cheap dvr using media center.

coming up in my next post, look out for a cheap digital video recorder solution that i came up with me for home last week.

dvr

xbox media center extender

ok. so i got the xbox media center extender update also. so far i have been seeing the glossy side of media center extenders. all nice and blue.
once, you get to the actual usage, you see thores of media lying around on your pc, that you now want to watch on the tv in your living room. hmmm i had a avi file for a recent stage show in l.a. xbox media center extender cant stream it. all it recognizes is wmv files, that too not all. only some.
now you feel why would a media center extender would be so picky on the formats. wasnt it supposed to be a media center? to play all your media. come on now, i am not talking of some format thats used by couple of companies. i am talking of avi.
i found some converters for converting your avi vids to recognizable wmv format for the xbox extender, on which i will post more later on.
but how long would i do these conversions? i guess its more sensible to dedicate the media center pc to the entertainment rack, besides your tv, and use the tv as the direct output. you get all you have then. no converters, no extenders.
whats happening about this on xbox-360? i will need to find that out.
Xbox
Xbox extender

media center extender update

i got the media center extender upgrade today from microsoft. this is supposed to play restricted premium channels on the tv via teh xbox, which was restricted in version 1.0. they also included a msn music card worth 5 free downloads from msn music.sweet.
i have not tried out the update yet, but plan to install it this weekend.

Yahoo 360

ok, i got another one at yahoo 360. the simple url to my yahoo 360
more on this if i find it interesting and useful. check it out.

media center extender for xbox update

as i posted earlier, i had some issues with playing premium channels via the xbox extender on my tv. i was able to see these channels on the media center pc though.
just now i got the link to the update at microsoft that would let me play these channels on the tv.
the link is here

media center scheduled recording

scheduled recording
Originally uploaded by ravneetg.

many a times i have ended up in blockbuster video looking for past seasons of sopranos.
moments ago i was playing around with my new media center, and then thought that why not schedule a recording for sopranos on my media center !
so in i went and created the above scheduled recording. all i need now is to keep my pc on !
nice.

media center 2005

my laptop (win xp pro) had this pattern for dying off one fine day every 6 months or so, sending me in a frenzy of install-clean-install cycles.
also i was looking for a desktop for home use that i can rely to my ever growing collection of digital images. i had no interest wahtsoever in buying a media center pc, and i used to say, what am i gonna do with a media center.
then i spotted this deal at best buy. a gateway lower end media center pc for $699. the machine was with some decent configs (512ram/250hdd/p43.0ht). add up a princeton 19" lcd flat panel ($280 @ costco) and had a decent setup at home.
media center certainly looked good with the usual microsoft user experiences. the media center console looked real good. but the barebones gateway pc didnt come with a tv tuner card, so i was without live tv working in the media center console. i started liking the console so much that within 2 days i was out hunting for a tv tuner card. luckily got one for $100 next day. next up i linked up the cable into the tuner card, and i was getting live tv streamed upto my 19" flat panel. so far so good.
the same me, who 2 days ago said i wont be using media center capabililities was now thinking 'it would be good if i can stream this to my tv in the living room ,but still leaving my pc here in the other room'. i was back in the market hunting for a new solution. luckily i had a xbox lying around under my tv in the living room. now all i needed was to get that xbox online with my linksys router in the other room. tried wireless but failed in that. then saw a existing cabling channel in the living room giving me direct short access to the other room. so i opened it up and ran a network cable right through the wall, to my linksys router. a couple moments into the media center extender setup (which i bought again for $70) and i was streaming live tv via the extender on the tv.
moment to take a breather. while fiddling with the channels i noticed that i was not able to watch premium channels like hbo and hbo2 when viewing via the media center extender. prompts me about 'restricted content'. seems like there is/was a upgrade for xbox to get rid of this problem but havent looked into it yet. though i am able to watch these channels on the media center pc. so yeah, i can still record these channels.
enjoying it so far, without any issues (apart from the premium channels).

Technorati tag: Media Center
Technorati tag: Media

live8 - london - Sir Paul McCartney

closing of a big day and a big show by sir paul mcCartney with hey jude, supported by all other performers of the day.
could spot elton john, scissor sisters, the african children choir, bob geldof, david gilmour, george michael....and the list goes on......

na na na naaaaa na na na naaaaaaaa

'what a night ,what a day!' - bob geldof

philly closed with stevie wonder.

live8 london
live8 philly

live8- philly , stevie wonder !

seeing stevie wonder on the stage, taking the crowd to chant 'live8-2005' & 'we gonna change the world' was also a blast from the past as he started his first track paying tribute to friend luther vandross.

across the pond, paul McCartney gets ready to take the stage in hyde park, london.
tags: live8 philly

live8 - london pink floyd

the moment I had been waiting all day long - pink floyd about to reunite in hyde park, london.
awessome !! seeing roger waters and dave gilmour back on the same stage is pure blast from the past.
renditions of 'wish you were here' and 'comfortably numb' were great. money & breathe were good.
pink floyd still rocks !!

tags: live8 london

live8 - london david beckham & robbie williams

david beckham is onstage at the moment in hyde park london. he introduced robbie williams. as david went on he said 'he is a little bit shy....and very very much talented, mr robbie williams'

robbie had his usual energy with him as he came onstage paying tribute to queen with 'we will rock you!' before moving on to high energy 'let meeeeee entertain you!!!'
live8 london

live8- london mariah carey

dawn french introduced mariah carey, who took quiet a time to get on stage after the intro before she came in with a loud 'wassup everybody !!!!!'

after her first track, she introduced the 'african children choir' to much applause from the crowd.

live8 london

live8- london

'every single day, every word you say, every game you play......' sting back on his ever green track, memorising crowd in hyde park london.....

the stage now looks awesome as darkness falls around hyde park with the caption '8 men in one room can change....' (didnt catch rest of it...).

sting exited with tis track....... as the large video screens played def leppard's 'pour some sugar on me..' as they played this track in philly earlier on.

live8 london

live8 - london

lenny henry (from different strokes) introduced sting in hyde park, london who opened his gig with 'message in a bottle..' as evening sets around in hyde park as the stars continue to perform.

live8 london

live8 - philly

thigns getting hot now. def leppard is onstage in philly with 'pour some sugar on me....'
awesome to see them belting out this one live, again !
as a fact, tehre are now more than a million people out there in philadelphia museum of art.
...joe elliot (lead singer def leppard) exited out philly by taking a picture of the crowd on his digicam.

at the same time, across the atlantic sting is getting ready in hyde park,london.
saturday is going good so far ;-)
live8 philly

live8 - london

it was good to see ex- guns n roses crew (now 'velvet revolver'). slash still has the same ol hat and cigarette and his hair all over the face as he riffs out some rock chords.
scott weiland aptly said that its not just a rock show, but a show for us all to unite and do something for the betterment.
funny thing was, most of the media coverage was on slash rather than scott weiland.. you could literally see photogs rushing to the corner where slash took position :-)
rock on slash !
live8 london

live8 - toronto

deep purple rocking out molson park, toronto....
live8 toronto

live8 - london

bob geldof introduced a photo of a child in africa as '...this little girl in 1985 had just 10 minutes to live, dying of starvation, and to save her we did live aid right here in london.......and tonite as we speak again for africa, the same little girl goes to school of agriculture in ethiopia, and she is here with us on stage....'
this was one of the most touching moments of live8, urging the people to voice their concern to the upcoming g8 summit, that we can change the lives of people.
awesome.
live8 london

live8 - london madonna, 'music'

'music.....makes the people....come together.....', totally fitting lyrics for the cause, as madonna continues to grip hyde park, london, along with her amazing break dancers!
live8 london

live8- london more madonna

are you f*** ready london!!! that was madonna before moving into 'ray of light'.

it is actually phenomenal to see that half the world is united for the same cause, at the same moment. hope the g8 summit listens to this one voice and does something to eradicate poverty.
live8 london

live8 - london madonna

are you ready london??????? are you ready to start a revolution???? are you ready to change the history????- thos were the openings with which madonna came on stage in hyde park in london, before beltinn out 'like a prayer'.
lovin it !
live8 london

live8 - lets go to philly !

will smith is on stage in philly, will giving the audience some kinda test.
will needs to know that he has some fans right here at home or not..... :-)
philly goes aaaaaa- aaaa to will smith!

live8

live8 - back to london

after waiting a while for shakira in paris, i had to move back to london to get some snoop dogg screeches. lovin it.

one of the hosts in rome asked the 3rd band in the line up that does this make a change for the people in africa, that we are playing here and all over the world....thats a very valid point, does it?
i certainly shows that the world does care about them. geldof reposponsible for live aid concert almost a decade ago has done it again.
more later, now am back with snoop dogg doing the 'drop it off....'

live8

live8 live blog - world

right at the moment the performances are as such:
Berlin - Brian Wilson
Toronto - Simple Plan
Philly - Kanye west
Rome - Tiromancino
Paris - Shakira
London - Snoop Dogg
live8

live8 live blog - london

snoop dog is up next in london.
live8

live8 live blog - London

UB40 is onstage live now from london. surprising thing was to see bhangra dhols (drums) onstage with ub40. and singing punjabi 'tere bin chain na aave'!!! go punjabis!! playing "red red wine" at the moment. love it !
live8