The Media Center Blog

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Newegg has the very small, energy efficient HP MediaSmart LX195 Windows Home Server for only $299.99 shipped! Original price is listed at $399.99 so you’re saving 25%. It includes an Intel Atom 1.6 Ghz processor with 1GB of DDR2 Ram and a 640GB hard drive. There are 4 USB 2.0 ports for you to add storage via external hard drives.

You may remember from a previous post that I set up an older Dell PC to be my Home Server and I couldn’t be happier with it. If you don’t have an old PC laying around and are looking to get into a Home Server cheaply while also being energy efficient, this might be your best bet. No word on how long it will be priced this low so don’t take any chances if you’re thinking about getting one.

It looks like S1Digital has figured out something that many enthusiasts in the Media Center community have been clamoring for through the years…the ever elusive Softsled. Softsled was a codename for a project Microsoft was rumored to be working on a while back. It would provide a way to turn one of the other PCs in your home into an extender. Theoretically, you’d be able to not only view recorded TV from another PC, but also utilize the tuners that were in another PC to watch live TV. Unfortunately the project never came to fruition so enthusiasts were left to wonder why. Enter S1Digital and their new Digital Entertainment Platform.

Although it appears as though S1Digital has figured out a way to enjoy the benefits of Softsled, it’s not exactly what most of us wanted. In order to take advantage of this, you have to purchase a pricey Digital Entertainment Platform consisting of an Entertainment Server, a Media Center client, and a control solution. The package starts at a whopping $3,500, according to CEPro. I’m not saying it’s not worth the price, but this is most likely out of the average consumer’s budget for a home entertainment solution.

One of the first thoughts that popped into my head upon reading about S1Digital’s breakthrough was that if they can do it, someone else will figure out a way to do it too. I’m looking forward to seeing the Media Center community come up with a way to do this, just as they did getting CableCARD tuners working on an OEM machine when that was supposedly impossible.

If you want to read more about the Digital Entertainment Platform, be sure to check out S1Digital’s press release.

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Yeah, I know. These drives have received a bad rap in the past. But I currently have 3 of them (two in my Home Server and one in my XPS 420) and haven’t had a problem with any of them. This is an excellent price and won’t last long so if you’re in the market for more hard drive space (who isn’t right?) then head on over to Dell and pick up the Seagate 1.5TB ST31500341AS hard drive for only $79.99 with free shipping. Apply coupon code $VXJB6VTBHWZ3B at checkout.

There’s nothing like sifting through your email first thing in the morning and coming across something that excites your geekiness. That’s just what happened to me this morning when I got an email about the upcoming Power Pack 3 release and beta (that I will be downloading as soon as I get home from work). I figured I would share in case some of you haven’t seen this yet. Copied from the Windows Home Server Team Blog.

We are pleased to announce the Windows Home Server Power Pack 3 Beta which improves the Windows Home Server experience with Windows 7 and Windows Media Center by providing the following new features: Backup and restore of computers running Windows 7, Windows 7 Libraries integration, enhancements for Windows Media Center, and better support for netbook computers.

If you are running Windows 7 on your home computer and are a current Windows Home Server user, we need your help!

Important: You will need to sign up as a beta participant of the Windows Home Server program on Microsoft Connect in order to download the Power Pack 3 Beta. https://connect.microsoft.com/WindowsHomeServer

New in Power Pack 3 Beta

Windows 7 Backup & Recovery

Windows Home Server performs a full image-based backup of Windows 7-based computers, allowing for a complete computer recovery in the case of a hard drive failure, or restoration of a single file or folder in the event of accidental deletion or loss. After the Windows Home Server Connector software has been installed on a computer running Windows 7, Windows 7 Backup warnings will be suppressed and users will no longer receive a notification to back up their computer. Windows Home Server can back up Windows XP SP2 or later, Windows Vista and Windows 7-based computers.

Windows 7 – Backup
Windows Home Server completes an automatic image-based backup of Windows-based computers every day.

Windows 7 Libraries

Power Pack 3 Beta will add Music, Photos and Videos shared folders on the home server to Windows 7 Libraries making the content available for applications such as Windows Explorer, Windows Media Center, Windows Media Player and other applications that use Windows 7 Libraries. This allows users to quickly access all their content in one organized place that is always available, searchable and expandable. Users can also search a specific library without having to know where the files are stored.

Windows 7 – Libraries – Pictures
Windows Home Server content is automatically added to Windows 7 Libraries after installing the Windows Media Center Connector software.

Windows 7 – Windows Explorer Jump List – Music Library
Users access the libraries through Jump Lists by simply selecting Music, Videos or Photos. All content is accessible from one organized location.

Windows Search

Windows Search 4 has been included with Power Pack 3 Beta to improve query search times, indexing times and reliability. If users are searching across multiple computers, extended remote discovery increases the efficiency of searching across all document libraries. Files encrypted with Encrypting File System (EFS) are now supported with search.

The image below is an example of searching across a music library where files are located in multiple places: the home computer Music folder, the home computer Public Music folder, and the home server Music shared folder. Users can add other locations to Windows 7 Libraries.

Windows 7 – Libraries – Music – Searching for Aerosmith music content on the home server
Searching for content in the library folder will not only search the home computer but also search the home server.

Power Pack 3 Beta makes Windows Home Server compatible with netbook computers that have small screen sizes and low resolution. A home server makes a great storage and backup solution for ultra-portable computers.

Windows Media Center Enhancements

Last March, Power Pack 2 added functionality that allowed Windows Media Center and Media Center Extenders to easily access the content on a home server. Power Pack 3 Beta builds on this functionality. When the Windows Home Server Connector software is installed or updated on a Windows Media Center computer, the next time a user starts Windows Media Center they will be prompted to install the Windows Media Center Connector. Users will notice a new Home Server selection in Windows Media Center menu.

Windows Media Center view – Home Server

TV Archiving

The TV Archive tile in Windows Media Center will give users the option to move recorded TV content to the home server in a variety of resolutions. The recorded TV shows are archived in the correct resolution for the type of device that will be used for playback. TV Archive is optimized for Windows Media Center computers, Windows Mobile-based phones, and the Zune player, however, any device capable of playing WMV files can take advantage of this feature.

· TV – Original Resolution

· Windows Mobile – 320 x 240, 500 Kbps, .WMV

· Zune – 640 x 480, 1500 Kbps, .WMV

Users can select individual TV shows, a series of shows, or all TV recordings to automatically be moved to the home server. Because Windows Home Server storage space can be easily expanded, users can keep all the TV shows that they want in their collection.

Windows Media Center view – Home Server – TV Archive view

Console Quick View

Console Quick View allows users to see statistics about the home server through Windows Media Center and Windows Media Center Extenders. This is a convenient way to view many aspects of the home server without needing to access the Windows Home Server Console. This feature allows users to view and monitor a number of home server indicators:

· Storage – Pie chart listing the percentage allocation of the home server storage

· Drives – List, size and health of hard drives installed on the home server

· Backup – List of computers being backed up and their current backup status

· Shared Folders – List of Shared Folders by name with health status and duplication status

· Media Counters – Count of music, photos, videos and recorded TV files on the home server

· Health – Health of the entire home network

· Home Server – System information of the home server’s hardware and manufacturer info

Windows Media Center view – Home Server – Console View

Timing of the Power Pack 3 final release has not been determined. With your help to test the Beta, we hope to release the update prior to the Windows 7 General Availability date of October 22.  Power Pack 3 will be a free update to existing Windows Home Server users via Windows Update. Thanks for your support!

- The Windows Home Server Team

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Newegg is offering up the HP MediaSmart LX195 Windows Home Server AND a Western Digital MyBook Essential 1TB External USB hard drive for just $374.99! The Server usually retails for $399.99 by itself and the hard drive usually retails for $119.49 so you’re getting a Windows Home Server with plenty of storage valued at $519.48 for just $374.99!

If I hadn’t already set up one of my old PCs to be a Windows Home Server, I would be all over this deal. If this sounds like a deal you want to take advantage of, act fast. It expires June 25th, 2009.

EDIT: According to a comment from vain below, this is no longer available in the retail version of Windows 7. I have been able to confirm that it does, in fact, still work with Windows 7 Ultimate RTM. Not sure if it works with Home Premium but I would assume that it does.

Wow…if only I would have realized this earlier on. Apparently Microsoft decided to implement a VERY easy way to convert those nasty .wtv files to .dvr-ms files so you can edit and do all the things you used to be able to do prior to TV Pack and Windows 7. I’ve been wanting an easy way to convert some of those .wtv files because I like to edit some shows that I want to keep. So I subscribed to a few threads on The Green Button and received an email yesterday for one of them and user x219c on The Green Button discovered an easy way to do just that. All you have to do is right-click on a .wtv file and you should see a “Convert to .dvr-ms Format” option. Once you click on it, it just make a copy in your Recorded TV folder so you will have both the .wtv file and the .dvr-ms file.

I was also pleasantly surprised that you can run multiple conversions at once without much strain on your PC. In the image below, you can see that I am running three conversions at once and the CPU usage is staying fairly low.

If you’re hoping to convert those copy protected files (such as those recorded via CableCARD tuners), you’ll be out of luck with this utility. I tried to convert a movie that I recorded on Starz and got rejected.

I’m currently using the Windows 7 Release Candidate on all my PCs so I’m not sure if this utility works on any beta version prior to the RC. I hope this helps some others out…I know it’s going to help me to finally be able to edit some of those shows I’ve been saving for a while. Thanks again to x219c on TGB for discovering this simple solution and posting it up.

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Update: According to John’s comment below, he was able to get a quote for $188.89 with free shipping!

I have to admit, I found this a bit odd considering Dell hasn’t had a CableCARD PC available on their site since January, but they are now offering the ATI Internal Digital Cable Tuner for $209.99. Now I know you can find these tuners on Ebay for cheaper sometimes but most of the time they’re of the external variety. So if you’re looking for a place to buy an internal tuner for a decent price, Dell looks like the best option. The only other place that I know of that sells them separately is Cannon PC and they’re going for $279.99.

Special thanks to Jason for tipping me off on this. Just in case your wondering, he actually placed an order and has received the tuners so this is a legit deal.

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Newegg currently has the Linksys DMA2200 Media Center Extender with DVD player for only $94.99 with free shipping. Considering the regular price is $299.99 (although no one would probably think about paying that much for one) this is a great deal! I’ve seen the DMA2100s at sub-$100 prices before but this might just be the first of the DMA2200s that I’ve seen for such a low price.

After reading about the newly added Sports Channel on Pete Brown’s Media Center and Me blog on The Green Button I was overly excited to check it out when I got home. My excitement was quickly dashed, however, when I discovered a big problem with the new channel. IT DOESN’T WORK WITH EXTENDERS! When I tried to access the new channel on my Xbox 360 in the living room, this is what I got:

I’m not sure if I’ve ever disclosed it on this blog but nearly all of my Media Center usage revolves around my two Xbox 360 extenders. I absolutely hate it when something cool gets added to Media Center but for some reason does not get added to extenders. Microsoft really sends mixed signals when it comes to stuff like this. We hear all this stuff about the connected home. They want us to have extenders in all the rooms yet they don’t make cool features like this available on extenders.

Maybe I’m jumping the gun here and it will be enabled for extenders soon. If that’s the case, why not push back the release a little bit longer and wait until it’s fully ready and working? My guess is this is just another thing to add to the list of things that just don’t work on extenders. Sigh…

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Edit: You must use coupon code GTWHM29GJMDTL9 on this deal.

Dell has the 1TB ST31000333AS Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 internal hard drive (SATA) for only $84.99 plus tax. The site states that there is free shipping for orders over $129 and apparently they are giving free shipping with this drive since the regular price is $129.99. That might be a mistake but I got free shipping when I added it to my cart.