Make your Voices heard: Tell MS that you want WMC in W8

[makryger]

Let's not beat around the bush people. Dolby gone. Media Center shuffled off to the embedded team. IPTV focus. The WEC Forum bludgeoning of Media Center enthusiasts. And now we've seen the first evidence that Media Center is not present in the most recent W8 build. Sure, you can just wait and see, hoping that the missing WMC is simply a temporary issue, but I'm not willing to risk it. Now is not the time to panic. Now is the time to respond.

So make your voices heard. Email Steve Sinofsky at the Building Windows 8 blog, and tell them that you want Media Center in Windows 8. Tell him you'd be willing to PAY for Windows Media Center. For extra codecs, like dolby and blu-ray. Tell him that you purchased multiple copies of Windows 7 and multiple x-boxes so that you can use them with your HTPC. Convince him that he it would be a mistake to remove WMC from W8.

Contact Steve Sinofsky here

[richard1980]

We could all just take a trip to Redmond with some picket signs...

[spanner]

I have no clue if WMC will be in win 8 or what new form it might take, I do feel comfortable knowing that my Win 7 setup will see me through for some time yet. That being said information from Microsoft about our beloved WMC over the years has been murky at best. You never know were they are heading or how long they will support a feature, Idea, hardware, or even a marketing plan. I would love to see WMC go forward, with more apps and such, and would like to see it as a stand alone program separate from the operating system. I have already invested in this system and for that reason i emailed my concerns as you suggested. Can't hurt, right?

[kingwr]

The one thing that I have learned in my nearly 8 years as a Media Center user is that Microsoft doesn't give a flying leap what we want!

[winterescape]

good point, thanks for the contact link, I sent a plea..

[STC]

Sent

[STC]

...Microsoft doesn't give a flying leap....

Nicely put, although I could substitute a couple of words

[captain_video]

Sent in my plea that will no doubt fall upon deaf ears. I don't see myself upgrading to any version of Windows that doesn't provide support for Media Center and cablecard tuners.

[rbmorse]

The one thing that I have learned in my nearly 8 years as a Media Center user is that Microsoft doesn't give a flying leap what we want!

+10

[Pixelz]

I've added my 2 cents worth. Just hope it's not already too late.

[captain_video]

I got a response back asking me where I heard about this. I sent the link to the winrumors website and got a response back that he could not comment on anything that didn't come from Microsoft. The bottom line is that he neither confirmed nor denied that Media Center was being removed from Windows 8, although my initial impression was that it was only being removed from the current build and not the final version.

[STC]

I have said this before, but I bet my left you-know-what that MS will continue to support TV tuners of all types currently supported. It was only last CES that Balmer showcased the Ceton tuner. Whether Media Center gets dumped and a new method is provided for tuner support, or Media Center remains intact (albeit untouched!) I don't know...

[rbmorse]

I'll bet your other you-know-what that Microsoft's solution for tuners going forward will be X-box and/or Windows 7, at least for as long as Windows 7 remains a supported operating system.

The only reason to drop a feature from a pre-release build at this point is to solve a problem. That problem is not necessary within Media Center itself, rather it could be in a related sub-system or support library, but somebody decided the expedient solution to the problem was to drop Media Center.

Once a feature is dropped it is extremely difficult and disruptive to get it put back in. It's not just a matter of grafting another branch onto the file directory tree, especially if there are changes to core support libraries.

[STC]

I'll bet your other you-know-what that Microsoft's solution for tuners going forward will be Windows 7, at least for as long as Windows 7 remains a supported operating system.

The only reason to drop a feature from a pre-release build at this point is to solve a problem. That problem is not necessary within Media Center itself, rather it could be in a related sub-system or support library, but somebody decided the expedient solution to the problem was to drop Media Center.

Once a feature is dropped it is extremely difficult and disruptive to get it put back in. It's not just a matter of grafting another branch onto the file directory tree, especially if there are changes to core support libraries.

Worthy comments. I may run out of you-know-whats...

There are many tuners on the market, some only just released, Hauppauge still kicking them out etc. Hopefully they know something we don't about Win8. Viva Media Center 8!!

[trooper11]

I just think its too early to assume the worst, but at the same time, i dont think it hurts to let MS know that there is still a vocal community of media center supporters.

I have a feeling that at worst we will see media center redesigned, but with all the features that are important, intact. I could see them trying to redo the UI to more closely reflect the change in ui ideas at MS (i.e. xbox and wp7). Plus, since they obviously want to integrate it with the new start menu, i could see it taking on a new look in order to feel less like a seperate app.

Look, media support is not going away, MS has put too much effort across all its products to let that kind of support go. MS is all about streaming media, so you have to think they are working on ways to deliever that throung windows 8. The question remaining is what form of media support will we get. Will it simply be 7MC, a new MC app, or more integrated function that doesnt live as its own app.

[richard1980]

I'll bet your other you-know-what that Microsoft's solution for tuners going forward will be X-box and/or Windows 7, at least for as long as Windows 7 remains a supported operating system.

The only reason to drop a feature from a pre-release build at this point is to solve a problem. That problem is not necessary within Media Center itself, rather it could be in a related sub-system or support library, but somebody decided the expedient solution to the problem was to drop Media Center.

Once a feature is dropped it is extremely difficult and disruptive to get it put back in. It's not just a matter of grafting another branch onto the file directory tree, especially if there are changes to core support libraries.

Well, we have been in the transition from DirectShow to Windows Media Foundation for a number of years. At some point something has to get re-worked to continue the transition.

[holidayboy]

This could be an important time for us to make ourselves heard.

I'm not taking any chances. Everybody I know who uses Media Center has been told to send a message!

I'm happy to spend a few seconds doing it - even if it ends up making no difference in the long run.

[DanB_DE]

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2011 ... art-1.aspx

.....In this, and a subsequent post, I want to talk about four topics in particular: Feedback (which I’ll cover today), the Ribbon, Metro, and Media Center. I hope to add a bit of additional “focus, light, and magnification” without distorting the bigger picture here. Based on the comments and the dialogue, I do feel that each of these deserves some further discussion.......

DanB
#

[makryger]

Awesome. It would appear that our voices were indeed heard. Great job, troops. Looking forward to what they have to say. Crossing my fingers they are leaving us with some semblance of a DVR experience.

[duncane]

Part 2 is up...