Tech Diversions

engadgetHD has a nice walk thru of Windows 7 Media Center.  I have found it to be much better than Vista Media Center.  One thing that was great for me was that I always had problems with my Hauppauge 1250 and clear QAM wasn’t available in Media Center.

After installing Windows 7 it recognized the 1250 without a problem and upon setting up Media Center it found the QAM channels and matched them with the guide perfectly.  I’m sure your mileage will vary but this was a huge advance from Vista.

More reading can be found at engadgetHD.

I decided to give the PP3 beta a shot on my Windows Home Server.  Mainly this is a Windows 7 update, but can be used on Vista as well.  The main enhancements are:

• Library integration for Windows 7 and Media Center
• Image backup for Windows 7 computers
• Automatically move Recorded TV to Home Server
• Archive Recorded TV to different formats

The install was painless on the server, although it has to be removed before installing the released version (Date TBD). After rebooting the WHS my connector on my Windows 7 RC desktop updated on it’s own.  At that point I could go into Libraries and see the integration with the Shared Folders.Music, Pictures, and Videos integrate automatically with the Windows 7 library.  Launching Media Center produced an install prompt for the updated MCE connector.  After installing you have options for moving and archiving Recorded TV. There’s also a console view available to check on the health of your Home Server from within Media Center. Overall the experience was good, I haven’t tried the image based backup yet but the Library integration is well worth it.  No more going to “Shared Folders” and it makes Media Player and Media Center easier to integrate.

There are several sites out there with more details, check them out here:   Using Windows Home Server , We Got Served .