A few weeks back, I talked about getting an ATI TV Wonder Elite TV Tuner board for my MCE to test out - the first ISF-certified board for PCs. I've since been putting it through its paces for the past few weeks on my Deskop MCE upstairs and it has operated flawlessly.

Disclaimer: I'm not a video expert.  My impressions are purely subjective and your mileage may vary.

Yesterday, I did an A/B comparision of the ATI board in my MCE on my Samsung HLN-507W HDTV set (MCE connected via DVI) vs. the HDTV cable box (connected via Composite).  First thing you can see here is that this wasn't an unbiased test but for some reason, the new box doesn't like my DVI+HDCP setup- probably need a different cable. But what I was surprised by was that on analog channels, the ATI TV Tuner's output looked better to me than the cable box. The image was less jagged and color shimmered less. Have we turned a corner on PC-based TV quality?

I'd really like to see a site like ExtremeTech or reputed testing authority compare the output of these new ISF-certified TV tuners for MCE vs. Cable boxes/DVRs using an industry-recognized qualitative and quantitative methodology.  Anyone working on this? Any other thoughts on the ATI TV Wonder Elite?

I was speaking to a co-worker of mine a few minutes ago and he mentioned they have two really cool new job opportunities in the product management area.  They're looking for marketing rock-stars for on Internet Explorer and Windows Media Center Extender:

• Internet Explorer Product Manager Job Description
• Media Center Extender Product Manager Job Description

While these two job openings are unrelated, they both fall under consumer marketing.  Consumer marketing at Microsoft is different than many other companies- you own the product business & strategy, you own the release. Big ideas are rewarded. You'll work very closely with the development team, customers, partners- own and drive the product end to end.  It's a great feeling of empowerment. If you're an all-star at consumer marketing/product management, these are great gigs to consider.

If you're interested, send your resume via the links above and as Robert Scoble likes to point out, if you have a good blog, that's also a good thing to note to help get you noticed, but certainly not a requirement. :)

And I think it's always important to note Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer and supports workplace diversity.

I've received a number of inquiries since posting about our experience helping a local family with Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.  Here are a few updates to some common and FAQs:

Q: How can I contact the Phoenix Bed and Breakfast that the Dore Family is opening?
A: I received an update yesterday from our folks that the family is settled in and is working to open the B&B later this year. Jonathan Hager sent me mail as well that they've put up a temporary webpage at http://thephoenixbnb.com/ and inquiries can be made via that webpage. Thanks Jonathan- the power of the Web strikes again :)

Q: Why didn't we see much technology on the show?
A: That's not the point- it's not a tech show, but if you really want to see a few examples...

• Picture of the"Great Room" - The black unit over the TV is an HP Digital Entertainment Center. Silver unit is an all-in-one home theater that was also provided by Sears.
• Picture of Bedroom - Note the HP Media Center 1050y PC next to/on the dresser.

The other gallery pictures don't really show what was done.

So there you go, you have contact info. Enjoy.

Back in December, I noted that Update Rollup 1 for Media Center Extender devices (not Xbox) was available.  This update fixed some bugs and added support for playback of TV programs using the CGMS-A broadcast flag such as HBO (no, it's not MS technology but we have to honor it). 

The good news is that as of yesterday, Media Center Extender for Xbox-customers can get an update to play back CGMS-A protected content.  The core update is available via Xbox Live for download , however viewing CGMS-A protected programs requires new Extender for Xbox discs. To obtain the new discs, click here (reg req'd).

Starting this week, every Friday we'll showcase a Media Center of the Week from the Media Center Flickr Pool.

This week's selection by Phil Weber has a high "SAF" or "Spousal Acceptance Factor". His setup includes a Linksys Media Center Extender connected to his HP m1050y Media Center PC enclosed in a hideaway armoire. Also included is a Tivo Series 1 and a few other items you can see in other pictures in his Flickr Pool including a "Mobile Hair Distribution Device". Click on the images for notes on each of the components.

We're up to 66 photos in the pool and still growing. Be sure to add your Media Centers and tell your friends. 

Also, don't forget to tag at least the general region (City/State/Country) your Media Center is in- I'm hoping to use the ultra-cool mappr.com service to offer up a map of Media Center's around the US and eventually around the world. Since the site only supports single-word entries, I'm going to have to replace my pictures with "MediaCenter" as a single word...

Engadget, MSMobiles, and iPaqAbilities have been abuzz about the new HP hw6500 iPAQ Mobile Messenger.  MSMobiles has some good real-world pics (link above) showing it next to the Audiovox SMT-5600.  Assuming this device has Windows Media Player 10 Mobile on it, it just might be my next favorite phone.  I just hope the GPS stuff isn't totally locked down in the US and we have the ability to use it for oh, say, navigation? While bigger than my Audiovox SMT-5600, this is exactly the type of phone I need for business travel.  And it looks like it's going to be released around my birthday- how do I add this to my Amazon wishlist? :) Heck, my current phone is the one BillG and I used on-stage at the Windows Digital Entertainment Anywhere launch last October, a seldom-seen perk of doing the demo (and continuing to do ad-hoc over time).

Speaking of travel, a few of us are planning to go to the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco March 1-3. I've never hosted, attended, or suggested a geek dinner before but maybe it's time?  Anyone planning a meet up yet?

Niveus Media, makers of high-end Media Center PCs has opened up its Media Center Pocket PC application for 3rd party purchase without a Media Center PC.  With a WiFi-enabled Pocket PC, you can turn your Media Center into a dedicated Music Server and leave the display off during a party, or control a wide range of settings.

If you have multiple Media Centers around the home, you can control Media Centers there as well. A 10-day trial version is available here as well as additional information on the product.

Earlier today, I got an email from a firm representing Waves (maker of audio signal processing technology) earlier today. What was refreshing was the fact that this was how the email started- they noted they had a product that might be of interest and were completely up-front about their relationship with their client.  Think what you want, but this was an interesting way to start a conversation IMO.

Here's a link to their latest release of MaxxPlayer. It purports to do volume normalization, bass and treble enhancement, and spatializing. I haven't had a chance to take a look yet, but will do so this weekend. In any event, they should list this on www.wmplugins.com too.

According to Engadget, Skype and Motorola are getting into bed together, with Moto announcing they're working on a line of accessories that are "Skype Ready".  Chris noted a few weeks ago I've been using Skype, and I like the fidelity it offers.  My Dad is using it now as well and with the array mic of my Toshiba M200 Tablet PC, I can easily put it down in the same room as my son for a quick chat with "Granddad".  My Dad gets a kick out of this, particuarly given he just got bband out in his area of CA.  It's neat to see how excited some can still get about broadband at a time when most of us have had it for years.

What I really need is a good array mic and Skype for Media Center. Now that would be cool. Anyone at Skype listening? :)

Last week I had the opportunity to meet Cameron O'Reilly of the G'Day World and he convinced me once again I need to get to Australia on business. I'm really looking forward to where he and Mick they take The Podcast Network which they just launched. I have only one word: subscribe. In other news, Doppler 2.0.0.3 is out.

Now we just need a Podcasting client for MCE and I'll be sooo happy :).

Well, by now you've heard the news- the IE team has been hard at work on a new version, and a summer beta is in the works. If you had any doubt that dev't has been underway, Robert nixes that thought months ago.  I met Dean Hachamovitch, the GM for the IE team at a party this weekend and he noted he reads my blog.  I was surprised. I was even more suprised to realize that Dean has a pretty darn good blog himself with the IEBlog. My wife has worked with Dean, and introduced us.  Dean's passion and dedication to listening to customers (of all types) and his passion for delivering a better browsing experience is going to go a long way IMO.

I remember back when I first joined MS and the day that IE4 and 5 were launched, the network came to a crawl from everyone internally and externally downloading it. I couldn't wait to get in. There's a certain "Holiday Effect" that happens when a new IE version is released both internally and externally.  That feeling is back.

My old boss is now in charge of IE on the Product Management side.  I'm sending lots of ideas over the fence.  Hopefully a few of them will show up.  As a former Web developer and literally one of the first dozen users of ActiveX controls before I joined MSFT (and the occasion of my first contact w/ Microsoft directly).

It's like the old times are new again.  People are fired up.  I'm fired up about IE7, Longhorn, and bunch of other things I can't talk about publicly yet.  Until then, send the team YOUR feedback on the IE Wiki here.

Let's do the same on the MCE Wiki here as well? Keep the ball rolling... and I'll talk to the Player folks about doing the same there as well.  :)

In all the noise around 3GSM, I missed the announce that Reuters has launched their free news service for Media Center Edition 2005 customers in the UK. The service, already available in US, is part of Reuters strategy to significantly grow the number of consumers using its media services. It features the latest video news footage, supplied by Reuters 197 news bureaus around the world and is available on demand.  See a demo here.

I just wish Reuters offered a "To Go" style option- similar to Podcasting, I would download the latest news to my Portable player to listen to it on the ride into work.

At 3GSM yesterday, Nokia and Microsoft announced plans with Loudeye to collaborate so that consumers can enjoy digital music purchased from Windows Media Player's digital media mall (eg. Nokia's Mobile Music Service, MSN, Napster) on Nokia handsets:

This collaboration includes support for Windows Media(R) Audio, Windows Media Digital Rights Management (DRM) 10 and Media Transfer Protocol (MTP) on music oriented Nokia handsets, and including support for Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) Digital Rights Management and the MPEG Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) family of codecs in Windows Media Player via a plug-in.

The mobile music service from Nokia and Loudeye is based on the OMA DRM and MPEG AAC standards and enables a wireless operator's customers to search, listen, download and pay for music using an operator branded music application on their mobile device. Windows Media Player is used for the PC component of the music solution, and wireless operators will be able to brand their music service when it is integrated into the Windows Media Player.

Complete release is here. In other news, Motorola is adding Windows Media Audio and Video support to the new E1060 due out in Q4 2005. No note on OS at this time. In other news, Nokia also licensed the ActiveSync protocol for syncing with Exchange servers (a key feature that Windows Mobile Smartphones have today). 

Adam points us to Andrew Davey's new podcatching client for the Windows Mobile Pocket PC platform. 

My wife is so happy she is now getting CSI in HDTV. You have to understand I showed my wife the Internet back in college for the first time while getting her degree in Musical Theater.  She calls herself a, "Geek Convert".

The long wait is over- now we just need to get UPN 11 in HD and the circle is complete.   Thanks Comcast for breaking through the log-jam!   

According to the folks over at MacinTouch, Mac OS X 10.3.8 has been released which addresses the following issues:

Doppler 2.0 is out and I've been running it through its paces. One feature I did find lacking was an easy way in Windows Media Player 10 to catch up on all of my feeds in a single, smart, Auto Playlist that organizes all my latest feeds for listening on my Desktop or in Media Center and syncs just the ones I want to my portable player. These Auto Playlists will automatically organize your feeds (eg. new feeds just downloaded, those not listened to etc.) and prepare them for easy Sync to a portable music player such as the Creative Zen Micro or Portable Media Center. 

Organize your Podcasts by:

• Today's Podcasts
• Unfinished Podcasts (in case you listen on PC and Portable )
• Last Week's Worth
• All Podcasts

For power users*, just download the playlists here or read below for step-by-step instructions:
Download: MP10_Podcast_AutoPlaylists.zip (.97 KB)
Download: MP10_Podcast_AutoPlaylists.exe (30 KB)

Please note this is for Windows users of Windows Media Player 10 and has only been tested on Windows XP - don't kill the messenger!

Step 1: Pick your Podcatcher
The first step is to pick your preferred podcasting app.  I recommend Doppler 2.0. While it requires you to download the .Net Framework, it's fast and downloads multiple feeds at the same time.  The search function makes it easier to find feeds and if you're just starting out, you can find feeds to subscribe to under File|Import from Directory.

By default, Doppler will create static playlists in WM Player 10 for each of your shows, but this can be hard to navigate on a device or if you just want to catch up on all your latest feeds. Now you need to set Doppler to update the "Genre" tag on downloaded feeds. To do this, choose Tools|Options, and select the Default Feed Settings tab at the top, and then Tags. Set the tag to, "Podcast" for my Auto Playlists, or whatever meaningful alternative (eg. "Audio Blog") you prefer. You'll find Podcasters aren't too stringent about format for using Album, Artist, and Genre tags so this fixes it. Now go ahead and download some podcasts or if you already have some, choose, Tools | Apply default feed settings to all feeds to fix the genre tag on all feeds.

Step 2: Install the Auto Playlist Pack
This step is pretty simple.  If you don't have Windows Media Player 10 yet, click here.  I've created two versions of the Playlist Pack, one is a standard .zipfile, the other is a self-extracting .exe. 

Download:

The .exe will by default prompt you to install the Auto Playlists in the following location: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\My Music\My Playlists which is shared for all users.

Note: For per-user installation just unzip to My Documents\My Music\My Playlists

Step 3: Search and Auto Sync!
WM Player 10 should automatically add the playlists into your library in a matter of seconds and they will show up on the left-hand pane under "Auto Playlists". If you're really impatient and they haven't shown up, hit F3 and tell WM Player to search for files in the folder you placed the Auto Playlists.

Now you're ready to enjoy your Auto Playlists on your PC, or your portable music player. Just add the new Auto Playlists to your sync relationship and every time you connect your device, it will transfer your preferred podcasts onto your device. Certain devices such as the Creative Zen Micro with the latest firmware update (MTP support) will even sync your playlists to the device for easy playback, organized the way you like it. Not all devices do this yet- I'll try and get a list together shortly.

I hope you enjoy these playlists as much as I did creating them for you :).

* You're a power user eh?  Well, this was a quick fix and I'm sure there are other Auto Playlist combos I didn't think of. Windows MP10 Auto Playlists are just XML-based search queries designed for the Media Library and stored as text files with a .wpl extension. You can make your own by R-mouse clicking on the Auto Playlists category in the Media Library and choosing "New".  A powerful yet under-utilized feature of WM Player 10. Feel free to send your Auto Playlists to me to add to the pack.

Regardless of what you call it - Audio Blogs-Podcasting etc., my favorite aggregator for syndicated radio and talk shows for drive-time, DopplerRadio 2.0 Gold was just released.  Congrats to Erwin and Cindy.  What are you listening to?