I’ve been having a few discussions with people at work about Media Center and why they don’t make better use out of the kit that they have at home. Most people seem to think that Media Center won’t do everything they want it to do, I’m not sure that’s the real reason they aren’t using it, but it made me think.
So, this is an open question to the community, post your replies to this post.
What would you like to be able to do with your Media Center PC that you can’t?
17 thoughts on “What would you like to do with Media Center but can’t?”
Let’s see…
-Full codec support. If it’s installed, it plays.
-Extenders: Basically, if it plays/shows up/works on the Media Center PC in my home then it should play/show up/work on any extender. Especially the ones that MS put out themselves.
-I’d like my media center to become a full blown IPTV but that’s not up to MS, more the content providers. I will say though that if MS isn’t willing to support more codecs and video modes, it won’t do much good to have the content there.
-Netflix The new Xbox dashboard has me using Netflix now. Yep, it worked and they gained a customer. Make this a part of Media Center as well. On PC and extenders. That way I’m not stuck with it on just one TV in my home and I can watch what I choose wherever I am in my house.
I’d like a per-user grouping. This would be sort of a parental controls thing, but ideally we’d be able to mark a programme as “grown up” and it would then not appear in the list of programmes unless we selected grown up mode. Perhaps also a means to hide kids programmes when we are looking. But sometimes we’d like to see all.
Given the lack of parental controls, this seems like a useful option that solves more than just keeping inappropriate content away from people, but makes it more of a per-user system.
Distributed audio, full control over any other mediacenter/extender in the environment. Send audio to Family room, bedroom or All zones. “Now Playing” shouldn’t just be linked to the local machine; it should be mapped to what is actively playing in the whole environment.
Be able to setup a matrix of Mediacenters that will work together(shared EPG and Tuners). Softsled would be nice, however being able to setup a multi Mediacenter environment basically eliminates all issues related to extenders(codec’s),. It would also allow someone to build a more robust redundant solution.
Unlimited number of data sources in one guide (IPTV,Dish,DirectTV,Cable,etc). Map data sources to specific tuners.
Recorded TV grouping using custom group names
Remove the official tuner limit.
I would like to reinvent the wheel as little as possible.(ie. a better more robust SDK )
I would like the mce to support streaming mpeg4 file, from the pc to the xbox 360 as an extender. I live in Norway and the tv providers here, send the tv signals in mpeg4 format.
The vista media center and the xbox 360 extender doesn’t support that, yet.
1. Jbworks pretty much said everything for me. Allowing a matrix of media centers that can synchronize audio and video would be the greatest thing ever. Ian interviewed a 3rd party at CES that had already done this.
2. #1 wouldn’t do us a lot of good without Satellite tuners. I would prefer a dish network tuner but I’ll be more than happy to cancel my dish service and get a direct TV tuner.
3. A substitute for Satellite tuners would be a simple media center add in for direct and dish. Just allow us to schedule and stream content off the satellite boxes. That still would be a huge feature. Integrate the thing into the media center guide as if it’s just another tuner. This could be done with Vista since Direct TV is beta testing this already. It doesn’t natively work in media center though.
4. I also think the side show technology could make home automation a simple DIY project if the right software and hardware was there. I doubt this will happen for many years though.
5. I know the H.264 support is already in windows 7, so we’re good there.
2.Built in Network MCE controler service , with well known
api for the thrird party vendors to provide customizable TCP/IP based remote controls.
3.Lock down specific extender to specific tuner.
4.Either SoftSle or network based Cable card tuners , so theat any Meida center pc can tab in to avilable free tuners.
this will allow the high end customers to use multiple MCE pc in each room to get full featured MCE experiance.
– Shared tuners. I want my Media Center Server in a rack inside my closet with HD tuners and STBs. Then I want my Media Center in my living room able to use those HD tuners over the network to watch live tv and recordings. If I schedule a recording, the Media Center with the tuners will make the recordings.
1. Just need one tuner per multiplex as in mythtv. Therefore can record multiple channels at one time using just one tuner as long as they are on same multiplex.
2. use pc as a extender
3. remote connection over internet for scheduling recordings i.e. webguide
4. better movie collection management
5. Support remote control over network. i.e. can have wifi touch screen remotes
1. Have an easier way to get HD premium channels other than CableCARDs (the DirecTV tuner should help.. but we don’t know enough details about it yet)
2. Make an extender that recreates the Media Center experience (including all animations) that isn’t a noisy video game system. Have it include a better remote control (that goes a long way with the ‘wife acceptance factor’)!
3. Connect with a CE company (sony, panasonic, toshiba) and put an extender in a Blu ray player!!!
4. Fix whatever is the problem with the standby feature. Too many things are allowed to interfere with it and make it practically unusable. Many people do not want to leave computers on in their house 24/7.
That’s off the top of my head. Thanks for letting me rant a bit 🙂
1a. An Australian EPG!! I hate having to hack my own. Also I want to change the order of the Guide without having to change the channel numbers. I want 7,70,9,90,10,12 sequentially in my EPG.
1b. Stream DVD via Extender, namely XBox 360
2. Zune integration
3. Zune available outside of Nth America so No. 2 is possible
4. Software Extender so i can use a laptop, netbook or WinMo phone to be extender if I please.
5. Better handling of Movie and TV episodes ( ie MyMovies and MyTV plugins
6. able to support non-DVD format movie files. I rip movies to AVI to save HDD Space.
7. Better integration with WHS
8. Ability to Incorporate Third-Party Video Websites (YouTube,SoapBox etc) into normal MCML format. No Yougle add-ins for me thanks..
9. The ability to synchronise a MP3 player on a remote PC with the Media Center library
I’m sure I can think of a few more but those are the ones of the top of my head
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Let’s see…
-Full codec support. If it’s installed, it plays.
-Extenders: Basically, if it plays/shows up/works on the Media Center PC in my home then it should play/show up/work on any extender. Especially the ones that MS put out themselves.
-I’d like my media center to become a full blown IPTV but that’s not up to MS, more the content providers. I will say though that if MS isn’t willing to support more codecs and video modes, it won’t do much good to have the content there.
-Netflix The new Xbox dashboard has me using Netflix now. Yep, it worked and they gained a customer. Make this a part of Media Center as well. On PC and extenders. That way I’m not stuck with it on just one TV in my home and I can watch what I choose wherever I am in my house.
I’d like a per-user grouping. This would be sort of a parental controls thing, but ideally we’d be able to mark a programme as “grown up” and it would then not appear in the list of programmes unless we selected grown up mode. Perhaps also a means to hide kids programmes when we are looking. But sometimes we’d like to see all.
Given the lack of parental controls, this seems like a useful option that solves more than just keeping inappropriate content away from people, but makes it more of a per-user system.
Distributed audio, full control over any other mediacenter/extender in the environment. Send audio to Family room, bedroom or All zones. “Now Playing” shouldn’t just be linked to the local machine; it should be mapped to what is actively playing in the whole environment.
Be able to setup a matrix of Mediacenters that will work together(shared EPG and Tuners). Softsled would be nice, however being able to setup a multi Mediacenter environment basically eliminates all issues related to extenders(codec’s),. It would also allow someone to build a more robust redundant solution.
Unlimited number of data sources in one guide (IPTV,Dish,DirectTV,Cable,etc). Map data sources to specific tuners.
Recorded TV grouping using custom group names
Remove the official tuner limit.
I would like to reinvent the wheel as little as possible.(ie. a better more robust SDK )
I would like the mce to support streaming mpeg4 file, from the pc to the xbox 360 as an extender. I live in Norway and the tv providers here, send the tv signals in mpeg4 format.
The vista media center and the xbox 360 extender doesn’t support that, yet.
1. Build my own OCUR system.
2. Run my Gigabit Ethernet at greater than ~100mbps when VMC is running.
3. Transcode, commercial flag, and otherwise manipulate .WTV files for unprotected content.
4. Have a single system offer the benefits of WHS and VMC.
1. Jbworks pretty much said everything for me. Allowing a matrix of media centers that can synchronize audio and video would be the greatest thing ever. Ian interviewed a 3rd party at CES that had already done this.
2. #1 wouldn’t do us a lot of good without Satellite tuners. I would prefer a dish network tuner but I’ll be more than happy to cancel my dish service and get a direct TV tuner.
3. A substitute for Satellite tuners would be a simple media center add in for direct and dish. Just allow us to schedule and stream content off the satellite boxes. That still would be a huge feature. Integrate the thing into the media center guide as if it’s just another tuner. This could be done with Vista since Direct TV is beta testing this already. It doesn’t natively work in media center though.
4. I also think the side show technology could make home automation a simple DIY project if the right software and hardware was there. I doubt this will happen for many years though.
5. I know the H.264 support is already in windows 7, so we’re good there.
1.Customizable EPG list.
2.Built in Network MCE controler service , with well known
api for the thrird party vendors to provide customizable TCP/IP based remote controls.
3.Lock down specific extender to specific tuner.
4.Either SoftSle or network based Cable card tuners , so theat any Meida center pc can tab in to avilable free tuners.
this will allow the high end customers to use multiple MCE pc in each room to get full featured MCE experiance.
mmmm Most has been covered but here is my tuppence worth:
Multizone audio or a party mode connecting both my HTPC and 2 extenders.
SkyHD support.
Custom options out of the box.
Again, Extenders to be a true image of the main MCE PC.
Video Playlists (again for parties).
I konw some can be acheived using 3rd party apps but most need a lot of tweaking and not really killer app standard.
Zune integration within Media center
– Shared tuners. I want my Media Center Server in a rack inside my closet with HD tuners and STBs. Then I want my Media Center in my living room able to use those HD tuners over the network to watch live tv and recordings. If I schedule a recording, the Media Center with the tuners will make the recordings.
– Shared EPG. To make the first scenario viable.
1. Native BD playback Support
2. Integrated MyMovies
3. Use a PC as a extender.
4. Integrated 10ft interfaces for IE and Outlook.
5. Data sources for every country I travel to – US, UK, Australia.
6. Active development by Microsoft and partners of MCE plugins for locations other than the US.
7. Streaming of all features of BD/DVD to extenders without some horrendoues transcoding requirements.
8. TV manufactuers with integrated extenders.
9. Mediacenter running on WHS.
How about MC letting you use change inputs easily to S-video and composte?
I agree with pofarrel:
3. Use a PC as a extender.
1. Just need one tuner per multiplex as in mythtv. Therefore can record multiple channels at one time using just one tuner as long as they are on same multiplex.
2. use pc as a extender
3. remote connection over internet for scheduling recordings i.e. webguide
4. better movie collection management
5. Support remote control over network. i.e. can have wifi touch screen remotes
1. Use a Media Center PC as an Extender like a XBox
2. HDTV Support
3. Use different TV Cards like Analog TV, DVB-C, DVB-T, DVB-S, DVB-S2 together
1. Have an easier way to get HD premium channels other than CableCARDs (the DirecTV tuner should help.. but we don’t know enough details about it yet)
2. Make an extender that recreates the Media Center experience (including all animations) that isn’t a noisy video game system. Have it include a better remote control (that goes a long way with the ‘wife acceptance factor’)!
3. Connect with a CE company (sony, panasonic, toshiba) and put an extender in a Blu ray player!!!
4. Fix whatever is the problem with the standby feature. Too many things are allowed to interfere with it and make it practically unusable. Many people do not want to leave computers on in their house 24/7.
That’s off the top of my head. Thanks for letting me rant a bit 🙂
Here’s a few ideas from Down Under
1a. An Australian EPG!! I hate having to hack my own. Also I want to change the order of the Guide without having to change the channel numbers. I want 7,70,9,90,10,12 sequentially in my EPG.
1b. Stream DVD via Extender, namely XBox 360
2. Zune integration
3. Zune available outside of Nth America so No. 2 is possible
4. Software Extender so i can use a laptop, netbook or WinMo phone to be extender if I please.
5. Better handling of Movie and TV episodes ( ie MyMovies and MyTV plugins
6. able to support non-DVD format movie files. I rip movies to AVI to save HDD Space.
7. Better integration with WHS
8. Ability to Incorporate Third-Party Video Websites (YouTube,SoapBox etc) into normal MCML format. No Yougle add-ins for me thanks..
9. The ability to synchronise a MP3 player on a remote PC with the Media Center library
I’m sure I can think of a few more but those are the ones of the top of my head