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Ian's digital lifestyle and Windows Media Center Blog
November 2007 - Posts
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As mentioned on the award show page there is a prize draw for anybody that leaves there email address when voting in The Media Center Show Awards. So here are some of the prizes up for grabs I really want your opinions, the developer community has produced some great Vista Media Center applications this year and I want to highlight their achievements Oh and if you tried to vote and you got an error I have fixed that problem now, so give it another go Awards.TheDigitalLifestyle.com 
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For a while I have been working on a small program that gives me a little piece of mind when working with Recorded TV in Media Center. A while back I had a problem with Recordings not working due to a corruption in Recordings.XML, I only noticed the problem a while after it has started and I missed quite a few recordings. So that go me thinking that I would like to have some kind of monitor on the status on Media Center, something not unlike Windows Home Servers heath status. Now I know that corruption errors are very rare (once this year for me) but I wanted to get the status of other errors too, like if Media Center missed a recording due to the power being off or a IR blaster cable has been pulled out etc. Plus it's nice to see easily everything is ok . I also wanted an excuse to play with Visual Studio 2008 and thought it was better to start with a hobby program rather than on my core apps at the office :) So I have written "Media Center Health Monitor", this monitors the Media Center Event Log and warns of Recording errors and any service issues that would effect the recordings. The program sits in the tray has has health status, Green = All is OK, Yellow = Warnings and Red=Service Errors. See the screen shots bellow:    
The app is written in VB using .NET framework 3.5 and deployed using ClickOnce. This beta is a desktop only version but I do have plans for other ways of being alerted in the future, eg Sidebar, other network devices etc So I am looking for beta testers to have a play with the application, if you interested email beta [at] thedigitallifestyle.com and I will send you a URL The forum to discus the application is Thread for my new application Media Center Health Monitor 
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I just read an interesting article on Hometoys.com about how to get Premium HD cable content in to Media Center without using CableCARD. The solution uses an undocumented feature of Motorola Set Top Boxes (specifically the QIP6200-2 in this case) to get the content. The RF output connection (the ‘F’ connector labeled RF out) sends out “clear QAM” (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation) in addition to standard NTSC signals. QAM is the same modulation technique used by the cable companies for transmitting multiple streams of high definition video through their cable infrastructures. Most people connect the RF connector from their Set Top Box to a NTSC tuner tuned to Channel 3 or 4 (usually a VCR). However, NTSC limits the resolution to 520 interlaced lines while high definition needs to go up to 720p or 1080i. We simply put an off-the-shelf AVerMedia AverTV Combo PCIe MCE tuner card into a Windows Vista-based PC with Windows Media Center and let Windows Update load the appropriate drivers. This tuner card supports QAM connectivity in addition to NTSC. It also supports Over The Air (OTA) ATSC, but we did not use it for this installation. We plugged in the standard USB Microsoft eHome IR Receiver as we normally would and attached the IR blaster to the Set Top Box as we would using the lousy-looking standard definition S-Video solution provided by Microsoft. We initially assumed that Windows Media Center would use the NTSC tuner capability and require us to use Channel 3 or 4 to match the NTSC output from the Set Top Box, but much to our surprise, the standard TV setup procedure found the QAM signal and used it for the TV input without requiring any other setup. It then asked us if we had a Set Top Box, which we configured the same way we normally do. Voila! We were receiving “in the clear” high definition video unencrypted by the Set Top Box. We can record it, copy it to other machines, and stream it to any number of devices we want. Looks an interesting solution, read the rest of the article HERE 
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As Chris Lanier pointed out the V2 extenders have been delayed to late December / January. This is disappointing, when they were unveiled in October there was a lot of buzz about these products and that fact they they would be available for Christmas. In the UK there are STILL has no acknowledgment of them being available at all, they have been listed for pre-ordering with November as the shipping date but it seems like the UK units have been delayed until at least February Updating your order status; Linksys DMA2200 - Media Center Extender with DVD is not yet in stock. We have today received information that the UK release date for this brand new product line has been moved to 1st February 2008. We will keep these items on back order; no charges are made to your payment card until the goods are in stock. If you prefer not to wait or would like to amend to your order, please contact our sales team by return email. Please accept our apologies for this delay. Thanks to Gordon for the tip off 
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Embedded Automation have released details of the mControl Developer Program. The mControl Developer Program allows developers to extend the functionality of mControl by getting the mControl Driver Development Kit (mControl DDK) and creating devices using the .NET framework. This is great for adding protocols to mControl that are not natively supported. The mControl DDK consists of samples and documentation – allowing users to develop mControl Add-Ins, using the Microsoft .NET language and development environment of their choice. Once developed, mControl Add-Ins can be fully integrated within the mControl system, allowing administration and control from all mControl user-interface clients and software utilities. Additionally, developers can submit the Add-In to Embedded Automation for validation. Embedded Automation’s certification process ensures that the Add-In properly and robustly implements the interface to mControl. Read more 
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Ever wish your Media Center PC was installed in a piano? No, me neither but that is on sale on ebay.This Media Center/Piano hybrid is a full Media Center PC with 26 inch LCD and the old Media Center Remote keyboard in place of the piano keys (I hope they don't try and use the keyboards mouse pointer) For $20,000 (buy now price) I would have like Vista and not XP Media Center in it!  Read more on Engadget Media center meets piano, results are questionable - Engadget 
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For the last three years I have run the Media Center Show Awards. The aim of the awards is to highlight the great work performed by the Media Center  community. The awards are spilt into categories that represent enthusiast developers, professional developers and community websites. This year the Media Center developer community has grasped the challenging but rewarding Media Center Markup Language and they have produced an amazing range of applications. So let’s start off by looking at the best free Utility applications. There were two standout applications this year, MSDVR Toolbox and Recorded TV Broker both from Andrew Van Till. MSDVRToolbox is an application for managing and transforming recorded TV Files. With the utility you can instruct it to automatically transcode and moves files around your network, so it could automatically remove any commercials shrink the file and copy it to a network location. RecordingBroker is an application that detects recording conflicts and submits recording requests to other brokers configured in the application. If you have more than one Media Center system you can get the systems to talk to each other to schedule the recordings. Moving on to 10 foot Media Center applications this year we were spoiled for choice, the developers really embraced Vista Media Center and produced some great looking applications, so for best free application we have: TV Library by Andrew Cherry expands on Media Center’s library functions by providing customizable views of recorded TV. In TV Library you can navigate around your content by genre, series or any way that works for you. For example Doctor who could be split in to Classic and “New Who” then that could be further split by series. A personal favourite Media Center application is Webguide, this is an interesting addin that enables you to view your Media Center guide data over your local network or the Internet. So if you forget to setup that vital recording you can do it from any web device, including mobile phones. Just fire up a web browser and browse the guide and setup the recording. It has streaming functions in it too. Webguide has long been my essential addon for Windows Media Center and was pleased when Microsoft announced that its developer Doug Berrett had joined Microsoft and that they would be offering Webguide for free. What the future holds for Webguide we will have to wait and see. Big screen Headlines comes from Australian developed Niall Ginsburg, its a RSS reader for Vista Media Center that enables you to read web feeds, listen to podcast and watch videos all from the 10 foot interface. It's a great looking application and a great way of getting the web on to the TV. Also from Niall is Big Screen photos 2 a flickr photo viewer for Vista Media Center. TV toolbox is an editor for Recorded TV files. What is particularly nice about this application is its use of the visual effect in Windows Media Center to make editing a TV show easy and intuitive. This comes from German developer Olcay Buyan. EMUCenter from another Aussi developer Steven Harding is a 10 foot application for launching classic arcade games using MAME emulators. You can play the classic arcade games of the past all from the sofa. Steven Harding also has Yougle Vista nominated, this is an addin for watching Youtube and Google videos from Media Center. MyMovies is a movie collection management and playback tool. With My Movies you are able to index your movies with automatically downloaded data from the internet, and then browse movies, actors, directors and much more. You can share your movie database to multiple clients, and configure each client to its own parental control limitation. The commercial applications were represented by mControl from Embedded Automation, Media Center Communicator from One Voice and mceTunes. mControl is an home automation package for Vista Media Center, XP Media Center and Windows Home Server. Media Center Communicator is a voice control system for Media Center and mceTunes is a way of enabling access to protected iTunes content from Media Center, something that is not possible out of the box. Media Center owes much of its success to the great community that has built up around it, and to recognise this there is a award for the best community site and Best Media Center Blog details of the nominations can be found on the Vote page Whilst settings up the vote page I took the opportunity to ask voters what components they added to their Media Center system such as Xbox 360, Windows Home Server, Zune and iPods. The reason I asked this question is that I am interested to see what integration issues people are coming across. All the nominations were suggested by listeners and readers so head over to the vote page and have your say, the vote will be open all of December and the winners will be announced on a future Media Center Show There is also a prize draw with a winner drawn at random, for details of the prize see the website next week Vote Now Vote page http://awards.thedigitallifestyle.com/ 
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Microsoft have updated the Windows Media Center SDK Here are the changes according to the mediacentersandbox.com MCML Preview Tool Automation Model
An improved automation model allows a tools developer to load an MCML file, refresh the current view, and close or get the position and size of the current instance. New command-line switches specify a folder to watch and automatically refresh when any resource in the folder changes. Changes to the MCML Preview Tool Launcher
The improved MCML Preview Tool Launcher takes advantage of the new MCML Preview Tool automation model and command-line switches. Additional Documentation on Animations in MCML Check out the new or improved documentation on these topics: - Working with Animations in MCML
- Using Keyframes in Animation
- Applying Interpolations to Keyframes
- Setting the Weight on Interpolations
- Playing Different Types of Animations in Response to Events
MCML Animation Explorer
MCML Animation Explorer is a new tool that helps developers learn animation in MCML. Instead of writing XML you can work with a bunch of knobs and switches in a graphical user interface and see the resulting MCML as well as the visuals in the MCML Preview Tool. New Visual Studio Templates
The following templates have been added for C#: - The Windows Media Center Application – Background template creates a project for a Windows Media Center background application.
- The Windows Media Center Application – Fundamental template creates a project that provides a basic framework for creating a Windows Media Center application.
Visual Studio 2008 Support
The application templates now work with Visual Studio 2008. Interesting to see that Hosting for XAML applications has been deprecated, does this mean that XBAP (XAML browser applications) have officially failed 
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The Digital Lifestyle.com video show is sponsored by Embedded Automation I love the new Zune update and one of my favorite features is the easy syncing of Recorded TV from Media Center. So in this video I take a look at how the  feature works and what it looks like on the Zune. There are a couple of minor things I would change, like having a "Send To Zune" option in Media Center Recorded TV, but overall the new feature does work well. You can also see my detailed look at the speed of conversion in this blog post.  
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While there still has been no official announcements on the availability of the V2 Extenders in the UK, Lambda-tek.com are taking pre-orders for the Linksys extenders The part numbers for the European models are DMA2100-EU (£188.60 inc. VAT) and DMA2200-EU (£220.49 inc. VAT) I had a quick search around for the EU model numbers found a few European sites offering the units for pre-order No stock available on the site at the moment: http://www.lambda-tek.com/componentshop/index.pl?origin=gbase14.2&prodID=B89855 Thanks to reader Gordon Lindsay who tipped me off 
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If you would like to see The Media Center Show in the Zune Podcast directory please go to the Podcast section of the marketplace and click on "suggest a  podcast" then copy and past the show RSS feed. It would be great to get the show in to on to the marketplace and to see if user request are taken in to consideration
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Denali Limited Edition takes Best of Video Components and Sierra Edition is named an Honoree in Home Theater Accessories. New York, NY – November 13, 2007 – The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA®) today announced Niveus Media, the leader in high-end digital entertainment solutions for the connected home, as an International CES Innovations 2008 Design and Engineering Awards winner. Niveus’ Denali Limited Edition, boasting video scaling up to 1080p, 2TB of storage, and 7.1 Pro Audio, was awarded with Best of Innovations 2008 in the Video Components product category. The Sierra Edition, Niveus’ first eco-friendly media server designed for large volume homebuilders, was selected as an Innovations 2008 Design and Engineering Award honoree in the Home Theater Accessories product category. “The Niveus team is very proud to be recognized on the CES Innovations Honoree and Best-of roster, once again,” expressed Niveus CEO and Co-Founder, Tim Cutting. “Niveus is dedicated to developing the most sophisticated whole-home entertainment solutions and we incorporate the most advanced audio, video, and performance features to do so. Winning Best Of for Denali LE testifies to our commitment.” As a recipient of one of the highest scores in the Video Components product category, the Denali LE boasts impressive video capabilities and incorporates Nvidia’s GeForce Series 8 graphics featuring PureVideo™ HD technology for high quality video scaling up to and beyond 1080p. In addition to the award-winning video performance, one of the most distinguishing features of the Denali LE is the “Pro Audio” chipset for the highest fidelity audio reproduction. The dedicated sound card provides the cleanest and highest resolution audio from all channels (up to 7.1), and features digital-to-analog converters from Burr-Brown, chosen in top professional or consumer audio equipments around the world. Additionally, the Denali LE features the compelling Windows Vista® operating system, CableCARD technology, HD DVD, Intel processor technology, Niveus’ ConvergencePanel™ (patent-pending), and Niveus’ Glacier™ Passive Cooling technology; resulting in a silent, high-performance, A/V-style media server designed for the digital home. The Denali LE provides pristine audio and video performance for superior home theater production and remarkable whole-home entertainment. Set to debut at CES 2008 as a proud 2008 Innovations Honoree, the Sierra Edition Media Server incorporates proprietary technology and represents Niveus’ base-level offering, intended for those that appreciate the benefits of Media Server functionality and are looking to create an environmentally friendly, digital home. Full product details and availability will be announced at CES 2008. Since 1989, the prestigious Innovations Design and Engineering Awards recognize achievements in product design and engineering in the consumer electronic category. Selected by a preeminent panel of independent industrial designers, engineers and members of the trade press to honor outstanding design and engineering in consumer electronics products, entrants are judged on an extensive list of criteria, including: engineering qualities, including technical specifications and materials used; product’s intended use/function and user value; aesthetic and design qualities; unique and novel features; contributions to consumers’ quality of life; and impact on the manufacturer’s business model. Niveus Media’s Denali Limited Edition and Sierra Edition will be displayed at the 2008 International CES, which runs January 7-10, 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Innovations Design and Engineering Showcase will feature honorees by product category at Innovations Plus at the Sands Expo and Convention Center, Booth # 70621. Visit www.CESweb.org/innovations for details.
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Of all the Extenders this is the premium device! I hope to get a first hand look at this while at CES. Introducing The Niveus Media Extender – Edge – The first Windows Media Center Extender designed for the custom install channel, EDGE is ISF certified and available in time for the Holidays! Shortly after the unveiling at CEDIA Expo 2007, Niveus Media, the leader in high-end digital entertainment for the connected home, formally introduces the Niveus Media Extender – EDGE. A hardware device that gives users the ability to enjoy the Niveus Media Center experience throughout the whole home, EDGE has become the first Windows Media Center Extender to receive the prestigious Imaging Science Foundation (ISF) Video Quality Certification. “We’re excited to formally introduce the Niveus Media Extender – EDGE,” states Tim Cutting, CEO, Niveus Media. “EDGE represents the final building block of the Niveus Entertainment Experience, a complete end- to end server/client product architecture that allows high definition entertainment to be accessed from any room of the house. No other vendor can offer this complete solution based on the Microsoft Media Center Platform. This, along with our recent ISF certification of EDGE, is a huge advantage over competing solutions.” Through the introductions of EDGE and the robust storage and control solutions (Niveus Storage Server and Niveus Control Server/Niveus Companion), Niveus now offers a supremely sophisticated Media Center eco-system, properly dubbed The Niveus Entertainment Experience. Also on Niveus: Upgraded Niveus Media Servers Deliver Audiophile Quality Sound – With Intel processing, Pro Audio and advanced functionality, Niveus’ 2008 product offers the highest fidelity entertainment experience. Niveus Media, the leader in high-end digital entertainment solutions for the connected home, introduces the 2008 line of Media Server products. Now boasting Pro Audio and powerful Intel processing, Niveus has optimized their Media Servers to provide pristine audio and video performance for superior home theater production and remarkable whole-home entertainment. As part of the 2008 focus to develop the most refined devices for exceptional digital entertainment throughout the home, Niveus has beefed up their entire Media Server offering including the passively cooled Summit Series Rainier and Denali Editions and the Pro Series n4, n7, and n9 Editions. Advancements to all servers include new Seagate® DB35 Series™ hard drives for video streaming performance, acoustics & reliability and Nvidia’s GeForce Series 8 graphics featuring PureVideo™ HD technology for high quality video scaling up to and beyond 1080p. One of the most distinguished upgrades sure to resonate loudly in the audiophile market is the addition of a “Pro Audio” chipset in the Pro Series n7 & n9 and the Summit Series Denali Edition and Denali Limited Edition. The dedicated sound card provides the cleanest and highest resolution audio from all channels (up to 7.1), and features digital-to-analog converters from Burr-Brown, chosen in top professional or consumer audio equipments around the world. 
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The new Zune software syncs Recorded TV without the need for any 3rd party software, one of the question I have been asked is how long it takes to sync TV  files with the Zune So I thought I would try a real world test. I picked on a movie I had recorded (The After Tomorrow), this was recorded with Windows Media Center via a Nova-T card (DVB-T 704 x 480) . The file is 2.4GB, running at 2:30 hours long. Starting the transfer off is easy, just navigate to Videos right click and select Sync. - 14:26 - Transfer started, ZuneEnc.exe taking around 90% CPU, this must be the transcoder
- 14:58 50% complete
- 15:21 91% complete, the CPU usage drops right down, I guess it is now copying the file
- 15:31 Transfer complete, the file is 990.6MB on the Zune
Test PC Spec: P4 3.0 with 1GB of RAM, Vista index of 3.8 So that is just over an hour for a 2:30 hour movie, which I guess is not that bad. My next test was a show recorded from a radio channel which transmits over the digital TV signal (BBC7). This is a 1:07 hour recording, 550.4mb in Media Center. It is audio only but Media Center thinks is a video file with a blank screen, I record quite a few shows of the radio and it will be nice to get them on my Zune for listening to in the car. I kicked it off and 4 minutes later it was done, 167.2mb on the Zune When I tried to play it on the Zune it didn't play at all, I guess the Zune or it's encoder does not know about DVB-T audio files, which is a real shame. The player didn't crash but there was no audio at all. 
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As a Zune and Windows Media Center owner I have eagerly waiting the new Zune software with its promise of improved Recorded TV and podcast support. As the upgrade is available on Zune.net today I downloaded it and kicked the install off.
After about 10 minutes the software was installed and it was up and running, the new UI is a vast improvement over the old version, it looks like a complete re-write which is good as the v1 software was a customized Windows Media Player.
Once I connected my Zune to the PC the software asked me to update the firmware to 2.2 which took about 5 minutes and the device rebooted a couple of times, I didn't have to touch the Zune at all. One nice touch is the way it handles connecting your Zune to a second PC, in the v1 software it asked you every time if you wanted to connect as a guest but in the new version you can tell the software to always connect it as a guest. I use my Zune on my UMPC as well as my Media Center PC and it was a pain to keep telling the software to make it a guest.
The new user interface on the Zune device has been improved; it's clearer and seems faster. The music experience seems the same expect when browsing an Artist you can see their albums on a carousel at the top of the device. Pictures now give a count on the pictures in a folder, I am sure I will find other changes as I start using it.
Podcast support is one feature that I was really looking forward too. With the V1 software I had been struggling to find an elegant way of downloading and syncing podcast. I used Doppler to download the shows then use a monitored folder to do the syncing and I find most of the time I ended up syncing it myself. The other problem was finding the shows on the Zune once they had downloaded, some podcasters don't tag their shows up as Podcasts so they end up in with the rest of my music. This all changes in the V2 software, podcasting gets its own section in the devices and on the software. Much like iTunes you can subscribe to a podcast RSS feed and it downloads the latest 3 shows automatically and then you can pick what you want it to do with the other shows. I did like the syncing options, you can tell the Zune software to sync unplayed episodes, all episodes, the first unplayed or not to sync at all. I have set it to sync unplayed shows to hopefully it will keep track of what I have listened to and only sync the new ones. This setting is specific to the podcast, so different feeds can have different syncing options. Finding the shows from the Zune is much better, with the dedicated Podcast section and you can easily find and play the downloaded shows. There is also one click subscribe option that podcasters can add to their site
Next I looked at Media Center support
In the videos section of the software I could see my recorded TV shows all I had to do was right click on the show , select Sync and then it copied the show to my Zune. There must be some transcoding going on as it took about 20 minutes to sync a 30 minute TV show and during that time the Zune software was hitting the CPU pretty hard. The size of the TV show in Media Center was 1.08GB and on the Zune it was 429MB but the quality of the video is good but it looks like there is some motion blur, I will have to play with it some more to be able get a more detailed impression
I haven't looked at auto syncing TV yet
So over all I am very impressed with the new Zune software and firmware, the Windows software is a million miles away from the old software and the syncing options are much better. Basically the whole package now works for me they way I want it to, with TV support, podcasts, wireless syncing and the other new features.
Oh and all this was on my 3 month old V1 Zune 30, well done to Microsoft for supporting the early adopters. Technorati tags: Zune, Windows Media Center
Pictures from the install
    
Recorded TV Sync
 
The new Zune UI
      
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The Digital Lifestyle.com video show is sponsored by Embedded Automation In this video I take a look at Tranquil's T7-HSA Home Server. This is a headless and fanless Windows Home Server.
Tranquil were one of the first to market with Windows Home Server and this is a great example of the simplicity of the platform This recording was streamed live November 6th thanks to everyone that joined in the live session, it made it a very interactive session and you can catch more live sessions at live.TheDigitalLifestyle.com T7-HSA Tranquil Harmony Home Server is available at Tranquil's online store
Price: £338.00 (Excluding VAT at 17.5%) The RSS feed for the video show is HERE 
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If you itching to find out what the new Zune firmware and software looks like head over to Zunethoughts.com. Jason Dunn has posted videos on unboxing, the new software, the v2 firmware and upgrading a v1 Zune. I can't wait to get my hands on the new update. Jason does not go in to very much detail on the Media Center sync functions which I am very keen to see, maybe I can try this myself tomorrow when the software is available 
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I thought I would post about some of the items coming to TheDigitalLifestyle.com. On Tuesday I am going to be recording a video review of 10ftmedia.com's new Media Center PC and I will also be streaming the recording of the session and I would love readers to join in and ask questions in the chat room. The recording will be 8:30pm GMT / 12:30 PST on Tuesday November 13th, the URL is live.thedigitallifestyle.com This coming week I will also have out a video review of Tranquil's Windows Home Server, thanks to everybody that joined the live session on Tuesday On The Media Center Show this week I have Russ Sound talking about integrating Windows Media Center in their whole home audio solutions and why they have chosen to support WIndows Media Center Here are some shortcuts to content on TheDigitalLifestyle.com Oh and if your on Facebook make sure you join our group
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Microsoft selects Imperium Smart Systems of Herriman, Utah, as the winner of the Ultimate Install Contest for its unique deployment of Windows Media Center in a custom home installation. LONG BEACH, Calif. — Nov. 7, 2007 — Microsoft Corp. today named the winner of its Windows Media Center Ultimate Install Contest. The announcement was made at a Microsoft-sponsored luncheon at the Electronic House Expo in Long Beach. The winning entry, submitted by Tyler Jennings of Imperium Smart Systems LLC, was for a family that was looking for a solution to integrate all their pictures, music, home videos, TV and DVDs into one simple interface. Based in Herriman, Utah, Imperium Smart Systems is a custom electronics design and installation firm specializing in whole-home services and solutions. “We are honored to be named the winner in this contest,” said Tyler Jennings, president of Imperium Smart Systems. “Windows Media Center is a terrific platform for custom installations, and we worked hard to create a unique, functional and successful deployment to provide our customer with a whole-house entertainment solution that benefits their life.” A unique opportunity for custom installers, this design contest sought to find the residential custom electronics systems installation business that best utilized Windows Media Center in a custom installation solution. The contest was announced at CEDIA EXPO 2007 to challenge industry professionals to present their most unique and creative installations using media center technology. Each entry submitted to the contest was judged based on the following criteria: • Use of Windows Media Center as primary user interface (UI) for media consumption in room or system (depending on scope of install) • Use of Windows Media Center experiences (for example, television, music, video, pictures and DVD library) • Integration with other, non-PC consumer electronics devices • Ability to create a seamless user experience • Creativity and originality Judged by a panel of Microsoft Media Center experts, the winning entry best captured each of the five criteria. With 12 distributed audio zones and multiple entertainment access points ranging from in-wall touch panels, Xbox360 consoles, televisions and even an Ultra-Mobile PC, the project featured Windows Media Center at the heart of the installation. The homeowner’s experiences embraced numerous categories including management of family’s music, pictures, recorded programming and DVD movie library. In addition, Life|ware home automation software, an add-on to Windows Media Center, enabled the installation to go beyond entertainment to include the family’s management of all of their home systems including lighting, security and surveillance, heating and cooling. Jennings said, “The homeowners love the technology and love how easy it is to use. The husband has always loved technology, but this is the first time the wife actually feels confident in controlling the technology in her home — thanks to Media Center.” “We’re extremely pleased to recognize and celebrate the winner of our first annual Windows Media Center Ultimate Install Contest,” said Scott Evans, group manager in the Entertainment and Devices eHome Division at Microsoft. “Imperium Smart Systems’ incredible result serves as a great example of how the creativity and integration capability of professional installers combines with the platform power of Windows Media Center to create the ultimate connected home experience. We’re excited to enable superior home system designers like Imperium to implement and achieve their customers’ visions.” As the contest winner, Imperium Smart Systems will receive a full photo shoot of the project and both Jennings and his winning installation will be featured on the Resources for Consumer Electronics Installers Microsoft home page, http://www.microsoft.com/ceinstaller. In addition, Microsoft will provide Jennings and a guest with a trip to Microsoft Studios and a weekend vacation package in or near the Seattle area. Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential. Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass on Microsoft’s corporate information pages. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may since have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/contactpr.mspx.
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