Windows Media Center and extender: Media all over

Over the past year, I've really grown attached to Windows Media Center: its DVR functionality, plus extending movies, music and photos to other parts of my home, and then taking that music, movies and photos with me on my (Windows Mobile) device.  It all amounts to a great experience, and one I find I miss, even when on vacation (go ahead -- call me a nerd).  Now I'm looking forward to seeing Windows Vista Media Center on some of the new hardware I’ve heard rumored about.

One question I get from people who were early adopters of Media Center is what's going to happen with Windows XP Media Center Extenders once Windows Vista is released.  If you have an Xbox 360 as your extender, then you are all set; you’ll just need a software update and it will work with Windows Vista.  You can expect to other kinds of extenders on the market in the future.  But for the older Xbox and other extenders (like the Linksys and HP), the story is a little more complicated.

Windows Vista incorporates better DRM, which will enable content like native digital cable support for HD.  The Windows XP extenders aren't technically capable of being updated to support the new DRM requirement, so they will not support Windows Vista.  They will continue to work just fine with Windows XP, though.

However, there is a way to get your content through your extender using Windows Vista, assuming you keep your Windows XP Media Center around.  Set up your home network to share files from the PC running Windows Vista to the PC running Windows XP, and the Windows XP based PC will aggregate all of your content and present it to your extender.  This way you can enjoy Windows Vista at home and still use your extender to access all the content on both PCs.

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Comments

  1. Nick White
    Posted on: October 31, 2006 at 6:02PM  

    Hey trial_lawyer: I would imagine so, but this question is better directed to the people at Sling Media.

  2. leigh
    Posted on: January 09, 2007 at 12:02PM  

    Hi Nick!

    Your posting about the MCE networked + the media extender sounds great!

    I am sure that there is some technical information that has been ommitted.

    I have used the Vista Beta and had to go back to MCE 2005 because of the lack of support for my Linksys extender.

    For myself and others what sharing has to take place where?

    Thanks!

    Leigh.

  3. Dasmius
    Posted on: January 09, 2007 at 5:17PM  

    Hey Guys and about the Windows live messenger gor WMCE??? Anybody kno's about the link to get it?

  4. yotayoda
    Posted on: January 19, 2007 at 3:34PM  

    Anyone know if any manufacturers signed up to make Vista MCE extenders yet?

  5. Michael_Moor
    Posted on: January 31, 2007 at 11:48AM  

    Hey "Nick White",thx for share

    ---------

    http://www.dl4all.com

  6. Chaka
    Posted on: February 10, 2007 at 1:37PM  

    I have to say, do you guys ever go and check out The Green Button or Avsforums?

    Vista is 1 step forward, 10 steps backward.  It offer nothing new to people that use extenders, and for the most part - it not disables some previous features that were once available

    I have spent the money on a Xbox 360 extender, and I used to be able to stream asx content - both audio and video to my console.  The reception for radio stations in my area is blank,  so the only way to get radio stations, is to stream them.  Not anymore with Vista

    Also, who at MS agreed it was a good idea to make the TV preview in th bottom left corner even smaller now (3"x3" on a 50" TV) - how about some customized ajustments???

    And that is probably the most bothering item about WMCE in general, There is virtually no customizing of anything.  How about at least giving us a choice of menu placement?  I still have to watch the full blown guide right over the program - can we move it 5 inches down?

    All that is new in Vista and WMC is a new look - but sadly, its the same dog - but now with an endless list of incompatiblities

    So since you claim to work for MS - do you mind doing all the people that actually use these products and pass along the word?

    Thanks in advance

    Chaka

  7. Chaka
    Posted on: February 10, 2007 at 1:40PM  

    By the way, I would be more than happy to list ALL the items we would like to see, and all the current issues we would like to see addressed

    If SP1 is around the corner - then would like to know what is being fixed

  8. aadams99
    Posted on: March 12, 2007 at 5:55PM  

    So, if I understand the main posting, the only option for streaming TV/DVDs to extenders is MCE 2005 to MCE 2005.  For example, say I want to stream TV/DVDs from a server box to my two other boxes.  The only way to do this is for the 2 extenders (secondary boxes) to be running MCE 2005 because they can act as extenders.  The primary or server box can have Vista installed, because it can be a server.  IS this correct?  Because from your post it seems like you are saying, I can have the main machine as a Vista machine, and then output my TV/DVDs to another secondary MCE 2005 machine, and then let that machine pipe the information to the extenders... but what I'm confused about is -- do the extenders also need to be MCE 2005 machines or can they have Vista installed?

  9. tshelbur
    Posted on: July 20, 2007 at 1:30PM  

        I love using XBOX 360 Media Center Extender with Vista Ultimate. Now I want to enhance the features of Media Center and the level of integration I have in my home over my network. I own two Linksys WVC54GC 802.11g wireless webcams. I can access the ASF video stream from the devices on my local LAN by using the IP address of my webcam as follows:

    http://192.168.1.95/img/video.asf

        How can I modify Vista Media Center to make this video from multiple webcams available both on the Vista Media Center PC as well as through my XBOX 360's as a Media Center Extender? Are there any good books or guides that explain how to develop applications that interact with Vista Media Center? This is a killer app because I can now view the people at my front door or my children in their cribs through Media Center if this can be figured out.

  10. dcohendmd
    Posted on: August 01, 2007 at 3:45PM  

    I think its a travesty that Microsoft Window Vista did not build in backwards compatibility with media extenders other then there own (i.e. XBOX360). After buying Windows XP MCE and 3 extenders, only to have Vista not be compatible one year later!! UGGH!  This would never happen at Apple!!

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