Looks like Microsoft is gearing up for the official Windows 7 release on October 22. I just happened to be browsing Windows Media Center in Windows 7 this morning getting some screenshots together for my upcoming MyMovies 3 writeup when I noticed two new icons had made their appearance, Netflix and InternetTV!
Since I am a Netflix member I decided to set that up first. Setup took no more then a minute with a quick install and then going through the Member Sign In screen. Once that was taken care of it was off to the races browsing through the Netflix Gallery.
Next up was Internet TV. Once again setup took no longer then a minute at most. I had never used Internet TV with WMC before so I was pleasantly surprised at what Microsoft had to offer. The layout was easy to navigate through and there was a respectable amount of content available.
One particular item that caught my attention was when I first went to play a show I was prompted that Adobe Flash Player would need to be installed. Could this be the sign of bigger things to come (i.e native integration of Hulu, YouTube, etc…)?
Overall I am very excited to see what Microsoft has done with these two add ins and hopefully this is only the tip of the iceberg. I should note that I tested this on my desktop PC running Windows 7 RTM. From searching around the web it appears that these new features are not supported by media extenders such as the Xbox360.
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Article by Damian
Hi, my name is Damian, and I'm tech gadget addict! Although I always had some interest in technology, it wasn't until I got my EX470 and more importantly found Mediasmartserver.net, that my interest became an addiction. My goal, aside from world domination and to see the Mets/Broncos win another championship, is to set up the perfect digital home where all my media is available at the click of a button. When I am not writing for Mediasmartserver.net you can find me over at my blog at http://dbone1026.blogspot.com or follow me on twitter
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
Great info Damian. This is making the purchase of a HTPC via the Acer AspireRevo R3610 even more tempting.
Thanks for the updates.
I agree Tex. This combined with the loosening of CableCard is a good sign of things to come for HTPCs. Klamath also just posted a few more Ion builds by Zotac (http://www.mediasmartserver.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=4794&p=48118#p48118) with one of the builds looking similar to the AspireRevo.
This is becoming such a compelling way to stream, I can barely refrain from pulling the trigger on an HTPC, especially with the R3610 looking so good.
Alex, do I need to start pulling up all the posts where you “claim” you can “barely refrain” from getting an HTPC…. Stop working on the homemade alien balloon in your backyard and get an HTPC!!!
I move infinitesimally closer to a purchase with every one of those posts.
And everyone in Fort Collins already has a space balloon in our back yard, we don’t need to work on them that often.
The question is, will I be able to do this streaming through my Xbox 360? If so, it will rock.
As Damian said, my understanding is that Extender support seems to of a lower priority from Microsoft. In the case of Netflix it isn’t as big a deal since the Xbox has native support, but for other Extender devices it’s a real shame that they won’t be getting Netflix (at least, from what I understand).
From what I have read, no Extender support as of Yet
I anm still on Vista (for another week — or less) but I would swear that NetFlix and InternetTV were available there a couple months ago. I entered it and found it completely set up AND I had some notes on using it… (FYI, my InternetTV does indicate it is a “beta” version. Maybe I was in yet another beta and had forgotten about it?)
John – it is available in Vista, but has not been available in W7 yet until now.
Loving it. Working from home this morning, saw this announced on Engadget & had to try it out. Works very well on my ASRock Ion 330 box. Internet TV video quality could be a little higher, but is watchable. Video quality is a touch higher than Hulu, and I don’t get the stuttering that I do with Hulu
I agree with Damian that Internet TV has a commendable amount of content. A lot of the shows I watch are not included (Fringe, Hell’s Kitchen), but they are on Fox, & don’t believe Fox content is included.
Great to hear bugman, I thought of you when I first saw this had been added to W7. Hopefully this is only the beginning and more content (along with HD content) is just around the corner.
Thanks for the info. Will the AspireRevo R3610 really be able to stream this stuff with only a 1.60 processor? I would be open to investing in an HTPC but as with all of you don’t want to spend a lot of money and want it to be small so I can hide it in the entertainment center.
Bryan,
I don’t own so I am only speaking from what I have read or spoken to other people about. The Ion platform has been shown to handle all types of video content (including HD content such as Blu Rays) without as much as a hiccup. The reason for this is because all the workload gets offset to the GPU (NVidia 9400), so very little is required out of the CPU which is why you can get away with the 1.60 processor. The only issues with video playback currently revolve around Flash Video such as Hulu since Flash is not supported with GPU acceleration. It was announced however that this should be supported in the coming months as well.
Damian,
That is great news. Looks like I need to think about moving forward with an investment at some point.
Thanks for the info.
Brian,
Feel free to check out the posts below if you want to ask some of the guys about their experience with the Ion systems, I am sure klamath, bugman, etc… will be happy to share. If you do go the HTPC route (ion or otherwise) make sure you post about your experience, build etc as I have a feeling a lot of people are in the same boat as you.
http://www.mediasmartserver.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=4794
http://www.mediasmartserver.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=5425
FYI – I should have my MyMovies 3 writeup posted in a few minutes and a Media Browser write up in the next few days, both great UIs to use with an HTPC running WMC, so keep checking back
Cheers
Damian