Comments on: Microsoft’s Charlie Owen Responds to My Media Center “Rant”

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 23 Sep 2005 09:53:00 +0000

They could have at least thrown us a bone and added QAM tuning. “The feature didn’t make the rollup” is BS. Microsoft isn’t innovating. They’re allowing the media companies to dictate what features they can include in their product. Its probably some political manager hack who excluded unencrypted QAM tuning. I hope the realignment gets that guy fired.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 22 Sep 2005 23:24:00 +0000

Get off your high horse and think of the bigger picture – MCE is now available globally, not every country has HDTV and whats this crap about cryptocard stuff anyway…

You didnt get what you wanted, but neither did the rest of the world – stop being so presumptious about things and get a life.

At least in the US of A you can use dual tuner spaces and mix analgoue and digital cards, at least you get an EPG…. Many a country cant do that…

News alert – the world is (and never was) centered around your continent.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 22 Sep 2005 18:17:00 +0000

Thomas — As I read through your response I couldn’t stop myself from muttering “hallelujah” from time to time. Your post is absolutely right on. These are the same issues that were raised over a year ago around the time of rollup 1 and it appears that nothing has changed a year out. I just find it a bit disengenuous that the MSFT folks would expect this dialogue to happen in “private”. These are the critical issues that are impacting most MCE users and only this type of public forum can disseminate the information out to the folks who need to hear it — the consumer!

Keep on the gas – Teamills (a.k.a. Mike Mills)

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 22 Sep 2005 14:47:00 +0000

It has been more than a year since FCC ‘s requirement, that all HDTV set top boxes provide firewire, went into effect. A single programmer created an MCE plug-in that allows recording content delivered thru firewire. How much time does a company like Microsoft needs to make this part of MCE? I suspect that after the OTA ATSC that almost nobody uses they will spend years in developing CableCard support only to find that many cable companies doesn’t like (and don’t offer) CableCards at all. FCC doesn’t require them to do so. Current CableCard specs doesn’t support two-way communications and doesn’t allow VOD and PPV. A tuner-less PC will make a much more sense if the firewire HDTV support was in place.

By: Brian Hoyt

Brian Hoyt — Thu, 22 Sep 2005 10:38:00 +0000

One quick note on OTA. I also have a DTV HDTiVo and love it. However OTA HD is the only way for the majority of the US to get broadcast networks. Only those in LA, NY, O&O; markets or so remote they can recieve no signals are allowed to recieve the HD feeds over satellite. Personally I probably watch more OTA HD than cable network HD. If I could get a MCE box that could get OTA HD plus DTV content I would buy it though.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 22 Sep 2005 08:40:00 +0000

In the defense of MS they are under a huge microscope. Everybody and thier brother wants to take a shot at them. What ever they create has to work and work right. But in the end the time it takes is almost obnoxious. I invested in the MCE when it first came out, but I invested for the promises of what it was to become. And frankley the interface is the only thing that has evolved. And the stability. I give credit for that.
But the secricy is crazy. Does MS really think that by keeping it a secret others won’t beat them to the punch? It has been third party people who have actual done things for the MCE that MS should have made native in the functionality. A company called http://www.inteset.com/ has integrated software that lets all your MCE machines on the network talk so basically what is on one is on all. The My movies application from the dude at green button has given us all a way to archive our collection and call them up at the click of a button.
I know ms has to follow rules when working with cable companies and Hollywood, and to develop and OS takes time, but when it comes to the MCE there are others out there that are way beyond MS.
Vista is comming which means the new MCE is comming, but what I suspect is that the new MCE will have a redisgned interface and very few functionality add ons. I think it would be ashamed if MS rode the new Vista graphics platform to give the MCE a new interface and that was it. But I don’t know what they are going to do. After all they won’t say. They won’t say when others are supporting up to 8 tuners, building HDTV support, making Media connections seemless, and third party companies are building MCE machines with add ons to the MCE system that MS should already provide. I liken it to zip files. When XP had a built in zip utility, my first thought was duh… All that money and it took them till XP to allow the end user to handle zip files with out downloading a tool. Common sense to most of us.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 22 Sep 2005 08:07:00 +0000

I have to agree totally with you Thomas. It's not a matter of IF, it is a matter of WHEN.
The MCE is a great platform but come on it has been years from the time it started and the time MS promised "Digital Media Everywhere", and we are not that further along.
MS made a promise years ago that we would be able to comsume our medai Anywhere, but in all the hype they did not mention the restrictions. Like the extender, a great Idea but no DVD capabilities? What is with that? Next to tv, DVD is one of the biggest forms of media consumed.
As for music.. It takes several minutes for my system to load it all. OTA HDTV is a joke. Seriously how many MCE owners do you think do not have cable or Direct Tv.
It just seems to me that MS has good intentions but takes forever to make them happen.
Do think we do not know that they (MS) are light years beyond what they give to the consumer. In some little room surrounded by geeks, the ultimate MCE exists.
I am a huge supporter of MS. If they can take over the world then I say do it. This company is full of geeks and geeks me cool products for technology, so take over the world, give us everything you promised, but try to do it before I die!

By: Christoph Buenger (aka scendix)

Christoph Buenger (aka scendix) — Thu, 22 Sep 2005 01:26:00 +0000

regarding Online Spotlight:
the plugins are THERE:
- mceAuction (awarded by eBay as the “Most innovative Buyer’s Application 2005″): Charlie did not respond on any of my requests to add the plugin to the Online Spotlight
- mceWeather (won “Europe xpMCE Award 2004/2005″ as “Best free MCE Plugin/Addon”): my application for the Online Spotlight in AUGUST 2004 was just ignored. Charlie answered me, that they check it. But then NEVER answered to my mails again. mceWeather is in the German Online Spotlight. Isn’t it good enough for US Online Spotlight?

By: Mike

Mike — Wed, 21 Sep 2005 23:32:00 +0000

Well said Thomas…and be prepared for about a year of seeing almost no further development in MCE as the eHome division switches into full speed “Vista mode.”

If anyone didn’t get what they were looking for in the Rollup 2 update, they can satisfy themselves with the thought that it’s only about a year until Vista MCE fulfills all expectations!