The popular Windows Media Center plugin, TunerFreeMCE, has been updated in a release the developer, Martin Millmore, is calling a major upgrade. The new plugin is now Windows 7-only, forgoing Vista support in order to allow for the numerous improvements it includes.

Vista users can continue to use the older version of the plugin, though. The developer says that two-thirds of the plugins users are on Windows 7, so he made the decision to make improvements the majority can enjoy.

So whats new in this release? Things users have been asking for, including:

• A new popup screen for managing the TV programs, allowing you to play the program, set a timer recording to record other showings of the program if you have a TV tuner configured, and if the program supports it you can add it to a playlist or download it (the last two work for BBC WMV programs, but not flash).
• When playing flash content, sometimes the mouse didn’t click in the right place. Now you can mode the cursor round the screen with the remote by pressing the cursor keys, and OK to click. This allows you to play even the most troublesome programs.
• The interface is now touchscreen enabled, so if you have a touchscreen media center you can easily navigate through the screens.
• Plugins are now directly available within the application. When you go to preferences you will see a list of plugins. When you pick one, the system will take care of installing and updating it to keep you up to date with your favorite content.
• MSN has been removed. This is because there is now a native media center app to support MSN.
• Improved memory management – only one instance of TunerFreeMCE will be active at any one time

If youve never tried TunerFreeMCE before, I recommend checking it out. Its a great plugin for watching streaming Internet video on your PC and Media Center extender, including BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Five for UK users and Hulu support for US users. Believe it or not, the plugin is actually free. However, donations are accepted.

(via Ian Dixon)

There are already a handful of movie movie trailer plugins for Windows 7 Media Center, though they may require the user to download the trailers or install additional codecs to work. My Trailers 2.0 from MCEZone is simple to use and relatively easy to install though the full version will set you back about six bucks. There is a trial version available now however so you can try the plugin before you shell out for the full thing. How does the trail version stack up to the alternatives out there? Lets find out.

To get started, download the trial version from MCEZones plugins page and go through the standard installation process. After installation launch Windows 7 Media Center, disappointingly the default installation doesnt add an icon to the Movies strip and youll need to launch the plugin from the Extra Programs menu. This can, of course, be remedied by Media Center Studio if youre so inclined. Upon launching the trial version youll be met with a 20 second notice that youre running a gimped version.

The notice lets you know that this is the trial version limited to 10 trailers at a time total and directions on how to purchase the full version. Once the program has launched youll quickly notice that there are only five trailers listed. Though they do blend well with the default look of Windows 7 Media Center in the default settings. To change the layout and mode press the Play button on your remote or the ctrl button for those at a keyboard.

In the settings notice that there are two modes listed under Trailers. This is why there are only five trailers listed at a time in the trial version of the plugin, thats five trailers for each mode ten total. There are also options for changing various aspects of the plugins layout including sorting by Date, changing the way covers are displayed, the background and the movement effect. Though there are a number of options for each (and to each his own) none of the additional settings seemed to blend as well with the default look of Windows 7 Media Center.

One interesting setup was the VideoMode setting which seemed to want to put the trailer behind the line-up, somewhat obscured from view, but only managed to accomplish it whenever the back button was pressed during trailer playback.

The selection of movies available in each mode was somewhat disappointing unfortunately. It certainly would have been nice to see at least a single title I recognized but they seemed to be relegated to more obscure titles as many streaming trailer apps seem to be. Perhaps with the ten title limit removed bigger name titles begin to appear more frequently in the listing. One extremely great thing going for this plugin, however, is that it streams videos in HD WMV which will require no extra codecs installed and no downloading videos. This means it should work just fine with any Media Center extenders .

So the line-up of trailers was slightly disappointing as was the lack of an icon in the main Start strips by default but is it worth the six large? Sure, I actually even managed to find an obscure Ed Norton movie Id be interested in watching (and isnt that the point of trailers?), plus its only $6. So head on over to MCEZone and at least give the trial version a go.

Today, Windows 7 controls my home entertainment experience in my living room. It does so through Windows Media Center. I am using the same setup I blogged about here in 2007 with Windows 7 and its an amazing experience. Because of how well it works for me, I wanted to highlight 7 great things you can do with Windows Media Center in Windows 7. Windows 7 can easily be the center of your home entertainment experience just like it is with mine.

#1: Watch Live TV on your Windows 7 PC.

If your Windows 7 PC has a TV tuner, you can use Windows Media Center to watch, pause, and rewind live TV directly on your PC! If youre Windows 7 PC doesnt have a TV tuner, you can always add one they are quite inexpensive.

Windows Media Center in Windows 7 supports High Definition TV (HDTV) capabilities as well. Earlier last month, we announced support for Switched Digital Video (SDV). We also announced that customers will now be able to add a digital cable tuner with CableCARD support to their PC. Previously, digital cable tuners with CableCARD support were only available on new PCs from OEMs that supported the configuration. Digital cable tuners with CableCARD support differ from standard TV tuner cards as they support digital cable through CableCARDs rented from your cable provider for digital cable channels. Assuming you have the right subscription, this enables you to access the full line-up of channels offered by your cable provider, including the premium channels.

There are also TV tuner cards that support over-the-air HDTV (ATSC) with an antenna as well as Clear QAM.

#2: Turn your Windows 7 PC into a DVR (Digital Video Recorder)!

Windows Media Center lets you schedule recordings of TV shows and movies. You can even schedule to record all instances (new episodes) of your favorite TV show! Windows Media Center also makes it very easy to view all your recorded content.

I talked about HDTV and the use of digital cable tuners with CableCARD support above. Microsoft and CableLabs are working together to allow people with digital cable tuners with CableCARD support more portability with their recorded digital cable TV. Recordings that are marked as copy freely (CF) will now be able to play on other PCs and portable devices.

#3: Easily find the TV shows and movies that you want to watch.

Windows Media Center has great search capabilities built-in so you can easily find all your favorite TV shows and movies. This makes it easier to schedule recordings.

#4: Access all your personal media in one place – no matter where it is.

Windows Media Center brings in all your digital media photos, movies, music, and recorded TV shows into one place. Windows Media Center also takes advantage of HomeGroup in Windows 7 and allows you to access digital media content from other PCs!

With recorded digital cable TV content marked as CF you can share this content throughout your home network of Windows 7 PCs using HomeGroup (see #2 above). You can even access it when you are away from home with Remote Media Streaming in Windows 7.

#5: Track your favorite sports, players, and leagues.

If youre a sports nut, you can use Windows Media Center to track your favorite teams and leagues. Windows Media Center lets you track scores, players, and leagues natively within Windows Media Center. You can also see quickly jump to sports on now and check sports coming on later in Windows Media Center too.

#6: Access your recorded TV and digital media where you want: on the PC or on the TV.

Windows 7 supports a variety of high end displays including HDTVs. You can connect your PC to your HDTV and use Windows Media Center to watch and view all your media. Of course this works with a standard PC monitor too. But because Windows 7 makes it easy to share your digital media, you can have 1 PC connected to your HDTV in your home for Windows Media Center and bring in content from all PCs on your home network to that single PC connected to your HDTV. You could also use the Extender for Windows Media Center technology built into your Xbox 360 to access the same Windows Media Center menu you are used to using on your PC.

#7: Watch movies and TV episodes instantly from Netflix in Windows Media Center in Windows 7.

Watch streaming Instant Play movies and TV shows from Netflix! Also add movies to your DVD queue if Instant Play is not available. Full control of your Netflix account right from Windows Media Center!

I hope these 7 great things about Windows Media Center give you some great ideas on how to bring your home entertainment together using Windows 7!

Just getting started with Windows 7 Media Center? Microsoft has created a short series of videos to help you get started using your brand new media experience. These videos are perfect for the absolute beginner to the Media Center experience. If this is you and you’re more of a visual learner be sure to give these videos a quick view for a quick overview of using Media Center’s Music Playlist, CD/DVD Burner and TV Recording features. Thanks to Ian Dixon of The Digital Lifestyle for finding these little gems and sharing them with the community.

The fist video covers the basics of burning a CD/DVD with Windows 7 Media Center. Watch it in SD or HD on YouTube or watch the HD version here on Hack7MC below. We’ve also got the video available for download right here at Hack7MC.

The next video features the process to creating your own music playlist with Windows 7 Media Center. Watch the video below, on YouTube or Download it from Hack7MC.

Finally we’ve got everyone’s favorite feature, Recording Live TV with Media Center. Once again you can download this video from Hack7MC, watch it below or watch on YouTube.

For new users don’t forget to subscribe to Hack7MC as well and we’ll bring you all the tweaks and downloads to make the best of your Windows 7 Media Center!

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to visit the Windows Media Center Team here at Microsoft and shoot some videos of the new features that are currently in the Windows 7 Beta. Im a fairly heavy user of Windows Media Center and know many of our readers are too. This post highlights many of the the changes and new features that people can enjoy for themselves as they try out the Windows 7 Beta.

In the first of several videos I shot, Windows Media Center Program Manager Noah Spitzer-Williams takes us through the new Pictures + Videos features in Windows Media Center.

Windows Media Center Picture and Videos Features in the Windows 7 Beta

In the above video, Noah demos the following new Windows Media Center features and changes in Windows 7 (in the order of appearance in the video) to the Pictures + Videos experience:

• Changes to the way videos are displayed in Video Library to include Thumbnails AND Names for each video.
• Support for H.264 Video – no 3rd party codecs are required to play H.264 content.
• Video Play-All Option (think of it as a Video Slide Show) with ability to navigate between each video.
• Developers can take advantage of the new Import API for Windows Portable Devices. The new API enables photos AND videos from portable devices to be imported directly within Windows Media Center.
• Ability to create Slide Shows (new Slide Show pivot) with your pictures and can contain pictures or music or both.
• New On-screen Keyboard (Touch-enabled).
• Improved Rating Controls within Windows Media Center UI.
• New Ratings Pivot for quick access to your favorite content.
• Play Favorites feature with new Slide Show style.
• Auto Slide Show feature acts as a screensaver for Windows Media Center.

You may have caught PowerPlaylist in the Windows Media Center menu in the video. PowerPlaylist is an application originally released by the Windows Media Center Team for Windows Vista and can be downloaded here via CodePlex. The Windows Media Center Team is revising PowerPlaylist for Windows 7 and an early copy was installed on the PC running the Windows 7 Beta in the video. They plan to release an updated version to CodePlex soon. Ill be covering that soon as well.

Expect more videos to follow shortly!

Media Center MVP Mike Garcen recently pointed out a great feature in the new and improved Windows 7 Media Center application video resume. According to Mike, in previous Media Center versions, you could stop the playback of Recorded TV and then later resume the shows where you left off, but regular videos didnt have the same option. That discrepancy has now been fixed. You can resume the playback of any video (that is, non-DVR-MS or WTV) in Media Center not just Recorded TV.

To see this feature in action, just add some videos (DivX, Avi, wmv, etc.) into your Windows Media Center Video Library and click on one of the files to start playing it automatically. Then click Stop. Now, go do something else like play another track or even close Media Center entirely. When you return to Media Center and click to play that same video, you will be given the option to either restart or resume playback. How convenient!

This is one of those things that isnt a huge announcement in and of itself, but just another minor enhancement that, when combined with slews of others like it, make for a better overall computing experience in Windows 7.

(Thanks Ian Dixon!)