It must be that time of year- lots of friends asking about HDTV again. Bottom line is that there are a lot of pitfalls and if you're in the market, you want to study up so you don't get taken.  Here is a short list of online resources that I find useful:

ExtremeTech Guide to Buying HDTV
Recently updated, ExtremeTech does a good job of explaining the ins and outs and technical jargon of HDTV.

CEA's AntennaWeb.org
While the satellite and digital cable companies are really touting HDTV, in most areas in the US, you can get the overwhelming majority of HDTV programming for free (CSI, Alias, Monday Night Football, Jay Leno and PBS Prime Time for just a few examples). This snappy site from the CEA details what digital (and analog) channels you can receive and what kind of antenna you need. A nifty map even shows you where the television towers are broadcasting in relation to your home address.

CEA's Consumer Guide to HDTV
Ok, a lot of it is marketing drivel, but if you want to understand the difference between SDTV, DTV, HDTV, and other fun acronyms (and the logos that designate them), be sure to check this one out.

AVSForum
Every AV geek knows about AVS Forum.  This is an essential bookmark.  Before you buy ANY piece of home theater equipment, visit this site, and do a search. You'll find good discussion, reviews, and even exhaustive FAQ's created by avid users, technicians and the manufacturers themselves. 

TitanTV
Good EPG data and lineup of HDTV programming in your area. Free signup required.

I'm always looking for add'l resources - these are the best I've found so far.  Am I missing any other major sites?  Let me know in the comments below.

Lost Remote comments/reviews Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004, and talks a bit about Media Center Extender and Portable Media Center devices.

MCX devices as we call them internally, will deliver Media Center experiences around the home via WiFi or Wired home networks.  If you're at E3, be sure to check out the Media Center Extender booth in the Microsoft pavillion.

Now I just need a blog-writing app for MCE!

PVRBlog notes Sony has created a frankenPVR- 1 Terabyte, seven tuners, and a monster-sized server case.  This has to be a mix of HDTV and SDTV tuners.

I bet you can cook an egg on it too.

Gizmodo reports on, The Phantom from Infinium Labs, a new device designed to download games to it's internal 40GB HD via bband and play the games through your PC.  It comes with a wireless keyboard and mouse. You're supposed to connect the PC to your TV. 

I was thinking this could be cool for Windows XP Media Center Edition based Family Room PCs, but I don't quite get it.  I just watched the video on their site- I still don't get it. It's running Windows XP embedded which is cool, but why not just offer the service for your PC? Bueller?

USA Today reports on Scaled Composites SpaceShipOne project successfully completing it's 3rd powered test flight.  For those who don't know, this privately backed effort is funded by Paul Allen (co-founder of Microsoft) and led by Burt Rutan- a pioneer in modern aviation.

The goal of the project is to win the XPrize - a $10M prize for the first near-space vehicle that can carry 3 people to a height of 62.5 miles (100 kilometers), return to Earth safely and do it all over again within two weeks. It is inspired by the Orteig Prize Charles Lindberg won after the Spirit of St. Louis successfully completed the first atlantic ocean crossing in 1927.

One of the questions I've been asked more frequently is, “How hard is it to develop applications for Windows XP Media Center Edition?”

A: Very simple.  There's a fast-growing list of add-on services and applications for Media Center because of this.  Media Center Applications run in the Media Center application and offer a streamlined way to experience digital entertainment from keyboard and mouse or a remote control.  If you understand web development, you can get started.  If you understand app development, you're set to do pretty much whatever you want. 

To get started, check out the Developing for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004 resources here.

Don't have an MCE box?  You can get the bits via MSDN Universal for testing, or with a new PC.  MCE boxes have more stringent hardware and testing requirements hence the current distribution mechanisms.

Ok, I've created my app, now what?
Get promoted on Online Spotlight here.  Send me email and I'll probably post about it and pass along to the team.

Contribute to the growing community site The Green Button.com  I had lunch with these guys a few weeks ago and they're very cool and willing to help out.  They also have their own developer program which I can't vouch for personally yet, but seems like a great idea.

Greg has created Newsgator Media Center Edition - perhaps the ultimate information add-on for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004.  Check out the product tour and learn how he blends XML, RSS, Windows Media and more seamlessly into a great way to surf blogs and major news sites from the couch or your keyboard and mouse.

Our team is working with Greg to get him promoted on Online Spotlight or “OnSpot” as we call it interally - the enhancement and service guide for Windows XP Media Center Edition. 

It's been a while since I blogged about anything interesting. Why?  Well, a new job, new team, and new responsibilities at work have kept me from doing this.  Then it struck me- how do I make blogging a part of my objectives for work?  A little internal evangelism goes a long way.

Part of it is also frustration - lots of really cool stuff going on I can't talk about yet. So... let me talk about some of the cool stuff that I CAN talk about.

Gizmodo points to Kikizo Games' first look at reference videos showing the power of Xbox 2 from the GDC (that's Game Developer's Conference for the rest of you).  Based on these images, the XNA platform is going to be stellar.

For now, I wait with baited breath for Halo 2.  Darn NDA, can't say anything but I'm very excited :)

Jason Cross at ExtremeTech follows up on his February 12th article, “iTunes Bad, WMA Good” with his March follow-on,  “iTunes vs. WMA: Round Two“ which includes a roundup of popular misconceptions about AAC, FairPlay, WMA, iTunes, surround sound and licensing. Jason concedes a few technical errors which he addresses up-front, something I wish more journalists would do and glad to see ExtremeTech taking a strong stance here. He then goes on to address the comments he's received and educate on a number of erroneous items he received in email.

I'm a very happy camper.  Jeff introduced me to Greg over at Newsgator who in turn set me up with a test account for Newsgator Online Services and I've been having a blast.  Now I can easily reach all of my feeds from work, home, or my Smartphone. 

Came across this cool “periodic table” of Business elements the other day. I'm not sure why I like it so much.  Perhaps because it sums the business world up so well. There are a few missing in my book: Trust being key among them.

Been on a blogging vacation of my own leading up to my 30th birthday earlier this week.  No, I don't feel older :).  Normally I'm the prankster but my co-workers got me good this year with posters up on the plasma displays and color printouts around the office.

Dell has just released a MUCH desired update to the Dell Digital Jukebox  Download it from Dell's site here. Run, don't walk for this update that address almost all of my minor nits with the device.

As a relatively new manager of others, I've been spending a lot of time lately on how I can empower my team with the educational and development resources needed to excel and grow.  Within Microsoft, the marketing discipline often does not match up with perception - it's largely one of customer advocacy within the organization, analytical yet intuitive, structured yet free flowing and requires the ability to adapt quickly to industry change and tactical components on a scale of minutes to hours as well as to execute on long term strategic goals. It takes a certain type of variability in a person to really excel at the discipline- something I'm learning every day. Or maybe that's just a hint of ADD <g>.

I'm going on a “blike“ - a hike through the blogosphere for interesting conversations, web sites and discussions about business development and the marketing discipline in order to share with my teamI started from John Porcaro's site, hit BusinessPundit I stumbled across Jennifer Rice's blog entry on Brand Positioning. She has some good insights into brand positioning and her entry spurred some interesting comments.  The statement that one reader, fourboros makes, “I think we'd all agree a brand's job is mobilizing affinity.“ is dead-on in my book.

Not my usual tech-drivel post but thought I'd share.

MSMobiles has a number of great photos of the new MPx Pocket PC Phone with 1.3 Megapixel camera, Bluetooth, and Windows Mobile 2003 OS.  Not to mention the QWERTY keyboard. While I'm privy to the Smartphone platform (and they have great pics of the MPx100 w/ 1.3 Megapixel camera) I do like this PPC phone.

A fun diversion for all the Halo fans out there.

http://halo.bungie.org/misc/warthog_launch.html

New article by John Shaw now live, “Troubleshooting Windows Media Player 9 Series Error Codes”.  This is an essential bookmark for anyone especially on the bleeding edge of the Player.  Thanks to John Shaw for writing.  This resource includes the most comprehensive list of error codes and causes to date. Ideally we wouldn't require error codes at all but often, they're generated deeper than the player in the SDK.  We're continuing to work to improve and this is a great step forward IMO.

I'm happy to announce the availability of Scooby-Doo Dancers for Plus! Digital Media Edition as well as a Scooby-Doo 2 Player skin and a high-definition WMV HD version of the Scooby-Doo 2:Monsters Unleashed trailer.  One Dancer (Scooby-Doo) is available in both an LE version (free) in one size, and all three sizes for Plus! Digital Media Edition owners.  Another Dancer, “Scooby-Doo and Skele-Man” is available for Plus! DME owners.

What makes these dancers unique, beyond the Scooby-Doo characters is the fact that they were rendered from the actual 3D models used in the upcoming sequel, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed

Feedback from those of you who found the downloads earlier today has been highly positive and thanks.  Big kudos go to our partners at Warner Bros. Studios. 

And based on what I've seen, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed is a must-see for any fan of Scooby- young or old. It looks like they went the nostalgic route bringing back classic monsters from the show.  I'm looking forward to seeing it even if my 7 month old son won't understand the movie :)

As reported today by C|Net, the steering committe for the DVD Forum on has announced provisional approval of Windows Media Video 9 Series technology as mandatory for the upcoming HD-DVD video format along with two other formats. “Microsoft codecs cleared the technology bar, winning a vote for best picture quality from 19 other companies on the group's steering committee. Members include Disney, Warner, Sony and Panasonic.

What does this mean for consumers?  Assuming final approval, better image quality of course for major motion pictures, up to 3 to 5x the storage capacity and an economical option for manufacturers. I hope that this will transcend to the consumer authoring space as well- create a movie in Windows Movie Maker with native 720x480 resolution, burn to disc and play natively in any HD-DVD player.  Naturally we'll have to wait and see.

Wow, the outpouring of offers from the community has me a bit beside myself.  Thanks to everyone who has offered to help make Windows Media Player better by participating.  To answer a few common questions:

I have more than 20k songs and a huge database.  How do I send it to you?

Your Player database is located at “C:\Documents and Settings\YOUR_NAME_HERE\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Media Player\CurrentDatabase_59R.wmdb”  This is the file that we're looking for.  Old and new is good. They can be quite large so if you could post it to an FTP or Web and send me the download location, I'll aggregate this and get it back to the team.  Otherwise we can work together to get a burned disc sent out.

If you send in email, please put “Player“ somewhere in the subject line. :)

I'm concerned about anonymity.  What are you doing with the information?

As exciting as your content might be, we're really not going to be sharing it or making fun of your Yanni or Zamfir the Pan Flutist collection.  Real world data = better results as we're striving to improve the player. If you want to be anonymous, that's fine, just let me know.  If a developer wants to contact you, I'll get your permission first. No strings attached.

Who are you?

I guess I should have a “Who am I” page up on the site.  I'm the Group Product Manager for Digital Media in Consumer Windows, among other things.  Most of all, I'm passionate about technology (as you can see by the title).

Thanks everyone for your help.  I can be reached at sean_alexanderathotmail.com. 

The Windows Media Player team is looking for users with massive databases- 20,000+ songs in your library.  If you're willing to offer up your database anonymously to help with performance testing and you have 20k+ songs/files, please fire me off an email.  Thanks!

My fourth and final trip this month was to visit my sister and watch her defend her Ph.D. thesis on Mengingococcal Phase Variation. It was an hour-long presentation and I was blown away by her professionalism and ability to immediately respond to all questions.  She got her Ph.D. and I am very proud of her.

BTW: Delta Airlines holds my personal record for the worst seating conditions on a 5 hour flight.  My kneecaps are still bruised and I'm only 6 feet tall. I can't wait until the lawsuits start against the airlines for inducing deep vein thrombosis and other medical conditions exacerbated by the conditions on these planes.  Hell, now I have to pay $4 to get a bag of nuts?  I only flew Delta because they go direct into Atlanta.  Never again.

ExtremeTech has recently posted their roundup of iTunes vs. WMA entitled, “iTunes Bad, WMA Good“.  This is not another audio quality comparison, but rather a look at the many different dimensions and misconceptions regarding the music file formats out there. (eg, iTunes is not true AAC, it's AAC+Fairplay = proprietary and available only to Apple at this time).

I'm reserving opinion but rather pointing out the article for discussion. Discuss away here or in the comments on the ExtremeTech site.

MS Mobiles is reporting on what purports to be the first public, authenticated photos of the new Motorola MPx220, successor to the MPx200 currently available in the US via AT&T Wireless.  The new version includes Windows Mobile 2003 (with WMV9 & Photo Story WM Image codec support), integrated bluetooth, and a VGA camera.  Rumor-mongers are debating whether this phone may come to T-Mobile in the US and/or offer EDGE support (2.75G) via AT&T Wireless.  I'd wait in line for this one.

You've probably seen the commercials- people who look like their Hondas.  Well, I got an email “Casting Call” from Honda asking,

Do your eyes shine Eternal Blue Pearl?
Know the right way to accessorize?
Love your body?
If so, we want you to star in a new online commercial.

Right now, love.honda.com is searching for people who look like a Honda. That's right, in addition to a lifetime of dependability, Honda now offers 15 minutes of fame.

That's right, Honda is looking for people who look like a Honda to star in new commercials.  Unfortunately, I probably look more like a Civic than the S2000 I drive... oh well, I'll have to pass on this one but feel free to enter- Honda ownership is not required. Even if you don't own a Honda, the ability to rate submissions is funny.

Try this little gem that's been circulating this weekend, bad english aside.  A fun puzzle for those who like Myst-style games.

According to MS Mobiles, Codent Technologies is almost done with their RSS Aggregator/Reader for MS Smartphones, built with .NET Compact Framework.  I haven't tested it yet but you can look at a preview and download the latest test version.

Corey Gouker, a kindred spirit with a passion for technology offered a few nights ago to send along some feedback on Windows Media Player.  I asked him to send me an email that I could digest offline.  The result was a good, solid list of suggestions with reasoning behind his points. He may self-describe some comments as rants, but I prefer to look at them as personal perspective and feedback.  I'm so impressed that he took the time to do this.  I sometimes try to get this kind of feedback through the newsgroups, but it seems that blogging is delivering a different kind of communication and feedback that isn't often seen in my personal opinion in newsgroups.  Naturally different mediums, different dialogues and different users. 

So I've printed out Corey & Co's suggestions and am giving them a hard look over. I've passed the feedback on to the development team.  Perhaps I'll cover in another post the process the team uses to gather and submit feedback. 

If others have feedback, you can always post it here or send me email.  While I can't respond to all comments, I'll be sure to read them and submit the constructive ones :) 

Off to PMA Convention in Las Vegas tomorrow.  I'll have a copy of Corey's feedback to digest on the flight.