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3. Integrate Hulu Desktop In Windows 7 Media Center

About two weeks ago I got a present a pre-release unit of the Samsung X430.

Bear with us now, not being native to the UK we havent been able to get this one to work locally but with such hard work going into it this fix appears to warrant some attention. Apparently, you in the UK have a new channel thats acting up in the Windows 7 Media Center guide. More accurately its not showing up at all now that the channel has become an official station. Microsoft claims to be unsure if it can fix the issue after several weeks of widespread reports of the issue. A user on The Green Button forums who goes by Alban, on the other hand, has managed to come up with a fix that seems to work for most everyone.

Again, not being from the UK we cant test the tool personally, however, it seems to be a fairly simple process. The program will launch, detect the Media Centers EPG database then inject the channel manually. This will need to be done each time the channel lineup is rescanned however as the database starts from scratch after each tuner or channel scan.

To use the fix youll either need to check the TGB thread for the latest release or download version 5 (4/28/10) from Hack7MC here. Run the program and apply the fix. Then simply re-launch Windows 7 Media Center (we assume). The author has also setup a donation page for those whove been helped by the program.

If ITV HD is showing up properly in the TV Guide but there are no listings available you will need to associate them manually. Select the channel name in the guide, press i or right-click and select Edit Channel. Select the Edit Listings option from the following page and locate the listings for ITV1 HD and associate them with this channel. Media Center should now retrieve the ITV1 HD channel listings automatically with each guide update.

Hopefully this fix works for everyone having issues with getting this channel to show up properly. Its great to see that the community can take over so expertly in Microsofts absence. For even more on channel lineups check out our guide on setting up custom channel lineups.

Sure, Microsoft already offers a slimmed down version of Windows 7 known as Starter which is light enough to run on even the trimmest of netbooks. Not to mention that standard version of Windows 7 are excellent performers as well but theres always room for improvement and the Starter version of WIndows 7 doesnt include things like Media Center. Se lets take a look at creating our own lite version of Windows 7 with a program called vLite. This will allow us to get the performance of Starter by taking out the extras but leaving everything needed for a Media Center only setup.

First well need a copy of vLite, a free piece of software that will allow us to add and remove certain pieces of Windows as well as drivers and other items to the Windows 7 installation process. Once youve downloaded and installed the program you will also be notified that you need to download the WAIK package from Microsoft. The version linked by the vLite program works well enough but there is also a version that officially supports Windows 7 here.

Either mount the WAIK ISO using a program such as Virtual Clone Drive or burn it to disk and install the package. Now we can run vLite and select the original Windows 7 installation media (the files from the DVD not the Windows install folder). vLite will ask you for a location to save the files locally.

Continuing on to the next set of options in vLite youll be presented with a number of checkboxes to determine what parts of the install youd like to configure. Check Integration, Components, Tweaks and Bootable ISO as a minimum. This will allow us to add any drivers for hardware such as TV tuners, display and sound drivers and other items as well as remove nonessential items for a Media Center only setup.

The first step is Integration. On this tab we can select drivers and hotfixes to preload into the installation process. For Media Center users its handy to include items such as TV tuner drivers, display drivers and audio card drivers. Sure you can wait until after the installation is finished but we can save some time by including it from the beginning. Though there arent many hotfixes available at this point since the operating system is so new you should have no problem running a quick Windows update after installation, however, once items such as service packs become available you can also include them in the process on this tab.

Now onto the components to remove from the default installation process. This tab can be somewhat tricky for beginners to handle as there is a large number of options. Luckily there are comments to the right of each option giving a quick description of the what it handles and whether or not its typically safe to remove. For Media Center exclusive machines there are actually a large number of options which can be checked for removal. Things such as games, paint, wordpad, printer and scanner support are no brainers for the most part (unless you play the Media Center games then leave those in of course).

Typically, novices should steer clear of the services and system options if they arent 100% sure of what they are doing. This is also where you can find the biggest performance gains however. A basic list of system and service components that can typically be removed follows and there may be more or less that suit your specific needs. You will need to examine each one and determine whether or not you need the feature enabled.

• Error Reporting
• Protected Storage
• Remote Registry
• Secondary Login
• BitLocker Drive Encryption
• Disk Quota
• Help
• Natural Language
• Performance Counters
• Reliability and Performance Monitor
• Run a Legacy CPL Elevated
• Security Center
• System Restore
• Tablet PC
• Windows Defender
• Windows Easy Transfer

Remember, turning these items off is only recommended for a Media Center run and forget type of setup. Slimming down Windows 7 for most extensive use will require different components remain installed. Also, requirements will vary from user to user and you should evaluate each component being removed based on your specific needs.

On the next tab you will find a list of tweaks that can be applied during the initial setup as well. Turning off further services by default, without removing them for installation, can result in even further performance gains. Examining items under services listed as Automatic start can setting them to manual or disabled can provide a bit more flexibility than removing them from installation altogether while still not running them by default. Items such as Cryptographic services and firewall are a few you may want to consider setting to manual or disabled to save some additional resources.

Once youve finished each of the tasks press the Apply button to begin creating your newly customized version of Windows 7. vLite will begin processing the changes and create a new installation build. Once complete youll be given the option of creating an ISO or burning the new installation image to a DVD. We recommend an ISO for its portability, storage and copying abilities as it can always be burned to DVD later.

Simply choose the desired option and press the button in the lower right hand corner. If you chose ISO and would like to create a DVD from the image later you can follow this handy guide to using Microsofts own USB DVD Download tool. Thats all there is to it! Youve now got a highly customized version of Windows 7 ready to go.

Lets be straight here, Windows 7 Media Center is an excellent tool to watch videos, news, shows, and more. The same goes with Hulu Desktop that brings thousands of shows at your fingertip. But what is lacking here is the integration of both apps.

Note that we are not talking about integrating Hulu in Windows Media Center, rather we are talking about integrating the Hulu Desktop in Media Center.

Hulu Desktop Integration does what Hulu and Microsoft failed to do together, it adds Hulu Desktop inside Windows Media Center so that users can switch between both apps with a click of a button.

Now you can sit back and relax, when you need switch from Windows Media Center to Hulu Desktop, just select Hulu Desktop from the remote control. Doing this will will close the Media Center and open up Hulu Desktop in fullsceen mode. When you close Hulu Desktop by clicking Exit in the main menu, it will start up Windows Media Center back again.

Switching between the two apps has now become a piece-of-cake. Technically, it saves a lot of headache for those users who need to switch between these apps frequently.

As any bachelor can tell you the basic sleep timer function built into any recent (or even not so recent) television is the perfect partner for those nights falling asleep on the couch. This basic functionality has long been missing from Windows Media Center however. For those missing this feature, look no further. The Green Button forum member StixBit has created a plugin to fill the gap, providing a Sleep Timer menu that allows for 30 minute, 60 minute and custom sleep timers.

To get started using this handy little plugin, download and install the package either from StixBits LiveDrive or the Hack7MC server. Once installed, launch Windows 7 Media Center, youll find the plugin in the Extra Programs area under the Extras menu.

From inside the plugin interface youll find options to set a sleep timer for 30 and 60 minutes as well as the ability to setup a custom time at five minute intervals by selecting the Custom Timer button and pressing the right arrow until youve got the appropriate amount of time. Once youve got your custom timer set just press the button and the sleep timer will take care of the rest.

There are even options to turn off the Monitor from the sleep menu as well as cancel the timer completely. Unfortunately, however, this plugin doesnt currently work with extenders and accessing the Sleep Timer from the Extras Menu is slightly more cumbersome than your standard TV sleep timer. If the timer could be set through a simple button press of the remote it would be quite a bit more user friendly.

For those looking to add this basic function to their Windows 7 Media Center though the solution is more than adequate to get the job done. Its great to see the Media Center community coming together to add the type of features included in other systems that seem to have been left aside by the Microsoft team. Thanks to StixBit for this handy plugin and be sure to give it a try!

Charlie Owen, who works on Windows Media Center and is one of my favorite Microsoft bloggers, has posted a very in-depth blog post on Windows Media Center in the Windows 7 Pre-Beta build PDC attendees will be getting their hands on today. If youre heavy into Windows Media Center you NEED to check this post out.

The Innoventions Dream Home sits inside Disneyland’s Tomorrowland and uses Windows Media Center in Windows Vista – along with hardware from HP and others – to combine technology available today with technology we might see in our future.

SageTV has been adding all sorts of media center features to its product line, including clear QAM support and HD media extenders. They are completely out-innovating Microsoft. With all the features they are delivering, there is one lingering problem: SageTV does not support digital cable tuners and CableCards (i.e. cannot watch.record premium HD cable content).

Currently, Vista Media Center is the only viable option for digital cable tuners (DCTs). Why is that you might ask? DRM, also known as digital rights management. CableLabs has made life very frustrating for the HTPC enthusiast by requiring all HTPCs with DCTs to be certified.

In order to buy/use a digital cable tuner, I have to purchase a pre-built system from an OEM vendor like HP, Sony, or Velocity Micro PC. Definitely a pain in the butt, not to mention expensive. This layer of DRM essentially has locked you into the Vista Media Center ecosystem.

No OEM is going to sell you a Sage product or BeyondTV product that can use DCTs. It currently does not exist and I will be very surprised if it ever does. HTPCs are definitely a niche market for nerds only. There is no market incentive for HP to offer SageTV on their machines when Vista Media Center is readily available. In order for SageTV to offer suport for DCTs, they have to be approved by CableLabs AND then convince an OEM to include them on their systems.

So what does this mean for Microsoft? Basically, they have a monoply of the digital cable tuner market (not including Tivo since it is not a PC-based solution). How many companies have the ability to deliver DVR software and convince vendors to supply their software? No matter what Microsoft does or how far they lag behind the market, you have to use Vista to watch cable premium content on your computer in HD. No competitor can match them on that important feature. All thanks to DRM. Not innovation or feature-sets, but content protection.

I wonder how much Microsoft has actually fought with CableLabs about its DRM-scheme. Publicly, they appear to be butting heads but privately, Microsoft has a lot to gain by being the only option on the block. Could Microsoft be using the iTunes/iPod model of vendor lock-in?