Will the Echo be compatible with Windows 8?

[Joshc]

Actually... Microsoft has a KB article stating they made changes to the RDP protocol: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2796618

This does affect ALL Extenders aside from the Xbox 360.

[foxwood]

The KB article simply documents what is already known (as is pointed out every time someone brings it up). It does not say that the RDP protocol was changed to "not allow" Ceon to support Windows 8, and it does not say that MS are refusing to release the necessary SDKs that would be necessary to provide that support.

Media Center doesn't have it's own built in RDP stack, it relies on the RDP services built into the OS. They were radically re-architected in Windows 8, in a way that made sense for the new OS. At the time those engineering decisions were made, there was only one supported Media Center Extender available on the market - the XBox 360, and it was able to work with the new interfaces. Between the time that those changes were made, and Windows 8 was released, Ceton released the Echo.

Nobody from Microsoft or from Ceton has commented publicly on how or why the Echo came to be released without the ability to Extend 8MC. But when choosing between a straightforward technical explanation (relatively new SoC doesn't have the necessary drivers) and the "big bad Microsoft is blocking competition" explanation, I'm inclined to believe the straightforward technical explanation.

[gabrielcab]

Nobody from Microsoft or from Ceton has commented publicly on how or why the Echo came to be released without the ability to Extend 8MC. But when choosing between a straightforward technical explanation (relatively new SoC doesn't have the necessary drivers) and the "big bad Microsoft is blocking competition" explanation, I'm inclined to believe the straightforward technical explanation.

For start MS wont openly admit that they don't want competition for their next xBox TV store (who want to bet that MS will come with something that requires some kind of subscription to use their next xbox TV service?), and Ceton is too polite to publicly say that MS is doing everything to make the Echo fail.

Or maybe their new code is so extensively advance that no coder from MS is capable to understand and work with a partner to make it work after a months.

[Sammy2]

M$ is not doing everything to make the echo fail. Ceton has some blame here. As far as working with ceton is concerned, WMC is a dead end product with no development team to work with ceton on getting them to coexist under Win8.

[foxwood]

For start MS wont openly admit that they don't want competition for their next xBox TV store

Competition? What competition? There are hundreds of XBoxes sold for every Echo sold. If the Echo was going to compete with some notional new product/service from Microsoft, all those millions of existing XBoxes would also be competing.

[DarkKaplah]

I've had a Infinitv 4 PCIe in a Phenom 6x based system running windows 7 for a few years now that fed a xbox extender. This is probably the closest thing to the perfect DVR I've ever had. The Q would have been it, but now that Microsoft is monkeying around with Windows 8 I've been looking at alternatives for my next DVR based system. Right now I'm securing a few copies of Windows 7 on my MSDN account, but I'd like something with a bit more future-proofing.

Some quick questions:
Has the Echo gotten Android yet?
Has anyone tried XBMC for android on it?
How about getting the Infinitv cards to function in some of the supported XBMC backends?

Now that they have added PVR functionality this may be our way forward. Unlike WMC, XBMC on the echo would not be an extender, and could run content with plugins without issue. Hulu, Netflix, Amazon, and DVD isos wouldn't require complex hoops to jump through. They should just work in xbmc.

I would love to see WMC handed off to Ceton if M$ is going to drop support, and then see what they would do to the product. But we are talking about Microsoft. Instead of adding WMC to WHS, they just killed WHS...

[foxwood]

Unlike WMC, XBMC

doesn't handle copy protected content.

[slowbiscuit]

LOL, everyone wants alternatives to WMC, no one wants to pony up for the DRM to make a complete replacement. For good reasons, I'm sure.

[DarkKaplah]

Unlike WMC, XBMC

doesn't handle copy protected content.

I'm aware of this. Though if Ceton wants to keep a business model this may be something they need to pony up for. Right now they are fully dependent on WMC. If M$ kills the product, or continues to push Ceton out of the market they wull need a plan b.

[foxwood]

If M$ kills the product, or continues to push Ceton out of the market they wull need a plan b.

MS just released Windows 8, with WMC availableable as a $100 upgrade. I can't imagine it's going to get many new converts at that price, but Microsoft isn't going to go out of it's way to break the copies of WMC that are already running on millions of Windows 7 machines, which will all be supported until January 14, 2020.

Microsoft "killed" Windows 3.1 years ago, but if you still have the right hardware, Windows 3.1 will still run. Microsoft isn't going to produce any new versions of WMC, but the existing versions will keep working.

[Sammy2]

If M$ kills the product, or continues to push Ceton out of the market they wull need a plan b.

MS just released Windows 8, with WMC availableable as a $100 upgrade. I can't imagine it's going to get many new converts at that price, but Microsoft isn't going to go out of it's way to break the copies of WMC that are already running on millions of Windows 7 machines, which will all be supported until January 14, 2020.

Microsoft "killed" Windows 3.1 years ago, but if you still have the right hardware, Windows 3.1 will still run. Microsoft isn't going to produce any new versions of WMC, but the existing versions will keep working.

With the exception of maybe the free EPG updates. That could end at any time or M$ may find a way to monetize it.

[richard1980]

They can't end the free EPG updates due to WES7 (the embedded version of Windows that would be used to create a WMC STB). WES7 is distributable until July 27, 2025.

[foxwood]

With the exception of maybe the free EPG updates. That could end at any time or M$ may find a way to monetize it.

Microsoft stopping EPG updates won't kill WMC - there are lots of people using 3rd party EPG updates already.

If I had to pay for EPG updates, it might stop me starting out on the WMC route today (but the $100 cost for WMC in Windows 8 means is already stopping people starting out on the WMC route), but it wouldn't make me dump my existing system and go back to paying the Cable Co $15/month for a set top.

[barnabas1969]

With the exception of maybe the free EPG updates. That could end at any time or M$ may find a way to monetize it.

Microsoft stopping EPG updates won't kill WMC - there are lots of people using 3rd party EPG updates already.

If I had to pay for EPG updates, it might stop me starting out on the WMC route today (but the $100 cost for WMC in Windows 8 means is already stopping people starting out on the WMC route), but it wouldn't make me dump my existing system and go back to paying the Cable Co $15/month for a set top.

You only pay $15? My old 2-tuner SA box cost me $9.95 to rent the box PLUS another $9.95 for the "DVR service". To get their crappy "whole home" service, it would have cost me $82/month for five rooms (two of them with 2-tuner DVR's, and the others with a "dumb" cable box). And that still didn't get me a shared recording schedule! There would have been no conflict resolution between the two DVR's.

[Sammy2]

They can't end the free EPG updates due to WES7 (the embedded version of Windows that would be used to create a WMC STB). WES7 is distributable until July 27, 2025.

I think that M$ sold off the embedded version of WMC a few months ago so any agreement for guide service associated with it would have gone with it I think. The ToS for the guide specifically states that they can charge for it or discontinue it at any time.

[foxwood]

I think that M$ sold off the embedded version of WMC a few months ago.

I think not. That's not the kind of transaction that would slip out unnotticed, especially around these parts.

[holidayboy]

Wasn't it Mediaroom that was sold?

[DanB_DE]

I think that M$ sold off the embedded version of WMC a few months ago.

I think not. That's not the kind of transaction that would slip out unnotticed, especially around these parts.

Interesting, do you have a source where this info come from ?

DanB
#

[staknhalo]

Wasn't it Mediaroom that was sold?

Yes, not WMC.

[Shackleford]

Mediaroom was purchased by Ericsson. Mediaroom is the IPTV platform used by companies such as AT&T U verse, not windows media center.