PVR Wire

Edit Recorded TV Shows in Vista Move Maker

Chris Tew — 2007-01-31T10:17:00+00:00

Filed under: News, Software, Microsoft, Media Center Edition, DIY

Yesterday I mentioned Microsoft's propriety video format MS-DVR which is used for Windows Media Center recordings.

Previously you would need to convert the videos to a more standard format using something like DVRBox so you could edit them with ease. However Vista Movie Maker now comes with full support of MS-DVR files so editing out those adverts is now pretty easy.

And if you get stuck you can always ask for help in the Windows Movie Maker forums.

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Hauppauge TV Tuners are Vista Ready

Chris Tew — 2007-01-31T07:07:00+00:00

Filed under: News, Software, Microsoft, Media Center Edition

The Vista launch has come upon on us and so it's a busy time for a lot of PC related companies. One of which is Hauppauge which has announced that it has the widest range of Vista ready PC tuner cards available.

Hauppauge will now be offering the new Vista driver software with every Hauppauge product shipped from today. Existing customers can upgrade from the Hauppauge website.

If you are keen to read more about the Windows Vista launch then check out Engadget.

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A portable HD PVR in the palm of your hands?

Chris Tew — 2007-01-30T16:57:00+00:00

Filed under: HDTV, News, Microsoft, Media Center Edition, Mobile

OQO, a company that specializes in ultra-mobile personal computing, announced the Model 02 at this year's Consumer Electronics Show.

The Model 02 is an extremely powerful portable mini PC that has the ability to run Windows Vista Ultimate. Kevin Groppe of FloppyHead pointed out that if it can run Windows Vista Ultimate (which comes with MCE) it must therefore be a mini Media Center PC.

Further more the Model 02 comes with USB support so could get hooked up with a USB Digital Tuner turning the Model 02 into a portable mini PVR. Also the Model 02 has a HDMI output so could be hooked up to any HD TV.

Whether this little PC could stand up to the heavy requirements of PVR recording and playing HD content is yet to be seen. But it would damn cool if it could!

[Via Digg]

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Convert your DVR-MS MCE recordings to Xvid, x264 and MPEG-4

Chris Tew — 2007-01-30T13:41:00+00:00

Filed under: News, Software, Microsoft, Media Center Edition, DIY

DVR-MS is a proprietary Microsoft format that is used in Media Center Edition to record videos. Unfortunately this format can't be played on may other devices so you may want to be able to easily convert your DVR-MS video recordings to some other format..

DVRBox is free open source software that does just that converting your DVR-MS video files into other formats including Xvid and MPEG 4. Features include:

Editing of DVR-MS videos
Batch processing
Automatic crop detection
Scheduled compression
Outputs to MPEG-4 including XviD, x264

In development is manual cropping, directory scanning, profilesand iPod Support.

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Trinion L7 HTPC touts integrated touchscreen LCD

Chris Tew — 2007-01-30T07:50:00+00:00

Filed under: General, News, Microsoft, Media Center Edition, Reviews

The Trinion L7 is a well packed Home Theater PC (HTPC) with a nifty 800 x 480 resolution touch-screen LCD monitor that can be controlled by an IR remote. It features easy playback of DVDs, photos, TV episodes etc and can even launch games and office applications from the LCD screen itself.

Features of this sleek looking HTPC include:

A silver chassis
1.66GHz Intel T5500 processor
1GB of DDR2 RAM
250GB hard drive
8-channel onboard audio
Gigabit Ethernet
Combo drive
Windows XP Media Center Edition
Front-panel flash card readers
USB / FireWire connectors
Audio in / out ports

The Trinion L7 should be available in South Korea sometime soon although no release details are available.

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Anti-DRM Group DefectiveByDesign taking some flak

Chris Tew — 2007-01-29T07:59:00+00:00

Filed under: News, Microsoft

Anti DRM group DefectiveByDesign will be boycotting the Microsoft Vista Launch Events in NYC over all the DRM that will be in the soon-to-be released Vista.

It is true that Vista will be packed with plenty of DRM which is especially annoying for any Media Center Edition fans due to the many restrictions involved with streaming content around their house, placeshifting and making copies of PVR recorded media and paid content, just to name a few.

But DefectiveByDesign, as Chris Lanier has correctly pointed out, are targeting the wrong people. Microsoft is mostly using DRM because it has too in order to meet regulations and allow Vista to play DRM media files.

Bill Gates has said he is not a fan of DRM, but that's not to say Microsoft doesn't have its own flaws when it comes to DRM (Zune for example). However, the targets that DefectiveByDesign should really be concentrating on are such organizations like the RIAA, the MPAA and Apple with its Fairplay, rather than boycotting a Vista Launch event.

Simply attacking a company simply because it implements DRM in its products will just cause people to lose respect for DefectiveByDesign.

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Xbox 360 Hack - Get a bigger hard drive but no extra space

Chris Tew — 2007-01-27T17:22:00+00:00

Filed under: Hacks, News, Microsoft, DIY

It is now possible to hack your Xbox 360 so you can add a larger hard drive, but it's just a shame that your Xbox will still think it is a 20GB hard drive.

The hack is done using a DOS based program that currently only works with Western Digital BEVS hard drives.

Although you can't use the space of the larger hard drives it will allow you to save money by not buying the $100 Xbox 360 hard drive and getting a cheaper Western Digital 40GB hard drive for $60.

You can then lay in hope that Microsoft updates the Xbox 360 to look for larger hard drives or alternatively someone creates a hack to make the Xbox do it.

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Xbox 360 IPTV Interview - PVR functions on the way

Chris Tew — 2007-01-26T12:31:00+00:00

Filed under: News, Microsoft, Streaming, IPTV

GameVideos has an excellent interview on video (see below) with the two Microsoft execs Chris Satchell and Albert Penello, talking about IPTV on the Xbox360.

The Xbox 360 IPTV service is not going to be something like getting YouTube videos on your PC but a service that is more familiar to the cable and satellite TV services that we have now.

Sarchell and Penello talk about downloadable movies, the Xbox 360's channel guide and even the use of the Xbox 360 as a PVR (gotta love that one!). Although not confirmed directly the interview hints that a larger hard drive will also be offered to cater for the PVR functionality.

Part 1 of the video shown above and you can see part 2 here.

[Via 1up]

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Vidabox brings CableCard to Vista

Matt Crape — 2007-01-23T09:02:00+00:00

Filed under: Cable TV, News, Microsoft, Media Center Edition

With the upcoming general public release of Windows Vista just around the corner there has been a lot of talk about the new Media Center features it brings with it, as well as its limitations (i.e. DRM).

One of the biggest offerings though is its ability to recognize and use CableCard technology. Although this improvement has been widely touted by Microsoft, we haven't heard a whole lot from manufacturer's in the way of implementation, until now.

Vidabox, the makers of various Media Center powered HTPC systems, announced this morning that they will be introducing new systems which support dual tuner digital cable receivers via CableCards. This is great news for anyone who wants to start recording HD channels without the hassle of trying to get a cable box working with Media Center.

Other improvements to the line include the addition of Blu-ray and HD-DVD drives and the option to add more than 3TB of storage via RAID-5. Also noted in the press release is the ability to stream HD content recorded via CableCard to an Xbox 360 (and presumably to other next-generation media extenders).

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11 reasons to give Vista a chance

Martin Conaghan — 2007-01-22T15:42:00+00:00

Filed under: News, Software, Tips, Microsoft, Media Center Edition

Dean Takahashi of the Mercury News has put together one of those "xx reasons" type of lists, this time about the forthcoming Windows Vista.

The launch of Vista (for consumers) is only a few days away, and already the hype machine is working its magic.

Chief among Dean's reasons for getting a hold of Windows Vista is the fairly obvious one for me: #5 Vista has a built-in version of the Windows Media Center user interface.

However, I'm not so sure that "when you move your mouse over the borders, you'll find they're a little thicker so it isn't as hard to grab them and expand the size of a window" is a sufficiently good reason to go out and spend the money on an upgrade so early in the day.

Make up your own mind.

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Who needs a computer to view user generated video?

Brad Linder — 2007-01-19T18:36:00+00:00

Filed under: News, Apple, Microsoft, Home Networking, Streaming

Mark Cuban poses an interesting question: Why are companies like Apple and Microsoft working so hard to give you a way to move video from your PC to your TV screen? Why not just make the video available on your existing set top box or PVR?

Basically, he argues that cable or satellite services could transfer video feeds directly to your PVR and you could peruse video clips from content producers like CBS or from frat boys running around like idiots. No computer needed. Your PVR is already designed to let you easily sift through a large amount of video content to find what you're looking for, all from the comfort of your couch.

The problem is, you'll never be able to store the same quantity of video content on your PVR hard drive that you can access by visiting sites like YouTube. Nor, I suspect, would you want to. The beauty of internet video is that it's there waiting for you if you want it, and it's not taking up space that you'd rather use for other things, like say, choosing your own television programs to record.

While I agree with Cuban that you could easily access internet video with a PVR, I think the way to do that is to connect more PVRs to the internet. Throw a web browser on there. You can already access online video using PC-based personal video recorders like Windows Media Center (with Yougle), or SageTV (which can access Google Video). Why not add the same functionality to set top boxes, which are basically stripped down computers these days anyway.

Or you could always buy an Apple TV or Xbox 360 to stick next to your TiVo so that you can record shows to watch on one box, and flip a switch to use another box that will let you watch programs recorded on your third box, the PC in the other room. I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

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Microsoft adds online content to Vista Media Center

Brad Linder — 2007-01-17T20:26:00+00:00

Filed under: News, Microsoft, Media Center Edition, Downloads, Streaming

With Microsoft Vista set to officially launch in a couple of weeks, Microsoft has begun adding content to the Online Media section of Vista Media Center.

The Online Media function provides online content to Media Center users in the same interface they use to view their personal media such as television recordings and music collections. Some of the new content includes clips from the Discovery Channel, Yahoo video, VH1, Napster, and other music services, and access to MovieLink video purchases and downloads.

While Media Center functions are included in several versions of Vista, most computers still aren't sold with TV tuners, so I imagine online content is sort of a selling point for using a Vista PC as a digital hub in the living room.

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Evesham 657Plus Solar Visto - MCE PC

Martin Conaghan — 2007-01-17T15:55:00+00:00

Filed under: News, Microsoft, Media Center Edition, Reviews

I've never had the pleasure of trying out any of Evesham's offerings in the PC market, but they seem to get fairly decent reviews.

PC Plus has a review of the most recent tower of of the blocks from the Evesham labs, a Vista MCE PC, no less -- which features a low-end case housing a Core 2 Duo processor and a paltry 1GB of RAM.

However, it also has a 250GB hard drive and a 19in widescreen display, a TV tuner and a TV-out graphics card, which all mounted up to some fairly decent bench-test results (although, games fared poorly).

The big advice I seem to be picking up from an upgrade of Vista, let alone the MCE editions, is to get yourself a beefy graphics card, or suffer the consequences.

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Test driving Vista

Martin Conaghan — 2007-01-17T14:38:00+00:00

Filed under: General, News, Software, Microsoft, Reviews

Even if you're well and truly embedded in the fast-paced world of technology and software, the imminent release of Microsoft's new operating system, Vista, might still be somewhat something of an unknown for you.

For example, most people I speak to seem to think of it as another bloated upgrade to Windows XP, rather than a top-to-bottom makeover -- and fewer realise that it's actually a massive expansion on Windows Media Center Edition -- which tells its own story, really.

Tom Gromak of The Detroit News has made a start at presenting a brief run-through of what to expect when the product hits the shelves (for regular consumers) on January 30.

His first bit of advice is not to rush, which is sensible. Don't be panicked into thinking you need to upgrade your PC, software, mouse, or any other part of your computer; rather, think of it as an opportunity to sit back and see what happens when Vista starts throwing up bugs -- and, more importantly, if the drivers will be available to operate the key peripherals you rely on for day-to-day operation (think printers, scanners, cameras).

Otherwise, Tom reckons Vista is pretty cool (a few moans aside); it has improved security, better networking, some nifty add-ons and, of course, the all-important Media Center tweaks to turn your PC into a PVR.

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DirecTV coming to Vista Media Center

Chris Tew — 2007-01-15T06:56:00+00:00

Filed under: News, Satellite TV, DirectTV, Microsoft, Media Center Edition

At the CES last year it was announced that DirecTV and Microsoft were working together to link up DirecTV and Microsoft entertainment devices such as the Xbox 360 and MCE PCs.

Many believed that this would mean you would be able to have an installer come out and install a DirecTV tuner into your Media Center PC and get your local cable channels complete with PVR functionality. In other words your Media Center PC is your DirecTV set top box.

From a May interview on Engadget a Microsoft representative said "you can get essentially a receiver device that is a DirecTV receiver and connect it through some digital connection to your PC. [Doing so] lets you get all the great value from the DirecTV service, including High-Definition. If you subscribe to NFL Sunday Ticket, you'll be able to get that. All that good stuff."

According to DBSTalk from a quick Q&A session with DIRECTV at CES last week, the HTPC DirecTV Cards are still in progress and in internal beta testing.

However I still think it will be some time before this is released otherwise we would have heard a little more coming out of the CES camp last week. I'd expect the very earliest we'll see this is the middle of this year.

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Xbox 360 upgrade coming later this year for IPTV?

Brad Linder — 2007-01-14T10:30:00+00:00

Filed under: News, Microsoft, IPTV

In Paul Thurrott's latest Windows Weekly podcast, he talks about a pre-CES briefing he had with some Microsoft bigwigs. And apparently they told him that Microsoft will indeed be updating the Xbox 360 by the end of the year, adding a larger hard drive, and some new hardware to take enable IPTV.

At CES, it was starting to look like Microsoft was going to add IPTV to existing Xobox 360 units without the need to upgrade any hardware. But that would essentially leave current users with a PVR that only has a 20GB hard drive. And that's just silly.

The big question is whether the IPTV functions will only work on new-model Xbox 360s, or if Microsoft will offer upgrades for existing users. I'm gonna bet on the latter, as Microsoft has already shown they're willing to sell add-ons, such as the external HD-DVD drive.
[via EngadgetHD]

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CE Pro posts a Sideshow Slideshow

Brad Linder — 2007-01-14T09:34:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft, Media Center Edition

I'll admit it. When I first heard about Windows Vista's new Sideshow capabilities, I wasn't that impressed. Great, so you can access some PC functions without turning your computer on. That's fine for notebook users who don't want to take the time to boot up their system, but if you've got a PC-based PVR your system's probably on all the time anyway, and you can access it with your remote control almost as quickly as you could press a button on a Sideshow device.

And then I started to see pictures of Sideshow-enabled remote controls. And I'm a convert. Having complete access to the program guide on your remote control? Brilliant. Sure, on-screen program guides have gotten better and better, but if you've ever tried to browse through program descriptions to set up new recordings while your spouse is sitting next to you and trying to watch TV, you'll get the appeal of being able to do everything from the remote control.

CE Pro's got a nice gallery of various Sideshow enabled devices, many of which were on display at CES last week.

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Video of Windows Live for TV in action

Brad Linder — 2007-01-12T10:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft, Media Center Edition

Wondering what Microsoft's new Windows Live for TV looks like, but you haven't been able to try it out because you're not running Windows Vista? Here, have a video, courtesy of Ron Trackey, one of the developers:

Basically, he demonstrates the 10 foot interface for Windows Live services, quickly flipping through several contacts, reading a blog entry, looking at photos, and even downloading one.

The interface looks pretty zippy for the most part, although every now and again the transition from one screen to the next looks a little slow. This could either be due to lag in his system, or YouTube buffering.

You can also use the system to quickly find friends and start instant message or voice chats. Overall, it looks pretty useful... if your friends are using Windows Live.

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CableCards come to Vista with lots of restrictions and DRM

Chris Tew — 2007-01-12T07:25:00+00:00

Filed under: Cable TV, HDTV, News, Microsoft, Media Center Edition

As expected CableCard support will be available on Windows Vista Media Centers when Microsoft releases Vista later this month bringing HD video recording to MCE. Unfortunately anything to do with CableCards is going to come with a nice selection of restrictions thanks to CableLabs.

Only certified manufacturers will be able to create media center PCs with CableCard support and any video that comes through the CableCard will be heavily protected and armed with DRM.

The video will be decrypted from cable and then re-encrypted in the tuner with Microsoft DRM. The video will then travel through a USB port to the media center, even if the Tuner is an internal PCI card.

All files stored on the hard drive will be encrypted and don't expect much copying or placeshifting to happen. No copying is permitted and while streaming media to Vista Media Extenders is allowed through a home network, copying media to a Zune or other portable media device is not permitted.

It looks like Vista media centers have it just as bad as the TiVo Series 3. Thanks CableLabs.

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Hand-on with all the cool toys at CES

Brad Linder — 2007-01-11T18:48:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft, TiVo, TiVo Series 3, IPTV

The Engadget crew gets all the fun. Today, they've published detailed photo galleries and descriptions of their up-close experiences with some of the hottest new PVR and multimedia technology on display at CES.

Vista Media Center Extender

The Xbox 360 will likely be the only device capable of acting as a media extender for Vista at launch. But hey, plenty of people have Xbox 360s, right? Engadget's got a whole photo gallery showing off the media extender interface, and it looks like pretty much anything you can do on your media center PC you can do with the extender.

Xbox 360 IPTV

Speaking of the Xbox 360, how about that IPTV announcement, eh? Wondering how it's going to work, and what it's going to look like? Engadget's got a photo gallery for that too, and a few answers to nagging questions. For example, since the TV shows are delivered through IPTV rather than a TV tuner, you should be able to record as many simultaneous programs as the software will allow. Of course, cramming them all onto a 20GB hard drive won't be much fun, but Microsoft's got plenty of time to announce an upgraded unit with larger hard drives before this service goes live.

TiVo 8.1 software

Okay, enough about Microsoft and their expensive boxes. What if you've already purchased an expensive TiVo Series3, only to find out that it's got less functionality than Series2 boxes? I mean, sure you get to record HD, but there's no TiVoToGo, no broadband, etc. Well, version 8.1 of TiVo's software is rolling out, which means that some problems will be fixed. For example, Series3 users will get listings for recently deleted programs, TiVoCast, Guru Guides, and access to KidZone, (which may not be such a good thing).

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