Windows Now

Today, Microsoft released the final first version of the Windows Media Center Gadgets for SideShow. This package includes 4 gadgets: TV:  Browse the program guide, schedule recordings, and browse and play back recorded TV shows Music:  Browse and play music Pictures + Videos:  Browse pictures...

CEDIA has come and gone, and while Microsoft has put out a press release talking about all of the new Windows Media Center HTPCs coming out , I have not heard Word One about the WMC TV Pack . Not a feature list, nothing. But, since the last communication I had from Microsoft is that my NDA expired three...

Introduction Before I go into this post, I have to explain my intentions. I respect NDAs very much, and I always have. I’ve built my career as a Microsoft commentator on acquiring as much access as possible, through playing by the “rules”. When someone asks me not to talk about something...

I came across not one, but two articles on MSNBC today about niche markets that Microsoft currently dominates that are becoming more mainstream. One is a well researched, if not slightly misguided piece on Home Theatre PCs (who needs a Core 2 Quad in a media server, and HomePlug… seriously??), and the...

I was re-configuring my Windows Media Center the other day (don’t ask) and I wanted to adjust the “skip forward” interval to effectively skip through all the commercials in the average commercial break. As far as I can tell, Microsoft never updated the TweakMCE PowerToy for Windows Vista, but WMC guru...

There’s no need to wait for Netflix and Microsoft to officially ink an Xbox 360 deal. Yesterday, Lifehacker posted details of a new add-in for Vista Media Center, called vmcNetflix , that brings a plethora of Netflix features into Media Center, and consequently your Xbox 360. It’s the same concept I...

Hulu is my favorite video sites on the Internet. Why? Because I can watch almost all of my favorite shows for free, with far less advertising than television. The problem with the site is, if I want to watch it on my Vista Media Center PC, I have to go out of the 10-foot experience, and use my keyboard...

I was the first tech news site to break this story a while back, and I’m glad to finally see this come to fruition. Microsoft has teamed with Disneyland, HP, Life|Ware, and Taylor Morrison to combine Microsoft’s “ Home of the Future ” with the HP MediaHome into the “ Innoventions Dream Home ” at Disneyland...

As I posted earlier, the holiday season is in full force for Microsoft. I'm not sure when they put this up, but there's now new information about the V2 Media Center Extenders online . Also, Windows Guru Ed Bott has some great information on pre-ordering yours now [via Chris Lanier ], for those of you...

Josh of WindowsConnected fame points out a monster Media Center-related press release today. In it, we find out that Media Centers with quad-CableCARD tuners are coming, as well as the V2 Extenders (finally!). But the big news comes in the following paragraph: The number of content providers delivering...