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Windows 8 and mediacenter questions - no whining

post #1 of 32
10/27/12 at 8:41am
Thread Starter 
Has anyone done the upgrade?

Anyone tried mediabrowser?
Ceton tuner?
Multiple Xbox extenders in my house
Can you use a remote in the metro UI?

I'm going to do research on these questions and post the answers I find. I'll edit and add more questions as I think of them. If you don't like metro, complain about it in another thread.

I'm looking for solutions. I want to upgrade. I have Windows 8 running on a desktop at work and it is nice. I also have it running on a Samsung 7 slate and a surface. It is great on tablets. Learn how to use search in the start menu in Windows 7 and you'll be fine.
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post #2 of 32
10/27/12 at 9:11am
WMC8 looks and operates exactly the same as WMC7. It is not a metro UI app. MS didn't spent a penny to upgrade the WMC. I have successfully installed HDHomerun Prime CableCard tuner software and watching TVs without problems.
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post #3 of 32
10/27/12 at 9:18am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Foxbat121 View Post

WMC8 looks and operates exactly the same as WMC7. It is not a metro UI app. MS didn't spent a penny to upgrade the WMC. I have successfully installed HDHomerun Prime CableCard tuner software and watching TVs without problems.

From what I understand, many of the third party apps do not work. I believe media browser is one of them.
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post #4 of 32
10/27/12 at 9:28am
Yes, it's exactly the same. There's no gain, you rather run into issues related to 3rd party software (add-ons, drivers etc.). There is no point of upgrading a machine that is centered on WMC. And yes, I did try it out...
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post #5 of 32
10/27/12 at 9:33am
I'm not recommending Win8 either at this point. I don't see the benefit currently. Maybe this will change as it matures but for now Windows 7 seems like a better option for HTPC.
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post #6 of 32
10/27/12 at 9:36am
I can't get the Hauppauge Colossus PCIe tuner card to work in Mediacenter 8 yet. it sits at 0% scanning for channels even after rebooting and restarting.
If i could find away to get it past that point I'd be happy.
Playing previously recorded episodes works fine and doesn't appear to need the registry fix to correct the black levels that was needed in 7.
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post #7 of 32
10/27/12 at 10:29am
Thread Starter 
Mediabrowser doesn't work according to one topic. It appears to fail to install. I know that media center hasn't changed. I'm hoping I can launch other apps from the metro UI with my remote. I could launch the win 8 versions of music/videos/netflix etc.
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post #8 of 32
10/27/12 at 12:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by assassin View Post

I'm not recommending Win8 either at this point. I don't see the benefit currently. Maybe this will change as it matures but for now Windows 7 seems like a better option for HTPC.

I took the plunge. If you use Netflix or Hulu a lot I can see a benefit, as their apps on the metro screen are attractive and easy to use. But right now, I have lots of work to do. I need to get XBMC and HD codecs going. Plus I'll need to reinstall FlexRAID after the optimized WIn 8 driver comes out.
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post #9 of 32
10/27/12 at 12:41pm
Just updated my second PC which is a 1st Gen Core i5 laptop. I forgot that Intel refuses to offer Win8 drivers for 1st Gen Core processors/HD graphics. As a result, I'm not able to watch TVs on it. Time to back out the Win8 installation on this PC.
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post #10 of 32
10/27/12 at 1:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Foxbat121 View Post

Just updated my second PC which is a 1st Gen Core i5 laptop. I forgot that Intel refuses to offer Win8 drivers for 1st Gen Core processors/HD graphics. As a result, I'm not able to watch TVs on it. Time to back out the Win8 installation on this PC.

There is no point upgrading anything that does not have Win 8 drivers available (you should double check). Which is why I upgraded all my systems, getting ready for 8.
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post #11 of 32
10/27/12 at 2:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tiddles88 View Post

There is no point upgrading anything that does not have Win 8 drivers available (you should double check). Which is why I upgraded all my systems, getting ready for 8.

I knew and I encountered the same problem when I was playing with Release Preview. I just totally forgot about it.

The bottom line is that not everything is upgradeable to Win8. If your PC is not built within last two years, think before you proceed. In my case, everything else works fine using the default MS video driver. I may just forget about watching TV on it anyway.
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post #12 of 32
12/27/12 at 12:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bloodydrake View Post

I can't get the Hauppauge Colossus PCIe tuner card to work in Mediacenter 8 yet. it sits at 0% scanning for channels even after rebooting and restarting.
If i could find away to get it past that point I'd be happy.
Playing previously recorded episodes works fine and doesn't appear to need the registry fix to correct the black levels that was needed in 7.

I have the same issue; just sits at 0% forever. I think we'll have to wait on Hauppauge for this one. WinTV7 seems to mostly work, at least it will record. WinTV7 Extend has issues.
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post #13 of 32
12/27/12 at 2:15pm
did you try updating the drivers? the colossus is listed as Windows 8 compatible at the website.

also, did you try running it in windows 7 compatibility mode (or vista or xp)?
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post #14 of 32
12/28/12 at 8:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by onlysublime View Post

did you try updating the drivers? the colossus is listed as Windows 8 compatible at the website.
also, did you try running it in windows 7 compatibility mode (or vista or xp)?

the windows drivers have been updated but the windows media center drivers are still
hdpvr-colossus_mce_29271.zip from oct 2011
it won't ever work till hauppauge releases an update...which it doesn't seem all that likely they will.
which sucks since mediacenter is free till end of january and i've yet to find another pvr program that works as well(for windows)...when it works.
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post #15 of 32
1/9/13 at 12:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bloodydrake View Post

the windows drivers have been updated but the windows media center drivers are still
hdpvr-colossus_mce_29271.zip from oct 2011
it won't ever work till hauppauge releases an update...which it doesn't seem all that likely they will.
which sucks since mediacenter is free till end of january and i've yet to find another pvr program that works as well(for windows)...when it works.

I submitted a request to Hauppauge on this. Response was that they are aware of this issue and "engineering is working on it" whatever that means. They say this is due to changes in WMC by Microsoft.
Some other boards say that they have had some luck if WMC was running on 7, and then the Windows 8 upgrade was installed. I did a "clean install" of 8, and WMC will not work with Colossus.
If you have a working setup using 7, and you absolutely have to have WMC, I would say stay on 7. If you can live with WinTV, you can go to 8.
I'm using WinTV7, which is a bit lame, but does work OK on 8.
Note that "WinTV Extend" also has some issues on 8.
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post #16 of 32
1/9/13 at 5:25pm
yeah, Hauppauge can be hard to work with. I still can't get my Hauppauge cards to detect any channels in WinTV (in Windows 7; haven't installed WinTV in Win8)! and yet WMC in 8 or 7 finds them easily. It drove me crazy because there are certain situations when WinTV was useful (like recording from old video tapes) and I'd like WinTV to be able to tune channels as well as just a dumb recorder of video tapes.
Edited by onlysublime - 1/9/13 at 6:04pm
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post #17 of 32
1/9/13 at 5:37pm
Be careful. I've not been able to get past the Ceton driver install yet so I'm essentially nowhere. I'm into the OS in about 8 seconds though with an SSD.
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post #18 of 32
1/9/13 at 6:02pm
I installed Windows 8 yesterday and cannot get my Hauppauge 1250 or my Kworld USB tuner to work with WMC. Both worked on my other pc under Windows 7 so I guess I threw away $50 buying the upgrade and now have to buy another copy of Windows 7 frown.gif
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post #19 of 32
1/9/13 at 6:08pm
your hauppauge 1250 is based on the same connexant chipset as my 1600 and 1850 so it should work fine in windows 8. mine do.
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post #20 of 32
1/9/13 at 6:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by onlysublime View Post

your hauppauge 1250 is based on the same connexant chipset as my 1600 and 1850 so it should work fine in windows 8. mine do.

What drivers did you use? If I let Windows install the tuners WMC will not scan the channels to complete the setup. If I use Hauppauge drivers WMC crashes in setup when it detects the card. I tried installing the drivers in Win 7 compatibility and it still crashes.
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post #21 of 32
1/9/13 at 7:40pm
File name: wintv7_cd_2.6d.exe
File size: 87 Mb
Date: 12/13/2012

alright, I ran the installer to remind me of the process. no compatibility mode or anything. it left a shortcut on my desktop called "install wintv v7.x cd 2.6d". i ran that and clicked on the install drivers button which searched and updated the hauppauge drivers. it updated both my 1600 and 1850 cards. rebooted the system. off and running.

watching some weird fox reality show right now in wmc. it's something about diving.



I have a 3 monitor display and I didn't want to post a huge pic so I cropped out the third monitor and shrunk the resolution to a manageable side.
Edited by onlysublime - 1/9/13 at 8:17pm
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post #22 of 32
1/10/13 at 5:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by BillBragg View Post

Be careful. I've not been able to get past the Ceton driver install yet so I'm essentially nowhere. I'm into the OS in about 8 seconds though with an SSD.
My Ceton PCIe had no issues installing in Win8. Are you using the Win8 drivers from here? http://cetoncorp.com/infinitv_support/beta-driver-update/
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post #23 of 32
1/10/13 at 5:50am
Quote:
Originally Posted by onlysublime View Post

File name: wintv7_cd_2.6d.exe
File size: 87 Mb
Date: 12/13/2012

alright, I ran the installer to remind me of the process. no compatibility mode or anything. it left a shortcut on my desktop called "install wintv v7.x cd 2.6d". i ran that and clicked on the install drivers button which searched and updated the hauppauge drivers. it updated both my 1600 and 1850 cards. rebooted the system. off and running.

watching some weird fox reality show right now in wmc. it's something about diving.



I have a 3 monitor display and I didn't want to post a huge pic so I cropped out the third monitor and shrunk the resolution to a manageable side.

I'll try again later following your direction. Thanks for taking the time to do this smile.gif
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post #24 of 32
1/10/13 at 9:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by bryansj View Post

My Ceton PCIe had no issues installing in Win8. Are you using the Win8 drivers from here? http://cetoncorp.com/infinitv_support/beta-driver-update/

Yeah, I've tried the latest on the Ceton site. I get a DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION every time I install. I opened a ticket and sent them my MSINFO32 and a Kernel dump showing the fault in ceton_mocur.sys but I haven't heard back from them since 12/24. I beginning to think my support ticket has gone into the bit bucket.

It might be time to put this InfiniTV4 thing and the Echo back in the box and give it back to Amazon.
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post #25 of 32
1/26/13 at 6:36am
Did you have any success with this? Using Win 8 pro media center With a collosus, ran through the same steps that got my bell sat working in media 7 but it's stuck on scanning channels.

I have the exact same issue.
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post #26 of 32
1/26/13 at 9:05am
Quote:
Originally Posted by nambi View Post

Did you have any success with this? Using Win 8 pro media center With a collosus, ran through the same steps that got my bell sat working in media 7 but it's stuck on scanning channels.

I have the exact same issue.
I don't think you can compare this. I'd assume that Ceton is more likely to release new drivers/software than Hauppauge. It took forever until Hauppauge finally supported the HDPVR/Colossus in Media Center. So it's best to stick with what actually works for these devices (Windows 7)
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post #27 of 32
1/27/13 at 8:30am
Thread Starter 
So I upgraded about a month ago and have had no issues. The new netflix win 8 app is great. Windows mediacenter has become less important to me. I'm using more metro apps to do the things I want.

One note... I did an in place upgrade and all of my old apps continued to work.

Normally, I would do a clean install, I wanted to keep my old DRM tv shows working for my kids.
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post #28 of 32
1/30/13 at 9:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mo0sic View Post

So I upgraded about a month ago and have had no issues. The new netflix win 8 app is great. Windows mediacenter has become less important to me. I'm using more metro apps to do the things I want.

One note... I did an in place upgrade and all of my old apps continued to work.

Normally, I would do a clean install, I wanted to keep my old DRM tv shows working for my kids.

are you currently using your Win8 machine to watch live tv. How are you doing this outside of Windows Media Center "apologies if this question sounds to noobish"
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post #29 of 32
1/30/13 at 11:07am
Quote:
Originally Posted by victor M View Post

are you currently using your Win8 machine to watch live tv. How are you doing this outside of Windows Media Center "apologies if this question sounds to noobish"
I watch live TV (in fact that's going to be pretty much its only purpose) on an Acer Revo 3610 running Win8. It works fine in either WMC or QuickTV (the HDHomeRun app program). I recently dropped ShoTime so I don't need the 'protected path' to watch copy once programs.
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post #30 of 32
1/30/13 at 12:29pm
Thread Starter 
We do watch live TV/recorded tv in mediacenter and that is fine. Most live tv/recorded tv is watched on xbox extenders in other rooms. When we're watching movies, we're watching them on the Win8 box.
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