Chris - Moderator:

Didn't I tell all of you that Microsoft owning The Green Button does not give you an all access pass to unreleased info?  Just because their is a thread about it doesn't mean Microsoft is going to spill all of the information.

I'll say on thing, there is a lot of incorrect information going around and I'm personally very disappointed at all of the people leaking information, be it right or wrong.

I don't expect communications for unreleased products but released products I would absolutely expect some form of communication regardless that Microsoft owns tgb.

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.:: Vista Ultimate x64 :: Antec Fusion :: Corsair HX520w :: ASUS P5E-VM :: Core2 Duo E8400 3.0Ghz :: 4GB RAM :: 128GB SSD System\Apps :: 1TB\5TB Data :: LG GGC-H20L BD/HD DVD :: HDHomeRun x2 ::.

Chris - Moderator:

Didn't I tell all of you that Microsoft owning The Green Button does not give you an all access pass to unreleased info?  Just because their is a thread about it doesn't mean Microsoft is going to spill all of the information.

I'll say on thing, there is a lot of incorrect information going around and I'm personally very disappointed at all of the people leaking information, be it right or wrong.

You have been unusually quiet on this one Chris, What's up ?

 

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Stu

aka C-Dub



The Windows Media Center Blog

Tips Tricks & News!

No, this was directed at everyone.  Microsoft buying The Green Button doesn't mean you get an access pass to unreleased information.

I've been quiet for a few reasons, the main one being very busy at work and the second one being under different NDAs then regular beta testers (who still shouldn't be saying anything).

The fact that Microsoft hasn't said anything should tell you something.

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Chris Lanier
The Green Button Forum Moderator

Wouldnt know what to take from the silence.

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Always willing to help.

Hmmmm, So I clicked on the “About TGB link”   http://thegreenbutton.com/AboutTGB.aspx in the bottom left hand corner of this web page to see what it said with regards to Microsoft owning TGB these days and was amazed to see that I’m politely asked if I want to donate to the TGB cause via PayPal. (and yes I clicked the link and it happily takes me into PayPal and asks me how much I’d like to give). Do you think if I donate something  that I might get Fiji as a free upgrade!

Duskadder:

 Do you think if I donate something  that I might get Fiji as a free upgrade!

Good luck with that and let me know how you get on. Hahahahaha
Ill have my credit card in hand.

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Always willing to help.

How much do you think they would need?   Suspect it wouldn't be cheap

 

Tony

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AMD64X2 6000+ | 3Gb Ram | 750Gb Maxtor SATA TV | 200Gb Samsung Spinpoint for Vista | ASUS M3N 78 PRO | FloppyDTV + Dragon CAM | Pinnacle 7010ix | XFX 8600GT Silent Video Card | LG Blu-ray/HD DVD Drive | Xbox 360 | Arcsoft Total Theatre

Duskadder:

Hmmmm, So I clicked on the “About TGB link”   http://thegreenbutton.com/AboutTGB.aspx in the bottom left hand corner of this web page to see what it said with regards to Microsoft owning TGB these days and was amazed to see that I’m politely asked if I want to donate to the TGB cause via PayPal. (and yes I clicked the link and it happily takes me into PayPal and asks me how much I’d like to give). Do you think if I donate something  that I might get Fiji as a free upgrade!

LOL. Well, MS hasn't exactly taken the time to update the site, something I agree should have been done as soon as the announcement was made. At least as it pertains to the "about" page. That being said, if you did send in money, I think it would go to the previous owner of the site (Daniel Sterling)

Nice thinking outside the box though ;)

I'll have Jeff remove that link, it applies to the old per-Microsoft TGB.  I'm sure Dan will take your donation though, just don't expect for it to bring any info on Fiji. 

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Chris Lanier
The Green Button Forum Moderator

aside from this thread seemingly go off topic from Fiji to MS bashing to something else....

Jeff, Mike and indeed Chris,  I don't think we as the core VMC users and loyal TGB fans expect insider secrets about new developments.

What we expect when a big firm like MS wades in and buys a forum is for them to involve us in discussions - for them to listen to us, chat with us, discuss the features they are thinking of adding - even go so far as ask us what it is we want and then work out with us - the core, yet niche VMC users from all over the world.

For MS to treat it as all "oh oh, I'm under NDA" and "don't expect to get told anything you don't already find on engadget" is totally the wrong way for them to be working WITH us.

We want dialogue guys - we want to feel part of the eHome team in some ways - look at how Lego use their core fan bases to make them feel loved.

Right now, we're not feeling loved.

And you three (i know you're not MS strictly speaking Chris) walking in and saying the equivalent of "I'll bang kouy ids heads together if you don't stop squabbling" isn't going to stop the squabbling and anti MS stuff that's been going on.

Embrace us - we probably know just as much about the topic (indeed if not more for some people) than you guys who work there.

maybe you should read the Groundswell book by Charlene Li?

We want to feel part of the gang - not the annoying kids who get told "you'll get it when it's ready"

Howard

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Howard Scott

amd 4400+ | 4gb ram | 3.5tb HDD | ga-ma69gm-s2h | samsung 32" | antec fusion | VMC Home Premium

skype: howard_scott
msn: h.t.scott@hotmail.com

mikinho:

Chris - Moderator:

Didn't I tell all of you that Microsoft owning The Green Button does not give you an all access pass to unreleased info?  Just because their is a thread about it doesn't mean Microsoft is going to spill all of the information.

I'll say on thing, there is a lot of incorrect information going around and I'm personally very disappointed at all of the people leaking information, be it right or wrong.

I don't expect communications for unreleased products but released products I would absolutely expect some form of communication regardless that Microsoft owns tgb.

Agreed - you would have thought, considering the Knowledge Base articles are up and that the Media Center TV Pack 2008 has been released to OEMs, Jeff or others would be able to respond with some information about what is happening - if only it is "It has released to OEMs, as you know, this release is a major milestone for Media Center because of feature X, Y and Z. A public update is expected within the next X months / weeks / days and should be available or not on Windows Update by Nth quarter 200X".

At least that way we would know what was happening, feel involved (or at least informed) and have stopped the bashing and personal attacks that have gone off in this thread.

I'm looking forward to the future of Media Center - I don't think Microsoft is going to do the worst for the product, they are ploughing money and resource into it. Otherwise TGB wouldn't have been purchased, but like everyone else I would like to know what is happening - especially as there has been so much secrecy and speculation around Fiji.

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Steve

My Media Center Setup

Media Center Version Info

This thread is getting crazy! Maybe it's been released to OEM for testing, and isn't an official release. Jeff said he can't tell us about it, which leads me to believe that it hasn't been released "officially". So I think every one should just take a chill pill. I know we're all looking forward to Fiji, but bashing MS and saying things like 'Why wont they comment on a released product?' isn't really helping. Looks like we'll just have to wait a little longer.

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Foxer

Good overview: http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1489

“Fiji, officially known as Windows Media Center TV Pack 2008, has Released! The input from Self Host testers has been invaluable to this product and the team would like to thank each of you for your bug reports and feedback.

“As the release team is taking a much needed break, our next focus will be to post the final build onto the Products servers. Please check the newsgroups for updates. Once the build is live, we will notify you.

“-Windows Media Center-”

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.:: Vista Ultimate x64 :: Antec Fusion :: Corsair HX520w :: ASUS P5E-VM :: Core2 Duo E8400 3.0Ghz :: 4GB RAM :: 128GB SSD System\Apps :: 1TB\5TB Data :: LG GGC-H20L BD/HD DVD :: HDHomeRun x2 ::.

mark1234:

Just makes me glad that I didn't buy a copy of Vista for my MCE machine in anticipation of Fiji, and I was close to doing so!

Oh well, does Sage work in the UK? Or should I just wait for W7? Guess I best start thinking about the XP SP3 upgrade as well then...

 

Many SageTV users in the UK and in Europe too (including providing guide data for those markets).  They depend on Sage's DVB support which is pretty good given the whole development team is in the US.  Oh yes, it supports QAM subchannels too, has for quite awhile.  Don't know if their thumbnails can do 16x9 though - I know that's the feature MSFT felt was most important to get right in Fiji, so thats maybe one area that Sage is not competitive in.  :-)

If you find something that's missing, please email them about it.  They do point releases every 3-4 months or so...  H.264 support, extenders that stream DVD's, etc..., placeshifting (aka sling), etc...  And it runs under Vista very well.

mikesm:

mark1234:

Just makes me glad that I didn't buy a copy of Vista for my MCE machine in anticipation of Fiji, and I was close to doing so!

Oh well, does Sage work in the UK? Or should I just wait for W7? Guess I best start thinking about the XP SP3 upgrade as well then...

 

Many SageTV users in the UK and in Europe too (including providing guide data for those markets).  They depend on Sage's DVB support which is pretty good given the whole development team is in the US.  Oh yes, it supports QAM subchannels too, has for quite awhile.  Don't know if their thumbnails can do 16x9 though - I know that's the feature MSFT felt was most important to get right in Fiji, so thats maybe one area that Sage is not competitive in.  :-)

If you find something that's missing, please email them about it.  They do point releases every 3-4 months or so...  H.264 support, extenders that stream DVD's, etc..., placeshifting (aka sling), etc...  And it runs under Vista very well.

Truth is, buying Sage costs almost as the entire Vista Premium OS. I know it's not a fair comparison considering the totally different markets, but it's a very big chunk of the budget of an HTPC. Now I feel that VMC truly came free.