creating one.

So what do I do these days? I have a Windows Media Center PC sitting in the home office connecting to Media Center Extenders around the apartment. There’s an Xbox 360 sitting in the living room and one Xbox 360 sitting in the bedroom and those two consoles provide everything I need in a home theater PC environment. Sure, I can’t do Blu-ray but.. that’s what the PS3 is for. One of these days, I’ll write an article describing my digital home setup.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Home Theater PC, HTPC, Guide, DIY Guide, PC Magazine

HP, Linksys, and D-Link won’t be the only ones with standalone Media Center Extenders anymore. Samsung has announced that their upcoming MediaLive adapter will be coming out in August for an estimated price of around $200 dollars. Like other Extenders for Windows Media Centers, MediaLive connects to PC’s running Windows Vista Home Premium or Windows Vista Ultimate and delivers the familiar Windows Media Center interface on a large screen TV set. 

MediaLive will support the streaming of the following forms of content:

• For online content, it will be Media Center online content providers such as Vongo, MovieLink, Showtime TV, XM Radio, and Fox Sports
• For audio, it will be WMA, MP3, and AC3
• For video, it will be WMV, MPEG2, MPEG4, H.264
• For pictures, it will be JPEG

MediaLive supports both USB 2.0 Slave and USB 2.0 Host specs and has an HDMI CEC port as well as an Ethernet port. The unit measures 270 x 48 x 155 mm and weighs around 1.8kg. The MediaLive will be available in August for an estimated price of $200 dollars.

It’s also important to note that the MediaLive adapter is cheaper than the upcoming HP MediaSmart Connect Extender. Also note – the MediaLive picture is from Gizmodo.

Technorati Tags: Samsung MediaLive, Extender for Windows Media Center

Want to know more about Windows Media Center programming? You might be interested in checking out Steven Harding’s new book that he’s working on called “Programming with Media Center.”  The book isn’t finished yet so you can download the PDF and check it out in  your leisure. Of course, if you find it useful or if it helps you in your MCE development projects, do consider providing a donation. It’s great to see books come out for Windows Media Center – especially on the development side. The more developers, the richer the content we’ll see for this wonderful platform.

[Check it out via Ian Dixon's Blog]

Technorati Tags: Programming with Media Center, Windows Media Center, Steven Harding

Do you want the capabilities of the Roku Netflix Player on your TV set yet don’t want to shell out $99 bucks for the player itself? Well this posting on Lifehacker shows how you COULD get a similar experience IF you have an Xbox 360 and a Windows PC lying about on a home network. The key to making this work is a combination of an add-in called the vmcNetFlix add-in, Extender for Windows Media Center, and the Netflix Watch-Instantly component. The vmcNetFlix add-in software can be downloaded here and make sure to read the notes on the webpage.

I tried out the software last night and while I saw the plugin on my Extender screen, I failed to get video playback working. Truth be told – I didn’t spend too much time on it so I’ll look into it more tonight. Now, keep in mind folks – this is a cool alternative to the Roku Netflix Player IF you have all the components already. If you don’t have an Xbox 360 and you don’t play video games, then it probably makes very little sense to go and buy an Xbox 360 strictly for Netflix content. You’re better off getting the Roku player itself.  Having said that, there are also rumors that Microsoft and Netflix are closing in on a deal that would have Netflix’s Watch Now service available for the Xbox console. All good news for Netflix and of course the Microsoft Xbox 360 console.

[Check it out via News.com]

Technorati Tags: Netflix, Microsoft, Watch Now, Windows Media Center, vmcNetflix Add-in

Do you have a need to record A LOT of content? You might be interested in this video clip by Cannon PC that shows off a Windows Media Center PC recording from six CableCard-enabled HD tuners. The video clip is of course a bit promotional because it shows one of their own systems handling the recording of six HD channels simultaneously while also playing back a high definition video clip. Keep in mind of course – this is NOT an incredibly hard task to accomplish. The video clip shows that the system is built around a quad core processor – that’s plenty of horsepower for Windows Media Center.

But what about the six HD tuners recording at the same time you say? Well one would assume that the six HD tuners had hardware based encoders thus relieving the CPU of any encoding duties. So.. the only left to do is to have a wickedly fast storage system which means you’ll want a nice RAID storage array with lots of fast disks. Finally.. playing back HD – well again – you’ll want a nice graphics card with hardware based decoding.

Now what is cool is how these guys have managed to get six tuners working under Windows Media Center. If you poke around on Google, you’ll figure out ways to get Media Center to see more than the normal 2 analog and 2 digital tuner limitation (hint – check out MCE Tuner Extender as an easy way to get this working).

While it’s certainly plausible for you to create a system like the demoed Cannon system – there won’t be an easy way for you to get a hold of six CableCard capable tuners. In fact, CableCard tuner cards are not sold directly to the consumer – you’ll have to buy it as part of a new system unfortunately. In any case, kudos to Cannon PC for pushing the envelope on MCE systems.

[Check it out via Ian Dixon's Blog and eHomeUpgrade]

Technorati Tags: Cannon PC, Windows Media Center, HTPC, CableCard TV tuner HD Tuner