Through the generous gift from one of the MVPs I can sweeten this offer for helping Hurricane Katrina and Rita Victims.  We now have a copy of Windows XP Professional and Office Professional Edition 2003 to raffle in addition to Visual Studio 2005.  Instead of one lucky winner we will have three.

Interestingly enough, we only have three people currently in the running.  Give them some competition -- odds are really good right now for anyone to win.  The real winners are the folks devastated by the hurricanes.

Details are located in Donate To American Red Cross Hurricane Relief To Enter Raffle for a Copy of Visual Studio 2005, Office or Windows. Hurry, offer good until September 30!

Here is your chance to tell us what we can do better to engage the Media Center developer community.  If you have a suggestion, leave it as a comment here for all to see.

The last 30 hours have been really, really interesting.  As a result of forwarded URLs with 'have you seen this' attached I have had separate conversations with two smart, passionate developers who posted information they probably shouldn't have from a legal perspective.  So far, both have responded positively to my suggestions and offers of assistance, feedback, support, etc.

So here is the deal: If you are a developer doing 'interesting' things with any product outside the scope of a published and public software development kit, take a moment and follow this simple rule:

Be Smart

Read the End User License Agreement before posting the wonderful thing you have discovered.  If you have even the slightest shred of doubt whether or not you should post, keep the information to yourself or contact the company who owns the software and ask for clarification.

Here's the deal. I don't have the bandwidth or inclination to keep calling folks and pledging my personal support of their efforts. I'm not a lawyer nor a law enforcement officer. I'm just a guy trying to help enable developers, designers and companies on the Media Center platform.  From now on, if you choose to Be Dumb and someone points it out to me (or I see it via Google Alerts, RSS feed I happen to be subscribed to, website I happen to be perusing, etc.) it's just going to get forwarded to our Legal and Corporate Affairs team.  Not out of spite -- they get paid to look into these matters and resolve them -- I don't.

That said, you can ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS send your feedback about the Media Center platform to me directly. I may not always answer (my Inbox stays pretty full with Follow Up flags galore) but I guarantee I will read your feedback and pass along as appropriate to our development teams.

* 'Be Smart' isn't my idea.  I heard it first from Scoble in reference to blogging.  It seems an equally good maxim for this topic.

Thomas ranted, I responded and then Thomas responded to my response.

I love the feedback - Thomas got more specific and less vitriolic.  It's gonna take a while for me to digest his latest post.  I do hope to respond in the next day or two (or three, four) but it may involve a good bit of 'Tell me you can't tell me...' as Thomas requests.

Initial feedback: There is an extremely fine line when it comes to transparency. I believe if Thomas were in our shoes he would absolutely, positively agree with how transparent we are (or aren't) right now.

Thanks for being so passionate, bold and honest Thomas - we do listen, pay attention, and action upon your feedback and that of others.

For over two years Media Center service, content and application companies and enthusiasts have been working hard to distribute their designed for Media Center applications to the public. Outside of Online Spotlight it’s been tricky for consumers to find these great applications. Folks can search and find software in a variety of places but to date there hasn't been a single place consumers can go to find a breadth and depth of offerings.

Our team is super lucky to have someone like Shelley McIntyre and our marketing team working with Windows Marketplace and CNET to get a program in place so a broad spectrum of companies and enthusiasts can get their applications in front of Media Center consumers.

You can learn all the details from Windows Marketplace For Media Center Applications (Adobe Acrobat PDF).

If you have any questions, leave 'em here in the comments or send an email to mceapps@microsoft.com.

Richard Kuo, CTO of SnapStream writes how they are being affected by Hurricane Rita, which has now become a category 5 storm.  Scary.

It's a good time to remind folks to donate to the Red Cross for a chance to win Visual Studio 2005.  Details are on my post Donate To American Red Cross Hurricane Relief To Enter Raffle for a Copy of Visual Studio 2005.  I'm sure folks in Texas will need the help as well, so be generous and give.

Thomas Hawk is ranting about Media Center in this scathing post.  I typically don't respond to this sort of rant since it's fairly typical. I respect Thomas and know this isn't truly his heart speaking.  Because of who Thomas is and the fact he *is* one of our 'biggest advocates' I'm going to take the time to give him respect and respond.

Thomas Hawk --> Why does Media Center suck? Well first and foremost they have no HDTV solution. Yes I sound like a broken record here and blame whoever you want for it, but bottom line is they just can't seem to get a deal done when they should have years ago. As households are rapidly adopting cable and satellite freebe offerings, the Media Center PC as a home entertainment device is losing luster.

To be clear, Thomas is bemoaning the fact we don't have native digital cable support in Media Center today, right now.  He also doesn't mention we *do* support HDTV via ATSC over the air (OTA) broadcasts and went to great lengths to enable this feature.  We haven't been sitting on our laurels twiddling our thumbs -- the ATSC work went a long way in preparing the platform for HD content delivered from a variety of sources in the future.

I'm also surprised Thomas completely ignored and never referenced the Nagravision and Microsoft Announce Agreement to Deliver Innovative Solutions for Digital Pay-TV to Windows Media Center PCs press release, which states...

"Nagravision and Microsoft will work together to enable the development of cost-effective products and services that use both parties’ technologies for the delivery of premium television content to personal computers running the Windows XP Media Center Edition operating system and its ecosystem of connected devices, including Xbox 360™ and Portable Media Centers."

...and goes on to say...

"Today at IBC2005, Microsoft and Nagravision are demonstrating the first results of their collaboration: a proof-of-concept device, implemented on Microsoft’s reference design by Digital Keystone Inc. This demo shows CANAL+ Group’s TV programs being securely broadcasted through Nagravision’s conditional access system before being securely “bridged” into Microsoft’s digital rights management (DRM) content protection technology to enable authorized access on Windows Media Center PCs and their ecosystem of connected devices. This Nagravision CA-to-DRM bridge, shown on Nagravision’s booth #1.420, supports current business models and enables quality-perfect, authorized access of premium TV content. It allows network operators to take advantage of the innovation around media consumption on Media Center PCs and their entire ecosystem of connected devices."

Thomas Hawk --> And don't quote me statistics about stronger sales of Media Center PCs than ever. These are just regular old PC sales masked as Media Center PCs. All you have to do is look at the number of units sold without a tuner to get the picture that MCE is being sold as a cheap add on to a regular PC and not as a gateway to the living room where the real long-term power lies.

Cheap shot, Thomas.  Tunerless SKUs are actually a good thing on several fronts...

1) Consumer Choice.  Who says having only a single option of all the bells and whistles is a good thing for every customer?  Why does Honda make a Civic, N2000, Accord, Element, Pilot, CRV, Odyssey, Ridgeline and the entire Acura line?  Contrary to popular belief, one size doesn't fit all.  Consumers demand choices.

2) Affordability.  Eliminating the tuner allows Media Center to be more affordable to the masses and allows for an entire ecosystem of add on products if a consumer decides later on they want to have a TV tuner in the box.

3) Competitive Advantage for Web Driven / Emerging Technologies.  Tunerless SKUs of Media Center help advance the value proposition of IP delivered content (including his beloved FlickR).

4) A TV Tuner is just a part of the overall value proposition for Windows and Media Center.  Take the TV tuner out of any run of the mill DVR and tell me what you have left?

Thomas Hawk --> Secondly, their music player, Windows Media Player sucks. It simply can't handle my large digital library and although "testing" was supposedly going on to index the WMP database years ago, no solution appears imminent.

Just because you don't see it Right Now doesn't mean we have ignored the feedback and aren't working on the solution. We are making significant investments to improve this experience for all users. Thomas, I guarantee you will be pleased with the results.

Thomas Hawk --> Third, Windows Explorer sucks. With a large digital library I simply cannot effectively copy files or back files up without having disc errors. Large batch copy jobs are super difficult as one little error aborts the whole job.

I routinely copy massive amounts of data around my home network and between discs with nary a problem. I regularly use Norton Ghost to manage incremental backups.  Thomas, you might find help more forthcoming if you actually describe the specifics of the problems you encounter rather than ranting (send me a pointer if you have and let's see if we can figure things out).  I've been meaning to try the Microsoft SyncToy on multiple file libraries on multiple Media Center PCs at work and in my home to see if it works.  If it does, backup just got a whole lot easier for me.

Thomas Hawk --> And what is being done about these things. Probably something, but as far as I'm concerned NOTHING. Because NOTHING is being communicated. Microsoft lives in this secret veiled society where they won't share their development plans with even their biggest advocates.

<Chuckle>

Do I have an email from Thomas asking about these things?  Nope.

Do I have a voicemail from Thomas asking about these issues? No.

Did Thomas ping me via IM about his concerns? Haven't seen one.

Did Thomas Skype me to discuss his feedback? Not yet.

Does Thomas see a pattern here? I hope so.

We disclose stuff about future versions of our products all the time -- but only do it at the proper time.  This is not new and unique to Microsoft.  Every company with an Intellectual Property play does as well.

Thomas Hawk --> And they've done a bunch of crap with Online Spotlight, but frankly I hate most of that stuff anyways. It has huge potential but the content frankly is not there. Why do I want to go to Cinema Now and download crappy non high def movies? I don't and thus I don't.

CinemaNow has high definition content available -- it may not be current blockbuster movies, but the fact Thomas doesn't know they have taken a step in the right direction is, well, enough said. Sit down and explore AOL Music On Demand, listen to National Public Radio or XM Radio via Media Center and your remote control (these also work on Media Center Extenders). Watch unedited news reel footage at Reuters (their Oddly Enough category is always worth a laugh or two). Surely there is *something* Thomas might like in Online Spotlight if he really took the time to explore. Is it still very early in the development of this paradigm?  You betcha, but it isn't crap -- but the content available only gets better (and sooner than you think).

Thomas Hawk --> Throw in that Microsoft is caught between two masters, their Hollywood partners (for god only knows why these are the most hated people in the world) and empowering their end users, and things slow down even more. Message to Microsoft. Nothing would make Hollywood happier than if your entire digital media initiatives were ground to a sharp screeching halt.

Actually, nothing could be farther from the truth.  Content partners (studios, labels, producers, etc.) own the content you want, and will only make it legally available to you when they feel comfortable about the delivery vehicle.  A platform which puts content owners and content consumers together in a mutually agreeable way is our goal. It's actually pretty simple-- no media, no Media Center.  We absolutely must collaborate to bring the great content to you in a manner which is compelling, easy and on agreeable terms to all.  Personally, I think we are doing a pretty good job of making both sides satisfied.  This is a long term play, and we are here for the long haul.

Thomas asked me for an interview a while back, and I gladly accepted. I'm curious why he didn't leverage that earlier positive encounter to touch base again. Thomas, do yourself a favor -- pick up the phone and call me at 425-707-7818. I will always answer or return your call and do what I can to answer your questions. At least I promise you won't feel so crappy about our product or your advocacy of same after talking it over with a friend.

Congratulations Chuck Sears of Oregon State Univeristy -- you are now the proud owner of the last Media Center Keyboard given away at PDC05.  Thanks to all who gave me their business card (or name written down on a piece of paper) at PDC05 -- let's do it again at the *next* PDC.

Well, Troy beat me to the punch, but I might as well post anyway.  You can get a copy of the PowerPoint deck I used at PDC05 for PRS322 Windows Vista Media Center: Developing for the 10-Foot Interface, a high level introduction to some of the features we are adding to the Media Center platform for Windows Vista.

I also recommend a couple of the other presentations from http://commnet.microsoftpdc.com/content/downloads.aspx for you to get a more complete picture of the development platform for Media Center in Windows Vista...

The Hosted HTML model isn't going away for Media Center developers in Windows Vista, and Michael Wallent's talk helps you decide which is the best approach in PRS200 Choosing the Right Presentation Technology: Windows Presentation Foundation ("Avalon"), Windows Forms, ASP.NET, IE, and More.  Furthermore, the ASP.NET 2.0 team tells you how to get the most out of targeting HTML in PRS312 ASP.NET: Future Directions for Developing Rich Web Applications with Atlas (Part 1) and PRS420 ASP.NET: Future Directions for Developing Rich Web Applications with Atlas (Part 2).

Robert Ingebretson has a must read PRS317 Windows Presentation Foundation ("Avalon"): Beautiful Code, Beautiful Design - Applications Your Designers Can Work With.  Memorize this deck and you will be well prepared for creating wonderful experiences in 2' and 10'.  And don't forget his demo deck for the presentation.

PRS324 Windows Presentation Foundation ("Avalon"): Using Data in Your Windows Presentation Foundation ("Avalon") Applications: XML, Windows Communications Foundation ("Indigo"), ADO.NET and More will help you wire up the great graphics and UX to the underlying data.

For those of you who want the nitty gritty, check out PRS435 Windows Presentation Foundation ("Avalon"): Going Under the Hood to Understand the Architecture and PRSL05 Case Study: What We Learned Building Project Max on WinFX are invaluable.

These presentations will give you a great introduction and begin to build your foundation for Media Center design and development in Windows Vista.

And there is still more to come...but I can't talk about it just yet...you're gonna love it...

John G. Spooner: The rise of the Media Center PC may finally be at hand.

The music and video-oriented PCs, which are based on Microsoft Corp.'s Windows XP Media Center Edition, are showing signs of life, thanks to efforts by Microsoft and PC makers such as Dell Inc.—which will roll out several new Media Center models later this month—Gateway Inc., and Hewlett-Packard Co.

Read more at Media Center PCs Look to the Future over at www.pcmag.com.

We are showing an XBox360 running Media Center Extender today as part of my presentation PRS322 Windows Vista Media Center: Developing for the 10 Foot Interface.  We also talk about the new developer features coming to Media Center in the Windows Vista timeframe.

Derek Hatchard of Ardent Development Solutions has won the second Media Center Keyboard at PDC.

We are giving away a third Media Center Keyboard today at PDC so stop by the Presentation Track Lounge and ask me a great Media Center development question to be entered to win.

Wayne Bynum of Intel has won the first Media Center Keyboard at PDC.

We are giving away another Media Center Keyboard tomorrow at PDC so stop by the Presentation Track Lounge from 2:30 - 6:15 PM and ask me a great Media Center development question to be entered to win.

Stop by the nSoftware booth at PDC and register to win a Media Center Extender for XBox kit.

Here I am backstage with Beth (aka 'Sonic' -- you will understand if you see her at the conference).  Beth is a keynote technical specialist.  Also here is Eric C., the keynote technical lead.  This guy and gal are what make PDC keynotes sing. Things go right with our keynotes because of their hours and hours of both advance planning and dedication to making everything work as planned.

Beth has especially been helpful in tracking down one of our keynote primary machines that was 'lost' for a time yesterday in shipping from Redmond to the Los Angeles Convention Center.  Thanks Beth.

It's now about 4 minutes before the BillG and JimAll keynote, and they are cool as cucumbers -- all is well. Time to rock-n-roll.

Scoble, you need to come do a Channel9 video back here with these folks.

They keynote is absolutely going to rock this morning.  There is an *hilarious* video that most everyone in the audience will relate to their teen years.  There are more fantastic demos in this keynote than in years prior with a bunch of serious eye candy developers and designers will love.

Andrew and I will be hanging out in the track lounge after the keynote and this afternoon.  Don't forget to come and ask us a great question to win a Media Center keyboard.

Later on this evening, Sean, Andrew and I will be hosting Geek Drinks (Andrew is buying the first round -- we will see if we can talk him into subsequent rounds.)  Details are on Sean's blog post Update on Geek Dinner (er...drinks!)

Sean Alexander and I are hosting a geek dinner this coming Tuesday, September 13.  If you are interested in attending or suggesting a location leave a comment over on Sean's blog post.

If you haven't already given, let this be your incentive, as it was for Brian...

"I got up last Saturday morning planning to go to the Red Cross web site and make a donation and reading your post pressed me to do it sooner rather than later."

I posted Donate To American Red Cross Hurricane Relief To Enter Raffle for a Copy of Visual Studio 2005 at the very start of a long holiday weekend, so perhaps folks missed.  Based on the stats for this blog, I have about 200 regular readers. I know Media Center users and developers are a passionate bunch of folks, so I'm hoping the community will step up. The math is pretty awesome...

200 Readers X $100 Each = $20,000

Don't miss out on this wonderful opportunity to help the thousands in need.

[Thanks to Brad C. who caught my poor math skills...]

Our Media Center presentation at Professional Developers Conference keeps getting better and better...

I will demonstrating XBox360 + Media Center Extender at my presentation on September 15.  The Meet Me At Professional Developers Conference (PDC) 2005 and Win A Media Center Keyboard has more details on place and time.

Our good friend Ian Dixon joined Robert Scoble et al for a tour of the Microsoft Home in London.  This time he is the interviewee.

Ian Dixon (and others) - Microsoft Home in London, UK

And Ian definitely needs to update his avatar -- doesn't look anything like him, really.