According to the folks over at MacinTouch, Mac OS X 10.3.8 has been released which addresses the following issues:

Doppler 2.0 is out and I've been running it through its paces. One feature I did find lacking was an easy way in Windows Media Player 10 to catch up on all of my feeds in a single, smart, Auto Playlist that organizes all my latest feeds for listening on my Desktop or in Media Center and syncs just the ones I want to my portable player. These Auto Playlists will automatically organize your feeds (eg. new feeds just downloaded, those not listened to etc.) and prepare them for easy Sync to a portable music player such as the Creative Zen Micro or Portable Media Center. 

Organize your Podcasts by:

• Today's Podcasts
• Unfinished Podcasts (in case you listen on PC and Portable )
• Last Week's Worth
• All Podcasts

For power users*, just download the playlists here or read below for step-by-step instructions:
Download: MP10_Podcast_AutoPlaylists.zip (.97 KB)
Download: MP10_Podcast_AutoPlaylists.exe (30 KB)

Please note this is for Windows users of Windows Media Player 10 and has only been tested on Windows XP - don't kill the messenger!

Step 1: Pick your Podcatcher
The first step is to pick your preferred podcasting app.  I recommend Doppler 2.0. While it requires you to download the .Net Framework, it's fast and downloads multiple feeds at the same time.  The search function makes it easier to find feeds and if you're just starting out, you can find feeds to subscribe to under File|Import from Directory.

By default, Doppler will create static playlists in WM Player 10 for each of your shows, but this can be hard to navigate on a device or if you just want to catch up on all your latest feeds. Now you need to set Doppler to update the "Genre" tag on downloaded feeds. To do this, choose Tools|Options, and select the Default Feed Settings tab at the top, and then Tags. Set the tag to, "Podcast" for my Auto Playlists, or whatever meaningful alternative (eg. "Audio Blog") you prefer. You'll find Podcasters aren't too stringent about format for using Album, Artist, and Genre tags so this fixes it. Now go ahead and download some podcasts or if you already have some, choose, Tools | Apply default feed settings to all feeds to fix the genre tag on all feeds.

Step 2: Install the Auto Playlist Pack
This step is pretty simple.  If you don't have Windows Media Player 10 yet, click here.  I've created two versions of the Playlist Pack, one is a standard .zipfile, the other is a self-extracting .exe. 

Download:

The .exe will by default prompt you to install the Auto Playlists in the following location: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\My Music\My Playlists which is shared for all users.

Note: For per-user installation just unzip to My Documents\My Music\My Playlists

Step 3: Search and Auto Sync!
WM Player 10 should automatically add the playlists into your library in a matter of seconds and they will show up on the left-hand pane under "Auto Playlists". If you're really impatient and they haven't shown up, hit F3 and tell WM Player to search for files in the folder you placed the Auto Playlists.

Now you're ready to enjoy your Auto Playlists on your PC, or your portable music player. Just add the new Auto Playlists to your sync relationship and every time you connect your device, it will transfer your preferred podcasts onto your device. Certain devices such as the Creative Zen Micro with the latest firmware update (MTP support) will even sync your playlists to the device for easy playback, organized the way you like it. Not all devices do this yet- I'll try and get a list together shortly.

I hope you enjoy these playlists as much as I did creating them for you :).

* You're a power user eh?  Well, this was a quick fix and I'm sure there are other Auto Playlist combos I didn't think of. Windows MP10 Auto Playlists are just XML-based search queries designed for the Media Library and stored as text files with a .wpl extension. You can make your own by R-mouse clicking on the Auto Playlists category in the Media Library and choosing "New".  A powerful yet under-utilized feature of WM Player 10. Feel free to send your Auto Playlists to me to add to the pack.

Regardless of what you call it - Audio Blogs-Podcasting etc., my favorite aggregator for syndicated radio and talk shows for drive-time, DopplerRadio 2.0 Gold was just released.  Congrats to Erwin and Cindy.  What are you listening to?

News Flash: Creative just released a beta firmware update on Friday so that Napster to Go works with the Zen Micro :). I'll have to try this out later.

I had no idea this was coming.  I saw the Pepsi/iTunes ad early last week, but the Napster ad, "Do the Math" was a complete surprise. To sum it up, it basically says:

Do the Math. How much will it cost to fill up your player?

• iTunes + iPod (10,000 songs to fill) = $10,000
• Napster to Go + (choice of devices, 1M tracks available to fill) = $15/mo

It's back to the whole purchase vs. rental issue which is a personal decision.  I bet this is going to turn some heads though. Napster has almost exactly the same library as iTunes and works with more devices.  This will be interesting to watch over time. I wonder if Apple is working on an iTunes subscription model?

Oh and I just noticed the first 1000 people to sign up for a year of Napster to Go get a free iRiver H10 5GB Music + Photo player with FM radio built-in.

Napster to go also works with Portable Media Centers by Creative and Samsung ;).

Enough people have noted I don't have an "About" page up, I've buckled and put one up in the navigation list.  It's nothing fancy, but gives you some context.  Photoshopped/Fark'd pictures of my mug can be send to the email address included. :)

Thanks Robert for the Nine Guy earlier this week.  My Moblog pic this week is of my new Nine Guy on his perch in my new office. :)

Variety.com is reporting that script development has begun on a major theatrical release inspired by Microsoft's smash-game franchise, "Halo". Reportedly this is being penned by the scriptwriter for "28 Days Later" and "The Beach". Once the script is complete and approved by Microsoft & Bungie Studios, reportedly ex-Columbia Pictures President Peter Schlessel will keep a close eye on its development.

No doubt the movie opening will be an unofficial Microsoft employee holiday just as the launch of Xbox and Halo 2 were ;).  That's what floating vacation days are for. 

One of my favorite online retailers, Gamestop.com has just launched the Windows XP Game Advisor.  This cool utility will check to see if your system is optimized performance-wise for running a particular game or games.  There are also some discounts ranging from $5 to $25 on select games. 

A cool link that explains how the new MSN Search works.

Matt Goyer points us to new updates for the HP Digital Entertainment Center z545 (dual tuner) and I just discovered the same for the z540 (single tuner) version as well.

It's great to see HP doing this. There are some really good fixes included here for USB-related issues and PC performance related to the LCD et al.

Matt wishes for a cult around MCE.  I would argue an enthusiast community is much more valuable long-termand they already exist in the blogosphere, sites like The Green Button and the explosion in 3rd party apps that have been appearing both pro and enthusiast on sites like MCESoft.  Even TiVo just announced their own SDK and you have to wonder if this is in response. 

My recommendation: contribute to the MCE Wiki and the community will follow.

Good news for Sony Vaio Media Center 2004-based systems- you're going to get an upgrade after all. Click here for more. 

Family has been sick so I've been taking a break from blogging to take care of them.  Here are a few notes I've been meaning to make:

- MSN launches new cleaner homepage and new search with a letter from Bill.  No doodles so far as I can tell.

- Peter Gabriel Music Videos in 5.1 surround sound now available. Now you can get sledgehammered six-ways from Sunday.

- WM Player 10 Album Art Fixer: Thomas reviews and says it's pretty darn good. Waiting to do it myself.

- Skype: Chris points out I've joined the Skype bandwagon. I've learned the array mic in my tablet PC makes the ultimate wireless speakerphone so that "Granddad" can talk to my son.  Son is still weirded out by the voice coming out of the tablet. But all is not perfect- I spent 20 minutes fixing my Dad's computer because the recording device was set to "Modem" and Skype would just throw a recording error.

- Visual Thesarus is very cool and somewhat useful for marketing folks.

- Passed 100,000 Unique Users on the blog. Welcome.

- Thinking about starting an, "Ask the Microsoftie Monday" segment.  Send your questions in email and I'll start compiling answers. Keep in mind I'm not going to talk about Longhorn... yet ;)

- Now I've almost seen it all - the iDog. Still waiting for the iSheep or have they already arrived? ;)

- Matt says we need better DIY guides for building MCEs.  MCE was never designed for individuals to build and that's clearly outlined on the kits intended for pro system builders that are being sold on NewEgg and other sites. But, why not use the MCE Wiki to create a new area on building your own MCE? Unofficially of course.

- I was contacted by a rep for another celebrity who wants to buy a Media Center PC and wants advice on which one to get.  He wasn't even trying to get a free one. Is Hollywood taking notice? ;)

- I received a notice and guide book in the mail making it official- Comcast is upgrading customers with HDTV set-top boxes to Microsoft TV Foundation Edition very shortly in the Seattle area. Two points for Comcast but I'm taking one back because they've forgotten I returned my stand-alone box over a month ago. ;)

You gotta love NetFlix- I received AvP in the mail on Tuesday - the same day it released.  I've just started watching and noticed at 10 mins 12 secs into the movie, "Weyland" is using two Compaq Tablet PCs next to each other. Cool.

One more cool thing from Netflix- I found two movies I reported as lost earlier and was billed for the value of the DVD.  Upon returning, Netflix "apologized" for the billing error and refunded the previously charged amount. That's customer service.

ATI's new Home Theater 550 Pro-based ATI TV Wonder Elite TV Tuner board was just released and started shipping to retailers today.  I just got my hands on a board and have personally seen the quality of this standard-def tuner beat that of an upsampled signal on a high end HDTV set from a major manufacturer.  That's saying a LOT.  Thanks to the 3D comb filter, you don't get the "jitter effect" you normally see on overlayed graphics such as a CNN or NBC logo or sports scorebox. I cannot wait to put this board through it's paces personally on my MCE box this weekend.

The Imaging Science Foundation (ISF) has certified this board as meeting or exceeding specifications for high-end consumer AV electronics.

If what I've seen hold true, this board significantly raises the bar for other PC-based TV tuner manufacturers. I know ATI has been investing heavily to develop this card to exacting quality.

Thomas, I think this board was made for you.  While I understand the perception might be that "Media Center" doesn't deliver the level of video quality you're looking for, it's important to distinguish between the OS's capabilities, and the particular components that make up your Media Center system. I agree- the bar needs to be raised across the whole but we both know there's variability in hardware for everything from gaming to overall system performance, hence the need for an ISF logo program.

The premiere of "Rize" at the Sundance Film Festival was a historic event—the first feature film to be delivered via wireless technology.

...But first, here's how it worked: Intel technicians in Hillsboro, Oregon, encrypted Rize, which was shot on high-definition digital video. The file was streamed to Salt Lake City, then beamed via microwave to Park City and through a WiMax connection to the top of a 10,000-foot mountain.

A receiver at the ski lodge sent the file to an HP Media Center PC, where it was decoded and projected through a high-end digital projector. Intel's wireless connections allowed huge amounts of data to travel quickly -- at up to 24 Mbps, about 20 times as much throughput as DSL provides...

The Gates foundation just donated $750 Million to pay for children's vaccination. The endowment for the foundation is estimated to be over $27 Billion Dollars. So far, I know that Gates has given:

- $60M for HIV Research
- $40M for Education
- $750M for Children's Vaccinations

From what I hear from reputable sources, the foundation is a competitive place to get a job - no doubt the IQ factor and the culture is supposedly similar to Microsoft.  My sister recently received her Ph.D. in Bacteriology and wants to work there- turns out the Foundation is very highly regarded in Academic Circles.

John Porcaro has a great writeup on the Email Culture at Microsoft, and some great tips on how to handle. I was getting in excess of 500-700 mails a day at one point leading up to MCE launch, of which at least 300 I was on the To:  line.  Another tip to add to John's list: create a rule and put all general mails your "CC'd" on into a separate folder. 

For a while now, if you wanted to enjoy WMV HD movies or WMA Pro audio on your PC and get 5.1-7.1 audio, you needed to have a sound card that supported the format (eg. SB Audigy) and connect 5+ discete audio cables to a receiver that supported analog-in. If you connected a single, thin S/PDIF optical or coaxial cable to your receiver, you'd get only 2-channel stereo audio (PCM) out of your system.  The only way to get WMA Pro over your S/PDIF was to buy a $4000+ Pioneer Elite VSX-59TXi line receiver (pictured). Not exactly affordable for Media Center owners. Not to mention I wouldn't trust most furniture to hold this thing up- it's so heavy it takes two people to move around the demo unit we have at work :).

The good news is that Pioneer announced at CES they will release (in March), a complete line of stereo AV components with full support for WMA Pro decode, starting at a sub-$300 price point.  All of these support your traditional Dolby Digital, DTS, DVD Audio formats and then some.  It's great to see Pioneer driving new features down to a price point that historically has been only available to the home theater upper-crust.

Dear Podcasters (as in content providers, e.g. Adam Curry),

I am interested in what many of you have to say and have become an avid podcaster, listening on my trips to/from work.  I use my Smartphone (Audiovox SMT-5600) and Creative Zen Micro regularly to listen to your programs while in my car.  I often have to crank the volume ALL the way up to hear what you are saying. I get comfortable, then get aurally SLAPPED by a sound-bite or other large change in your decibels.  That's beyond unprofessional- it can be dangerous. I could be wrong but I believe professional broadcasting has specfications that guard against this.

Case in point: I was listening to Adam Curry's, "The Daily Source Code (1/20)" podcast in my car.  After a somewhat disarming introduction that made me identify with Adam (who I've always enjoyed), after hearing the vmail he appeared to receive, I was hooked by his intro.  Unfortunately the intro segment turned into a blaring sound that almost blew my car speakers out due to lack of proper audio leveliing. Adam uses the same intro segment, "The power of..." in every show but this time something was horribly awry.  I'm normally pretty forgiving but my car speakers don't seem right after this happened and honestly, my ears rang for about an hour afterwards.

I'm seeing this a lot in podcasting- this is a BIG problem.  I don't pretend to have worked in the professional broadcasting industry however listening to those that have, I'd like to hope we can do better than this.

In order for podcasting to be successful long-term, the Podcasters must step-up the professionalism of their product starting with audio quality - noise gates, normalization, and fidelity must be improved.  Broadband offers an opportunity to deliver a better product than FM radio.  I'm sure this isn't an easy solution but hope it will be taken seriously.

One idea could be for someone to write a DSP plug-in for WM Player 10 that evaluates the entire podcast and adjusts the audio level intelligently across the file, smoothing out peaks and upping decibels in low-areas of the broadcast. Think of it as an "image sharpen" filter for audio.

I have nothing but empathy for those creating the Podcasts and nothing but respect for Adam whom I've enjoyed since I lived in the Tri-State area so many years ago and Adam introduced me to new music on MTV- I'm sure this isn't easy and many are still learning.  But I hope that this is a priority to improve their product moving forward- I want to listen without fear of being, "Podwhacked". :)

Update: That was fast- Adam responded in email noting there's really not too much that can be done, "...unless someone makes some really good podcasting software."  Anyone out there working on good Podcast-production software?

I don't watch a ton of TV, but I do have two dual-tuner PVRs - a MSTV-powered Motorola STB, and a MCE. Why?  "Research"  Or maybe it's because tonight I hit the "perfect storm" for sci-fi buffs and household harmony is at-risk:

Star Trek: Enterprise
Stargate: SG-1
Stargate: Atlantis
Battlestar: Galactica (The new one)
all one night...

My wife wants to record CSI and some other program which conflicts with two of these.  So, I concede and record CSI in HD on the downstairs Comcast box, and get my programs wherever I want on the other TVs at a convenient time.

Realistically I only thing maybe two of these programs are worth watching but I'm an optimist.  I've been really impressed by the gritty WWII-style cinematics of Battlestar (although watching the original is worse than fingernails on a chalk board for me). My wife will watch at most, one of these programs before she Netflix's me and turns on some drivel like, "Wimbledon" (which I suffered through last night). At least it had a pretty good sound track.  But that won't save it from some serious damage in NetFlix's rating feature which should assure another movie like this doesn't show up for at least, oh, 12 hours. I'm waiting for NetFlix to invent, "Spouse Sparring Movie Night" where they pit your list of favorites vs. other family members. Ah well, maybe for

Last night after watching the aforementioned movie, I introduced my wife to a new friend, Homestar's "Strong bad" whom a co-worker introduced me to. I was rolling on the living room floor watching this.  She was calling me a fool.  I still think Strongbad Email is funny.  In the same category as "Dancing Hamsters" and "All your base are belong to us" funny but not quite JibJab funny.

DaPreview.net takes a certain executive highlighted at MacWorld to task for his disparaging comments regarding the Rio Forge vs. the Shuffle.  I haven't used both so I will reserve judgement, except maybe for the exorbitantly priced add-ons like the $29.00 arm-band for the Shuffle.

Slashdot reports on a professor at Cardiff University who has identified January 24th being the worst day of the year. What if we all take it as a vacation day and throw the curve?  Or maybe I'll just listen to Fuel's "Bad Day" over and over and seal the deal - it is a Monday after all... or maybe I'll just listen to my son laugh and forget it all :)

Ethan, one of the most passionate Program Manager's I know about Media Center, has just released his own enhanced Caller-ID plug-in for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005. Called "MCE-YAC". With it, MCE serves as a client for YAC- "Yet Another Caller-ID" server for Windows which will distribute Caller-ID info from any capable modem on your home network to any PC.  Unique features include:

Update: Here's another enhanced Caller-ID plug-in that builds on the integrated caller-id feature in MCE called TAPI-REX