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I'm using and loving WMC, but sounds like you have installed some cool options. Could you post/list what you have extended it with? Thanks!

Certainly! Here you go:

• MediaBrowser - an XBMC like interface for managing all your ripped movies and TV shows.
• Remote Potato - installs a web-server on your HTPC which will allow you to view what shows you have recorded, manage your recordings (including delete and schedule new shows) and stream recorded TV to your screen.
• MediaControl - a plugin that enables FFWD and RWD for non-WTV and DVR-MS files.
• MoveRecordedTVMovies - a simple command line app which looks for movies stored in your "Recorded TV" folder and moves them elsewhere (complete with correct folder structure). Handy if you don't want TV movies to clutter up your other recordings.
• Shark007 codec pack - the only codec pack you need. Install, select default/recommended settings and you'll be set up with all the major codec support (including MKV with DTS audio).
• TunerFreeMCE (or) NeverMiss.TV - Allows you to watch catchup shows from BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5.

You should also check out The Green Button forums as they have lots of useful information and links to third party software. Also the people on it are extremely friendly if you have questions or issues.

I also have a script which removes duplicate recorded TV shows (when series link glitches) and I'm in the process of cleaning it up to release. I'll post the link to the forum above when it is completed.

I have FiOS and until MythTV supports CableCARD, it's rather useless. A google of the site just turns up a dry wiki definition of CableCARD and a bunch of forum postings that degenerate into DRM-related poo flinging.

The forum postings are correct. In fact, there's only 1 tuner card in existence right now that supports CableCard and it's tied to it's hardware (you have to buy it with the machine, or at least, you're supposed to do that). Reasoning? CableCard and the networks in general are a bunch of filthy cronies not willing to license it out to a wider set of devices. However, that process is well under way and several companies are ready to sell their own CableCard tuners now that the requirements have been relaxed. I imagine MythTV (well, Linux in general) will be ready to hop right on this to take advantage of it so we can finally do away with all those STBs.

Have you tried this ?

Though in my experience, VNC is almost as trouble-free as rdesktop, I don't understand what your dad feels is complicated about VNC. Some network port blocked?

Both VNC and rdesktop have different quirks for clipboard, so I have to use both.

So surely this thing must be available from Amazon, or NewEgg, or Tiger Direct or from the manufacturer's own website like the Haupauge 1212 was when it was first released? What about those links?

Okay.

• Amazon
• Dell
• ATI doesn't have them for sale, but that's not surprising since ATI's actually trying to get out of the digital cable tuner market.
• Newegg doesn't sell CableCard tuners. Yet. As the market picks up with mulitple players (Hauppauge and Ceton for starters), I expect Newegg to start selling something.

We're currently in a chicken-and-egg situation. CableCard tuners have been available for the past couple of years, but CableLabs were being retarded and required a special BIOS in order for the tuners to work so only ATI bothered with the market. At CEDIA 2009, that changed and new manufacturers have decided to enter the market, but it takes time to develop, test, and manufacture a product. Ask this question again in March of 2010 and there should be several tuners available on the market.

Like I said... vaporware that has no real connection with reality. It is just something that Windows Lemming trolls like to bring up in some sort of vain attempt to knock down any non-Microsoft alternative.

You can buy actual tuners right now and use them on any Win7 machine that fits the requirements (dual core CPU, 2GB RAM, HDCP-compliant GPU). The old requirement of a special bias is now gone, as I said, and the market for these tuners is spinning up. So yeah, sounds like vaporware to me ...

I can (and have) connected an HD-PVR to a $200 ION box.

Not anywhere near the same. HD-PVR is just a component video capture system and requires re-encoding the video, and still requires a STB with IR blaster. A CableCard tuner skips all of that, avoids re-encoding, and can have multiple tuners in a single package (see the Ceton card using M-card CableCards). And external USB CableCard tuners will work just fine on an ION box like the Aspire Revo 3600 (dual-core Atom, 2GB RAM).

Of course a device that has hoops that NO ONE wants to jump through won't be terribly interesting.

Those hoops are now gone. That's why other companies are starting to get into that market.

If CableCard PC devices were out there in the wild in significant numbers than they might get hacked for all sorts of reasons (the least of which is Linux support).

Back that up? ATI CableCard tuners are easily available. Buy one. Hack it. Make it work with Linux.

I thought you only needed one m-card (which is apparently the follow on to the cable card but does multiple streams)? I'm new to this, but I thought I could take the m-card out of one of my comcast cable boxes once it was authorized and put it into another device like a TiVo?

Yes, the m-card will handle multiple signals, and there are some TiVO boxes that will accept it. But there are no PC-based solutions that work with it yet. The ATI tuners can use them, but you still need 2 tuners. Supposedly, there will be some multi-tuner cards coming soon.

If you want to look into what's possible, the The Green Button forums has a lot of information, at least about using Windows Media Center. But if you plan to bring HD content into your PC, it's the only option, unless you only want over-the-air channels.

For me, the hybrid was the best choice. I get about 13 channels of HD from the local stations. I use the HDHomeRunner for that. Then I've got an "IR Blaster" hooked up to the cable box, and I can record/watch those channels in SD. I put all that together with less then $600 (not including the TV).

Note that FCC regulations prohibit encryption on the re-broadcasted local channels, so you'll always have clearQAM on those stations

However, Vista was also a step backwards in that sounds cards with S/PDIF output could no longer simultaneously output digital and analog signals. The Green Button

Yes, Comcast is already trying to screw us in our area.

http://thegreenbutton.com/forums/thread/315949.aspx

Not the XP drivers or TiVo. Microsoft should be answering this.

http://thegreenbutton.com/forums/45/262419/ShowThread.aspx

I wouldn't take the summary at face value for this one - IIRC, there are some driver issues that cause this flag to pop up when it's really not supposed to. More info, including Microsoft's mostly-official response, at:

http://thegreenbutton.com/forums/thread/176207.asp x

One reason I can't go back to Windows 2000 is a reason you mentioned: Media Center. Whatever bullshit Microsoft's pulled with most of its products, including Vista, Media Center Edition 2005 is the first TV playback program I've used on any operating system that Just Works. It's mindless, it's fast, it's mostly consistent, and it's free (anyone running XP can trick MCE 2005 into installing provided you have the CDs, see here).

I just went through this fiasco while repairing a mobo failure on an HP Media Center PC. As with most OEM PCs these days it came pre-installed with everything and featured only a recovery disk (disc image) for system restore. Changing, upgrading, or altering many of the components onboard (particularly the motherboard) will result in this disk becoming useless. If you read Microsoft's ifo regarding OEM distributions -- they are totally OK with this. THe OEM is only required to provide a recovery disk that lives and dies with the computer (which is practically defined as the motherboard). The OEM install and recovery disks are keyed to some identifier in the motherboard, which requires some hacking to use. I wound up purchasing a new OEM version of Media Center (since they don't make a regular version) from NewEgg and reinstalling everything.
I was pretty pissed. I felt like I had paid for this OS in the first place, I should have the right to reinstall it as necessary -- from hardware changes/failures/upgrades/whatever. It turns out you don't with most OEMs. A recovery disk is all they are required to provide.
Here's the link to the forum over at thegreenbutton.com (Windows Media Center site) that tells my tail of woe and what I learned.
http://thegreenbutton.com/forums/thread/160224.asp x
Basically, you're screwed without at least on OEM copy of Windows. Then you can at least hack it. If all you've got is a recovery disk than you are hosed. THe same goes for all software that is preinstalled on your drive. You got Word preinstalled? And you changed your mobo? Whoops--it's a new computer now! No software/OS for you!
I'd love to hear if someone's challenged this in court -- it seems pretty anti-consumer, although I'm sure OEMs save a ton of money and hassle with recovery disks....

Not only should you not get WMP11 intentionally, the fact that there's a RTM for it should make you think about turning off Windows Update (if you haven't already). At least make sure you have a disk-image backup before installing it, or you'll probably be kicking yourself down the road.

From http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/play er/11/readme.aspx:
"Windows Media Player 11 does not permit you to back up your media usage rights (previously known as licenses)."
"Digital media files must be in stored in monitored folders for media sharing to work properly in Windows Media Player 11."
"Content that is protected with media usage rights cannot be played in Windows Media Player 10 if a computer already has the Windows Media Format 11 Runtime installed."

The following issue from the Beta release isn't mentioned in the official release notes, but the fact that it appeared in the beta indicates that MS was preparing their DRM platform for a new time-limit "feature" that can be applied to recorded TV on their Media Center products (at the request of broadcasters, of course):
"Recorded TV shows that are protected with media usage rights, such as some TV content recorded on premium channels, will not play back after 3 days when Windows Media Player 11 Beta 2 for Windows XP is installed on Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005. No known workaround to resolve this issue exists at this time."

At time of posting, this could still be found at:
http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:Eah4zybQy4sJ:w ww.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/player/11/re adme.aspx

I'm not pulling that speculation out of my butt, either. They already add more restrictions to DVD playback than any other software or consumer DVD player does. DVD playback is prohibitied in Media Center Edition when your display device is set to > 640 x 480 resolution (as is the case for HDTV use):
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/894323

Even today, as of Rollup 2, Media Center Edition renders recorded TV unplayable after two weeks when the broadcaster requests it:
http://thegreenbutton.com/forums/rss.aspx?ForumID= 49&PostID=144193

I would be extremely surprised if down the road a bit we don't discover that WMP11 is a trojan horse for a slew of previously unheard of content restrictions.

By day I'm a developer on the Microsoft platform. By night I'm an XP Media Center Edition user who's scared & angry enough to invest research time I don't have into MythTV & [Ubuntu || Mandriva || Fedora]. As far as home usage goes, I'm sorry, but this former Redmond fanboy / apologist is done with MS.

Well, there are quite a number of sites where you can find pleanty of info (MS, MSDN, etc, etc) about all the above, but here is probably the best source for just about everything MCE related. Its a community site, but also offers tons of plug-in info, and can help with basically any questions you have if you cannot already find it with a quick search. A great community who are happy to answer any questions you have.

After much thought, investigation and frustration with Snapstream, I'm building a fairly similar setup with MCE as you have listed (but less HDD space & one tuner for now), but after checking out things here http://www.xpmediacentre.com.au/ , I discovered you can indeed recompress the video files overnight, get a working EPG for Australia (something that the tv stations don't like) and various other things (the best was a dual login setup from http://www.thegreenbutton.com/community/shwmessage .aspx?ForumID=42&MessageID=89492&TopicPage=1 for having the MCE interface working on the console (machine) and a teminal (remote) interface active from the same machine)

But have a check around and see if you can overcome your little quirks, every media-pc setup has some.

Personally, my MCE is for record/recompress/torrent/dvd-burning only, mostly from a remote computer, all the output will be played via XBMC from a softmodded xbox :) so hopefully my WAF will go through the roof!

I am also a big Windows Media Center fan, but there is one huge problem I have encountered. No HBO. I get HBO as part of my service (Dish Networks), but WMC won't let me watch or record it. It's puts up a blue 'Content Restricted' screen, which is apparently some implementation of the broadcast flag. It's not just preventing me from recording it, but from watching it at all. Well, I can turn to that channel and get about 10 seconds before the content protection screen comes up. This is seriously hurting the product. I had a Tivo, and wanted to switch to Media Center to avoid monthly fees, but if I can't record Rome or other HBO shows to watch later, than there is no real reason to stick with MCE.

If anyone knows of a fix for this I'd appreciate it. I've check out thegreenbutton.com, but I haven't found a solution yet.

I tried MythTV, but not being a Linux user I had no idea how to fix a lot of problems. Tivo was great, but I do like having one central machine where content can be instantly streamed to the extenders around the house, and I really like not paying a monthly fee.

I believe this has more information about timmmoore's hack.

Yes, 2 HD cable tuners works fine. I have had zero problems with it. My biggest repeated problem is with my Hauppauge MCE 150 SD capture card and losing sound about 10% of the time. Very frustrating, but I'm too lazy to fix it :)

If you have access to cable HDTV, just get a (mandated by law unfortunately) firewire-output HDTV tuner and use timmmoore's software. I hope that is the link, as TGB doesn't display well on my PDA browser so I couldn't confirm it.

At one point, I actually had 4 SDTV and 2 HDTV tuners working in MCE but my processor choked. Nowadays, we have 1 TV just for the cats (Xbox Extender) who love Queer Eye, go figure, and 1 TV in the bedroom using an Xbox Extender, 1 HDTV in the living room and I have my projector toy room that strictly plays HD WMV's off the MCE "server." The MCE box actually runs fine with a 1.8Ghz Intel processor. Most people's problems with MCE seem to deal with bad software integration, driver difficulties, or bad hardware to begin with. I have had very few problems period.

graphedit, which I gather came with the DirectX SDK but is available by itself if you search. See this thread: http://www.thegreenbutton.com/community/shwmessage .aspx?ForumID=42&MessageID=48918&TopicPage=6

First I want to say that I am not a fan of MS. My main living room devices for the last three years are a hacked Tivo and a PC with various "test" builds of MythTv.

Last month my spouse got tired of me futzing around with the MythTv box and purchased a MCE 2005 PC for the living room. At first I thought I would hate it because of the noted DRM, but after setting it up and using it for a while I have to say that I am impressed. The machine runs smoothly and I now finally have a slick/easy way to browse my MP3 and DVD backups off of my main file server. I am really impressed with how well the box plays DVD backups. After testing about thirty DVD backups I have not found anything that has DVD menus that choke the box (wish I could say the same for my homebrew solutions). The DRM has absolutely no control over my use of the box. I only give the MCE box read only access to the content on my file server, which means that my media library will continue to be safe from being crippled with DRM. I continue to use my favorite apps to rip/move content (audio/video/tivo/dvd) to my collection on my main file server.

The MCR 2005 box is not perfect. I will still continue hack away with Linux and MythTv, but now there is a PC in the living room that my whole family can use to enjoy my media library.

Also, writing add-ins is very easy, there is a good sized developer community and the SDK is a free download.

This place has a lot of information on the Windows Media Center PC. http://www.thegreenbutton.com/

This is just not broad enough for people to actually see the differences between the various htpc alternatives. Many of us htpc fans started over a year ago here or here or here . This review, frankly, is inadequate. There are far more issues than meets the eye when making your own htpc, whether myth or xp mce. I'm not advocating either one, I'd just like to remark, after building my own htpc from scratch, that this article tells little to nothing about the pain and suffering of completing this complex task on your own.