MSN Remote Record Service for Media Center Edition

Microsoft yesterday officially released their latest service for Media Center Edition Software, MSN Remote Record. The service is free and allows you to schedule and manage all of your television recording remotely via an internet browser. The service includes a comprehensive guide via MSN with powerful search features.

This is a terrific service. All you need is a little extra time and an internet connection and you can find cool new shows to watch. In order to use the service you need, of course, a Media Center PC as well as an always on internet connection and a compatible browser (yes, believe or not Firefox works as a compatible browser). You also need to have a free Microsoft passport account.


Searching for television shows about wine on MSN Remote Record.

On your Media Center PC you need to download and install the MSN Remote Record installer via the "Online Spotlight" section of the software and then from any browser visit the guide and you are in business.

One small additional suggestion that I'd make for the folks at MSN TV though is that people absolutely LOVE the right click. I'm addicted to it personally. Although scheduling a program to record is really easy with the software, it would be great to add a right click, one step functionality that says add to recording schedule.

You could take this one step further and add a right click function that through a macro automatically took a term found anywhere on the internet and directed you to the search for recordings section of the MSN guide. This way if I was say looking at something on RollingStone.com for instance and saw a new show that I wanted to record I could simply right click on the show title and have the search automatically launch and open a new browser window with the completed MSN TV search and recording to potentially schedule.

This is the future baby! Nice work guys.

Update: Sean Alexander has the link for the FAQ on the service. Thanks, Sean!