Windows 7 Media Center screenshots
Windows 7 M3 made its way to my HP tablet PC and it is running on it - solid and fast for a few weeks now. It will be replaced this weekend with the new Windows 7 Build 7000 though.
But Windows 7 Build 7000 is already installed on my Windows Media Center in the lounge. I run an Apple Mac mini as a Media Center PC, booting into Windows via Bootcamp. It's a machine small and silent enough to be in the lounge.
Until now I had been using dvbviewer to watch Freeview (DVB-T) with good results. The receiver is a Hauppagge HVR-900, and while the whole setup struggles a bit with very high definitions channels (such as TV3) it does well on the other HD channels.
My main objective on upgrading this setup to Windows 7 Build 7000 was to test the built-in H.264 support, that would allow us in New Zealand to have Freeview HD terrestrial programs directly on the Media Center experience, without having to use a third party program.
And did Windows 7 deliver! The upgrade over the existing Windows Vista installation was smooth and quick. The Apple Bootcamp drivers all worked ok, and even the drivers for the USB DVB-T receiver worked fine.
Tunning worked well - but there are still problems with the EPG (Electronic Programming Guide).
Another thing I feel it misses is the - long lasting - lack of support for ISO files. The Media Center won't play a DVD backup in ISO format without third party software.
Other than these two points, it's a very interesting release so far. The PC itself boots much faster than before, channel switching is smooth and the picture is almost perfect.
Here are some screenshots for your pleasure:
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Comment by kinsten, on 21-JAN-2009 11:29
does it have to have a blue window bar at the top all the time, or can it run in full screen mode?
Comment by shermanp, on 21-JAN-2009 12:19
Does the HE-AAC audio work ok for live TV? I can't test Live TV atm, but I tried a couple of recordings from TS files (from mediaportal) and while I got perfect video playback, there was no audio.
Comment by GlenG, on 21-JAN-2009 13:05
Looks great - what are the specs of the Mac Mini? Ram/Proc/Video? Wondering if my ol' Winxp Media Center would survive the upgrade :)
Cheers
Comment by TheBartender, on 21-JAN-2009 22:46
What format were the movie files in the 'Movie Libary' section?
I tested with AVI's and had no cover art, and it had to reload the libary every time I entered it.
Comment by JayADee, on 22-JAN-2009 09:29
Is that the tuner that plugs in via usb and comes with an ariel? How many channels can you get here in NZ? I've been thinking of getting one of these instead of replacing the tv. :)
Comment by DataBitz, on 22-JAN-2009 14:54
Mauricio, thanks great information.
Have also been considering buying a USB TV tuner, could you let us know which brand/model you are using.
Comment by JayADee, on 22-JAN-2009 15:00
Thanks for the reply, freitasm.
Comment by Stu Crooks, on 9-FEB-2009 16:14
3 questions if you don't mind.
1. Does TV3 work better now that you are running it in Windows 7 MC or do the issues still remain?
2. Would you replace dvbviewer with MC 7?
3. Have they made EPG data available?
I currently use Media Portal under Vista which work great for all channels except TV3 but I think this may be an issue with the ATI graphics drivers. I like the Windows MC interface so would love to try it out.
Comment by Warren Hughes, on 9-MAY-2009 09:04
Does your Mac Mini have enough grunt to display HD Freeview channels OK? I'm trying to decide on a frontend - either a media center extender (maybe Xbox 360) or a Mac Mini.
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Comment by stevonz, on 21-JAN-2009 11:04
Niiice...!