Archive for November, 2010
My Media Eco-system on ‘Geek Your Rig’ Microsoft Video
Earlier this year The Green Button asked local Seattle-area Windows 7 Media Center enthusiasts to show off their rigs. I responded with photos and the blurb below. Microsoft sent a video crew out to our home to shoot for a day.
The shoot was back in June. The videos were produced and resulted in two shorts that Microsoft is now using as Windows 7 Help videos. During the holidays, the videos give some shopping ideas for the PC/Media Center enthusiasts.
There have been some upgrades since the video was shot. In the ease-of-use category I have added Logitech’s Harmony One Remote. This remote sorts out all the hard work of powering ON/OFF the right amps, A/V pre-amps, TV, and setting various inputs on the TV and pre-amp. The remote just presents “Watch TV”, Play “Xbox”, “Play DVD”.
The Windows Home Server has grown to 5TB of storage for photos, music, and recorded TV.
I have added an Xbox 360 4Gb console and Kinect Sensor. I love this as a workout assist. I’m not much of a gamer but the Xbox may change that. I have noticed that the Netflix Xbox Gold membership streaming options are different than what is available on the web. I my case I had added content on the Xbox.
Not mentioned in the video is the Remote Potato software installed on the HTPC for remote streaming. This provides sling-box type capability to you HTPC for no cost. With this software, I can can watch my recorded or live TV anywhere in the world with a internet connection, all served up from my HTPC setting at home.
Microsoft’s finally videos are found here.
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/help/videos
My original post to the The Green Button.
I’d love to tell you more about our WMC networked home.
We have 4 Win7 WMC machines in the house: HTPC in the family room, Wall-mounted touch panel in the kitchen, Desktop for home office, and a mobile netbook. All of these use a WHS as a file server and backup manager. Live Mesh keeps them all in sync.
The family room serves as the movie lounge. The HTPC serves up Comcast digital cable, MyMovies, Boxee, and Weather, along with Photos & Music from the WHS. The Plasma and 5.1 sound system make for a great CD/DVD/Blu-ray playback experience. This system is also a favorite Playto target for other home PCs. This room shines for HD slideshows when friends bring over media from their latest adventures. We love the ability to "split-screen" WMC with IE or Bing maps, etc. to look up facts about the subject, location, and actors.
The kitchen is the entertaining hub for dinner parties. I love to cook and everyone gatherers here. The TouchSmart display rolls thru our photos using Windows Live Photo Gallery. These provide for lively conversation as friends see themselves and remember past adventures we share. We also playback Recorded TV from the HTPC, watch Hulu, Netflix, and play internet radio depending on what context the kitchen is in. We lookup recipes, IM, and email. The Zune Player gets allot of play time here.
The Netbook is used to play DVDs and blog during flights, share video calls using Messenger and check email.
My music and video can be streamed just about anywhere in or out of the home making me seem never far away. HomeGroup and Libraries make quick work of finding the information I need.
Samsung Focus WP7 temporarily loses voice recognition ability
Voice recognition on my Samsung Focus Windows 7 Phone would mysteriously stop working for Bing Searches, One Note entries, etc. Rebooting the phone would restore the feature. My wife never had the problem with her phone so I was concerned I had a lemon.
The mystery has been solved and the problem is partially my fault. Although the phone could also be improved in future revisions.
If you plug in your Zune headphones the microphone and speakers are switched to the headset. My Zune speakers do not have a microphone. That is the portion of the problem caused by me. Simply unplugging the Zune headphones does not restore the microphone in the handset. That is the problem caused by the phone.
Solutions: 1) Plug in the headset (headphones & microphone) that shipped with the phone 2) Remove the headphones and turn the phone off & on.
I found the answer with this thread from Microsoft Answers
Kinect destined to be A Winner for MS
Microsoft’s new Kinect Sensor for the Xbox 360 arrived at our house on launch day, Nov 4th. The sensor shipped with Kinect Adventures so we had some real game content to start with. The experience exceeded my expectations in every way. Microsoft has a sure fire winner on its hands.
The Kinect adds voice command, gesture command, and video conferencing to the XBOX. Games designed for Kinect can make use of your full body motion in games. It can track hands, head, feet, torso, over a 1000 points on the body separately. The sensor has 3 cameras and 4 microphones. One camera is a standard web camera and the others are responsible for range finding. One, or two, players can play along. With Xbox Live the fun can spread to four, two in the room and two in cyberspace. You can even talk trash to your opponent while you play online.
The Kinect is fairly easy to calibrate via its guided wizard. Calibration reads your room for ambient noise and has you walk thru the play space to calibrate the sensor’s view. You may have to do this again if you move furniture in the room. Placing the sensor above the TV is best.
Kinect demands a large play space. Games are truly active and full motion. You will be stepping forward & back, side to side, jumping, and flailing your arms as you play. Serving up the volleyball can be especially violent. Make sure the room’s ceiling are tall enough for the games and ceiling lights are out of the way. You need to be at least 6 feet from the sensor, 8 feet for 2 players. For adults, 8 foot ceilings, or better, are required for jumping games.
Kinect adds a little arcade fun to the games. As you play, Kinect will snap photos of you in action. You can choose to share these online or email to friends.
Video conferencing is a great feature. Now the whole family can sit naturally on the couch and place a video call with their friends on Windows Live Messenger or any connected service. This is a much improved experience over crowding around the PC’s webcam. Should make those holiday calls much more Norman Rockwell like.
Sensor costs $150 US to add to any Xbox. You can get the current Xbox 360 4Gb unit for $150 US. There are some great Black Friday deals today that sweeten the pot with games.
Get the sensor if you like active gaming, yoga, dancing, and party fun with friends. Just make sure you have the space to play. Mounting the sensor at the 6 foot Height limit will help in smaller rooms.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )
Dave's Geek Adventures 