Hello everyone,
My name is Jim Clark and I am going to start delivering Windows Media Center news, insights, rumors, guides, reviews, and whatever else related to Media Center, or MC for short. So who am I?
Name: Jim Clark
Age: 54 (Yes, I’m getting up there!)
Location: Marion, Iowa USA
Kids: 2 girls (out of college), 2 boys (one just graduated HS and another in 10th grade)
Occupation: Mechanical Design Engineer
Interests: Computer nerd, camping, watching my kids sports careers
WGS Username: JC634
I have been around PC’s since the mid 1980’s. My first computer was a PC XT clone. 20(!) meg HD, 1200 baud modem, BBS’s, CompuServe. God, that was cool!
Flashing forward 20 years…
Over the last 3 years or so, I have maintained an avid interest in Crystalfontz LCD displays and associated CrystalControl software. I maintain the User Screen Library forum over there and have written several worklogs centered around CF displays. I have also written a Users Guide for their software.
OK, enough about me. Back to Media Center.
Before my MC cohorts and I can provide the most pertinent information to you, the reader, we need your feedback. What kind of information are you looking for? Do you have any MC or Digital Media sites that you peruse frequently? Let us know. Quite simply, we hope to become a central information hub on MC that you come to. To do so, we need to know what you want to learn about.
If you are new to MC, don’t feel like the Lone Ranger. I’ve had Vista since it went on sale to the public, but I did not use MC until late last year when I wanted to convert some VHS tapes to a digital format. Hello TV tuner, and after that, Hello MC. It was earlier this year that I put together my WHS. I quickly found this machine to be an ideal place to store all my CD’s, DVD’s, and pictures. As well as my converted VHS tapes. Nice central repository so that I could share this data among any computer I had attached to my WHS.
So if you are new to MC, this is your chance to learn about the various features of this software along with me. If you are a veteran of MC, this is your chance to share your knowledge.
July 5th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Hi there Jim, nice to meet you….well here is my question…everytime I access MC from my Xbox 360 it freezes up… can you help me out there? Thanks.
July 5th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
Hi there jim and welcome I look forward to your post. Im an avid MCE user and can help out alot. I would love to here what type of setup you have maybe with pics. I currently dont user VMC to its full potential because of the lack of true HD support with out buying a certified pc. Im currently debating if I should sell my current HTPC and buy a certified pc but with ther forthcoming true2way Im reluctant to do so. I would love share my frustrations and joys of this hobby with anyone willing to listen, Believe you me I have spent countless of hours reading forums, books and the like in this.
July 5th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
@ Kalel: I have 2 Xbox 360’s in my home. They belong to my boys, so I have been reluctant to “experiment” with them. Till now.
You just gave me an excuse to try out the extender and see how it works! BTW, what freezes: MC or the Xbox?
@ Jarren: You may not know this, but you just volunteered to be my expert! Goto to http://www.crystalfontz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5726 if you want to see my computer room. Regarding HD, as one technology jumps advances, other technologies play catch-up. Mix in DRM, and it all becomes quite a mess.
July 5th, 2008 at 8:48 pm
Congrats on the new “job”, Jim!
July 5th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
@ Kalel: I just added one Xbox to MC. I had no problems other than having to configure the Firewall. I suggest you start a post in the forums so that I and others can help you out better.
@ Sam: Thanks!
July 5th, 2008 at 10:47 pm
Agree with Sam, welcome to your new job.
And I suppose we should bring you into the semi-secret project myself and GaMeR have been working on. 
July 5th, 2008 at 11:04 pm
Already posted about it in the forums. And yes!, as I’m just a weeee bit curious about it. I hope it works with VMC.
July 6th, 2008 at 2:03 am
@Jarren: Look before you leap with the CableCard stuff. One down side to the CableCard DRM that I took away from the Media Center University presentations that Channel 10 has been linking to is that any television recorded on a CableCard equipped PC becomes locked to that PC, no matter what tuner records it. Right now if you record a show OTA, you would most likely be able to share it with any other computer in your house. Record that same show with your OTA tuner in a CableCard equipped system and the show will have the same DRM lock down as if you had used the CableCard tuner. In such a scenario, your only option for sharing recorded TV would be through an Extender. If you want to distribute your recorded TV to another PC on your network, this might be an important consideration.
July 6th, 2008 at 9:31 am
Hey guys,
I’ve opened up a new Media Center forum at WGS Forums for discussion and support: http://www.wegotserved.co.uk/forums/index.php?showforum=106
Right now, I still need to plan out what depth we need to get into on the forums for Media Center, but this is the place to post questions and chat through support stuff together for now!
All thoughts and ideas welcome - it’s your community, so let me know what you need.
Best
Terry
July 6th, 2008 at 9:32 am
Oh, and a big thanks and welcome to Jim for stepping up and joining the WGS team!
Stay tuned for a few more additions….
July 6th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
@millpub Thank you for insight but Im well aware of the drm lock that is imposed by the cable card system. Thats why I have held off so long. I currently dont watch tv on my VMC computer because of the lack of HD. HD is what I bought my tv for. My stations are encrypted where I live and I watch a lot of discoveryHD and TBShd. I was waiting for the DirecTV tuner but its looking alot like that wont be available till 2010.