Gizmo Lovers Blog » vista

Microsoft And DirecTV Beta Testing DirecTV PC Tuners

MegaZone — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 10:17:18 +0000

DirecTV’s HDPC-20 tuner card for Windows Media Center has been vaporware for a couple of years, but after a sighting in January it looks like it is slowing moving toward release with a beta program. EngadgetHD has a screen capture of the invite that was sent out.

DirecTV’s PC Tuner Moving Out Of The Vapor

MegaZone — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 12:44:57 +0000

Earl Bonovich, a DBSTalk moderator and a reliable source in the past, has posted front and back scans of the product brochure for DirecTV’s new HDPC-20. This is a dual-tuner satellite receiver which will connect with a Windows Vista Media Center PC USB. The unit is fairly simple, two coax satellite inputs, a USB port for connection with the PC, and a power connection. Interestingly, it also has a second USB port and an Ethernet port, not sure what they’d be used for as it connects to a PC. Oddly the specs, listed right next to the photo of the back, don’t even mention these two ports!

The fine print on the back says:“Requires a Media Center computer running Microsoft® Windows Vista™.” So it doesn’t look like it will work with just any PC, seems like it could have the same limitations as PC CableCARD tuners. On the upside, it also says“Updated January 2008″, so this is current info and not something left from a year ago or something.

Hmm, with the TiVo PC software coming, I wonder if this would be a way to get an HD satellite TiVo.

Via EngadgetHD.

Vista TiVo Gadget Updated, Allows Downloads

MegaZone — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 08:00:02 +0000

Reader Richard Hay contacted me again to let me know that the TiVo Gadget for Windows Vista has been updated to v1.0.2 and now allows downloading shows from the TiVo via the simple expedient of clicking on the title of the program in the listing provided by the Gadget.

DirectTV Vista Media Center PCs May Yet Appear

MegaZone — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 00:45:58 +0000

Remember when Microsoft and DirecTV announced that they were developing tuner modules and the associated software that would allow vendors to sell Vista-based Media Center PCs with built-in DirecTV support? No? Well, I can’t blame you, since it was at CES 2006, nearly two years ago now. Since then there have been very few additional mentions of the development. Even at CES 2007, both parties were mum about the project. It seemed that it, like so many other CES announcements, had simply died a quiet death.

Well, CES 2008 is just a couple of weeks away, so we may hear something this time around. But Chris Lanier has some interesting info in his blog. He spotted a job posting which indicates Microsoft is still working on satellite TV support in Vista:

We are delivering next generation TV Tuners designed to deliver Premium TV experiences from world class Satellite TV network operators into the Media Center Edition PC. TV Experiences such as PPV, H.264 HD, in-band guide loading, all on newly developed dual-tuner TV receiver devices makes this job exciting and fast moving.

DirecTV isn’t mentioned by name, and the technologies listed apply equally to DirecTV and DISH Network, as well as other DBS providers outside the US, but it does provide some hope. He also found a second job posting which indicates the satellite TV support will not be confined to the US:

Working with Satellite TV providers, both in U.S. and Europe, you will help deliver native Satellite TV tuners allowing native content to flow directly into Media Center, opening up HDTV and NetOp experiences/services directly into the PC.

So it seems the project, at least satellite TV support in Vista Media Center in general, isn’t dead just yet. It remains to be seen if Microsoft and DirecTV are still actively engaged, or if this is just a platform development by Microsoft that would allow such support in Vista. In any case, it certainly has taken a while since the initial announcement, which made it sound like it would be seen in the then near future.

Picked up from EngadgetHD.

A TiVo Gadget for Windows Vista

MegaZone — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 21:48:50 +0000

Reader Richard Hay sent me a tip on a new TiVo Gadget for Windows Vista. See the full post for all of the installation and feature details, but here’s the post’s feature summary:

Configure Folders if you want shows from the same series to be grouped together (like Kitchen Nightmares in the screenshot).
When the gadget notices a new recording, it will ding (if you have sound enabled).
If you configure more than one TiVo, click the friendly name of the unit (like Downstairs in the screenshot) to switch to the next unit.
Click the name of the show to see its description. The details flyout will contain more data in a future version…just didn’t have time to add it for the first release.
Your settings will survive a gadget removal/add thanks to Todd Northrop’s handy Settings Manager for Windows Vista Sidebar Gadgets.
When the gadget refreshes its data, it will close any groups that are open. While not technically a bug, it is annoying, and I hope to improve this later.

I don’t have a Windows Vista machine, but this does look like a nifty Gadget. If you try it out, leave a comment with your impressions.