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<generator>Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/</generator><item><title>MyTV Genie - recommendations come to Windows Media Center</title><link>http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/19/mytv-genie-recommendations-come-to-windows-media-center/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/19/mytv-genie-recommendations-come-to-windows-media-center/</guid><comments>http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/19/mytv-genie-recommendations-come-to-windows-media-center/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/news/" rel="tag">News</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/software/" rel="tag">Software</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/mce-plugin-spotlight/" rel="tag">MCE Plugin Spotlight</a></p><br /><a href="http://www.mytvgenie.com/"><img vspace="2" hspace="2" border="1" align="top" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.pvrwire.com/media/2007/01/my-tv-genie.jpg"  alt="MyTV Genie" /></a><br /><br />Recommended recordings. You either love them or you hate them. There might be a middle ground, but I don't know anyone who lives there.<br /><br />When I got my first TiVo, I loved the idea that it would track my viewing patterns and record more programs that it thought I would like. There were just two problems. Between my wife's habit of recording home makeover shows, and my tendency to thumbs up science fiction shows, I think we broke the thing. And what's worse, we had a 40-hour unit, which was only 20 hours at a decent quality. And I love saving up recordings to watch in marathon sessions. That didn't really leave room for recommended recordings.<br /><br />Well, recommended recordings have finally made their way to Windows Media Center. Proxure's <a href="http://www.mytvgenie.com/">MyTV Genie</a> lets you rate programs you like or detest, and it will recommend future programs you might like, and it will go ahead and record them for you if you let it. If you're too lazy to rate the shows, MyTV Genie will just track your viewing habits and go from there.<br /><br />It's free, and a future release will have one feature missing from TiVo: community. You can share your favorites with friends or subscribe to a friend's "channel," to try recording some of their favorites. <br /><br />[via <a href="http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/archive/2007/01/18/503817.aspx">Chris Lanier's Blog</a>]<h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.mytvgenie.com/>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/19/mytv-genie-recommendations-come-to-windows-media-center/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/forward/738759/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/19/mytv-genie-recommendations-come-to-windows-media-center/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a><br />]]></description><category>mytv genie</category><category>MytvGenie</category><category>proxure</category><dc:creator>Brad Linder</dc:creator><dc:date>2007-01-19T10:00:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>A TVTonic upgrade at CES</title><link>http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/08/a-tvtonic-upgrade-at-ces/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/08/a-tvtonic-upgrade-at-ces/</guid><comments>http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/08/a-tvtonic-upgrade-at-ces/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/news/" rel="tag">News</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/software/" rel="tag">Software</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/media-center-edition/" rel="tag">Media Center Edition</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/mce-plugin-spotlight/" rel="tag">MCE Plugin Spotlight</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/iptv/" rel="tag">IPTV</a></p><a href="http://www.tvtonic.com/news/?p=83"><img width="200" vspace="2" hspace="2" height="144" border="1" align="right" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.pvrwire.com/media/2007/01/tvtonic.jpg" alt="New TVTonic released" /></a>Wavexpress unveiled a new version of TVTonic at <a href="http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/?epi_menuItemID=01dd6c712db1ac5dbd6e4e10e6908a0c&amp;epi_menuID=c791260db682611740b28e347a808a0c&amp;epi_baseMenuID=384979e8cc48c441ef0130f5c6908a0c&amp;vnsId=16402">CES earlier today</a> which is designed to fully take advantage of Windows Vista. This new version can be accessed through the Online Media section of Windows Media Center, which means that using it just got easier.<br /><br />Just to bring everyone up to speed, TVTonic is an application that can integrate into Windows Media Center to allow you to watch IPTV 'channels'. For more info, you can check out our <a href="http://www.pvrwire.com/2006/11/01/mce-plugin-spotlight-tvtonic/">MCE Spotlight post</a> on it.<br /><br />There are a few new and notable changes with this release, first of which is its integration into Windows Media Center via the Windows Media Center Presentation Layer, which means a nice sleek interface. Other notable features include integration with the Xbox 360, ability to play cached and streamed content, and support for HD feeds.<br /><br />The best news about this new release is that this invaluable plugin is still free to users. If you are interested in trying it out, you can check out <a href="http://www.tvtonic.com">www.tvtonic.com</a>.<h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.tvtonic.com/news/?p=83>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/08/a-tvtonic-upgrade-at-ces/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/forward/731635/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/08/a-tvtonic-upgrade-at-ces/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a><br />]]></description><category>iptv</category><category>mce</category><category>mce plugin</category><category>McePlugin</category><category>pvr</category><dc:creator>Matt Crape</dc:creator><dc:date>2007-01-08T13:47:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>Position Changer for Media Center updated</title><link>http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/04/position-changer-for-media-center-updated/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/04/position-changer-for-media-center-updated/</guid><comments>http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/04/position-changer-for-media-center-updated/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/news/" rel="tag">News</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/software/" rel="tag">Software</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/media-center-edition/" rel="tag">Media Center Edition</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/mce-plugin-spotlight/" rel="tag">MCE Plugin Spotlight</a></p><br /><a href="http://blogs.msdn.com/toub/archive/2007/01/03/position-changer-add-in-updated-for-windows-vista.aspx"><img vspace="2" hspace="2" border="1" align="right" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.pvrwire.com/media/2007/01/vista-mce.jpg"  alt="Vista Media Center" /></a>Stephen Toub has updated his <a href="http://blogs.msdn.com/toub/archive/2007/01/03/position-changer-add-in-updated-for-windows-vista.aspx">Position Changer </a>add-in for Windows Media Center to work with Vista Media Center.<br /><br />The add-in makes it easy to skip around media files using just your remote control, by entering time codes. While you're watching a recorded show or listening to music, all you have to do is hit the right arrow on your remote control or keyboard, and then enter the time you want to skip ahead or back to. So if you want to jump to 32 minutes and 8 seconds, you'd enter 3208. For 1 minute and 47 seconds, you'd enter 147. You get the idea.<br /><br />The latest release no longer has a bookmarking feature, because it causes problems in Vista, so if you're still using Windows XP Media Center, you should probably grab an older version.<br /><br />[via<a href="http://iandixon.spaces.live.com/Blog/cns!36983156CAA83EA9!1676.entry"> Ian Dixon</a>]<h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://blogs.msdn.com/toub/archive/2007/01/03/position-changer-add-in-updated-for-windows-vista.aspx>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/04/position-changer-for-media-center-updated/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/forward/729212/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2007/01/04/position-changer-for-media-center-updated/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a><br />]]></description><category>add-in</category><category>mce</category><category>position changer</category><category>PositionChanger</category><category>stephen toub</category><category>StephenToub</category><category>vista</category><dc:creator>Brad Linder</dc:creator><dc:date>2007-01-04T12:48:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>Mobile TV Center, you can take it with you</title><link>http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/20/mobile-tv-center-you-can-take-it-with-you/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/20/mobile-tv-center-you-can-take-it-with-you/</guid><comments>http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/20/mobile-tv-center-you-can-take-it-with-you/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/media-center-edition/" rel="tag">Media Center Edition</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/mobile/" rel="tag">Mobile</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/mce-plugin-spotlight/" rel="tag">MCE Plugin Spotlight</a></p><br /><a href="http://www.makayama.com/mediacenter.html"><img vspace="2" hspace="2" border="1" align="right" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.pvrwire.com/media/2006/12/mobile-tv.jpg"  alt="Mobile TV Center" /></a>Sure, it's not that hard to figure out a way to transfer video from your computer to a mobile device like an iPod, PSP, PDA, or mobile phone. But few solutions seem quite as elegant for Windows Media Center Users as <a href="http://www.makayama.com/mediacenter.html">Makayama's new Mobile TV Center</a>. In fact, the company claims its software is compatible with more than 500 different devices, although many are in the same class of devices (such as Windows Mobile or Palm PDAs).<br /><br />All you have to do is install the software onto a Windows Media Center PC and pick what type of mobile device you use. Now every recording will be copied and converted to a mobile format in the background. When you connect your device or storage card, your recordings will be synchronized.<br /><br />Mobile TV Center will set you back $34.95. There's also a free trial available.<h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.makayama.com/mediacenter.html>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/20/mobile-tv-center-you-can-take-it-with-you/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/forward/722334/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/20/mobile-tv-center-you-can-take-it-with-you/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a><br />]]></description><category>makayama</category><category>mobile tv center</category><category>MobileTvCenter</category><dc:creator>Brad Linder</dc:creator><dc:date>2006-12-20T14:25:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>Big Screen TV Shows for Media Center Edition</title><link>http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/13/big-screen-tv-shows-for-media-center-edition/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/13/big-screen-tv-shows-for-media-center-edition/</guid><comments>http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/13/big-screen-tv-shows-for-media-center-edition/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/software/" rel="tag">Software</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/media-center-edition/" rel="tag">Media Center Edition</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/mce-plugin-spotlight/" rel="tag">MCE Plugin Spotlight</a></p><br /><a href="http://mobilewares.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!78533A1A2E078194!177.entry"><img vspace="2" hspace="2" border="1" align="top" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.pvrwire.com/media/2006/12/big-screen-tv-shows.jpg" id="vimage_1" alt="Big Screen TV Shows" /></a><br /><br />Niall Ginsbourg is working on another application in the Big Screen series of Windows Media Center applications. <a href="http://mobilewares.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!78533A1A2E078194!177.entry">Big Screen TV Shows</a> doesn't sound like much at first.  It monitors your recorded shows and scheduled recordings, and grabs detailed information about those shows from the internet. Yeah, that's pretty much what most PVRs do, right?<br /><br />Well, Big Screen TV shows goes a lot further than that. In addition to episode data, you get cast, crew, and writer information for the series, and individual episodes. You get images letting you sort through your recorded TV shows the same way <a href="http://www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/12/my-movies-2-2-now-including-barcode-scanning/">My Movies</a> lets you sort through movies. You even get to choose from a selection of images or provide your own.<br /><span id="ctl02_ctl00_lblEntry"></span><br />One of the nice features of Big Screen TV shows is that you'll get complete episode guide data from the web, which makes it easy to tell if you're watching episodes in order, even if they weren't broadcast in order. I've always been annoyed that most PVRs don't let you see episode numbers. This looks like a great solution, plus a whole lot more.<br /><br />There's a ton of screenshots available in <a href="http://mobilewares.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!78533A1A2E078194!177.entry">these two</a> <a href="http://mobilewares.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!78533A1A2E078194!183.entry">blog posts</a>.<br />[via <a href="http://blogs.msdn.com/astebner/archive/2006/12/12/sneak-preview-of-a-new-media-center-application-big-screen-tv-series.aspx">Aaron Stebner's Weblog</a>]<h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://mobilewares.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!78533A1A2E078194!177.entry>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/13/big-screen-tv-shows-for-media-center-edition/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/forward/717683/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/13/big-screen-tv-shows-for-media-center-edition/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a><br />]]></description><category>big screen</category><category>big screen tv shows</category><category>BigScreen</category><category>BigScreenTvShows</category><dc:creator>Brad Linder</dc:creator><dc:date>2006-12-13T10:00:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>My Movies 2.20 - now including barcode scanning</title><link>http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/12/my-movies-2-2-now-including-barcode-scanning/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/12/my-movies-2-2-now-including-barcode-scanning/</guid><comments>http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/12/my-movies-2-2-now-including-barcode-scanning/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/software/" rel="tag">Software</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/media-center-edition/" rel="tag">Media Center Edition</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/mce-plugin-spotlight/" rel="tag">MCE Plugin Spotlight</a></p><br /><a href="http://thegreenbutton.com/forums/thread/153987.aspx"><img vspace="2" hspace="2" border="1" align="right" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.pvrwire.com/media/2006/12/my-movies-2.2.jpg" id="vimage_1" alt="My Movies" /></a>A new pre-release version of <a href="http://www.mymovies.name/">My Movies 2.20</a> is floating around, with new features, including the ability to scan barcodes from video boxes via a webcam. All you have to do to add a title to your video library is hold the box up to your webcam, and My Movies will search the internet for data. You can also type in UPC data by hand.<br /><br />There's also a new database backup and restore function. Keep in mind, this is pre-release software, so download it at your own risk. And if you decide version 2.20 isn't for you and want to roll back your software, you won't be able to downgrade your video database version. So make sure to make a backup of all your data and save it in a safe place before installing the update.<br /><br />[via <a href="http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/archive/2006/12/11/412401.aspx">Chris Lanier's Blog</a>]<h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://thegreenbutton.com/forums/thread/153987.aspx>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/12/my-movies-2-2-now-including-barcode-scanning/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/forward/716797/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/12/my-movies-2-2-now-including-barcode-scanning/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a><br />]]></description><category>barcode</category><category>my movies</category><category>MyMovies</category><category>scan</category><category>scanner</category><category>scanning</category><category>webcam</category><dc:creator>Brad Linder</dc:creator><dc:date>2006-12-12T09:22:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>MCE Plugin Spotlight: BookMarkIt!</title><link>http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/02/mce-plugin-spotlight-bookmarkit/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/02/mce-plugin-spotlight-bookmarkit/</guid><comments>http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/02/mce-plugin-spotlight-bookmarkit/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/tips/" rel="tag">Tips</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/media-center-edition/" rel="tag">Media Center Edition</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/downloads/" rel="tag">Downloads</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/mce-plugin-spotlight/" rel="tag">MCE Plugin Spotlight</a></p><br /><a href="http://www.moremce.com/plugin_detail.php?plugin_id=180&amp;PHPSESSID=f6de89e1b9a6bde97a791ada191e86d4"><img width="200" vspace="2" hspace="2" height="125" border="1" align="right" alt="BookMarkIt!" id="vimage_1" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.pvrwire.com/media/2006/12/bookmarkit.jpg" /></a>One of the most common things that I use my MCE box for is to watch videos, whether they be full DVD's, DivX or XviD. The downside of watching non-DVD movies is that there are no chapter breaks, so if I want to pick up in a certain spot again, I am usually stuck either skipping forward or looking for a specific time frame.<br /><br />Well BookMarkIt! takes care of a lot of these problems. This handy little plugin allows you to add bookmarks (which are similar to chapters on DVDs) to various video files so you can easily get back to where you left off.<br /><br />Usage for this plugin is quite simple and straightforward. When you are watching a video and you want to add a bookmark, you can either hit the Info button on your MCE remote or you can right click with the mouse, and choose 'More'. Once you hit the 'More' button you can either save a new bookmark or open an existing one.<br /><br />Installation of this plugin is quick and easy, and the best part is that it is free. For more information, and a link to download BookMarkIt!, just hit the Read link bellow.<h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.moremce.com/plugin_detail.php?plugin_id=180&amp;PHPSESSID=f6de89e1b9a6bde97a791ada191e86d4>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/02/mce-plugin-spotlight-bookmarkit/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/forward/711479/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/12/02/mce-plugin-spotlight-bookmarkit/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a><br />]]></description><category>downloadsquad</category><category>mce</category><category>media center edition</category><category>MediaCenterEdition</category><category>plugins</category><category>PVR</category><dc:creator>Matt Crape</dc:creator><dc:date>2006-12-02T13:06:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>MCE plugin spotlight: Big Screen Contacts</title><link>http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/11/24/mce-plugin-spotlight-big-screen-contacts/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/11/24/mce-plugin-spotlight-big-screen-contacts/</guid><comments>http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/11/24/mce-plugin-spotlight-big-screen-contacts/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/software/" rel="tag">Software</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/media-center-edition/" rel="tag">Media Center Edition</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/mce-plugin-spotlight/" rel="tag">MCE Plugin Spotlight</a></p><br /><a href="http://mobilewares.spaces.live.com/Blog/cns!78533A1A2E078194!163.entry"><img vspace="2" hspace="2" border="1" align="top" alt="Big Screen Contacts" id="vimage_1" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.pvrwire.com/media/2006/11/bsciconview.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://mobilewares.net/">Mobilewares </a>has brought <a href="http://www.mobilewares.net/mce/bshhtm.htm">RSS,</a> <a href="http://www.mobilewares.net/mce/bswhtm.htm">weather</a>, <a href="http://www.mobilewares.net/mce/bsbhtm.htm">business</a> information, and <a href="http://www.mobilewares.net/mce/bphtm.htm">photos</a> to the Media Center PC by adding a 10-foot interface with their sweet of "Big Screen" products. Now you can add <a href="http://mobilewares.spaces.live.com/Blog/cns!78533A1A2E078194!163.entry">Big Screen Contacts</a> to the list, which lets you browse your Outlook contacts on a TV screen. <br /><br />Big Screen Contacts for Vista Media Center has just been released as a public beta (version 0.9).<br /><br />The program lets you search, browse, and view contacts, which yo ucan import from Outlook 2003/2006 or from Windows Mail. The user interface is designed to mirror Vista media Center.<br /><br />But to be perfectly honest, I'm not sure I see the value in this sort of product. Sure, I was skeptical of programs to bring RSS feeds to the living room as well. Why read text on your television screen from 10 feet away when the stories are written to be read from computer screens just 2 or 3 feet away? (In terms of paragraph length etc.)<br /><br />Anyway, it turns out that it's not too hard to read the occasional news story if you've got a good TV display. But I'm just not sure I need access to all of my contacts in the living room. It's not like they'd be taking up too much screen real estate, because the program only shows a few at a time, and you search for the contact you need. But that just seems like the sort of application I'm more likely to use in the office than the living room. Not that this is the only program that <a href="http://www.pvrwire.com/2006/11/22/mce-plugin-spotlight-mce-outlook/">blurs the line between the living room and office</a> for Windows Media Center users.<br /><br />Maybe I'm biased because as a writer and reporter, most of the 1200 contacts in my address book are business contacts. Maybe if I had just a few dozen friends to look up, I'd want to be able to turn on the TV to find a number and dial my cordless phone. What do you think? Is this a useful addition to the list of things you an do with a media center PC?<h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://mobilewares.spaces.live.com/Blog/cns!78533A1A2E078194!163.entry>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/11/24/mce-plugin-spotlight-big-screen-contacts/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/forward/707068/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/11/24/mce-plugin-spotlight-big-screen-contacts/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a><br />]]></description><category>big screen contacts</category><category>BigScreenContacts</category><category>contacts</category><category>mobilewares</category><category>outlook</category><category>vista</category><dc:creator>Brad Linder</dc:creator><dc:date>2006-11-24T14:00:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>MCE Plugin Spotlight: MCE Outlook</title><link>http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/11/22/mce-plugin-spotlight-mce-outlook/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/11/22/mce-plugin-spotlight-mce-outlook/</guid><comments>http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/11/22/mce-plugin-spotlight-mce-outlook/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/software/" rel="tag">Software</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/media-center-edition/" rel="tag">Media Center Edition</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/downloads/" rel="tag">Downloads</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/mce-plugin-spotlight/" rel="tag">MCE Plugin Spotlight</a></p><br /><a href="http://www.download.com/MCE-Outlook/3000-11444-10494341.html?part=dl-MCEOutlo&amp;subj=uo&amp;tag=button"><img width="200" vspace="2" hspace="2" height="120" border="1" align="right" alt="MCE Outlook" id="vimage_1" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.pvrwire.com/media/2006/11/mceoutlook.jpg" /></a>One of the points that is reiterated a lot when it comes to Windows Media Center devices is that underneath that slick interface, there is still a computer running Windows XP. Although MCE offers a wealth of uses by itself, you can also use it for common tasks that you may perform on a regular computer.<br /><br />In this day and age for example, who doesn't have an email address? Although a lot of us have webmail addresses (like Hotmail and Gmail), there are a lot of us who still like to use Outlook for our email and daily planning.<br /><br />That's where the plugin MCE Outlook steps in. This dandy little plugin will give you access to all of your IMAP and POP3 email accounts that you have configured within Outlook, and all of this is viewable right in Media Center, so there is no need to leave the interface.<br /><br />MCE Outlook not only gives you access to your email, but it also allows you to access to other features such as Notes, Tasks and Contacts. <br /><br />MCE Outlook is a free download and can be found <a href="http://www.download.com/MCE-Outlook/3000-11444-10494341.html?part=dl-MCEOutlo&amp;subj=uo&amp;tag=button">here</a>.<h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.download.com/MCE-Outlook/3000-11444-10494341.html?part=dl-MCEOutlo&amp;subj=uo&amp;tag=button>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/11/22/mce-plugin-spotlight-mce-outlook/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/forward/706315/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/11/22/mce-plugin-spotlight-mce-outlook/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a><br />]]></description><category>downloadsquad</category><category>mce</category><category>media center edition</category><category>MediaCenterEdition</category><category>plugins</category><dc:creator>Matt Crape</dc:creator><dc:date>2006-11-22T14:17:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>RSS, caller ID, and email for Vista Media Center</title><link>http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/11/20/rss-called-id-and-email-for-vista-media-center/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/11/20/rss-called-id-and-email-for-vista-media-center/</guid><comments>http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/11/20/rss-called-id-and-email-for-vista-media-center/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/software/" rel="tag">Software</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/microsoft/" rel="tag">Microsoft</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/media-center-edition/" rel="tag">Media Center Edition</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/mce-plugin-spotlight/" rel="tag">MCE Plugin Spotlight</a></p><br /><a href="http://blogs.msdn.com/astebner/default.aspx"><img vspace="2" hspace="2" border="1" align="top" alt="Vista MCE caller ID" id="vimage_1" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.pvrwire.com/media/2006/11/vista-caller-id.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://blogs.msdn.com/astebner/default.aspx">Aaron Stebner</a> has the heads up on three new applications for Vista Media Center from <a href="http://www.oabsoftware.nl/">OABSoftware</a>. They're all written in Media Center Markup Language, and do a pretty good job of bringing desktop-style applications to a 10-foot interface.<br /><br />
<ul>
    <li><a href="http://vistamcmail.oabsoftware.nl/">Vista Media Center Mail</a> lets you read email from a POP3 server, or you can read the contents of your Outlook inbox.</li>
    <li><a href="http://vistamcrssreader.oabsoftware.nl/">Vista Media Center RSS Reader</a> lets you, well I'll let you guess what this one does.</li>
    <li><a href="http://vistamccallerid.oabsoftware.nl/">Vista Caller ID</a> tells you when you're receiving a phone call, and who it's from. It also keeps a log of callers, and if you've got an entry for the caller in Outlook, a picture will even pop up on your TV.</li>
</ul><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://blogs.msdn.com/astebner/default.aspx>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/11/20/rss-called-id-and-email-for-vista-media-center/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/forward/705277/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/11/20/rss-called-id-and-email-for-vista-media-center/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a><br />]]></description><category>caller id</category><category>CallerId</category><category>email</category><category>media center markup</category><category>MediaCenterMarkup</category><category>rss</category><dc:creator>Brad Linder</dc:creator><dc:date>2006-11-20T18:32:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>MCE Plugin Spotlight: Funspot</title><link>http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/11/08/mce-plugin-spotlight-funspot/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/11/08/mce-plugin-spotlight-funspot/</guid><comments>http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/11/08/mce-plugin-spotlight-funspot/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/software/" rel="tag">Software</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/media-center-edition/" rel="tag">Media Center Edition</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/downloads/" rel="tag">Downloads</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/mce-plugin-spotlight/" rel="tag">MCE Plugin Spotlight</a></p><br /><a href="http://www.download.com/Funspot/3000-11444_4-10554179.html"><img width="200" vspace="2" hspace="2" height="160" border="1" align="right" alt="Funspot" id="vimage_1" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.pvrwire.com/media/2006/11/funspot.jpg" /></a>So far in the MCE Plugin Spotlight series, most of the plugins that have been highlighted have brought some sort of technical capabilities with it, whether it is something trivial like <a href="http://www.pvrwire.com/2006/10/04/mce-plugin-spotlight-mceweather/">weather forecasts</a>, or something more advanced like playing your music purchased through iTunes via <a href="http://www.pvrwire.com/2006/10/21/mce-plugin-spotlight-mce-tunes/">MCE</a>. So I decided to take a look at something a little more lighthearted this time around.<br /><br />Every now and then we all feel like doing something a little different than just sitting in front of the TV and watching shows, instead we need a bit of interaction and stimulation. Well Funspot should be able to fill that role with the array of games that it adds to MCE.<br /><br />Funspot is by no means for a die hard gamer looking to play a 3D first person shooter, rather it is for someone who wants to play the occasional game of blackjack, or perhaps try to solve a sudoku puzzle. The plugin installs quite a few different games, and although they may not be the best games known to man, they are a nice change from time to time.<br /><br />Funspot is a free download that can be found on <a href="http://www.download.com/Funspot/3000-11444_4-10554179.html">Download.com</a>, and it is also worth noting that all of the games can be controlled via your MCE remote, so there is no need to use a keyboard and mouse.<h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.download.com/Funspot/3000-11444_4-10554179.html>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/11/08/mce-plugin-spotlight-funspot/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/forward/698278/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/11/08/mce-plugin-spotlight-funspot/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a><br />]]></description><category>downloadsquad</category><category>mce</category><category>media center edition</category><category>MediaCenterEdition</category><dc:creator>Matt Crape</dc:creator><dc:date>2006-11-08T10:04:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>MCE Plugin Spotlight: TVTonic</title><link>http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/11/01/mce-plugin-spotlight-tvtonic/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/11/01/mce-plugin-spotlight-tvtonic/</guid><comments>http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/11/01/mce-plugin-spotlight-tvtonic/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/media-center-edition/" rel="tag">Media Center Edition</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/downloads/" rel="tag">Downloads</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/mce-plugin-spotlight/" rel="tag">MCE Plugin Spotlight</a></p><br /><a href="http://www.tvtonic.com/"><img width="200" vspace="2" hspace="2" height="144" border="1" align="right" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.pvrwire.com/media/2006/11/tvtonic.jpg" id="vimage_1" alt="TVTonic" /></a>We all know that sites like YouTube and Google Video are getting more and more popular everyday, and for that matter even video podcasts are exploding with traffic growth. The reason behind a large part of this success is due to the fact that people want to be able to choose what they watch and when, just like with their PVRs.<br /><br />That brings me to the point of this particular post which is to talk about TVTonic, a wonderful plugin which not only allows you to subscribe to video podcasts within MCE, but it also has predefined content channels for you. The channels are broken up into genres like news, music, and cartoons, and within those channels you will find multiple streams of content.<br /><br />This plugin also offers huge flexibility with the fact that you can create your own channels and add your own feeds anytime you want, so you are in no way restricted to what the predefined content is. <br /><br />TVTonic is currently a free download, and according to <a href="http://blogs.marketwatch.com/barnako/2006/10/post.html">this interview</a> with Michael Sprague from Wavexpress (the makers of TVTonic), it will also be bundled with Vista's Media Center. TVTonic will also work through Internet Explorer if you do not have a Windows Media Center device.<br /><br />Thanks to <a href="http://www.davisfreeberg.com/">Davis Freeberg </a>who let us know about this through our <a href="http://www.pvrwire.com/tips/">Tips</a> page.<h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.tvtonic.com/>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/11/01/mce-plugin-spotlight-tvtonic/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/forward/694669/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/11/01/mce-plugin-spotlight-tvtonic/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a><br />]]></description><category>downloadsquad</category><category>MCE</category><category>media center edition</category><category>MediaCenterEdition</category><category>plugin</category><category>PVR</category><dc:creator>Matt Crape</dc:creator><dc:date>2006-11-01T15:32:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>MCE Plugin Spotlight: My Movies 2</title><link>http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/10/28/mce-plugin-spotlight-my-movies-2/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/10/28/mce-plugin-spotlight-my-movies-2/</guid><comments>http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/10/28/mce-plugin-spotlight-my-movies-2/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/software/" rel="tag">Software</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/microsoft/" rel="tag">Microsoft</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/media-center-edition/" rel="tag">Media Center Edition</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/downloads/" rel="tag">Downloads</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/mce-plugin-spotlight/" rel="tag">MCE Plugin Spotlight</a></p><a href="http://mymovies.name/"><img width="200" vspace="2" hspace="2" height="119" border="1" align="right" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.pvrwire.com/media/2006/10/mymovies2.jpg" id="vimage_1" alt="My Movies 2" /></a>One of the great things about using Windows MCE as a PVR is that you have the option to copy DVD's right on to the device, in effect making a DVD jukebox. You no longer need to search through your library to find that particular disc.<br /><br />The downside is that by default it doesn't provide a whole lot of information about the movie. Instead all you usually get is just a title and it's up to you to remember the rest. Well that's all changing.<br /><br />With My Movies 2 all of the hard stuff, like indexing movies by actors, directors, titles, etc, is all done automatically provided that you have an internet connection. My Movies will scan through your collection and retrieve all of the data for you, very similar to how the CDDB system works with CDs.<br /><br />Among other features, My Movies 2 also helps you copy DVDs to your MCE device, it is available in 10 different languages, and it also offers limited support when using the Xbox 360 as a Media Center Extender. <br /><br />My Movies 2 is free to download can be found <a href="http://mymovies.name/">here</a>, and My Movies 2.10 Re Release 2 (which was announced recently) can be found <a href="http://www.mymovies.name/mce/forum/Default.aspx?g=posts&amp;t=2424">here</a>.<h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/10/28/mce-plugin-spotlight-my-movies-2/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/forward/692321/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/10/28/mce-plugin-spotlight-my-movies-2/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a><br />]]></description><category>downloadsquad</category><category>MCE</category><category>media center edition</category><category>MediaCenterEdition</category><category>plugin</category><dc:creator>Matt Crape</dc:creator><dc:date>2006-10-28T10:27:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>MCE Plugin Spotlight: MCE Tunes</title><link>http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/10/21/mce-plugin-spotlight-mce-tunes/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/10/21/mce-plugin-spotlight-mce-tunes/</guid><comments>http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/10/21/mce-plugin-spotlight-mce-tunes/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/software/" rel="tag">Software</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/apple/" rel="tag">Apple</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/microsoft/" rel="tag">Microsoft</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/media-center-edition/" rel="tag">Media Center Edition</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/mce-plugin-spotlight/" rel="tag">MCE Plugin Spotlight</a></p><br /><a href="http://www.mcetunes.com/"><img width="200" vspace="2" hspace="2" height="160" border="1" align="right" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.pvrwire.com/media/2006/10/mcetunes.jpg" id="vimage_1" alt="MCE Tunes" /></a>One of the biggest benefits of using Windows MCE as a PVR is that you get a full fledged media center with it, not just something that is limited to just recording TV. Although it can be used just to capture your favorite TV shows, it can also act like a jukebox for your music collection, be an on-screen photo album to showcase your pictures, and do much more.<br /><br />Out of some of the uses mentioned above, the digital jukebox is one of the more popular ones, and MCE is often used as a replacement for other audio playing programs. Unfortunately it couldn't replace iTunes due to the fact that any purchased through iTunes was required to play through iTunes, up until now.<br /><br />MCE Tunes is a paid plugin which will allow you to not only allows you to play your iTunes bought music through MCE, but it will also synchronize to iTunes daily to make sure that your library is up to date. The only requirements for this to work are that you have Media Center Edition Rollup 2 installed, iTunes 6.x or greater installed, and that the MCE device is authorized for the iTunes store.<br /><br />As I mentioned above, this plugin is not free, but it will only set you back about $30. And although there are ways to circumvent the iTunes copy protection, this plugin doesn't break the DRM and according to the website is completely legal. Check out <a href="http://www.mcetunes.com">www.mcetunes.com</a> for more information.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.automatedhome.co.uk/article1772.html">Via</a>.<h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.mcetunes.com/>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/10/21/mce-plugin-spotlight-mce-tunes/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/forward/688636/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/10/21/mce-plugin-spotlight-mce-tunes/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a><br />]]></description><category>Apple</category><category>Downloadsquad</category><category>MCE Plugin</category><category>McePlugin</category><category>Microsoft</category><dc:creator>Matt Crape</dc:creator><dc:date>2006-10-21T10:51:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>MCE Plugin Spotlight: Crunchie</title><link>http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/10/17/mce-plugin-spotlight-crunchie/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/10/17/mce-plugin-spotlight-crunchie/</guid><comments>http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/10/17/mce-plugin-spotlight-crunchie/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/microsoft/" rel="tag">Microsoft</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/media-center-edition/" rel="tag">Media Center Edition</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/mce-plugin-spotlight/" rel="tag">MCE Plugin Spotlight</a></p><br /><a href="http://www.xpmediacentre.com.au/community/crunchie-hibernator/2937-arksofts-crunchie-release-v1-1-a.html"><img id="vimage_1" height="80" alt="Crunchie" hspace="2" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.pvrwire.com/media/2006/10/crunchie.jpg" width="200" align="right" vspace="2" border="1" /></a>Any avid TV watcher who uses Windows XP MCE as their PVR probably knows that it doesn't take long for a hard drive to get filled, especially when a one hour show can end up consuming more than 3 GB of space. While it is easy for a hard drive to fill up quicker than you can watch your recorded shows, what can you do to save space?<br /><br />The simplest and most straightforward solution is to lower the quality of the recordings, but we don't want to be stuck watching pixilated recordings. So if that isn't the best choice, we'll have to fall back to the next easiest thing: compression.<br /><br />Crunchie is a plugin that was designed to take the uncompressed video that MCE records, convert it to the xvid video format, and in effect drastically shrink the file size. A real handy feature about this plugin is that you can actually run it as a scheduled task (at say 4 in the morning when you are asleep), so you don't need to worry about running it after every recording.<br /><br />A note to those who wish to install this plugin: you will need to already have the DVRMSToolbox (which we will cover in another post), as well as an xvid playback codec installed on your system.<br /><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.xpmediacentre.com.au/community/crunchie-hibernator/2937-arksofts-crunchie-release-v1-1-a.html>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/10/17/mce-plugin-spotlight-crunchie/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/forward/686079/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/10/17/mce-plugin-spotlight-crunchie/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a><br />]]></description><category>downloadsquad</category><category>MCE</category><category>MCE Plugin Spothlight</category><category>McePluginSpothlight</category><dc:creator>Matt Crape</dc:creator><dc:date>2006-10-17T09:36:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>MCE Plugin Spotlight: MusicPlayer</title><link>http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/10/11/mce-plugin-spotlight-musicplayer/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/10/11/mce-plugin-spotlight-musicplayer/</guid><comments>http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/10/11/mce-plugin-spotlight-musicplayer/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/microsoft/" rel="tag">Microsoft</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/media-center-edition/" rel="tag">Media Center Edition</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/mce-plugin-spotlight/" rel="tag">MCE Plugin Spotlight</a></p><br /><a href="http://www.th-haandbold.dk/musicplayer/"><img width="200" vspace="2" hspace="2" height="160" border="1" align="right" alt="MusicPlayer" id="img1" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.pvrwire.com/media/2006/10/musicplayer.jpg" /></a>One of the most common uses of Windows XP Media Center Edition is as a juke box. If you are like me, then you may have hundreds (or in some cases thousands) of CDs stored digitally in MP3 format on your hard drive. <br /><br />The obvious upside is that you don't need to shuffle through your collection when looking for a particular song or album. But, the downside that I noticed right off the bat with using MCE as a jukebox is the fact that it uses the MP3's ID tag to pull the display information. <br /><br />What's so wrong with that? Well, since most of us can't be bothered to go through every file and fill out the fields, then the tracks may not display accurate or relevant information.<br /><br />Enter MusicPlayer. Instead of pulling information from the file itself, MusicPlayer allows you to browse the Windows file system and it displays the file name instead. Along with that, you can also easily add album covers (in the format of a file called front.jpg) and you can add all of the music files in a folder to a play list.<br /><br />MusicPlayer was designed by Thomas Larsen and can be found <a href="http://www.th-haandbold.dk/musicplayer/">here</a>.<h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.th-haandbold.dk/musicplayer/>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/10/11/mce-plugin-spotlight-musicplayer/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/forward/683078/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/10/11/mce-plugin-spotlight-musicplayer/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a><br />]]></description><category>downloadsquad</category><category>MCE</category><category>Plugins</category><dc:creator>Matt Crape</dc:creator><dc:date>2006-10-11T11:15:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>MCE Plugin Spotlight: mControl</title><link>http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/10/06/mce-plugin-spotlight-mcontrol/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/10/06/mce-plugin-spotlight-mcontrol/</guid><comments>http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/10/06/mce-plugin-spotlight-mcontrol/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/media-center-edition/" rel="tag">Media Center Edition</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/mce-plugin-spotlight/" rel="tag">MCE Plugin Spotlight</a></p><br /><a href="http://www.embeddedautomation.com/EAHAmControl.htm"><img width="200" vspace="2" hspace="2" height="150" border="1" align="right" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.pvrwire.com/media/2006/10/mcontrol.jpg" alt="mControl v 1.60" id="vimage_1" /></a>One of the common themes that we're starting to see in homebrew and do-it-yourself PVRs is not only the ability to turn these devices into Media Centers, but the desire to. Along with that, home automation is usually not too far off.  <br /><br />You may be thinking to yourselves "what kind of home automation can my PVR possibly give me?". The answer is "quite a bit, actually". <br /><br />Which brings us to our current MCE plugin spotlight: mControl v1.60, which was recently released.  <br /><br />So, what does mControl offer? According to their website it can control lights, gas fireplaces, sprinkler systems and hot tubs among other things. Needless to say, you also have to have devices that support this. <br /><br />Also of note is that this plugin costs $75 for the home edition.  <br /><br />mControl is designed to work with Windows XP Media Center 2005, but it can also run on other versions of Windows and it can be accessed from any computer that has Internet Explorer 6 or higher installed. <br /><br /> The fact that it can be accessed via Internet Explorer means that you aren't tied to your MCE unit. In fact you can be on the second floor of your house with your laptop and still be able to turn the lights downstairs off without leaving the room.  <br /><br />For more information on this or any other Embedded Automation products, check out their website at <a href="http://www.embeddedautomation.com">www.embeddedautomation.com</a>.<br /><br />Via <a href="http://thegreenbutton.com/blogs/chris_blog/archive/2006/10/05/142379.aspx">thegreenbutton.com</a>.<h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.embeddedautomation.com/EAHAmControl.htm>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/10/06/mce-plugin-spotlight-mcontrol/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/forward/680325/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/10/06/mce-plugin-spotlight-mcontrol/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a><br />]]></description><category>MCE</category><category>Media Center Edition</category><category>MediaCenterEdition</category><category>Microsoft</category><dc:creator>Matt Crape</dc:creator><dc:date>2006-10-06T09:00:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>MCE Plugin Spotlight: mceWeather</title><link>http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/10/04/mce-plugin-spotlight-mceweather/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/10/04/mce-plugin-spotlight-mceweather/</guid><comments>http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/10/04/mce-plugin-spotlight-mceweather/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/microsoft/" rel="tag">Microsoft</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/media-center-edition/" rel="tag">Media Center Edition</a>, <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/mce-plugin-spotlight/" rel="tag">MCE Plugin Spotlight</a></p><br /><a href="http://www.scendix.com/mceweather/"><img width="200" vspace="2" hspace="2" height="137" border="1" align="right" id="vimage_1" alt="MCE Plugin Spotlight: mceWeather" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.pvrwire.com/media/2006/10/mceweather.jpg" /></a>To get this new series up and running, I thought I would start with something that almost all of us have a common interest in: the weather. <br /><br />These days there are multiple ways to check the weather: the news or weather channel, the internet -- or just plain old looking out the window. But for those of us who want to converge the technology in our life, we can use mceWeather to integrate forecasts right into our Windows Media Center PVRs.<br /><br />mceWeather has a simple and straightforward interface that is quick to set up. Once you pop in a city, you will also have a chance to customize the metric scale, satellite maps, language, style and the weather icons. Once you have all of that in place, you can then choose to either see the current weather, an overview with a forecast or the satellite map.<br /><br />mceWeather is a free download and it will also run as a standalone page inside of Internet Explorer 6 as well as on Media Center Extenders like the Xbox 360. If you are interested in mceWeather, check out <a href="http://www.scendix.com/mceweather/ ">http://www.scendix.com/mceweather/</a> for more information , in addition to links twhere you can download the plugin.<h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.scendix.com/mceweather/>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/10/04/mce-plugin-spotlight-mceweather/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/forward/679582/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/10/04/mce-plugin-spotlight-mceweather/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a><br />]]></description><category>downloadsquad</category><category>mce</category><category>microsoft</category><dc:creator>Matt Crape</dc:creator><dc:date>2006-10-04T13:58:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>MCE Plugin Spotlight: An Introduction</title><link>http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/10/02/mce-plugin-spotlight-an-introduction/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/10/02/mce-plugin-spotlight-an-introduction/</guid><comments>http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/10/02/mce-plugin-spotlight-an-introduction/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/category/mce-plugin-spotlight/" rel="tag">MCE Plugin Spotlight</a></p><br /><a href="http://www.pvrwire.com/category/mce-plugin-spotlight/"><img width="200" vspace="2" hspace="2" height="144" border="0" align="right" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.pvrwire.com/media/2006/10/mce.jpg" id="vimage_2" alt="Windows XP Media Center Edition" /></a>One of the first things that most Windows Media Center Edition users notice right away is the fact that their PVR is actually a computer underneath it all. Although Media Center Edition can allow you to do things like check email and surf the web, it also has the power of being expandable through additional software. In its simplest form, these pieces of software are known as plugins.<br /><br />Windows MCE has a wide array of plugins available. Most of them are designed to add value to your PVR to make it a true home Media Center device, whether it be through showing you local weather forecasts, displaying local theatre show times or even just adding the ability to customize the interface to your liking.<br /><br />With that in mind, PVR Wire is excited to bring forth a new category entitled <strong>MCE Plugin Spotlight.</strong> This category will contain brief descriptions of what these plugins can do for you as well as where you can find them. <br /><br />If you feel that there is a plugin that you would like highlighted, please feel free to drop us a line using our tips section.<h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.pvrwire.com/category/mce-plugin-spotlight/>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/10/02/mce-plugin-spotlight-an-introduction/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/forward/678270/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.www.pvrwire.com/2006/10/02/mce-plugin-spotlight-an-introduction/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a><br />]]></description><category>MCE</category><dc:creator>Matt Crape</dc:creator><dc:date>2006-10-02T12:48:00+00:00</dc:date></item></channel></rss>