The latest cumulative update since Update Rollup 2 for Media Center 2005 has been released today. At present there are no details on the bug list as the KB article has not gone live yet, however the download can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=22402573-97aa-41be-8090-2ae905802045&DisplayLang=en

At 9PM tonight FilmFour will join the Freeview line-up over DVB-T as a Free to Air on channel 31. Last night I was looking through my guide and noticed that my guide data was showing as not available, to my surprise there was actually guide data for it! However because the service name being broadcast on DVB-T and the name in the BDS guide feed don’t match (FilmFour vs. Film4) the connection wasn’t made. I don't think there is much blame to place for this one, the official FilmFour site can't decided which one it is :)

If you need to manually add the guide listings start Media Center

1)      Select Settings > TV > Guide > Add Listings to Channel

2)      Select ‘FilmFour’ (Channel 31)

3)      Select ‘Film4’

4)      Select Save

Official Site

So far during the Vista Beta the extender functionality for Xbox 360 has been limited to the US and Canada. However the recently released 5472 build of Vista has opened this up to other regions. Unfortunately you need to be a member of the tech beta or MSDN (en_windows_vista_beta2_July2006CTP_x86_dvd.iso) to get access to this. Currently the next public build that will include the European functionality is RC1.

In Media Center 2005 a feature called Media Center Messenger was added which incorporated Messengers functionality into overlay windows. If you’ve had a play with the Vista beta’s you might of noticed that the feature has disappeared. The reason for this is that the feature was written to use the API (application programming interface) of Windows Messenger 4.7/5.0.  In Vista there is no built in Messenger client, and all the MSN versions of Messenger (until recently, but see closing comment) do not contain the correct API to allow MC to hook in. For the time being this appears to be a lost feature in Vista, even installing Messenger 4.7 will not make it come back. Part of the reason why Windows Messenger got removed in Vista is because no team is actively developing it anymore. Home users get served by MSN, Business have a better client in the form of Office Live Communicator. So the obvious choice might be to hook into the MSN ‘Live’ client instead, however that would mean placing a dependency from a Widows Component on a product that isn’t included with Windows, and very likely doesn’t meet the same bars that are required of Windows components. Never say never, but it’s probably less likely.

Some interesting information has come to light through a PowerPoint presentation that was posted on the Microsoft download site called ‘Preparing For TV Beyond Windows Vista’. It was presented at WinHEC 2006 (Windows Hardware Engineering Conference) by Bernhard Kotzenberg who is a Lead Program Manager in the Windows eHome Division.

Features highlighted as a possibility for the future included

DVB-T and DVB-S/S2 free-to-air and DVB-CI
Hybrid tuners
Merged program guide (PAL/DVB-T/DVB-S)
DVB-T subtitling and DVB Teletext
In-band EPG for DVB services
Interactive TV with MHEG5
Improved service scanning
FM radio station naming and analog TV channel renaming

And a number of similar features for the Japanese ISDB-T and ISDB-S standards (see slides for further details).

As a note DVB-CI is the ‘Common Interface’ standard for Premium TV smartcards rather than support for DVB-C (Digital Cable). In the presentation this was listed in the ‘Europe’ section, although I think the consequences have further reaches than Europe because the DVB standards is what a vast majority of the world has either implemented, is currently trialing or recommended. DVB-T alone is used in over 100 countries worldwide. The following images show this point rather well.

DVB-T Map
DVB-S Map

It is good to see these points being raised, when Media Center 2004 was released I never felt that the DVB-T implementation was complete. Sure it may have been at a technical document level, but compared to what the public might expect after using Freeview it missed a few features (particularly subtitles and interactive).

I've been having a little trouble with my sound in Vista over since Beta 2 came out. When it works it is great until there is a crackle and everything goes dead (usually 12-24hrs) which can only be cured by restarting either the Windows Audio Service or the machine. Of course this only happens on the system with the flagship Creative audio card installed, it's my own fault I know :) Curiously as ATi and Nvidia seem to be throwing beta drivers at us, Creative are still providing ones from November 2005 designed for build 5308. We can hope for Vista they actually come up with some decent software that doesn't cause their users to start petitions.

Interested in testing the new Vista version of the Extender software for Xbox360 and live in the US?

More Details
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/community/news/2006/0530-beabetatester.htm

 [This test is now full]

As revealed in the Beta 2 release notes for Windows Vista no current Media Center Extender other than the Xbox 360 will be compatible with Vista Media Center

‘Q: Will my current Media Center Extender be obsolete once Windows Vista PCs are available?

A: As Windows Media Center Edition has reached well over 10M units and become a popular way to PVR TV and download movies, there have been greater demands and requests from content providers (Hollywood Studios, cable and satellite TV providers, and TV industry groups) to make the Windows Media Ecosystem more secure than was present in Windows XP. In Windows Vista, there are new architectural elements present to safeguard the rights of content owners. These architectural elements require associated new elements on the side of Media Center Extenders in order to continue to work in the highly protected environment. Customers of XBOX 360 will have their box updated by Vista automatically. When we get closer to the Windows Vista timeframe we will announce a program to make sure that early adopters who purchased a v1 Media Center Extender (from Linksys or HP) are accommodated. Current XBOX v1 Extender customers are encouraged to upgrade to XBOX 360 if they wish to ensure compatibility with both Windows Vista and Windows Media Center Edition 2005.

What does this mean?

• Those with Xbox 360s will be fine (The .xex file that will provide Extender functionality for the Xbox 360 will be updated for Vista);
• Those with HP x5400 and Linksys WMCE54AG extenders will need to get new extenders (either an Xbox 360 or a v2 Extender) for use with Vista. There will be a program to accommodate these people announced closer to Vista's launch date. Alternatively, they can continue to use Windows Media Center Edition 2005; and,
• Those with Xbox v1 Extenders will need to get new hardware (either an Xbox 360 or a v2 Extender if they want to use Extender functionality with Vista). Alternatively, they can continue to use Windows Media Center Edition 2005.’

Today Microsoft shipped a test version of Media Player 11 which will be out for Windows XP later this year and ship with Vista. First impressions have been good particularly in the navigation and search because of the new library database. It also fixed the annoying issue I had synchronising content to my SmartPhone where it would end up as a postage stamp in the middle of the screen. It is a little premature for a review, but it’s well worth taking a look at simply because IMO the experience is much better than Media Player 10.

It should be noted though that the improved library performance does not cross over from Media Player into Media Center. Vista will be the first version of Media Center to take advantage of WMP11 properly because it is being built with it in mind. This beta will only install on the 2005 Edition of Media Center and not 2002 or 2004. You must also pass Windows Genuine Advantage to install it.

Find out more
http://microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/player/11/default.aspx

Download
http://microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/player/download/download.aspx

Today Microsoft has released the latests cumulative update for Media Center 2005 Rollup 2.

Incorrect guide data for ATSC minor channels that you have manually added
After you manually add Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) minor channels and install Update Rollup 2 for Windows XP Media Center Edition, the minor channels may not have unique guide data associated with them. 

ATSC channels move into a five-digit channel range
When you configure a satellite service provider and an over-the-air ATSC, the ATSC channels may move into a five-digit channel range. Because of this problem, you cannot type a channel number by using the Media Center remote control or keyboard. 

Delay when you change DVB-T channels
There may be a long delay when you switch between audio-only and TV DVB-T channels. 

Teletext bar remains on the screen after you use transport controls
The Teletext bar does not disappear after you use the transport controls when you are recording a program that has Teletext subtitles.

Teletext blinks frequently

Closed captions do not display correctly
Some closed captioning may not display correctly. 

Media Center computer is not suspended after you use the TV tuner
After you install Update Rollup 2 for Windows XP Media Center Edition, the Media Center Edition computer is not suspended if the tuner has been used. 

DVB-T scanning does not work correctly in the Czech edition of Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005

You receive a "Unsupported File Type" error message when you burn a DVD video
When you try to burn a DVD video by using the Cyberlink PowerDVD MPEG2 decoder, you may receive a "Unsupported File Type" error message. This problem occurs after you install Update Rollup 2 for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005. This update adds an additional AC3 decoder to the list of supported decoders. 

Tuning information is missing for the 1 MUX on 186 megahertz (MHz) setting in the Italian version of Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005
The Italian version of Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 may be missing tuning information for the 1 MUX on 186 MHz setting. This update also adds the appropriate DVB-T table for Italian versions of Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005. 

Download