A quick visit over to TheGreenButton.com and I found the latest release of NControl - a versatile Windows Media Center remote control app for iPhone.  NControl is a free iPhone/iPod Touch application that allows you to use your iPhone/iPod Touch as a remote control for your Media Center. It enables users to browse through pictures, video, recorded shows, tv channels, as well as navigate the Media Center interface. It also has a set of standard buttons found on traditional remotes such as play, pause fast forward, rewind, stop, mute and volume.  I really like the tactile "swipe" feature for scrolling through the Windows 7 Media Center menu.

NControl Media Center plugin is also a free download. This plugin will allow the NControl iPhone application to communicate with Media Center and Media Center Extenders. Feel free to install it on as many machines as you please.

Here's to hoping for a Zune HD version in the future ;)

Download NControl here.

Joystiq and Redmond Pie are reporting an iPhone multitiouch game has been ported to Zune in less than a day.  The game, "Wordmonger" is a cross between Bejeweled and Scrabble and was ported using the recently released XNA Game Studio 3.1 (with Zune HD extensions) now available. This is a good sign for those looking forward to more games for Zune HD (homebrew and otherwise).

Five years ago, I signed up for Sirius radio service. When my wife got a new car with a free preview of XM we became a two-service family.  Despite my protests, we continue to keep both services for the programming.  As my annual re-uppance on Sirius draws closer, I've started wondering why I would/should continue to pay for Sirius as a satellite-delivered service?  In the past year, SiriusXM clients for mobile handsets have cropped up (browser-based and stand-alone apps which together cover all the programming) and coincidentally, I've stopped using my satellite receiver altogether.  The result:  4x fewer dropouts on my daily commute, better quality Sirius and XM programming over my phone than I've ever experienced via satellite, even over AT&T's burdened network.  Which started me thinking - is there a future for Satellite radio in space?

• Dedicated satellites are costly. When you consider the $100M in annual capex required to launch and operate satellites (excluding engineering costs) to support the SiriusXM network is it really worth it? The strategy was borne out of a time when data access on a mobile device was largely a pipe dream.  The Sirius FM-5 satellite took three years from announce to launch in June 2009, and just went active with a lifespan of just 15 years.  In the past three years, large swaths of wireless spectrum have been freed by the digital cutoff, 3G+ networks are rolling out across the US, on hardware expected to be software-updatable to 4G technologies such as LTE. Wouldn't it be better to start moving now to terrestrial digital delivery as a part of a mixed-media network? 
• Subscriber churn continues to be a problem. Set aside the high dependency on trial in new cars as a vehicle for acquiring subscribers - last year Sirius XM saw nearly a third of their subscribers churn for a net gain of 1.6M subscribers to 19M to end the year.  There's a problem with value prop for consumers.
• Wireless operators dealing with "FCC: The Next Generation". With the FCC expected to unveil a plan for open Internet access for broadband providers, wireless operators may be next. Compounded by increasing pressure over exclusive phone deals, and the FCC's interest in the "He said/She said" situation over the iPhone App Store approval of Google Voice, will mobile networks be democratized and need to focus more on content and service differentiation for growth?

Seeking Alpha has a good overview of the bull/bear/ludicrous market situation with SiriusXM. The de-listing problem should be solved soon with a reverse stock-split approved last May, however saddled with debt, and ongoing high costs, one has to wonder if SiriusXM is considering a "Plan B" alignment with one or more operators a little closer to the ground?  In the meantime, I'll be dropping my Sirius satellite subscription in favor of Internet delivery to my phones and Sonos. It may only save me a few bucks a month, but it's worth it.

I've refrained from writing during the launch of Zune as I work with the team, but it's clear folks are getting the word - Just like Windows 7, Zune makes people "more happy".  Engadget is now reporting, "If various stores on the internet are to be believed, the Zune HD is selling out in a pretty big way."  This is all good news for the fledgling device, but what I'm really excited about is Zune Video Marketplace on Xbox 360.  The below video gives you a good overview of the features including the ability to buy or rent a video on one screen and play on all three - the TV, PC, or Zune HD. On the Xbox, you'll get 1080p streaming over your broadband connection.  I can confirm it really works as-advertised. As for when, I can only say it's, "Coming soon" ;)

Let us know if you're hearing about local sellouts as well.  I know the Zune team is working hard to respond to demand.

At the Windows Media Center event at CEDIA this week, Microsoft announced what many enthusiasts have been waiting for with baited breath: a relaxing of restrictions which made Windows Media Center less attractive to existing PC owners or enthusiasts building homegrown PCs.  The announcements included:

• Digital Cable Tuner (DCT) support for all.  Up until now, you could only get a digital cable tuner for your PC to work on a pre-built PC from manufacturers such as Dell or HP.  PCs needed to be pre-qualified by CableLabs in what was a process that left a lot of enthusiasts unable to support digital cable on their PCs.  Soon, anyone who builds a PC will be able to enjoy digital cable tuning.  I'm sure ATI is happy as well as one of the premier builders of  cable tuner hardware.
• TV Portability. As one who has two DCTs on my HTPC, I can relate to the frustration that has existed when trying to copy that content to a portable device such as my laptop or Zune.  Programs such as local television flagged as "Copy Freely" (CF) will now transfer.  I can confirm this works, I've seen it in action.
• SDV Support. This doesn't mean much to consumers other than ensuring future aggravations are avoided.  As cable systems move to "Switched Digital Video", as a means of managing their clogged networks by pushing a live feed on an empty channel when a consumer requests to view the network vs. blindly broadcasting all networks on all available channels.  The problem is it requires new hardware to talk to the cable operator and request the channel. 
• New ATI DCT Firmware for Vista and Windows 7. The new firmware (yet to be released) by ATI for their Digital Cable Tuners will enable the above support.  I can also attest that this new firmware will bring smiles to Media Center fans as I've seen it running.  You can expect improvements to the update experience as well - stay tuned for more.

Additional discussion is going on over at TheGreenButton.com.  Details on availability haven't been released yet, but I think we can all expect to see good things October 22nd.  Hopefully this quells concerns about the future of digital cable support in Windows 7.

This got me to thinking - a Windows 7 Media Center builder party in the Seattle area around October 22nd could be fun. 

Courtesy the Microsoft Store online (and Long Zheng), here you can see the official Windows 7 box artwork.   Come October 22nd, when you walk into a Best Buy, Dixons, or other major retailer this is what you'll want to look for if you're looking to upgrade to Windows 7.

One can imagine that most of the visual identity seen in-store will cue off this refresh.  Personally, I think it's well done.  On first read it's simple, clear, and straightforward (like the OS).  Even the messaging reinforces:

• Get faster, more responsive performance
• Stream media in your home
• Simplify the way you work

Feel free to post your thoughts below.

Mike Garcen of MissingRemote has a good article about integrating the new Hulu Desktop application with Windows Media Center.  Thanks to support for appropriate WMC keymappings and a little XML ingenuity, you can directly launch and navigate the Hulu app from within Windows Media Center.  I've confirmed this works (mostly) with Windows 7 as well, though getting the tile to work appropriately is still a bit of a challenge.

The other challenge is returning to WMC when you're done with Hulu Desktop.  Pressing the "Green Button" will return you to WMC, but Hulu will continue to run in the background.  This is pretty annoying when you accidentally hit the button during playback in a Pavlovian action to pull up the main menu.  Hopefully the good folks at Hulu will see it fit to improve integration.

Tip: Read Mike's article to the end for Yaggs simplified steps.

Note the image of the Neckties next to the countdown :).  Google doesn't give me this information.  Bing gave me exactly what I was looking for and a smile on top.

If you're unfamiliar with Bing, you'll soon be thanks to a large TV ad campaign.  www.bing.com

Yes, this is the date we've all been waiting and wondering about.  Retail availability for Windows 7 pre-loaded on PCs and in FPP (fully packaged product) form.  In an interview with Ina Fried from CNET, Phil McKinney, chief technology officer of Hewlett-Packard's computer unit said, "We're locked and loaded for the launch," McKinney said. "The quality of code is just absolutely stellar." 

Those who purchase Windows Vista-based PCs close to launch will get a technology guarantee to upgrade to the new version but details are scarce. 

Either way, for readers of this blog, you can be certain we will be giving away a few copies here as well as a few copies of Halo ODST when released.   More details on The Windows Blog.

It's been a busy past 48 hours for the Microsoft team responsible for the E3 press briefing.  If ever there were concern that E3 has lost its luster, this was the presentation to prove otherwise.  A few of the highlights before I get into the rest:

• Sir Paul, Ringo, Yoko, and  George Harrison's wife on-stage to promote Rock Band: The Beatles.  A nice touch that all proceeds from the game developer and Microsoft for download of the song, "All you need is love" is going to Doctors without Borders.
• Steven Spielberg in the house to lend his voice of support to, "Project Natal".  This is one that has to be seen to be fully understood.  Full motion capture, facial recognition, and voice control available for every Xbox 360.  To quote Spielberg, "This is a pivotal moment that will carry with it a wave of change, the ripples of which will reach far beyond video games."
• Zune is coming to Xbox. Video Marketplace is now powered by Zune and will offer the complete movie library instant on up to 1080p quality - no discs, no delay. And if you want to watch that movie with friends online, you can meet up for a Party online with up to 7 others in a virtual screening room with your friends (you can go full screen as well).  For any fan of Mystery Science Theater 3000, you'll recognize the concept is primed for Harold and Kumar or  Snakes on a Plane get-togethers online.
• Last.fm is coming to Xbox 360 as well as Twitter and Facebook. With Facebook Connect, you'll be able to match your FB friends with their Xbox  LIVE Gamertags making it easier than ever to figure out who Hang1nAr0und8763 is and whether you want to join their party.
• Sky.TV. This will be one to watch - Sky is bringing their live and on-demand service "Over the Top" and delivering to the Xbox via your broadband connection with no additional hardware required.
• Lots of Halo goodness. First there's Halo ODST - Orbital Drop Shock Trooper.  We saw the first in-game cinematics from the opening of the game.  Then we learned Bungie is working on Halo: Reach, a new addition to the Halo canon no doubt in part based on the first Halo novel, "The Fall of Reach".  I noticed an easter egg during the intro trailer for ODST - you can see in a someone has tagged a wall with graffiti, "Remember Reach" in the New Mombasa area.
• 1 vs. 100 Beta. On behalf of my team I'm proud to say Xbox LIVE Primetime is off to a good start.  Last night's opening session filled up in record time as our live events have opened up to the public. Hats off to our beta launch partner, Sprint - in this live-event game-show modeled after Endemol's own hit TV show real Xbox LIVE members can compete for prizes including a big-screen HDTV, laptop, and much more.

There's even more, but that's a good start.  I'll post more thoughts on Project Natal later. Check out all the E3 briefing details here.

Quick notes before I'm off to work this AM:

• Zune HD has been announced with capacitive touchscreen, 16:9 OLED display, built-in HD Radio tuner, HD video out (w/ dock), WiFi streaming from Zune Marketplace, and a built-in Web browser.  More at the teaser site.  What's hard to communicate in pictures is that it just feels good in the hand.  More details next week. ;)
• Acer has launched a $399 1TB Windows Home server setting a new sweet spot. Suddenly my homegrown system is a lot less cool. (eHomeUpgrade)
• Vista SP2 was released yesterday.  Lots of updates but perhaps most notable is Windows Search 4.0 which will speed up searches on your computer.  Most consumers will get it via Windows Update but if you cannot wait and wish to download direct, get it here.
• D7 Updates. Walt Mossberg's The Wall Street Journal's confab is off to a roaring start with, "The Guys from Twitter" talking from what looks like chairs taken off the Star Trek movie set. Too bad the online schedule doesn't tell you who is speaking and when. :(

Ed. Note: We had a little hiccup on the Web server.  Should be all fixed now.

As I've switched our main media room DVR over to Windows 7, I've been increasingly interested in finding new add-ons.  After messing around around with Seesmic Desktop and searching for MediaCenter tweets by other users, I stumbled upon the Media Center Status Application by Jussi Palo, an add-on for Facebook and/or Twitter that serves two purposes:

• Share your Media Center status (what you're listening to, watching etc) via FB or Twitter status
• Pop notifications of status updates made by friends via FB or Twitter

Setup
Setup was relatively painless though required a reboot.  I installed the 64-bit version on Windows 7 and one reboot later was off to the races.  I can't vouch for Vista, but expect it will work without issue.

Windows 7 Tip: If you run into access errors committing Media Center Status settings, re-run the configuration tool in Windows Vista compatibility mode. 

Sharing your Status

Now the first question you have to ask yourself is do you really want to be sharing what you're listening to/watching on a regular basis with Twitter and Facebook, a practice that's likely to get you quickly de-friended.  Fortunate the application gives you the ability to confirm updates automatically - probably a good idea if you're cycling through songs quickly or want to avoid others making fun of your ABBA afternoons.  You can also disable status updates based on specific media types. 

My suggestion: Turn on Confirmations so you're not auto-spamming your friends and taking a few moments to consider what you're sharing.  Here are some examples of what others can expect to see via Twitter:

and Facebook:

Receiving Status
Receiving Friends' status notifications are pretty straightforward.  You can configure to only receive messages at certain times of the day, or from certain friends.  There's no way to respond to the Tweets or Facebook status, and no other visual app integration in Media Center outside the status popups and confirmations.  Still, if you have a small set of friends you want to monitor status on, the utility is there. 

It's great to see others building interesting apps merging Windows and social media platforms like FB and Twitter.  Let me know below if you've seen other apps to consider.

  A lot is being written here, here, and here about the new Zune ads that showcase Wes Moss, a certified Financial Planner outlining how filling your iPod with music (legitimately) will cost you $30,000 vs. the $19.95 all-you-can-eat Zune Pass with 10 included MP3 downloads per month. I fired up Zune this AM and discovered an Easter Egg of sorts: Zune Pass has programmed Playlists of the iTunes Top 100 downloaded songs, one-click away from downloading.  And Amazon's Top 100.  And P2P networks Top 100. And Rhapsody's Top 100.  Interesting concept in an economy where thrift is the new normal.  Isn't that worth a 14-day free trial?

 

More screens:

 

Disclaimer: As anyone who reads this blog knows, I'm a fan of Zune not because I work with the team, but because I like the product.

Announced via email, carrier pigeon, tweet, SXSW messenger,  and the interweb, Dell's new luxury brand for PCs has launched with their new Adamo laptop. Featuring an etched unibody aluminum case or black (onyx), the new laptop sports:

• A 1.4/1.2 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor
• Up to 4GB  of 800Mhz DDR3 dual-channel memory
• 13.4in 16:9 display with edge to edge glass
• 128 GB SSD standard
• Wireless N & Bluetooth 2.1
• One RJ45 port (what, no mention of Gigabit Ethernet?)
• Optional  Mobile broadband
• More than 5 hours of battery life on a single charge
• Full Size backlit keyboard

The unit is only .65in thick and starts at $1999.  Fully tricked out, the "Jet-setter package" starts at $3,088 and includes an Ecru Tumi sleeve, mobile internet via a copy of Microsoft Office Home and Student and an external DVD-RW.

I'm not sure why they chose this economy or the unlucky-in-some-states number "Thirteen" as the moniker for the unit, but it definitely has drool factor. I'm looking forward to hearing how it performs.  The most valuable feature in my opinion is- at that price, does it come devoid of the bloatware that ships on most new PCs and a free update to Windows 7?

Learn more at the ultraswank www.adamobydell.com

Last weekend catching up on Fr. Roderick's webcast, I noticed he's producing his show on Windows 7 Beta.  He's using an app to do screen capture and noted that sometimes the new Windows arranging feature created an issue for him during production, closing windows when he moves the mouse.  So I checked with the leprechauns and learned you can turn this feature off - handy for video production or similar.  Just go into Control Panel>Ease of Access>Ease of Access Center>Make the mouse easier to use and check "Prevent windows from being automatically arranged."

Note this will also disable the "Shake" feature where grabbing and shaking a Windows will minimize all others - frankly one of my favorite features.

Looks like Dell is serving up a little Apple compete with their new teaser for the "Adamo" which in latin means to fall in love with/lust after and in Dell's case looks to be a near-unibody laptop.  Everyone knows geeks like to see brand new tech taken apart and here Dell does it in reverse in all its whitewashed glory. Coincidentally, the style is reminiscent of the WMV HD "Robotica" trailer from the early 2000's and the PC Design Competition video I produced many years ago with the Industrial Design Society of America (IDSA). I hope the hardware is as good as the Dell concept video.

Source: Engadget and others

If you've been keeping up with the Windows 7 beta, you've probably noticed that Windows Media Center has really been focusing on fit and finish across the platform making it quite possibly the best DVR on the market.  Two features for me really, make the TV features sing: Color-coded program categories and extensibility to support station logos.  Here are the categories:

• Green   - Sports
• Purple  - Movies
• LtBlue  - Kids & Family
• Orange - Special
• Yellow  - News

Turning on Color-coded Categories

This feature is actually really easy to set. To turn it on, go  into Settings>TV>Guide Page Options, and click the first checkbox option to "Apply colored backgrounds to shows, based on their category". You'll also notice the ability to set channels by name, a useful feature if you can never remember the numbers or your cable operator keeps moving the lineups around (or both, in my case).

Adding Channel Logos into the Guide

Next up is My Channel Logos for Media Center. I consider this to be one of the first, and most useful PowerToys exclusively for Windows 7, courtesy of some enthusiasts from The Green Button.com.  This add-on plugs in the network logos for most major networks directly into your EPG.  It also enables you to create/add your own custom logo for channels.  The application effectively extends this feature in MediaCenter by placing the appropriate logo file in a cache.  MediaCenter finds the cache and updates.

Of course, your mileage may vary, especially with Beta on beta software.

It's been a while since I've posted - a bit of a blog break in favor of Twitter and FriendFeed I guess.  But today's post is one worth noting for Digital Media professionals- the release of the IIS Smooth Streaming module for IIS7.  Why does it matter?  Well, this is in part, the technology that enabled the NBC Olympics experience to deliver buffer-free HD streaming last summer.  Based on that experience and the learnings, this standards-based solution (using HTTP and MPEG-4 container + VC-1, H.264/AAC to come).  Authoring is possible with Expression Encoder 2 update as well.

To learn more about this release visit Ben Waggoner's blog at On10.net. You can see demos as well at SmoothHD.com (created in partnership with Akamai). I'm sure you'll  hear more about this at MIX09 as well.