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Media Center Finally Gets Live Messenger Plug-in - Chris Lanier's Blog

Media Center Finally Gets Live Messenger Plug-in

It isn’t coming from Microsoft, but Vista Media Center is finally going to get a Windows Live Messenger plug-in.  Damien Bain-Thouverez, developer of the Media Control Plug-in (ffdshow) has added functionality in the same plug-in to act as a Windows Live Messenger frontend.

This is the first attempt for a Messenger plug-in in Vista Media Center.  Media Center 2005 had a built-in Windows Messenger plug-in, but with the release of Windows Vista this was kicked to the side as was Windows Messenger all together.  Last year Microsoft announced a beta of Windows Live for TV which promised Live Spaces and Live Messenger integration, the product appears to be dead without a release.

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Setup instructions can be found in the User Manual, and while the integration is not complete it does work pretty well.  Maybe the new load of downloads mixed with a few donations will get full functionality and bugs fixed.

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Published Friday, January 11, 2008 8:18 AM by chrisl
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Comments

# re: Media Center Finally Gets Live Messenger Plug-in

It's nice that it's a option again but personally I hate this. Not because of the function but because messenger is to dumb to support multiple points of presence. Every time my turns on the xbox now it logs me off of messenger from the office computers. This is the same thing. Mostly annoying because of broken base design.

Friday, January 11, 2008 10:13 AM by Griffon

# re: Media Center Finally Gets Live Messenger Plug-in

@Griffon - Live Messenger 9, which is in closed beta now, supports multiple points of pressence. Glad to see WLM on MediaCenter

Friday, January 11, 2008 11:02 AM by foaf

# re: Media Center Finally Gets Live Messenger Plug-in

Yeah why did MS abandon WLive4TV?

Sunday, January 13, 2008 8:40 PM by anonymous

# re: Media Center Finally Gets Live Messenger Plug-in

THANK GOD!!  Now I can begin to consider upgrading to Windows Vista.  Does it work with the "Messenger" button on the Microsoft Media Center Keyboard?

Monday, January 21, 2008 10:04 AM by Adam Z Lein

# re: Media Center Finally Gets Live Messenger Plug-in

As interesting as it is to have (optional) access to Live Messenger within WMC I would be more interested to see Live Messenger allow multiple points of presence (the way Skype does). Once they do this (and allow more text to be typed) I'll switch back from Skype for my messenging. I really like Live Messenger but hate being logged off each time I access another computer.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008 5:29 PM by Cal Croucher