Even More Fun With Windows Media Center

I mean it this time!

Previously, I had used our old [really only] desktop as a media center PC only to fall short of our goal. After you read that, you’ll find that I got to the point where everything was great – except for the digital encrypted channels… which was most of them. I had given up and just configured a virtual machine with an extender to play our music.

We almost never turn it on.

I had at one point subscribed to a discussion about media center and was still getting emails about it. The other day, I actually read a couple. What I read was liberating. Not in a metaphysical sense, but a technological one. In the previous post, you’ll note I discuss the fact that in order to get a CableCard tuner to work with a Windows Media Center PC, it needed to have special BIOS – and be blessed by the cable industry. While to some extent this is still true, some interesting things are happening.

First, new system boards are becoming available with the special setting enabled by default. That is great, since there was previously no way to buy special parts for those who wanted to build their own system or upgrade existing ones for lower costs. Secondly, there seems to be a “hack” out there, or more precisely a utility, which allows non-OCUR systems to show as compatible for CableCard tuners.

Guess which one I was leaning to?

Having already had a nice, capable system [4GB of RAM and 250GB HDD – possibly need more space, though] I was not really desirous of buying anything new. So, I took the old box, wiped it out and installed a fresh copy of Windows 7 RC1. Win7 is quite a bit better, I must say. Especially when it comes to Media Center. The TV Pack is included by default and it, while familiar, has a few more features. I then used a utility to check OCUR compliance: FAIL. Next, came the OCUR utility. I installed it and, Viola! PASS.

I finished building the system, including installing the Amazon Unbox player and the new beta version of the Hulu Desktop [quite cool, I might add] and customized it to be launched from inside the WMC GUI. It even uses the WMC remote control! That being done, I synchronized the music locally to the machine and took it upstairs. I hooked the old analog tuner into the computer and achieve low-def success.

Now that it’s working the way I want, the only thing left is for us to obtain a pair of CableCard tuners [I think Win7 Ultimate can handle up to 4] and cards and get them paired. I’m waiting on that because the tuners are still almost $300 a piece so that has to fit into my budget.

One thing is certain, though: the additional $40 or so per month I’m spending on cable boxes will go away once I go live with CableCards. I’ve even thought about cancelling cable. You can watch all you want on Hulu, so why do I need cable, right? Well, Laura says I can’t drop it yet and the Hulu shows aren’t in full HD and because they’re streaming tend to jump a little. So – not completely free of the cable company. Yet.

All I know for certain is that the saga will continue, and once I can save up enough for the tuners, we’ll be good to go… but…

I need to save up for a car too… decisions, decisions…

A Day of House Work [In and Out]

Gardening is hard work – especially when you find some kind of rock under the topsoil. Digging around it, we found that it could be broken into pieces. Not easily, but it could be done. So, for the last hour or so, we’ve been digging through it just to get holes deep enough for some flowers. Of course, we had to borrow a shovel to do this work, so that’s now on the list of stuff we have to buy.

The barbeque is going well – I think I have the temperature down where it needs to be. It takes a lot of work just to check on it during the day. I’m glad I have nowhere else to be!

I’m also working on the new web site, or rather, redirecting the old website to the new domain name. This is the web site for our new photography business name: Phillips Photographik. It’s the same site for now that the old one pointed to, but now I’ve changed some of the language to reflect that it’s Laura and I, and updated the contact emails. I still have to update the banner.

It will take some time for us to finalize a logo, but we’ll get it done. At least this gives us a start!

We’ve been stagnant for so long, but things are going to change soon.

Happy Memorial Day!

I hope everyone is having a great memorial day. Just be sure to remember those who gave their lives so that you can live free.

As for us, we are barbequing. It’s what you’re supposed to do on Memorial Day, right? Fire up the smoker and cook the meat. I’m going for 10 hours on the brisket today and I hope it will be good!

At least it’s not boiling hot up here – 70 degrees is nice!

Smokin’!

Well, not exactly “smoking” but the charcoal is. We’re heatin’ up the ole grill and using it to grill some burgers and a kabob this time. We have some new metal grills to replace the old “well used” ones, so I’m really firing it up to season them. But, why waste a fire, yes?

Let’s cook!

Soon, it will be ready to grill and the meat will be sizzlin’.

It’s sure good to be home, now!

Sometimes Bad Weather Is Bad

Normally, I like a little rain. It soothes me: restores my sense of balance. But not today. Today, It’s just caused me to be very late. Late because I’m supposed to be in the air right now. I’m supposed to be about to land in Newark on my way to Seattle for training.

That’s not happening. Instead, what’s happening is that I’m delayed. I’m sitting next to the gate waiting. Waiting on a departure in hopes that I can make my connection.

Now, the rain is not so soothing. I could have stayed home longer. I could have spent more time with Laura. But, no: the rain has conspired to keep me in a little chair next to a little door waiting to get on a little plane.

Fun. Not.

What? No TV???

This afternoon, I sat down on my couch to watch a little TV and relax only to find to my chagrin, that the rather new Samsung LN46A750 turns itself on and off continuously! This is way not good.

A quick search online tells me that this is a known problem and that there is a fix for it by flashing the TV. Awesome.

Now if I can only keep the TV from turning off so that I can flash it…

That would be a “no”. Now, I have to have someone come and fix it. Grr.

I’m so glad this happened while it is under warranty!

Feel The Heat

Today, I went on a ride with my motorcycle club from South Riding to Frederick, MD. It’s not that long of a ride, but doing it with a group of 35 or so people takes quite a bit of time. In fact, the round trip plus lunch took over 6 hours.

That wouldn’t have been so bad except for one thing: it was over 90 degrees outside today! Ouch! It’s not so bad when you’re moving, but once you stop, the heat gets very uncomfortable.

Anyway, it was all in all a great ride except for the heat. Then I got home. Seems that even though our HVAC has been repaired, that I forgot to reset the thermostat and put it on Auto instead of Heat. Well, it’s over 80 in the house now and it’s still uncomfortable for me to move around.

Maybe I’ll just go lay on the tile floor… too bad it’s fake tile. Won’t really be cool enough.

Cherry Blossoms and Other Things

Okay, so I don’t post nearly as regularly as I should, but at least I do post and I try to do it at least once a month.

So the AC is now finally fixed and operating as it’s supposed to.

And I’m sore like I haven’t been since high-school spring football [and not recovering near as fast] due to some increased workout activity. I’ve been doing a little of that P90X workout once per week and it really tears me up. Maybe one day I’ll be able to do it 5 days per week.

So, we went out and got great pictures of cherry blossoms.

Now, all we need to do is post the thousands of remaining pictures…

HVAC Issues

Over the last couple of days, we’ve noticed that our heating and air-conditioning system was not functioning correctly. On the one hot day, we couldn’t get it to cool [luckily, it wasn’t that hot – only high 70s] and the rest of the days, it seemed like it just wouldn’t get warm.

After playing with it a little bit and smelling some strange electronic burning smell, we discovered that while the main furnace/AC was functioning, the fan system was not blowing. It was getting hot inside the furnace, but nowhere else. We had someone look at it today.

Sure enough, it was a bad circuit board – the one that switched the fan to “on” was broken. The technician bypassed the board for today and ordered the part. It should be in next week.

For now, we have heat – which is great since it got below 60 in the house this morning. I think we might be up to 68 or so by now. All this means that I had to work at the house today [since Laura had been called on to work an emergency shift due to someone’s illness I think and wasn’t able to be home] and sit freezing in the basement most of the morning. Hence my ability to take 5 and blog…

Maybe I’ll even get some of my work administration done. Status reports, research, etc. Stuff that normally doesn’t get done in a timely fashion when I have to sit with the customer all day.

Sunrise In DC?

Tomorrow, we’re going on an outing to hit DC before sunrise and take some pictures of the cherry trees and monuments. This is not a normal “get up” time for us by any means, but we will head out from the house about 4:15AM [ouch!] to get downtown about 5AM.

We’re going to take some low-light pictures first, scout out the area and then take some sunrise pictures of the trees.

So it’s off to bed early so I can get up!