One of the latest additions to the Media Center Flickr Pool, Steve Owens' Media Center is going to hard to beat in the high-end home theater realm.  The guy has a touchscreen, a massive front-screen projection system, and more hardware than you can shake a stick at. 

Steve has a Replay, a TiVo, and a Media Center for the person who just can't decide. Okay, turns out that Steve owns a home theater installation company called Oasis AVI so this is his day job.  But I have to give him credit for an outstanding example of what you can do. 

I had a co-worker the other day asking me if you could control a Media Center via touch-screen panel and here Steve has shown us how to do it with a Xenarc 700TS 7" touchscreen panel. Here's one for the Engadget crew. :)

Our Media Center Flickr Pool is up to 77 images now. Remember you don't have to have a pro home theater to be highlighted.  It's all about how Media Center fits into your life - family or otherwise.  I'm thinking about having some Media Center t-shirts made up as giveaways to the winners. Hmmm. SWAG.  We need to rediscover the lost art of swag.  Another topic for later I think. Off to another team offsite meeting now.

One of my co-workers, David Caulton, has joined the blogosphere. David is a great guy with lots of passion for digital media, analytics, and competitive analysis.  I recruited him hard "back in the day" to join our team and it's so great to see him jump into the pool. In his own words,

An avid hiker, biker, and father of three, I also work doing industry analysis and strategy for Microsoft. In previous lives, I've worked on the Windows Media Player, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Project, and Microsoft Team Manager 97, been a researcher in Cognitive Neuroscience, a grad student, and a kid.

Yesterday during a discussion over lunch with some folks on a wide range of topics including Podcasting, the point was made that metadata is everything in a world where audio content often doesn't include closed-captioning to search for context.  David outlines the problems/challenges with tagging today in an article he wrote for Digital Media reviewers. The information here is topical and outlines the issues many of us have seen where the artist/album/title information just doesn't match up. Educational and insightful.

My sister has a Ph.D. in Microbiology and is currently working at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). We've often talked about how alike microbiology and programming code are. Yesterday's announcement just reinforces this. I'm looking forward to discussing it further with her:

Microsoft Research is working with leading doctors and scientists to use advanced computer science techniques in the fight to slow or stop the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Microsoft researchers are applying software algorithms similar to those used on computing challenges such as managing computer databases, compressing digital files or blocking spam e-mail to overcome roadblocks in the hunt for an HIV vaccine.

More here including a video interview.

I'm happy to announce that today, the MSN Remote Record Service for Windows XP Media Center Edition has officially launched. Now you can set your Media Center to record with a Passport account and your browser - just select a program in the Program Guide (EPG) on MSN TV Entertainment and click to record. Setup will handle the rest with you  step by step. Never forget to record that special when on the road or in the office. Note: Only one Media Center per Passport account at this time.

Update: Here's the MSN Remote Record FAQ

Over at TGB, you can find details on two new plug-ins being developed by the eBay community, MCeBay, and eAuction. Features include searching entries, bidding, and picture support. Read the criteria and decide if you would make a good beta tester. Great to see folks working on this- I hope they have a feature to pop a notification in MCE (aka toast) when you've been out-bid. :)

Charlie and John's video interview on Media Center is now live and available for download on Channel9.
Charlie and John are directly responsible for almost all of the partner apps you see in Media Center today and two really cool guys to have a beer with. We'll work on showing John how to use the remote right-side up. :)

The Green Button.com has a good thread going on the topic, "What makes a good Media Center Book?"

We need more books on developing applications for Media Center in my opinion.  I see that Intel has a session planned for IDF on creating 10' applications (aka Media Center applications where you're 10 feet away from the display). One would think this is a well-explored area, but with the advent of 16:9 TVs with much higher resolutions than the first-generation of "interactive Television", there are a number of new UI techiques and remote-enabled applications just waiting to be explored.  Time to give the good folks over at MS Press a call and make a few suggestions ;) 

Thomas and I have nailed down a location - Media Center Geek Dinner - 7pm, Weds. 3/2 in San Francisco at Henry's Hunan Restaurant (110 Natoma, Thomas' Map and Directions here).  Keith, David, Rich, Mark, and I will be there from Microsoft's Windows and eHome groups, and a few others might stop by. We're bringing in the big guns that know all about hardware design for Media Center PCs whether in the den or family room.

In fact, I got word late tonight from a friend who is a Director at ATI that a he and a few of his team will be joining us for dinner, and be on-hand and answer any questions you might have about the new ATI TV Wonder Elite, the ATI HDTV Wonder and other products.  You never know, they might even bring a few goodies to give away ;).  The word is spreading, Thomas notes no need to RSVP but for those who have posted/sent me mail- thanks- see you there.

It was bound to happen. 4AA batteries and this joystick has 30 C64 games ready for you to play.

A small group of us are heading to San Francisco for the Intel Developer Forum next week and thought it would be fun to do a geek dinner.  I'll admit it, I've never been to a geek dinner, but a group of us were thinking this would be an great time to connect with other Media Center enthusiasts attending IDF or in the Bay Area, have a good meal and good conversations. Thomas Hawk, a San Fran local is going to co-host with us. 

MCE Geek Dinner - 7pm, Weds. 3/2 in San Francisco. All are invited.
We're working on a venue- go ahead and RSVP here in comments or send me mail so we can get an approximate headcount. I'll update with a venue later today.

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).