Consumer Electronics Installer Blog : Press

Microsoft @ CEDIA EXPO 2008

cei — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 23:22:00 GMT

Microsoft heads to CEDIA EXPO 2008 with some exciting announcements and new initiatives for custom installers. Last year at the show, the Windows Media Center team showcased the latest hardware from their channel partners and engaged integrators in education and training. Planning to continue this momentum in the CEDIA channel, Microsoft, located in booth 410, will highlight new scenarios for the Media Center platform and continue to encourage installers to learn more about the benefits of Windows Media Center as a whole-home entertainment solution.

Through CEDIA training courses, Microsoft will be instructing installers on everything from the very basics of Windows Media Center installations to the setup and configuration of Windows Home Server. Below is a listing of the four separate classes and the times they are being offered during the show.

CEDIA Training

Date/Time	Session	Location
Thursday 9/4 4p – 5:30p	Introduction to Windows Media Center in Custom Installations	Hyatt – Capitol 7
Friday 9/5 12:00p – 1:30p	Setup and Configuration of Digital Cable TV Tuners for Windows Media Center	Hilton Garden Inn – Platinum
Saturday 9/6 10:00a – 11:30a	Introduction to Windows Media Center in Custom Installations	Hyatt – Capitol 3
Saturday 9/6 2:00p – 3:30p	Setup and Configuration of Windows Home Server	Convention Center – 608
Saturday 9/6 4:00p – 5:30p	Setup and Configuration of Digital Cable TV Tuners for Windows Media Center	Hyatt – Capitol 3
Sunday 9/7 10:00a – 11:30a	Adding Value to Windows Media Center with Windows Home Server, Extender and Zune	Convention Center - 505

Windows Media Center Ultimate Install Contest
In addition to dedicated education initiatives at the show, Microsoft will also be announcing the winner of the 2008 Windows Media Center Ultimate Install Contest – Microsoft's exclusive competition for custom installers. Now in its second year, the Ultimate Install Contest seeks to recognize the residential integration business that best utilizes Windows Media Center (WMC) in a custom home installation project

The contest, announced earlier this year at EHX Spring in Orlando, FL, closed entries on August 1. The winning entry will be announced at on Saturday, September 6, 2008.

CGMS-A and Windows Media Center

kevincol — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 19:37:00 GMT

On Tuesday June 10th, 2008, at 10AM PST, Microsoft will release the Cumulative Update for Media Center for Windows Vista (KB950126) that addresses some of the concerns around the CGMS-A flag. More information around copy protection for television broadcasts can be found on the blog post dated June 4th, 2008.

The update will provide a change in behavior for those users with NTSC, ATSC and QAM tuners, who connect directly to their antenna or cable feed without connecting through a set-top box. Content that has been marked as “CGMS-A copy never” will be treated as “CGMS-A copy once” and will be allowed to record on Window Media Center.

For users with a Digital Cable Tuner connected to a Digital Cable Ready PC, or who are connecting to their Media Center PC via their cable set top boxes, content marked as Copy Never with the CGMS-A flag will not be able to be recorded in Windows Media Center. For Digital Cable Tuners with CableCARD, the content protection behavior is defined in the CableLabs specification. More information regarding this can be found at http://www.opencable.com/downloads/specs/OC-SP-OCUR-I04-060622.pdf and referencing the tables on pages 33-36.

Microsoft will continue to work with partners to address issues such as the incorrect marking of content using CGMS-A, and to help us improve the experience for our users.

HP MediaSmart Update – Extender for Windows Media Center

cei — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 19:09:00 GMT

HP recently released a firmware update for their SL4278N and SL4778N MediaSmart TVs that enables the display to connect easily to a Windows Media Center PC and view HD content in any room in a client's home. This is the first Extender for Windows Media Center that is integrated directly into a display and does not require a separate component. As an integrator, this not only gives you another great Extender for Windows Media Center product to offer new customers, but also provides a potentially profitable follow up sales opportunity for existing customers with MediaSmart TVs or Windows Media Center based home entertainment systems.

For more information, see the HP press release and setup instructions.

EHX Spring 2008 - Channel 10 Interviews

cei — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 19:07:00 GMT

Larry Larsen from Channel 10 caught up with several companies doing great work with Windows Media Center at EHX Spring 2008 in Orlando. Representatives from Autonomic Controls, Superna, Cutting Edge PC’s, and Cannon PC’s showcased several products that you can offer in custom Windows Media Center installations. Below are his videos and his summaries of them.

	Autonomic Controls “I talked to Michael De Nigris from Autonomic Controls. They have a very cool system for Media Center that includes some very innovative solutions. For starters, they can take a 7.1 sound card (which is technically 8 channels) and split it into 4 individual stereo zones that they can send throughout your house. They also have a solution for using a UMPC (or TabletPC, or laptop) as an uber remote control for your Media Center. Very cool.”
	Superna “Superna is a company that makes solutions to connect all your different systems together. They have a software layer that will connect your XP Media Center, Vista Media Center, home automation, and touch panels from various third parties. Oded Vardi from Superna spent a few minutes telling me about their whole home system and walks us through Superna's ControlWare.”
	Cutting Edge PCs “ I got a chance to visit with John Oliver from Cutting Edge PC's. Cutting Edge makes some really nice high end Media Center machines with features like Whole House Control and integration with VideoGiant.”
	Cannon PC “I met up with Gregg Cannon from CannonPC.com. Cannon PCs are high end Media Center PCs including HTPC boxes, rack mount PCs, and a very nice EX series with a built-in LCD. I talked to Gregg about why they choose to focus on Media Center devices and the differences between a Cannon PC and something you'd get in a consumer "big box" store. Gregg also has another announcement coming next month so stay tuned.”

2007 Ultimate Install Contest Winner Article - Imperium Smart Systems

cei — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 18:51:00 GMT

Residential Systems Magazine just published a great article on the winner of our first Ultimate Install Contest. The article gives a full overview (including pictures) of the winning 12 zone Windows Media Center based system from Imperium Smart Systems LLC in the 8,500 square foot Orem, Utah home.

"A lot of the bigger integrators are only familiar with other automation systems that are heavy on programming. I do a lot of presentations to construction companies, giving them a bid and showing them the difference with the Windows Media Center and Life-ware; we can normally do a project for half the cost of our competitors."

- Tyler Jennings, Imperium Smart Systems LLC

See the article at: It's the Ultimate

New Okoro OMS-ZX 100 Windows Media Center

cei — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 17:41:00 GMT

Take a look at the OMS-ZX 100 Windows Media Center PCs from Okoro Media:

From the Okoro web site:

ZX100 Digital Entertainment System

Intel Core™2 Extreme Quad Core Processor QX6850 3.0GHz
3 Gigabytes of Memory
NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT HDMI output
32GB High Speed Solid State OS Drive with 1TB for Media Storage
Blu-ray and HDDVD Playback
Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate Edition
Availability in ANY automotive color

More information at:
http://www.okoromedia.com/newsdet.asp?articleno=24
http://www.okoromedia.com/model.asp?model=ZX100

The NextGen Digital Lifestyles Home Videos

kollenkark — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 21:17:00 GMT

It is interesting to think how close to the Jetsons we have really come. As an installer you deal with the future of home entertainment and home control integration, but at CES 2008 The NextGen Digital Lifestyles Home really showed some of what is possible in home entertainment technology. Life|ware built these in association with Microsoft; featuring products from Intel, HP, Lutron, Russound, DSC, and Leggett & Platt. Below you will find five different videos that take your through this extraordinary house with some interesting characters to keep you entertained.

	Kitchen This 1950s themed view of a modern kitchen features Intelligent Lighting, an HP TouchSmart PC, and even an oven that tells you when the food is done cooking:
	Living Room Here is a 1960s themed view of a NextGen living room, featuring motorized shades, a home surveillance system, and surround sound:
	Game Room This 1970s themed modern game room features the new Xbox 360 Elite as an extender for Life\|ware and Window Media Center.
	Home Office Windows Home Server, Zune, and wireless whole-house audio are featured In this 1980s themed home office.
	Master Bedroom This modern master bedroom features a bed that adjusts to your optimum temperature, blinds that close by lying on the bed and much more.

To learn more about the 2008 NextGen Digital Lifestyles Home visit http://www.nextgenhome.com/NextGenHome/2008_CES/index.aspx.

2008 Ultimate Install Contest Announced!

kollenkark — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 20:11:00 GMT

The 2008 Ultimate Install Contest was kicked off today. For the second year in a row, we are challenging integrators to find new and creative ways to use Windows Media Center as the entertainment backbone of their installations. The winner will be announced at CEDIA Expo 2008 in Denver later this year. Entry deadline is 8/1/08.

To learn more about the contest (prizes, entry details, official rules, etc), please visit http://microsoft.com/ultimateinstall.

Press Release: http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2008/mar08/03-13UltimateInstallContestPR.mspx
CE Pro article: http://www.cepro.com/article/microsoft_announces_second_ultimate_media_center_install_contest/
2007 Winner: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/mediacenter/ceinstaller/ultimateinstallcontest/winner.mspx
2007 CE Pro article: http://www.cepro.com/article/the_ultimate_media_center_installation_revealed_imperium_smart_systems

2008 Innovative Housing Technology Awards (IHTA)

kollenkark — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 19:55:00 GMT

The eighth year of the Innovative Housing Technology Awards has been kicked off by TecHome Builder Magazine. The awards aim to recognize and promote best tech advancements and building practices in the housing industry. This is another opportunity for installers and integrators to stack their work against the best out there. The entry deadline is 4/18/08. Winners will be announced in San Francisco, CA during PCBC 2008 on 6/25/08.

For entry and more information see http://www.techomebuilder.com/ihta.

EH's Best Homes of the Year Awards 2008 Contest

kollenkark — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 21:22:00 GMT

Electronic House Magazine’s Best Homes of the Year Awards 2008 contest is now underway. Entry is free, but the 2/4/08 deadline is quickly approaching.

Categories include:

· Best Home Theater (various price ranges)

· Best Family/Media Room

· Best Master Suite

· Best Master Bath

· Best Kitchen

· Best Outdoor Space

· Best Other Room

· Best Fun Room

· Best WOW Factor

· Best Green Home (new category)

· Best Electronic House of the Year (grand prize)

Check out last year’s contest results to see what types of installs were selected. If you're not sure about how your job might stack up, remember that "best" doesn't always mean most expensive.

To enter or get more details see http://www.electronichouse.com/awards for more details. Winners will be announced at a special luncheon on 3/13/08 at EHX Spring in Orlando, FL.

Monitoring Media Center PCs

kollenkark — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 19:45:00 GMT

One of the top concerns we hear from installers is reliability in home entertainment components. A great way to ensure Media Center PC reliability is to deploy the system so that it can only be used for entertainment purposes and it isn't being used for applications, games, browsing, etc. Stick it in a closet or rack and forget about it. Updates, hardware failures or client error can still impact availability from time to time. Wouldn't it be great to have a way to remotely monitor Media Center and know about a failure (and fix it) before the client knows anything went wrong?

I've been kicking around an idea for some time about using other MS technologies to help monitor and maintain Media Center PCs. While I haven't had a chance to prove the concept just yet, Operations Manager seems like it could be a good candidate for this. Custom installation companies could use it to monitor devices in clients' residences or leverage a subscription OM based service hosted in the cloud.

Inteset just announced a hosted monitoring service called the "Inteset Heartbeat Monitoring Service" that will monitor Media Center systems and resources, as well as, provide an opportunity for an additional revenue stream for installers who use the service. Nice!

It's great to see someone in the channel starting to address this need.

Even More Extenders for Windows Media Center

kollenkark — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 20:57:00 GMT

In addition to the new Extenders from Linksys, D-Link and Niveus Media, CE professionals will soon have even more options available for their installs from HP and Samsung. Availability and price point details are also available in the press release at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2008/jan08/01-07MSMCEPR.mspx.

Welcome to Microsoft’s CE Installer blog!

kollenkark — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 01:19:00 GMT

Our team believes that Microsoft technologies can enable consumer electronic installers to be more successful. We plan to use this blog to help us develop a better relationship with the installer community by sharing solutions and new information.

Over the course of the last year, our team has been working hard to help home entertainment professionals understand the opportunities that exist with Microsoft products. You can see the results of some our efforts at http://microsoft.com/ceinstaller, The Ultimate Install Contest and the articles “In the News” section on this page. Other efforts are still in the works and we hope to share more as we make progress. Be sure to subscribe or check back here for the latest developments.