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Dec

30

Digital Cable Advisor lets you know if your Windows 7 PC is Digital Cable Ready

Category: Vista News | Leave a Comment

Adding a CableCARD™ TV tuner is really the pièce de résistance in creating a full-featured Windows Media Center PC because it is the only way that US-based users can bring high definition, premium digital cable content directly into their PCs without using a set-top box. If you use Windows Media Center to manage your television and DVR needs, and you subscribe to a lot of premium  channels in your cable plan, then a CableCARD tuner makes great sense for you.

When CableCARD™ tuners first hit the market a few years ago, however, they required a Digital Cable Ready PC. At the time, these could only be obtained from an original equipment manufacturer, which was very much to the chagrin of DIYers and enthusiasts who were eager to round out their Home Theater PCs with a robust digital cable experience.

All of this changed with Windows 7, however. The OEM-only requirement was lifted and DIYers were free to build their own HTPCs with CableCARD™. What’s more, the next generation of CableCARD™ tuners are arriving on the market now from companies like Ceton, and coming soon from Silicondust, and the reviews thus far have been fantastic.

Enabling a Windows 7 PC for CableCARD

If you’re getting ready to take this next step with your Windows 7 PC, there is a tool called the Digital Cable Advisor that you must run for the successful integration of a CableCARD™ tuner. The Digital Cable Advisor measures system parameters such as CPU speed, RAM, graphics card support for hardware acceleration, and digital connection capabilities.

In Windows 7, Digital Cable Advisor can be found within Windows Media Center’s extras gallery.

Windows Media Center Extras Gallery

Before you run the Digital Cable Advisor:

Welcome Screen

After you select Install, you will be prompted to confirm the download and accept the end user license agreement. Digital Cable Advisor will start automatically after it has been downloaded.

EULA Screen

If any issues occurred during the download process or if the tool doesn’t automatically start, navigate to Extras | Extras Library in Windows Media Center to run the tool. If the tool was not successfully downloaded, try to download it again from Extras | Extras Gallery.

Installing DCA

Select Next to start the tool and display the license agreement. This second set of terms relates to the updates that will be made to the system if it meets the minimum requirements.

Terms of Service

Above: Terms of Service for system updates

After agreeing to the terms, you are ready to test your system. Select Start Test to analyze your system.

Starting the test

The tool may take several minutes to run the tests to analyze the system. The tool’s progress is indicated above the Start Test button. When complete, you will select Next to see the test results.

Digital Cable Advisor System Analysis Results

If the system does not meet the minimum requirements, the results will indicate where the system has failed. Make note the results and consult with a qualified computer reseller to upgrade the necessary components. Below, a sample failure caused by a system’s graphics card.

Graphics card failure

Here are results for a PC that has a processor suitable for digital cable, but additional RAM and an upgraded graphics card are required:

Multiple Failure

Finally, an example of multiple failures. This PC would not provide a quality digital cable experience.

Complete failure

Success!

If your system has met the minimum requirements, you will be notified and prompted to update the system settings. Select Update System Settings to configure the system to support a digital cable viewing experience on your PC.

Update on success

Once the PC has been updated with the necessary configurations to support a digital cable experience, a congratulations page is displayed along with additional considerations for ensuring the highest-quality viewing experience.

Congratulations

Next Steps and Additional Considerations

Now that you have enabled your PC for digital cable, you will still need to obtain a digital cable tuner, a CableCARD™ from your cable service provider, and a premium content subscription. How cable companies deal with CableCARD™ Windows Media Center PCs tends to vary greatly by provider. Check out Windows Help and How-To for more information on the process, and if necessary, seek assistance at TheGreenButton.com, our forums for Windows Entertainment and Connected Home enthusiasts.

Trying Again…

If the system does not meet the minimum requirements, update the necessary components and run the Digital Cable Advisor tool again from Extras | Extras Library.

Extras Library

Finally, some resources that may help you as you go down this path:

Dec

28

Create Great User Experiences with Runtime Intelligence for Windows Phone

Category: Vista News | Leave a Comment

About two months ago, Brandon announced our partnership with PreEmptive Solutions to bring analytics for free to every Windows Phone 7 developer.  The reception has been great:  developers are using PreEmptive’s Runtime Intelligence (RI) for Windows Phone to instrument their applications and get deep insights into user engagement with the apps they create.  There are already hundreds of applications in the Windows Phone Marketplace that are using RI to improve the user experience and to make smart decisions about what to build next.

Back in November PreEmptive released a new version of the tools.  Now, Runtime Intelligence is much easier to use:  no more “starter template” and obfuscation is smarter and easier to configure.  Good news if you’re in the “good artists borrow, great artists steal” camp:  there are two new sample applications (one for Silverlight and one for XNA) included for your stealing/learning pleasure.

A couple examples of the data you can get from RI appear below in the screen caps from the RI portal.  This is real data from a live WP7 app (bonus points if you can name the app…hint:  it’s an open source app on CodePlex).  Application runs over time, number of unique users, average time spent in the app, feature usage, and geographic distribution are all available.

 

The RI portal lists application runs over time, unique users, average time spent in app, feature usage

 

The RI portal shows a map of where the app is being used.

 

Get Started (Your Users Will Thank You)

Get started with RI by going to sign up & download the software.  It’s free, sign-up takes 30 seconds and you’ll get your registration credentials and software download link emailed to you right away.  I also recommend that you watch this quick-start video: it is less than 13 minutes long and gives you a great overview of how to get up and running.

If you’re already using the older version of RI (i.e. you got it prior to November 29th), you will need to download the new version as the old version expired on December 17, 2010.  You don’t need to sign-up again:  you should have already received an email from PreEmptive with download and installation instructions.  Any applications you’ve previously created and released to Marketplace will continue to do what you’d expect based on what you set-up:  stream usage data to the RI portal and/or make use of obfuscation.

What kinds of things might you do differently if you knew how your app was being used in the wild?  How would you improve the user experience of your app by understanding its actual usage?  Already using RI?  I’d love to hear how you’re using it.  If you’re not using it then please share your thoughts on how the insights could help you create the best app possible.

Ben Lower, Product Manager, Windows Phone Developer Experience

Dec

28

Windows Phone Meet Up – Tempe, AZ

Category: Vista News | Leave a Comment

If you live in the Phoenix area and want to take a quick break from the holiday fervor or wind down after work Thursday, swing by the Four Peaks Brewery in Tempe, AZ.  I will be there with a few of the Windows Phones to check out, and can answer questions you might have about our new phone lineup. Heck you even have the chance to walk away with a new Windows Phone. The meet up is very casual and everyone is welcome. I will be there from about 6-8pm, hope to see you there! Follow me on Twitter for the latest meet up updates and look for the guy in the green Seattle hat. You can also just ask the staff for the Windows Phone meet up. Map and directions here.

DSC_1746

@brianseitz

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