OS and Software > Microsoft Help > [WIN7] September 20th Internet TV in WMC ceases

[WIN7] September 20th Internet TV in WMC ceases

reply to captnhook
Two complaints about that:

1) Yes, Media Center is one of the better parts of Microsoft software. With the lukewarm approach taken in Windows 8, and now the removal of a feature from Windows 7, it appears that Redmond can't tell when it's done something good. See also Windows Home Server. Both of these actually succeed in the "remarkably easy to use" category, something that Windows claims as a strength but often fails to achieve.

2) Why can't people write in English? "The Internet TV experience will no longer be available". Bah. I suppose if my neighborhood bar closes down, they'll be posting a sign saying "the local drinking experience is no longer available".

Didn't Microsoft say their research shows Media Center is not widely used, so lack of user interest explains what they (Microsoft) is doing?

Personally, I also don't use Media Center for watching TV on my computer (Win7). I use my TV for that. I use my PS3 for watching DVDs while sitting on a sofa. I guess this behavior is common practice.

Freddy

One annoyance with Media Center is that it demands an IR blaster be set up for S-Video/component. It won't let the user skip that part of the set up, it isn't necessary as the box has a controller already and Media Center should simply display the output. I use it on my satellite box on the Ch 3 output, I don't have a TV, and works fine windowed to still browse the interwebs while watching TV without an additional device using power.
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reply to captnhook
Just one more reason to switch to XBMC / Plex and acquire content through other means. Idiots.
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♬ Music is life ♬

reply to redxii

reply to Freddy

reply to darcilicious
If the box is also a DVR then it's completely unnecessary. Even if it isn't and you want to do without recording you should still have the option to skip it. The boxes come with remotes; regular TVs don't need an IR blaster. WinTV for example doesn't require a blaster with S-Video/component.

I prefer MC though as it tends to close all its services when im not using it.
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Moe, I need your advice… See I've got this friend named Joey Joe-Joe... Junior... Shabadoo..

reply to darcilicious
darcilicious,

Those not wanting to miss viewing tv episodes should invest in some sort of personal DVR. I don't care if I miss some program. I'm one of those who is bored with much of tv programing. Oh, and I see too many reruns, anyway.

Freddy

reply to redxii

reply to captnhook

Yes, I agree this is BS... I cannot believe that they would do this to such a nice piece of software. It is still the 19th and yet no internet tv.. wow.. they cannot even hit their own dead line. I now have no reason to open the software. I use WMP for music. And I don't have a tuner card. Is it really going to save you that much to kill this Microsoft??? Please rethink this next time you have a "bright idea" of ruining software that was perfectly fine..

That is all..

*Other bright ideas*

Zune HD anyone?

reply to captnhook
We use WMC connected to our big screen TV, with a cablecard tuner. Love it.

Saw "Internet TV" but never used it, so I guess no point in checking it out now...
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NOTHING justifies terrorism. We don't negotiate with terrorists. Those that support terrorists are terrorists.

reply to captnhook
Totally weird here... I get to a black screen with "Internet TV" at the top, and some captions in white stacked vertically: "Top TV", "Grand Finale", Channels", .... no images. The back button on the remote works, but that's about it.

reply to captnhook
Yep, they are dropping several things that have hung on with very limited uptake and which are easily replaced by third party software.

The 18 people who use internet tv among the 22 people who use WMC will be pissed off.
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My place : »www.schettino.us

Maybe so, but one of the attractive features of Media Center (like Home Server, which is suffering similar abuse from Microsoft) was the integrated don't-need-to-think-about-it angle.

I screw around with computers all day. I have many computers at home. What I want for a Media Center is an entertainment appliance, not yet another computer to screw around with.

Well I look at it like this.

I’ve used Media Center for a long time and in that time I have used every publicly available version of Media Center. I’ve seen the product grow and now I unfortunately (IMO) am seeing it decline into oblivion.

However, in that time I’ve seen a number of innovations made by third parties which were then later addressed by Microsoft in an official way. For example:

Netflix in Media Center
Internet TV / videos
Clear QAM tuner support

And some that weren’t like launching the Hulu desktop app from within Media Center and returning to Media Center when exiting the Hulu desktop app.

I guess my point is that I don’t really think the functionality was lost with the demise of Internet TV because there are a number of ways to regain that functionality with little effort (because that’s what Media Center users were doing before).

In the past I myself used PlayOn:

»www.playon.tv/playon

To get videos from YouTube, Hulu and so on. I’m not much into this anymore though.

For what its worth I had been using Windows Home Server before Media Center integration as well. Again there were ways to store your recorded TV and access it before Microsoft made it a little easier.

I guess what I am trying to say is even in the face of Microsoft abandoning Media Center there are still ways to beat that dead horse. Still all good things must come to an end.