MAVROMATIC » MCE

Netflix Now Officially On Windows Media Center

Danny Mavromatis — Wed, 20 May 2009 16:25:52 +0000

Netflix is now on Windows Media Center. You can find it listed under the TV + Movies section, titled Netflix. The video part of the application is powered by Silverlight which means they are not using the native MCML architecture?? I never understood why there was a whole different UI markup language for MCE, but I digress, the great thing about this version of Netflix player is that it also allows you to search and queue!

However, the biggest issue is that it does not work on Windows Media Extenders! I guess that’s why all the manufactures are dropping out. I just don’t understand the reasonings behind things like this… MSFT creates a pretty cool architecture, gets manufactures to create the products, then on the software side there are all sorts of limitations. First, it was you cannot stream DVD’s due to legal issues, fine. Now, you cannot play Netflix via extenders… why? Because it’s in Silverlight?

Here’s more on MCE supporting Silverlight - Windows Media Center Brings Netflix To Consumers Using Silverlight

[ Via Gearlive: Netflix officially comes to Windows Media Center ]

Samsung (MR-00EA1) MediaLive Windows Media Extender

Danny Mavromatis — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 01:23:33 +0000

Samsung has finally released their MediaLive module which is essentially a Windows Media Extender. The great thing about this is that it works seamlessly with all Samsung Series 4 and up displays. It supports wired (Ethernet) and wireless (802.11b/g/n) networks and includes a remote, power adaptor and HDMI cable. And for $190, this is a great price, however, if you don’t have a Samsung or don’t care about the seamless integration, you can get a Linksys DMA2100 for about $100!

- Samsung Media Live MCX

- Linksys DMA2100 MCX

VidaBox RoomClient HD Blu-ray Extender

Danny Mavromatis — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 22:58:50 +0000

One of the drawbacks with a Linksys Media Extender is that it doesn’t have a built in Blu-ray player. Vidabox just announced and released the RoomClient HD Blu-ray Extender. This does everything you expect it to do… with a price tag of $2999.

- VidaBox RoomClient HD Blu-ray Extender