Alan Cooke's blog

I have been flogging HTPC websites in one form another for several years now. I guess it is not in my blood to give up this damn hobby. Mike, in all his stubborness, keeps chipping away at me until I finally folded like a cheep card table.

What inspired me to come back at least on a part time basis?

20% of this decision was based solely on the fact that the website design has a nice new blockquote feature. It could use a little more orange, but hey I am not complaining.

Look at this shiznit. Back in my day, we had use three pages of code and we were lucky if it didn't bork the whole wesbite.

Though mainly, I decided to get back into this game because more home entertainment system is in an awful state since my most recent move. It has been that way for quite sometime and I aim to do something about. I hope getting back into the game would inspired me to make this work .

Remember how everyone said that the new ATI firmware would only work work with a Windows 7 network? Would Microsoft stoop to pushing Windows 7 upgrades. Personally, I think that would be unpossible myself. Kidding aside, we have a reliable source that indicates the new firmware and the copy freely feature will WORK with Vista machines as the client and the "server". If you recall, Vista was supposed to continue to copy protect all content and eliminate playback on other machines. The new firmware appears to remove this "feature" and allow for copy freely to work with Windows 7 and Vista.

We are not sure if this is something that slipped through the firmware build and maybe rectified later by ATI or Microsoft? Hopefully this will help our readers by saving a few upgrade dollars later down the road. This has not been tested by the folks at MissingRemote.com, so please take it as a rumor for now and hope it turns out that way. 

The CableCard sure has gotten a nice boost in the last few weeks :). Glad to see Microsoft and its partners taking it in the right direction. 

So my first taste of freedom was installing Windows 7 on my Athlon 3200+ with ATI IGP. Vista performance on this "Designed for XP" laptop was miserable at best, downright crappy at the worst. Hulu barely performs and often stuttered on 480p content. If you can believe it, I could not even carry a webcam conversation without it stuttering horribly.

With all of the talk about Windows 7 performance improvements, I had to check to see if it would run on my old beast of a laptop. The installation was lengthy. It took about 90 minutes to install and another hour to get all the drivers downloaded and reboots performed. I was beginning to have doubts but after everything was straightened out I found the performance to be snappier in every aspect. It works quite will with 768 MB of RAM and leaves me with 200+ free when browsing the Internet.

Hulu? - No problem

Webcam - No problem

DVDs? No problem

Blu-ray rips - Yah forgettabout it.

If you have Vista loaded on a lower grade laptop, you should walk, nay RUN, when W7 ships and get in on the performance increase. It is well worth it.

Now if only Softsled was available. If only.

Next HTPC project is to integrate my iPod into mysetup. Remote control for my HTPC box and extender AND streaming of videos from my server.

Edit: Jenny reminded me that the upgrade plan is only until Jully 11th. $50 is a great deal on W7 Home Premium upgrade. It is available from stores like New Egg as well.

http://www.microsoftstore.com/s/windows7?WT.mc_id=pointitsem_win7_generic_upgrade&WT.srch=1

Which ever rental I pick out of the suggestions gets another entry in the OnAir GT giveaway! I won't pollute your recommendations by giving out my personal preferences.

To get started, let me give you a quick idea of my planned home automation infrastructure. My plan, at least at this point in the ball game, is to automate lighting and HVAC systems. mControl server is installed on a Windows Home Server with access granted to mobile clients, internet connected PCs, and any locally connected Media Center clients and of course extenders. That is right, that light dimmer won't know what hit it.

Getting started with a Z-Wave network is pretty easy. I have an HA07 Intermatic controller that I used as the primary controller on my Z-Wave network. mControl uses the Z-Wave adapter utility to communicate with this controller. Check out page 30 in the manual for specific directions but the gist of it is that by pressing Start Receive the utility will download the devices that are setup on your controller and they will now be available for use within the mControl program. Easy as pie so far right?

I stumbled a bit through this process because I didn't read the user manual :). No one's fault but my own. I would like to see Embedded Automation  provide a "work flow" approach and a bit more background information in their manual. With that said, boy kudos to them for putting together a 300 page manual.

It was about 7:30 pm last night, give or take a couple of hours, and I was hard at work attempting to wrap my feeble mind around the shroud of mystery that surrounds home automation. Deep in its bowels I toiled for well over 10 minutes while I read the manual of the Intermatic Master Controller and how to assign a Z-Wave lamp dimmer module to a particular channel on the master controller. A couple of button presses later, BAM, the level 1 boss that had thwarted me in the most basic of HA tasks had been defeated. That is correct, I wirelessly controlled a light. Even better, it was from another room.

*Technical Note* - Although the Z-Wave USB adapter can be used as a primary adapter, it is recommended to get a master controller that is used as a primary adapter to setup your network. For security reasons, you have to be within 6' of your primary controller to set a Z-Wave module up. Who wants to take a computer around to each module for setup:)?

Level 2 promised not to be as easy. There were programs to install, devices to sync, zones to program, and scenes to produce. Really the procedure here was installing mControl on my WHS machine and doing a basic setup to confirm the local and internet server was running for future expansion. I admit, I fumbled my way through the setup for a few minutes. I had forgotten about the Zwave setup utility that should be used before attempting to setup mControl itself. All that was really involved in this setup was syncing my primary controller with mControl. This sync captured the fact that I had one lamp module connected to the setup and was now available for use within mControl. From there, I simply setup a zone and added a new device.

After that, I went to testing out various methods of controlling this one light. Since this is a WHS install, I simply logged into my WHS server http://whsserver/. With that you are taken to a webpage for mControl. It can be viewed on mobile devices as well by going to http://whsserver/mcontrol/mobile.aspx. Just like that, I am able to control this device via my mobile phone, iPod touch, and any internet connected computer.

Tomorrow I will throw up a few screen caps of the process and provide a little more detail on how I arrived from point A to point B As well I should be able to share the process of connecting VMC and 7MC clients.

In summary, this accomplishment is only rivaled by early man's successful attempt at taming fire. My next step is world-domination with one button press from my cell phone. A Windows Mobile cell phone no less........ 

JeffDunham has been around for quite a few years and I have really enjoyed his shows in the past. What got me thinking of his stand up shows was his recent Blu-ray release of his great ventroliquist act. I haven't been able to find a full length show online but Comedy Central has several 2 minutes clips that are worth a look.

The embed code Comedy Central wreaks havoc with the website, so I modified the Hulu embed code with what appears to be good results. I can tell John is cringing already. Let me know if there are any problems. Note to Comedy Central, ads are good, embedding text ads around the video is not. Seriously? ring tones?

Click here for all the Jeff Dunham videos on Comedy Central.

Not too many years ago, getting into the home automation game was a cost prohibitive and something best left to the professional installers. I am not here to say you are going to duplicate a $10,000 custom install job. Well, let me say that I may not duplicate a custom $10,000 job, but based on some of the DIY jobs I have seen out there it is a real possibility.

Here are a few resources I found along the way that should help you get started.

My previous tango with Movie Collectorz was only a few short months ago. It won my heart with a dual purposed approach that includes a MCML based Vista Media Center plugin (that works in Windows 7) and an excellent cataloging program. Since then, Movie Collectorz has grown into an integeral part of my Media Center setup. The combination of the two products work extremely well for my needs. With Version 6 out of the hopper, I hope to see some improvements that I outlined in my first review along with anything else they might throw in to continually imrpove the product.

Prior to releasing, much to their credit, the president of Collectorz released a series of emails outlined a few of the improvements they were going to make. Below is a quick summary of the improvements and my thoughts.

Overview of Cataloging Program

Perhaps the biggest change for V6 was the removal of all external data sources such as IMDB and Amazon. Now if you search you will only be using the Collectorz.com database. For the average user, this should simplify the process off adding a movie with only 1 source of information. V5 was a bit of cluster when using all the data sources. With that said, if you have a niche collection you will run into problems with the program supplying enough information. I had a pretty good success rate except when it came to kids movies I was adding. Below is a pic of a Max & Ruby cartoon search by barcode but came up with no plot information. If you don't deviate from the main stream movies to much, you should be good to go.

I am sure there are many good reasons to move to their own data-source but I really would have liked them to save the IMDB database

I admit it, when I first started thinking about home automation I did not have the environment in mind. Instead I was focused on convenience, wife acceptance factor and of course another fun geeky pursuit. The more I am drawn into the home automation world, it isn't hard to see that convenience and being green are often intertwined. As I documented my plans, I began to realize each HA task I planed on implementing had a positive effect on my utility bills and ultimately the environment.

Where I live, I know the capital cost to implement a home automation system will never be paid out by lowering my bills, however it is satisfying to know that part of my project will be and I will be a little more green in the process. A good example of this is simply having remote access, that most home automation systems have, and being able to shut off a light I inadvertently left on. 

Beyond simple remote access, you can expand a home automation system to respond according to external simuli. An irrigation system can respond to a rain sensor or lights will turn on and off according to a level of activity in the room. Ultimately, you can connect every object that may have an impact on your utility bills such as blinds, lights and your HVAC system

Here is a summary of a few home automation scenarios that I had in mind.

• Lights - Remote access to shut off a light I inadvertently left on or turn on a light before I get home
  
  • Motion sensor - Lights will shut-off after a set period of time with no inactivity
  • Dimming - Dimming lights will save on electrical and increase bulb life
• Irrigation - No plans here. I manually water my lawn but if I change my mind (get off my lawn you whipper snappers), I would implement a time control and a rain sensor
• Security - No green plans here
• HVAC - Remote access to turn control the temperature when I get closer to home
  • Programmed based on times
• Demand logging - I am not sure of the practacility of this, but I would like to see an instantaneous review of my power use to get a better handle on where it goes.

Everyone and their dog has had a chance to donwload Windows 7 beta. For various reasons including promises of fame, fortune, performance and a few crazy folks like us are trying out the Media Center portion of W7MC. I have had a few weeks to play with Media Center with most of my use focusing around Music, Movies & TV's. Here is the good and bad of Microsoft's Vista Redu. Enjoy the pictorial and video fun of W7.

Digg It

The Good

Improved mini-guide - I absolutely love it. This is how all mini-guides should be, one show at a time is near useless.

Hit the read more button to continue this fine saga.

When I pitched the idea of Home Automation to my wife, all she asked was, "Why does our house need to be automated?". Not a good start to my home automation project. Starting off with a negative WAF can be a hard hole to climb out of. The good news is that after several years of marriage, I am ready to climb another everest. I hope this one is as successful as the HTPC w/CableCards & extender route.

For more information on getting started I recommend checking out Chris Lanier's Guide to getting started with Home Automation . He summarizes the available standards, hardware installation and use of mControl. I won't duplicate his fine work :). A quick search of "getting started" on his site will reveal more useful posts.

Mike raised a good point in his comment. I really didn't outline my intentions and I sort of left it vague because I wasn't sure where it would lead pending my evaluation of the software, expense and economics of the situation. I do have some very general goals in mind that I will share. 

1. Convenience - Lving in a two story house with kids is the perfect storm for lights left on all over the house. It would be nice to have the convenience of checking to see what lights were left on in the basement, outside etc. I am not sure the reduction in my powerbill for this will ever payoff my investment but I think it is worthwhile.
2. Security - There is no window in our door so you have to open the door to see who is there. Not only for security but not having to answer the door when a sales person is there :)
3. Temperature Control - Though I have a programmable thermostat, I think remote access (all over house) and Internet, will have a big impact on gas and AC bill. As a family we tend to manually change the thermostat and forget about it, this should help resolve that issue.
4. Cool Factor -A lot of my project is driven my the inner geek in my. I want to have the lights dim when I start a movie etc :)
5. Remote Access - Access via the internet to check up on things while I am gone is important as well. I have had one house flood, that is enough for me :).

Hit the read more for more my shopping list. Update 1-18-2009 to include Zwave shopping list.

There has been a bit of hub bub in the Media Center world with Chris Lanier lashing out against Microsoft for lack of online content and the apparent lack of market focus Media Center has. Posts can be found on his blog here . With that came a number of response from various other ehome blogs such as Ian Dixon and Brent Evans and even had Charlie Owen from Microsoft commenting.

I am not really here to rebuke or provide agreement with articles, rather I would like to try and define the fight and provide perspective. As always, I would like to encourage everyone not to worry to much about marketing. Ultimately the software will be what you make of it. 

Regarding the online content to the TV. I am trying in my mind to define the battle that has been raging but from where I am sitting I am a few days early to a skirmish that has yet to take place and the main battle is still a couple of years away. It is easy to get excited when we see websites like Hulu pop up and alpha versions of software pop up to take advantage of it. As of right now, there are no commercially available software that enables online content. Its easy to compare XBMC to Media Center but they are two different animals. One with licensing agreements, one with out. Without a doubt online media is in its infancy (maybe toddler) years.

On the flipside, its easy to get frustrated when a gaming platform gets alot more love. Media Center should be a part of the Xbox experience not in addition to it. The marketing opportunities are far greater.

The battle for HD content from a TV source provider is roughly a tie between Windows 7 and SageTV. One has CableCards and the other has the HD PVR. I fully expect to see HD PVR support as it is only a matter of driver support at this time. Hauppauge would be silly do let this market go. It certainly isn't the cheapest or best option in the world but it certainly works. 

The extender front basically became a non-issue with Windows 7 support of many mroe CODECs. The 360 is a very viable extender and should support most anything you throw at it. 

There are many ways Microsoft can improve the Media Center product and I will outline my thoughts as I spend more time with Windows 7 and what it has to offer. Do keep in mind that we are in beta mode :).

What do I think of TV on the PC marketing? Eh? The marketing people fell asleep. Why would I use a 10' UI to navigate anything on a desktop when I can do it much more efficiently via the Zune software or another 3rd party product.

I don't believe the battle has even started and I am looking at throwing a few swings in the coming months ;)

Random suggestion for the day. Microsoft buying Netflix.

The music library, a place where an HTPC application can live or die. Microsoft has managed to keep the music library in good health with a few needed tweaks but has failed to take it to the Olympic level.

Let me start by saying I think Microsoft has really shined with their music library. All of the possible sorts you would want are their including auto-generated playlists of what music you listen to the most. Navigation has improved significantly with the Turbo-scroll option, making it a lot easier navigate through a large library.

The visualizations got a nice addition in the form of a music wall and picture wall. This animation will be a love it or hate for most people. If you get motion sick, avert your eyes ;).

The revamped "more information" screen continues to the music library. The improvement isn't huge but it does flow a bit better in my mind and gives easy access to actions you can perform.

I can't say much about albumn art at this time as I have yet to confirm if they are moving to higher resolution cover art or if they are sticking with the lower 200X200 artwork. So far it looks like they are sticking with the lower res artwork but I have seen a few bits of info to indicate they are moving to better covers.

There are a couple of things I would like to see improved on the Music Library.

• Add support to add your own podcasts and radio stations
• Integrate the Zune Marketplace, it is coming 

The TV strip in Windows 7, while similar to Vista, did receive several tweaks that alter the appearance and functionality of viewing and recording TV. The major changes to your TV viewing experience will be the revamped details screen. This concept is applied throughout the program and allows for content specific interaction such as program info, actions and other showings type of information.

The guide has been revamped in a couple of different ways. The obvious one is the inclusion of InternetTV channels that allow for easier access to the InternetTV content. This is a great idea IF they open it up to 3rd party developers. As well, you can edit the channel directly from the guide.

The mini-guide and program information, both accessed from LiveTV has received similar UI changes as seen in the video. One less button press to get to the synopsis is a good thing in my opinion. Of course, the inclusion of a "full" mini-guide is another improvement over the one show mini-guide of vista.

I was hoping to see QAM enabled by default when using a Hauppauge 1600 and W7MC, however this is not the case. The good news is that a couple of quick fixes will have you on your way.

First up, apply this registry key that is linked here.

After that, install the latest drivers from Hauppauge's website and you are good to go :).

As always, you will have to do the guide data shuffle to get the correct guide data to show up. As you can see from the shot below not all is right with that guide. On a seperate note, the integrated services is a huge win now that I have had a chance to use it.

To add any missing channels, head on over to the setup portion of W7MC and have your way with the data. Add missing channels is a good place to start if you think you are missing QAM channels. You can review all of the channels that the QAM scan picked up.