The Media Center Show #86(MP3 - 17.1mb- 50mins 00secs)
by Ian Dixon

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This week on the show Brian Frost joins me to explain how to get the best out of your existing Media Center investment including looking at how to connect Media Center to your existing HIFI, plus how to connect Media Center to your 5.1 surround sound systems

The Vote page is up for The Media Center Show Awards, so get voting now and enter the prize draw

Have you watched The Media Center Show Extra yet? Its my new video accompaniment to the show.

The Media Center Show with Orb Networks

Send your questions and feedback to isdixon at gmail dot com
Don’t forget your to check out Media Center Show Gear

The forums are at Iandixon.co.uk/forums

Show Times:
00:22 Coming up this week
00:57 Update on XBOX 360 Extender problem
01:49 Podcast client for Media Center
03:40 The Media Center Show Awards 2006
04:40 CE Pro shows Home Automation on Vista
05:14 Mobilewares Online Showcase (MCPL Web Application)
06:00 CES 2007
07:00 Onevoice
07:53 Welcome to Brian Frost
08:41 Brian’s background
11:00 Connecting your hifi to Media Center
15:00 Speakers
18:00 2 Channel Audio
24:50 Cables
26:44 Surround Sound connections
33:00 Switching on digital connections
43:30 Thanks to Brian
44:06 Music by Ian Dixon

The Media Center Show #85(MP3 - 18.9mb- 55mins 01secs)
by Ian Dixon

LISTEN HERE

This week on the show Gregg Cannon of Cannon PC joins me to talk about Cannon PC’s range of Media Center PC’s and building Media Center Servers
I have email in to the show and items from around the web.

The Vote page is up for The Media Center Show Awards, so get voting now and enter the prize draw

Have you watched The Media Center Show Extra yet? Its my new video accompaniment to the show.

The Media Center Show with Orb Networks

So go and vote now please!!

Send your questions and feedback to isdixon at gmail dot com
Don’t forget your to check out Media Center Show Gear

The forums are at Iandixon.co.uk/forums

Show Times:
00:43 Coming up this week
01:07 Email - MyTVtoGo
02:36 Email - Vista XBOX 360 problems
04:23 Big Screen Contacts for Vista Media Center
04:50 Webguide 4.0 adds live TV streaming
06:19 The Media Center Show Awards 2006
07:58 CES 2007
08:24 A Message from Onevoice
09:14 Welcome to Gregg
10:07 Cannon’s background
12:50 Picking Media Center components
18:00 Building a PC for the home
21:09 Cannon PC’s products
23:00 Hot Swap drives
24:00 Rack Designs
30:00 Client and Servers
31:30 Microsoft Remote Keyboard
33:00 Onevoice’s Media Center Remote
35:10 Case Displays
38:10 Why do Media Center PC cost more?
42:00 Vista Media Center demand
44:37 Future plans
50:00 Thanks to Greg
50:29 Music by Ian Dixon

I have posted the vote page for the Media Center Show Awards 2006.

The aim of the awards is to highlight and give some recognition to the great work done by the Media Center community.

There are category’s for:

• Best Media Center Utility
• Best Online Spotlight Applications
• Best Communication Tool
• Best Community Resource
• Best Hardware Manufacturer
• Best Enthusiast Blog
• Best Microsoft Media Center Blog
• Best Free application (non-commercial) application
• Best Commercial Application
• Outstanding Design Award
• Best Vista Media Center Application

If you enter your email address when completing the form you will be entered in a prize draw for some free software including mNewsCenter and Media Center Communicator.

So go and vote now please!!

 The Media Center Show Awards 2007 will be closing Monday.

The aim of the awards is to highlight and give some recognition to the great work done in the Media Center community and I will be putting the vote page up on Monday.

So if you have a favorite Media Center related blog, addon or web site or anything else worth including let me know at isdixon at gmail dotcom and i will add it to the nominations list.

The Media Center Show #84(MP3 - 18.3mb- 53mins 21secs)
by Ian Dixon

LISTEN HERE

This week on the show, a slight deviation from Media Center as I talk to Orb co-founder Joe Costello about Orb 2.0, mycasting, the explosion of digital media and taking your Media Center content with you on the go.

Checkout The Media Center Show Extra #4, also tell me what you think of the “extra” shows on the survey page
Don’t forget the Media Center Show Award nominations, voting starts soon

The Media Center Show with Orb Networks

Send your questions and feedback to isdixon at gmail dot com (feel free to send your questions in mp3)
or you can send your questions and comments in to the show Skype Line “MediaCenterShow”

Don’t forget your to check out Media Center Show Gear

The forums are at Iandixon.co.uk/forums

Show Times:
00:41 Coming up this week
00:57 The Media Center Show Extra #4 - Z Sample Application
02:00 Windows Media Center SDK (v5.0), Details on Media Center Sandbox
02:41 OABsoftware Vista Media Center Application (from Aaron Stebners blog)
03:24 The Media Center Show Extra Survey
03:50 The Nominations for the Media Center Show Awards 2006 close soon
04:32 New Media Center Book
04:58 A Message from Onevoice
05:55 Welcome to Joe
06:10 What is Orb and how was it founded
12:50 Digital Media growth
14:57 What is new in 2.0?
21:00 A new UI
24:09 New Flash Player
27:27 Content on to mobile devices
28:05 Orb this
33:33 Sharing content
37:00 Skinning
39:00 A 10 foot UI?
42:00 Availability
42:36 Future developments
48:23 Thanks to Joe
48:55 Music by Ian Dixon

This week on the show I look at the “Z” sample application in the Windows Media Center SDK (v5.0)

Z is a complete end-to-end sample application that really shows off the power of Media Center Markup lanungage. You get the source code to the whole application in the SDK. I hope it not only inspires developers to get developing with Media Center but content companies too, they will be able to see the potential for getting there brand to the TV

For more info checkout Charlie Owen’s blog post and you can download the SDK from HERE

• Download 640×480 (43mb)
• Download 320×240 (17mb)
• Watch via Youtube (Edited to fit the 10 minute YouTube limit)

Have a look at the Media Center Show Extra Survey and let me know when you think of the show

This weeks show

Microsoft have a new sample application with that really shows the power of Media Center Markup Language. The application called Z shows virtually a whole new UI for Media Center highlighting how developers can use this technology to make there own apps.

The potential for fantastic new applications is amazing.

The slickness and visual eye candy is wonderful, the developers have done an amazing job of highlighting the possibilities of Media Center, including a Folder viewer for music files (something lots of people have asked for), and a download manager (with complete source code!)

The application is a fictional company called Z that offers Movies, TV and Music, and it really shows you what could be done. See the screen shots bellow, its amazing and I really hope that some content companies see this and wake up to the fact that Media Center presents a real opportunity to get content in to the digital home via the TV and the 10 foot interface.

Not only is it a great looking application, Microsoft have given away the source code, so you can look over the code and see how its done.

I must really commend the team at Microsoft for doing this application, it serves the purpose of showing the capacities of MCML, show developers how its done with the source code and inspiring developers and users a like.

I must also compliment Thomas Hawk and the wonderful pictures included in the application.

Download it with the rest of the SDK HERE  and more details on the Media Center Sandbox blog

Look out for Z in a Media Center Show Extra

The Media Center Show #83(MP3 - 21.9mb- 1hour 03mins 53secs)
by Ian Dixon

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I have a great interview this week. Kevin Shields, General Manager of the TV team at Microsoft talks about TV support in Media Center. From the original analog only support to digital standards and Cablecard. We talk about TV in Vista and TV support in future editions of Media Center.

I also have email in to the show and some items from around the web. 

Checkout The Media Center Show Extra #3, also tell me what you think of the “extra” shows on the survey page
Don’t forget the Media Center Show Award nominations, voting starts soon

The Media Center Show with Orb Networks

Send your questions and feedback to isdixon at gmail dot com (feel free to send your questions in mp3)
or you can send your questions and comments in to the show Skype Line “MediaCenterShow”

Don’t forget your to check out Media Center Show Gear

The forums are at Iandixon.co.uk/forums

Show Times:
00:50 Coming up this week
01:05 Email - Buying a Media Center PC
02:38 Email - Media Center Show Extra - Windows Media Encoder
03:15 Charlie Owen asks “What keeps you from using Media Center”
04:05 mControl v2
04:34 New Media Center Forums
04:57 Chris Lanier’s Home Automation Review
05:28 New Media Center Development Blog
05:56 Media Center Show Award Nominations closing soon
06:21 A Message from Onevoice
07:30 Welcome to Kevin Shields
07:40 How Important is TV in Media Center?
12:00 BDA Architecture
14:00 Supporting Digital Standards
17:45 ATSC
22:10 Japanese TV Support
23:50 How happy are you with TV support in Media Center?
28:00 Recommendation services
29:34 Social and Community features in Media Center
30:35 Cablecard and how its going to work with Vista
35:09 Cablecard Certification - How its going to work
41:50 DVB-S support in Vista
42:30 DVB-T Update in Vista?
43:17 Vista update for Media Center
45:00 IPTV
47:22 User Created Content
54:11 Internet and broadcast TV content together
55:34 Future Plans for Media Center
58:20 Music by Ian Dixon

The Media Center Show #82(MP3 - 20.4mb- 59mins 30secs)
by Ian Dixon

LISTEN HERE

This week on the show I talk to Andy Zhulenev from BuildMediaCenter.Com, we talk about this experiences building a Media Center PC and how he got the idea of building a Media Center resource web site. We also talk about his other project, building a HTPC that is small and quiet 

I also have email in to the show and some items from around the web. 

Checkout The Media Center Show Extra #3, also tell me what you think of the “extra” shows on the survey page
Don’t forget the Media Center Show Award nominations, voting starts soon

The Media Center Show with Orb Networks

Send your questions and feedback to isdixon at gmail dot com (feel free to send your questions in mp3)
or you can send your questions and comments in to the show Skype Line “MediaCenterShow”

Don’t forget your to check out Media Center Show Gear

The forums are at Iandixon.co.uk/forums

Show Times:

00:37 Coming up this week
01:04 Email - ICETV
02:37 Email - Wake from Standby
03:30 The Media Center Show Extra #3 TV in Vista in HD!
04:02 You like your HD (The Media Center Extra Show Survey)
04:26 Chris Lanier writes about Home Automation Part1 and Part2
05:03 A Message from Onevoice
05:51 Welcome to Andy
06:06 What is BuildMediaCenter.Com
09:00 Hardware
11:00 Mini Media Center PC Project
16:00 Storage
18:20 Live TV usage
21:11 Downloading content
23:00 Home Automation
24:44 Finding Information
33:59 Picking components
43:00 Touch Screens
37:30 Hardware Reviews
53:10 Send your feedback to Andy
54:55 Thanks to Andy
55:20 Music by Ian Dixon

Well almost HD (640 x 480) 

This edition of the Extra show focuses on TV in Vista Media Center.
Media Center’s TV function have been updated in Vista, so I take a look at it’s new UI including the new mini-guide.  If your new to Media Center you will be impressed by how easy it is to use, if you familiar with XP Media Center you will be please by the progress made in Vista

• Download 640×480 (43mb)
• Download 320×240 (17mb)
• Watch via Youtube

Have a look at the Media Center Show Extra Survey and let me know when you think of the show