Chris Lanier's Blog

Softsled.

100% I'm dying for that...

#1 Feature Request

Better DRM management.

At least the ability to backup licensees

or (even better)-

A hardware usb encryption/decryption key that permits us to have potentially 1-5 keys for playing back our recorded content on up to 5 devices at the same time.  This provides a hardware-controlled content protection method and the ability to take your content on the go or from one machine to the next.  Each video is intelligently watermarked with our unique key so that people can't easily spread their videos to P2P sites anonymously.

DVB-C support !!

Softsled is the most important thing MS needs to produce for Media Center. I would bet 90% of Media center users have a wireless laptop in the house. If they sold Softsled for $50 I bet most Media center users would purchase a copy. I would.

I would say my #1 wanted feature would be DirectTV support.  14 months after the first announcement and still nothing!  

User Installable Cable Cards.

It has got to be softsled.

Whilst I see myself using version two extenders in other rooms around the house I don't see me dropping the PC from the living room. As such a low spec PC, no tuners and a very low noise level would be perfect and as such would hook up to the Media Center Server located in my 19" rack.

As such, my perfect living room PC would be the Pietro Guerra's Flex 4.2 system running Softsled.

In general I'd like to be "wow"'d by any new and/or improved features. I thought Vista Media Center was more of a "ho-hum" reaction as opposed to an excited "wow" reaction. There are even some features that are missing in Vista MCE or at least hard to find: i.e. search for future movies (not in current guide).

Here's a thread which lists what's missing in Vista Media Center and should be included in the next release:

http://thegreenbutton.com/forums/thread/177589.aspx

Revamp the UI so it's not ugly.

DIY satellite / cable card

Softsled

You're Microsoft for Christ's sake! Can't you get more cool 3rd party apps? Look at the Discovery app in 'explore'. The damn screen isn't even centered properly. Vongo doesn't work properly and they're aware of it. I had to tell Movielink that their UI was screwed up on widescreens before they were aware of it.

HD DVD codec

VistaMCE has been in the works for how many years? Am I to understand that Microsoft isn't able to get VistaMCE compatible extenders to market for almost a full year afterwards????

MythTV is looking better and better.

Randy

How about:

Records whats in the buffer in record pressed and programme already started

MHEG SUpport for Digital Interactive and teletext services throughout Europe and Australia

DVB-S support for free to air and encrypted services using CAM from BSKYB (Sky TV) in UK

Playlist creation for Portable Media Center from within Media Center

Crossfade ON/OFF option and duration in +/- fashion in Media Center

WebGuide4 BUT built into the product !

Basic DVR-MS editor with just cut points - nothing fancy just be able to edit commercials out and bunf at beginning and end of programme.

Overrun duration increased to 30 minutes so u can be sure not to miss for live events that overrun into next programme

Sort Media Player cover art out ! and stop creating hundreds of thumbnails everywhere!

Read EPG information for first 7 days from over the air and the rest from the internet. Internet data often out of date in the UK!

Four Tuner support from within the GUI !

More space for the channel name in banner and guide (smaller font if necessary).

Cache media library to USB pen !

I for the TV part will like to see:

- DVB-C support

- Subtitles and teletext

- PIP

- Easy way to arrange channels

- Grouping of channels

- With 2 tuner to be able to choose which for live TV and which for recording.

Dish or DirecTV support, by far biggest item on my wish list.

PingBack from http://www.mygeeknews.com/2007/03/23/codename-fiji-refers-to-media-center-refresh/

PingBack from http://coolstuff.aboutthis.co.uk/?p=747

PingBack from http://www.shopshipwise.com/codename-fiji-refers-to-media-center-refresh/

PingBack from http://www.gadgetgoblin.com/codename-fiji-refers-to-media-center-refresh/

PingBack from http://feedcontacter.com/blog/?p=1636

PingBack from http://mlmlover.com/blog/?p=147

PingBack from http://www.rssfabriek.nl/codename-fiji-refers-to-media-center-refresh/

PingBack from http://www.tightreviews.com/codename-fiji-refers-to-media-center-refresh/

PingBack from http://www.jammed.mobi/2007/03/23/codename-fiji-refers-to-media-center-refresh/

PingBack from http://www.itaiwan.mobi/2007/03/23/codename-fiji-refers-to-media-center-refresh/

PingBack from http://find-fast-online.com/blog/?p=299

PingBack from http://www.istereo.mobi/2007/03/23/codename-fiji-refers-to-media-center-refresh/

PingBack from http://networkmarketingezine.com/blog/?p=665

PingBack from http://hotexciting.com/blog/?p=167

PingBack from http://www.ztmax.com/codename-fiji-refers-to-media-center-refresh/

PingBack from http://networkmarketingweblog.com/blog/?p=261

PingBack from http://mlmweblog.com/blog/?p=374

PingBack from http://500opportunities.com/blog/?p=237

PingBack from http://find-mlm-online.com/blog/?p=244

PingBack from http://1propixel.com/blog/?p=273

PingBack from http://godatingonline.com/blog/?p=3165

PingBack from http://1promlm.com/blog/?p=962

PingBack from http://1mlmpro.com/blog/?p=1086

I hate to say this but, last time I emailed Charlie with some questions on media center, he admitted Softsled was not on the roadmap.

PingBack from http://theaffiliatemarketingsuccessezine.com/blog/?p=616

PingBack from http://loveisromance.com/blog/?p=245

PingBack from http://networkmarketingmlmblog.com/blog/?p=172

PingBack from http://notonlybusiness.com/blog/?p=653

PingBack from http://notonlymlm.com/blog/?p=1412

PingBack from http://mlm-box.com/blog/?p=201

PingBack from http://1promlm.net/blog/?p=918

PingBack from http://notonlynetworkmarketing.com/?p=2653

PingBack from http://itsuccessworld.com/?p=2285

PingBack from http://lifeparticles.com/2007/03/codename-fiji-refers-to-media-center-refresh/

PingBack from http://mlmarticlesfeed.com/blog/?p=657

PingBack from http://lifeparticles.com/2007/03/codename-fiji-refers-to-media-center-refresh-2/

PingBack from http://findmlmonline.com/blog/?p=593

PingBack from http://mlm-success-ezine.com/blog/?p=249

PingBack from http://networkmarketingsuccess.net/blog/?p=213

PingBack from http://notonlymarketing.com/blog/?p=638

PingBack from http://www.articleindexing.com/gadgets/codename-fiji-refers-to-media-center-refresh/170/

PingBack from http://grworld.net/blog/?p=172

PingBack from http://thenetworkmarketingsuccessezine.com/blog/?p=579

PingBack from http://brookesbedroom.eu/blog/?p=261

PingBack from http://networkmarketingbox.com/blog/?p=307

PingBack from http://singlecat.com/blog/?p=572

PingBack from http://vogv.com/blog/?p=1262

PingBack from http://mlmsuccessezine.com/blog/?p=1870

PingBack from http://rsscontacter.com/blog/?p=375

PingBack from http://findfastonline.com/blog/?p=564

PingBack from http://wiilover.com/blog/?p=529

PingBack from http://mlmezine.net/blog/?p=568

PingBack from http://theinternetmarketingsuccessezine.com/blog/?p=601

PingBack from http://rssmarketingsuccess.com/blog/?p=555

PingBack from http://mlmpop.com/blog/?p=455

PingBack from http://www.ditii.com/blog/2007/04/18/microsoft-fiji-beta-selection-process/

How about shifting away from MPEG-2 as a baseline codec?

As it is right now, only tuners that have hardware MPEG2 can be used unless you have a PC powerful enough to run the software codec.

Thing is, everyone else out there has figured out how to run a live TV screen on almost nothing - without hardware encoding.

Sure, that would make things better - but the choices are great or nothing. I have four different TV tuners, 1 PCMCIA and three USB and only ONE of them works with VistaMCE - the one with the hardware encoder.

Ditto FM radio. I have ADS's InstantFM tuner stick. Why can I write my OWN FM tuner app (in .Net nonetheless) but MCE can't support it?

And speaking of DVB-T - or rather ATSC, don't tell me I can't use my ATSC tuner just because you don't have TV listings for my area. I *can* tune through the channels by hand you know.

The 'we tell you what hardware we'll accept' mindset worked great for Windows XP MCE systems because they were prebuilt - but Vista goes on anything, so it has to be far, far more tolerant of the hardware.

WDM/BDA all the way.

Also the program guide should be more inteligent. it should create a user profile for recording interesting tv content. It can be user related. Make beter deals with tv-providers about the content in the guide and match those 2 items.

This could create the ultimate recording machine