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Media Center and Me

This blog details my experiences and those of my family living with Media Center, as well as my professional experiences working for or with companies for the past five years to develop and advance the Media Center platform.

Looking at Sports Channel in Windows Media Center

Today, US-users of Media Center are finding the new Sports Channel feature in the Sports menu on Windows Vista Media Center.

Sports Channel is a new way to experience all of the great sports content in Windows Media Center, and for the first time, this includes content from CBS Sports, just in time for some great college hoops action in March and April. In addition to the highlights, breaking news, previews, analysis and other sports-content, in March and April, you’ll be able to catch-up on entire men’s college hoops games shortly after the broadcast wraps up, right from your Media Center PC.

More than Hoops

Sports Channel is more than just basketball. You can also browse a wide range of videos from CBS Sports, as well as access Fox Sports content, MSNBC and QFN – the Queensbury Fight Network. In addition to the new CBS Sports content, you’ll find the content you’re already enjoying from Fox Sports, MSNBC, and the Queensbury Fight Network all in one place.


Above: Browsing sports videos.


Above: Latest news from Fox Sports.

What does this mean to the platform? My personal opinion here, Green Buttons, but Sports Channel to me is what the future of entertainment should look like. It brings the power of the PC and its ability to deliver information together with the compelling imagery and excitement of TV. It’s all delivered over the Internet when I want it, and other than my broadband connection, it’s not costing me a dime. The more content like this that appears, the more compelling Media Center is to me and my family. Check out Sports Channel and let me know what you think.

Published Mar 05 2009, 11:11 AM by PeteBrownMSFT

Comments

 

ryan.tollefson said:

I agree that this is the way things should go.  However, the quality is still lacking, especially for sports content.  Sports is one of the areas where you really need HD, and that isn't currently available when streaming.  Live content is also huge for sports, and that is lacking from the sports channel as well.

This is getting better, and I'm glad to see progress being made with Media Center, but in my opinion, the sports channel is still not quite to the point that the average person will find it very valuable.

Also, what about the US Media Center users who don't like sports?  Why are they forced to see this new menu icon for something that they will never use?  (Yes, I know how to get rid of the sports menu, but that's not the point - that requires a hack that 90% of users aren't going to even know is an even an option).  The typical end user should be able to press the "Info" button on the remote and be able to select to hide that icon for the Sports Channel (or any other content that they don't want to see).  

You should also be able to disable extra content like this from automatically showing up.  Not everyone wants their menu to change without their permission. When I see random new icons for things I didn't want (think cash casino, or free coupons) showing up on my desktop, I think Adware/Malware - why is this happening to my Media Center?
March 5, 2009 8:48 AM
 

Looking at Sports Channel in Windows Media Center | Windows Home Theater said:

PingBack from http://windowshometheater.com/2009/03/05/looking-at-sports-channel-in-windows-media-center/
March 5, 2009 3:54 PM
 

dgaust said:

For US users sure.... anything doing for the rest of the world? Our content providers are recalcitrant at best, but it'd be nice to know that all these compelling features are going to be released to more than just US users.
March 5, 2009 8:10 PM
 

PeteBrownMSFT said:

dg: hang in there...this one rolled out in the US, but there's more to come.
March 5, 2009 9:24 PM
 

IsylarI said:

It dosen't work with extenders, at least not my 360
March 6, 2009 7:06 AM
 

jcbyte said:

Pete thanks for the post but this latest plugin does not work with extenders as you stated.   I really dont understand why MS would release a plugin that does not work with extenders.  It seems that MS has really abandoned the real abilities of Media Center and only provides snippets of content from different sources.  For example, if HULU was available in Media Center and accessible via extenders this would greatly extend the popularity and usability of Vista.  Apple TV has a clear lead in this issue and I would hope that MS (I have owned MS stock for 20 years) would take a more agressive approach regarding the use of the extenders that are available.

JC
March 6, 2009 12:19 PM
 

bmorgan said:

While I am a huge sports fan, I am dissapointed with the fact that it doesn't work with extenders.  Unfortunately, I found this new feature while on an extender and also quickly realized the message stating that it doesn't work on extenders is pretty hard to exit from without closing out the extender session and reconnecting.  Anyone have anything on "when" this will work on extenders?  I'd like to think of this with the mentaility of having a glass half full versus half empty with my "when".  
March 6, 2009 1:19 PM
 

NiallG said:

Whats up using Flash? I thought support for all that 'un mediacenter friendly' stuff was being depreciated (along with clunky HTML addins).  It seems really odd that you're not doing new products with MCPL (which would of course work on Extenders as well.)
March 6, 2009 1:54 PM
 

josephandrews222 said:

...no extender here but the thing appears to be buggy (very buggy) on my Vista system with wrongly-sized windows.
March 7, 2009 8:01 AM
 

GoBeavs said:

No extender support = DOA.
March 8, 2009 12:10 PM
 

PeteBrownMSFT said:

JC: Maybe you mis-read or I mis-typed, but I've tried to be clear that it doesn't work with extenders. (If I mis-typed, let me know where so I can correct it.)

I've tried this with my remote, too, and I really prefer the experience on my laptop. I think it has the potential to introduce Media Center to a huge swath of stateside cubicle-dwellers who want their college hoops fix during March. I can totally understand how the enthusiast would be less-than-enthused if they're not interested in the 2-foot experience.

Niall, I really don't about the decisions that went into this app dev-wise, but I do know that in this case, the content was available in Flash from the provider, so that's what they took. I'm pretty sure that was not their preference, but they worked with what was available.

March 10, 2009 8:45 AM
 

jcbyte said:

Pete you may have misread my post.  I quoted you saying that the app did not work on extenders but my point was that why would MS release any new app that did not work on extenders.  If I did not make myself clear then I hope this post does.  There should be no new plugins for Media Center that dont work on extenders!

JC
March 10, 2009 12:38 PM
 

PeteBrownMSFT said:

I got you JC - sorry for the mis-read, and for your understandable disappointment on the extender issue. I wish the content had been available in something other than Flash.
March 11, 2009 1:04 PM
 

jcbyte said:

Thanks Pete.  Many of us are using transcoding to watch other media on extenders.  I suspect that MS has the coding ability and prowse to make stream this plug in.  In fact others are already streaming flash content in products for hulu such as playon.

I hope this is just an aberration from MS as I want to see it take a lead role in developing the Media Center usage.

JC
March 11, 2009 5:42 PM
 

Well so much for that new Sports Channel! | The Media Center Blog said:

PingBack from http://www.mediacenterblog.net/general/well-so-much-for-that-new-sports-channel
March 30, 2009 10:15 PM

About PeteBrownMSFT

Pete Brown lives in the Midwest with a wife, two kids, three dogs, one cat and a canary named Karl. He runs Blue Monkey Communications and has been working with Windows Media Center for the past five years.


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