Windows Media Center

The home theater PC is dead, long live Windows Media Center

By Ben Drawbaugh posted Jan 14th 2011 2:31PM

Editorial

There has been a lot of discussion in the Windows Media Center community about the product's death. The theory is that Microsoft is throwing in the towel, focusing on the Xbox 360 and intends to let the best DVR software available become stale -- or worse, eliminate it from future versions of Windows altogether. After watching the Ballmer keynote at CES last week, it was hard not to get on this train as we all watched the 360, Windows Phone 7, and Windows highlighted on stage. But then something happened when the show floor opened: Windows embedded products were highlighted in private meetings and elsewhere. There was a buzz around Media Center embedded and even a price and ship date; meanwhile, home theater PCs got no love. So after years of trying, it appears that all hopes that HTPCs will ever emerge from their niche status are gone, but the same can not be said for Windows Media Center. Delray Beach Computer Repair

The demise of HTPCs is not for a lack of effort

We've had a fascination with home theater PCs since the first time we saw video running on a PC -- remember Intel MMX? There's something empowering about seeing video run on a PC, and there's been a PC connected to our TV ever since. In fact, we use an HTPC now and have enjoyed its benefits for what feels like forever. But all that being said, we wouldn't offer to set one up for a friend, and we wouldn't give our mother one, ever. The problem is that while a computer geek can make an HTPC do just about anything, a typical user has a hard enough time using a PC to surf the web. There are just too many things that can go wrong, and with the exception of some very high-end models, commercial HTPCs are non-existent. HP stopped making 'em four years ago. Dell never even bothered. Nope, no matter how hard PC manufactures and Microsoft try, HTPCs simply will never go mainstream.

Microsoft has tried as hard as anyone to make this geek dream come true, with multiple versions of Media Center and money dumped into R&D trying to entice programming providers in the US and the rest of the world to bring their programming to Windows. We'd bet that if stock holders had any idea how much money was spent compared to the return, someone would surely get fired. Right about now, there are some people screaming at their computer, complaining that Microsoft never marketed Media Center. Seriously? A company as successful as Microsoft knows a thing or two more than most about marking a product. No, the problem is there's no mainstream market for an HTPC, so realistically-speaking, another few billion dumped into marketing wouldn't have changed a thing (c.f. Kin). Consumer electronics have to be like an appliance, they just need to work. Even some top brass at Microsoft use a TiVo as a DVR instead of a HTPC because they just work. This all makes it easy to understand why Microsoft has re-purposed its software and lined up new partners for an embedded version of Windows 7 Media Center.

Publish Post

Why an embedded Media Center just makes sense

The one thing that every single mainstream DVR and smartphone have in common is that they are all embedded. It's a match between hardware and software that is designed to do a few specific things and do them very well. Microsoft has been making embedded software for a long time, and odds are you've used it at an ATM or stood right in front of someone who used a Windows embedded machine to ring you up at a department store. What's new is that Microsoft ported its Media Center software to the latest embedded version of Windows and is giving hardware partners the chance to build a DVR without spending all the big bucks on developing software. This means that some entrepreneurial electronics manufacturer can grab off the shelf parts, add in a little of Redmond's software and deliver a dependable DVR to mainstream America -- in theory. And a number of companies have already stepped forward with plans. We've been seeing demos at trade shows, and at CES one company even announced it'd ship a product in the 1st quarter for $499. Still a little steep for the mainstream, but far less than the thousands that off the shelf HTPCs cost today. And besides, the first products to market typical cost more.

The bad news is that embedded also means restrictions, and while some are sure to hack their way to more functionality, it won't be as easy. For those not willing to meddle and risk their investment, there'll likely be sacrifices that will have to be accepted. It is impossible to know what exactly until the products hit the market, but the inability to install your favorite codec isn't out of the realm of possibilities, and installing software to automatically skip commercials is almost certainly a no go.

There is some more good news though. Embedded devices make more than just mainstream consumers happy, they also appeal to content owners. Netflix, VUDU, Blockbuster, cable video-on-demand have all been available to embedded devices for some time. Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Verzion and DirecTV weren't showing their programming on a HTPC at CES this year, but they were showing 'em on a variety of other embedded devices. Of course, the PC is completely capable of delivering all this content and more, but media giants aren't going to spend their time and money developing software for a niche whose only measurable result would be to open up a new attack vector to circumvent DRM. So embedded doesn't just mean stability and affordability, it can also mean content.

Extenders vs set-top-boxes

Now, this is where things get interesting. Microsoft tried a few times to proxy the PC into the living room via Extenders and suffice to say the attempts all failed pretty miserably -- same goes for embedded devices, by the way. Maybe the hardware wasn't ready, who knows, but what we do know is that two Media Center PCs don't play well together with DRM'd content and if more than one Media Center in the house has a tuner, things can messy real quick. There have been a few recent changes in the content world that could really impact success here though. The first is the recent change to the CableCARD specification that allows a tuner to be shared over a network. Basically, this means that you can install six CableCARD tuners into a Media Center in the house and watch live TV on any other Media Center (set-top box or PC) in the house that's connected to the same network. That opens up some options, but there are still the DRM problem. Currently, shows recorded from cable marked as Copy Once by the provider are locked to the device they're recorded on, which frankly sucks. But connecting a few dots paints a rosier future.

InfiniTV 6 CableCARD tuner

What does Microsoft, Comcast, Timer Warner Cable, CableLabs, and just about every major movie studio have in common? They are all a member of the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem and have vowed their support to UltraViolet. We know that joining a group and actually participating are two different things, but it isn't out of the question that UltraViolet's new DRM could be added to the CableLabs spec. This would mean that "each household will be able to create an account for up to six members who can access the household's UltraViolet Movies, TV... Consumers will also be able to register up to 12 devices." This new tech won't be ready until later this year, but it does offer hope that DRM might not always be this bad, some day.

Wrap-up

It's going to take more than Reycom, Acer / Gateway, and Haier to make this thing take off, but it isn't hard to let your imagination wonder on where this all could go. It would also be hard to argue that this isn't Microsoft's strongest position in the DVR market yet, and while anything could happen, we say long live Media Center with confidence. Who knows, if things go well, all the other previous promising developments for Media Center that never were, might find their way to market too. Then again, we'vebeen wrong before.

Caught in a scammer's trap? Seniors vs. crime can help

By SUSAN SALISBURY
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Updated: 7:45 p.m. Monday, May 24, 2010
Posted: 7:31 p.m. Friday, May 21, 2010
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WEST PALM BEACH — When it comes to scams, Jerry Feblowitz, a volunteer at the state's Seniors vs. Crime program for five years, feels like he's seen every type of fraud, scheme and unethical treatment possible.

But then yet another consumer who has been scammed will come in for help from Senior vs. Crime's volunteers, and Feblowitz, 80, learns yet another twist on the ways that people are deceived and bilked. The office has helped people who have been scammed by dentists, furniture stores, auto repair shops, banks, credit card companies, plumbers, carpenters, insulation companies, phone companies, elevator firms and more.

"It's absolutely incredible. Every time you turn around, there is something else," said Feblowitz, who oversees the West Palm Beach office in the Pine Trail Shopping Plaza.

Jackie Bond, 74, of West Palm Beach, turned to Seniors vs. Crime when a computer repair shop told her she could not have her computer back until she paid a $490 bill for a repair she had not authorized.

Feblowitz called the shop, and the company said that Bond could have her computer back, and there would be no charge. The computer was returned, but the files had been erased.

"At least she got her computer back," Feblowitz said.

Seniors vs. Crime, staffed with "senior sleuths," has some clout because it's a project of the state attorney general's office. When a vendor receives a call and that's mentioned, it gets their attention, Feblowitz said.

"Oftentimes, that wakes them up. We call and confront them," Feblowitz said. "If we get a number of cases on a scam, then we can take the info to the attorney general, and he goes after them big time."

Along with coming to the rescue of consumers who have been victimized by everything from water filter firms to travel scams and identity theft, part of the senior sleuths' mission is education.

The volunteers will help anyone of any age who believes he or she has been taken advantage of, not just senior citizens. They will even assist consumers in checking out a company or product before making a purchase. The program also includes a Senior Medicare and Medicaid Patrol, which helps keep people from becoming a victim of health care fraud and abuse.

Statewide, Seniors vs. Crime has more than 3,000 volunteers in 30 offices and has recovered about $8 million for people since its founding in 1989, according to the attorney general's office. The program began in Boynton Beach as part of then-Attorney General Bob Butterworth's task force on crime against the elderly. The free service is funded through fines the attorney general's office collects.

"People have no awareness," said Feblowitz, who spoke to 19 community groups last year. "We tell them simple things. We ask how many people have their Social Security cards in their wallets or pockets and how many people carry their Medicare cards? Don't carry these with you. If they are stolen, the thieves will take your identity."

Feblowitz's advice covers the basics: "Don't give out any information over the phone. Be aware of bogus e-mails. Be alert and beware. If it sounds too good to be true, it is."

Sometimes after people realize they've been scammed into giving their credit card info to a caller or signing a contract without reading it thoroughly or checking out a company first, they're embarrassed.

"They are ashamed. They don't want their kids to know. They don't want their friends to know," Feblowitz said.

It helps that the Seniors vs. Crime are also senior citizens and understand, Feblowitz said. People feel comfortable speaking with a peer.

The sooner a consumer contacts Seniors vs. Crime, the greater the chances are that the problem can be solved.

A good example of that is a Palm Beach County woman who bought a foreclosed house. Representatives of a company called Florida Water Testing Inc., based in Clearwater, showed up at her door and said they needed to conduct a free test on the house's water supply. They said the tests found the water was contaminated, and sold her a $2,500 filter.

When her son arrived at the house and saw the filter was something anyone could buy for less than $50, he contacted Seniors vs. Crime. The woman was advised to call her bank and stop payment on the charges, which she did.

"We found out this is going on statewide," Feblowitz said. The Florida Attorney General's Office is investigating Florida Water Testing for allegedly using false water tests.

The truth is, many times, people can prevent being victimized. If you have any questions about a contract you're considering, bring it to Seniors vs. Crime before you sign. Don't wait until after the fact to find out the company is known for ripping off customers.

Evelyn Jacobson, a Royal Palm Beach resident who volunteers at the West Palm Beach office said, "If you go to Seniors vs. Crime first, they will help you investigate the company. Some people don't know where to look on the Internet."

Many times, Seniors vs. Crime can find a reputable company for a consumer to do business with, or even legal advice.

"We're not lawyers," Feblowitz said. "But we can help them find an attorney, for example, someone who specializes in condo law."

10 TIPS

1. Don't be pushed into a hasty decision, whether you are listening to a sales pitch from a telemarketer or face to face from a salesperson.

2. Free 'prize offers' are never free. The consumer usually has to do something such as pay a fee, buy another product, pay a tax or attend a sales presentation.

3. Don't provide financial information or other personal information, such as your Social Security number or bank account information, to people who call you over the phone or come to your home to sell you something.

4. Avoid in-home sales. Go to the seller's place of business instead.

5. Research companies before doing business with them and get everything in writing. Only scammers get offended at being checked out.

6. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Don't believe the unbelieveable, such as a letter or e-mail saying you have won a large sum of money.

7. Read a contract thoroughly before signing it. Get help from someone such as Seniors vs. Crime or ask your attorney or another adviser to look over the contract.

8. Any promises made but not written into the contract usually cannot be enforced.

9. If someone says that you must respond immediately, you are probably being deceived.

10. Your strongest power as a consumer is to walk away from a deal.

11. Just because a person seems nice and honest doesn't mean that he is. Scammers wouldn't be successful if they looked and sounded like criminals.

Source: Florida Attorney General's Office

Where to turn for help

Florida attorney general

Fraud help line:

(866) 966-7226

Seniors vs. Crime, statewide hot line

(800) 203-3099

Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

General consumer issues

(800) 435-7352

Seniors vs. Crime offices, a project of the Florida attorney general

Delray Beach

15127 Jog Road

Kings Point Professional Building, Suite 203

Delray Beach 33446

Open: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

(561) 865-1571

Boca Raton

1515 W. Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton 33486

Located in the Mae Volen Senior Center

Open: Tuesday, 10 a.m.- 12 p.m. (561) 395-8920

Tequesta Village Office

357 Tequesta Drive Tequesta 33469

Open: Tuesday, 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. (561) 744-4096

West Palm Beach Office

1937 Q N. Military Trail

Pine Trail Plaza 33409

Open: Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 10 a.m.-

12 a.m. (561) 683-7309

Treasure Coast Square Mall

3328 N. Federal Highway

Jensen Beach 34957

Open: Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (772) 692-7384

How can I protect myself from getting a virus?

In today's world having anti-virus software is not optional. A good anti-virus program will perform real-time and on-demand virus checks on your system, and warn you if it detects a virus. The program should also provide a way for you to update its virus definitions, or signatures, so that your virus protection will be current (new viruses are discovered all the time). It is important that you keep your virus definitions as current as possible.

Once you have purchased an anti-virus program, use it to scan new programs before you execute or install them, and new diskettes (even if you think they are blank) before you use them.

You can also take the following precautions to protect your computer from getting a virus:

Always be very careful about opening attachments you receive in an email -- particularly if the mail comes from someone you do not know. Avoid accepting programs (EXE or COM files) from USENET news group postings. Be careful about running programs that come from unfamiliar sources or have come to you unrequested. Be careful about using Microsoft Word or Excel files that originate from an unknown or insecure source.
Avoid booting off a diskette by never leaving a floppy disk in your system when you turn it off.
Write protect all your system and software diskettes when you obtain them. This will stop a computer virus spreading to them if your system becomes infected.
Change your system's CMOS Setup configuration to prevent it from booting from the diskette drive. If you do this a boot sector virus will be unable to infect your computer during an accidental or deliberate reboot while an infected floppy is in the drive. If you ever need to boot off your Rescue Disk, remember to change the CMOS back to allow you to boot from diskette!
Configure Microsoft Word and Excel to warn you whenever you open a document or spreadsheet that contains a macro (in Microsoft Word check the appropriate box in the Tools | Options | General tab).
Write-protect your system's NORMAL.DOT file. By making this file read-only, you will hopefully notice if a macro virus attempts to write to it.
When you need to distribute a Microsoft Word file to someone, send the RTF (Rich Text Format) file instead. RTF files do not suport macros, and by doing so you can ensure that you won't be inadvertently sending an infected file.
Rename your C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT file to C:\AUTO.BAT. Then, edit your C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT file to the following single line:

auto

By doing this you can easily notice any viruses or trojans that try to add to, or replace, your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Additionally, if a virus attempts to add code to the bottom of the file, it will not be executed.
Finally, always make regular backups of your computer files. That way, if your computer becomes infected, you can be confident of having a clean backup to help you recover from the attack.