Windows7 & Vista: Media Center Studio

[Advent]

Media Center Studio is an application for Vista and Windows 7 that enables you to both create, edit and apply themes to and customise the menu of Windows Media Center. Users of MC Menu Mender will recognise parts of this application - the menu editing section of the application is built on Menu Mender but supports Windows 7. For full details see the http://www.adventmediacenter.com (not much there yet but will grow), but as a brief summary of the features:

* Apply themes to Media Center (supports the old MediaCenterFX themes, so there are some ready to go already).
* Create your own theme from scratch.
* Rearrange or hide native items in your Media Center start menu.
* Create your own menu strips.
* Create custom application entries to include in custom strips - link to an exe, a native Media Center page or even specific media.
* Restores Media Center when exiting 3rd party executables.
* Set up a remote button to close or kill 3rd party executables and return to Media Center.

Although there are no Media Center Studio themes yet, MediaCenterFX themes are supported in read only mode (so you can import and apply them, but not edit them).

Media Center Studio is still in beta, so expect to see bugs and missing features (mainly in the theme creation/editing area) for some time yet. As always, use at your own risk. Also you will notice missing images - if you are good with images and would like to donate some skilled labour, please drop me a line.

Please report any bugs that you find here on the forums, or drop me a PM.

After you download and try out Media Center Studio, please consider donating. The development and support of both this application and Menu Mender have taken up a lot of my time over the past couple of years, and the donations I have received so far have fallen well short of what is required to buy shiny presents to distract SWMBO while I spend time on development (or even to purchase an extender for testing purposes). If you would like to see Media Center Studio completed, extended and supported, please donate.

Ok, enough of that - go ahead and download the application from http://www.adventmediacenter.com.

[surge]

I'm sure this question will get asked so I'll answer it now..

Does it work with extenders?
Yes.. I use it with my Linksys DMA-2100 and DMA-2200 and it works great.

I do have an issue (not related to the extender) but I'll post it later when I get home to confirm the specifics.

[saxnix]

Advent, congratulations on getting this out the door. I am sure there will be many many users very happy with this great app (I certainly have been through the closed beta testing).

Anyway, if you use this and like this, please donate to thank Advent for his efforts on developing Media Center Studio. I have just donated again, and although not much, every bit helps.

Thanks Advent and keep up the great work.

[tylor]

Advent you are a star

The new program looks extremely sleek and professional, I have been waiting for this ever since the jump to 7.

Thanks for all of your hard work

[aanda6]

I thought of just thanking you, but doesn't seem enough. Hopefully your Paypal account will be a little happier. I am sure there will be a lot more donations comming your way soon.

Astro, do you think you sould now get you Black theme to be compatible with Advents tool.

[gotkids]

You are the man advent........will hopefully fire this up on the weekend and give it a go. I hope people do donate (I know I will) as its developments like these that allow us to really enjoy the whole media centre experience.

[dgaust]

Great work Advent, did exactly what I needed (not a fan of themeing)

[Java Jack]

Looks to be another great utility.

However, I am doing something wrong.

Trying to add Hulu DT as an entry point but it won't let me put it on any of the strips. Get the red circle with a slash though it when I try to move it.

I thought that was how I did it with Menu Mender on Vista.

Any thoughts on what I am doing wrong?

Running Win 7 32 bit RTM.

BTW...would love to help create some documentation with screenshots etc. if you think it would be helpful.

[Advent]

Firstly, thank you to those of you who have already donated - I do really appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Java Jack

Trying to add Hulu DT as an entry point but it won't let me put it on any of the strips. Get the red circle with a slash though it when I try to move it.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to add 3rd party tiles to native strips in Windows 7 the way you could in Vista. However, what you can do is create a custom strip that replicates a native strip by using Media Center Studio to create new application entry points and selecting a Media Center page from the "Page" drop down.

Originally Posted by Java Jack

BTW...would love to help create some documentation with screenshots etc. if you think it would be helpful.

I had intended to start putting some documentation etc together in the coming days, so if you could help out with that (especially from your perspective as a user) that would be absolutely fantastic.

[Java Jack]

Originally Posted by Advent

Firstly, thank you to those of you who have already donated - I do really appreciate it.


Unfortunately, it is not possible to add 3rd party tiles to native strips in Windows 7 the way you could in Vista. However, what you can do is create a custom strip that replicates a native strip by using Media Center Studio to create new application entry points and selecting a Media Center page from the "Page" drop down.


I had intended to start putting some documentation etc together in the coming days, so if you could help out with that (especially from your perspective as a user) that would be absolutely fantastic.

Thanks. I think I had just figured out the not adding to native strips when I was able to add it to a custom strip.

However, now I am getting a different error. The icon minimizes 7MC but then says that The Media Center Extensiblity Host has stopped working and then tries to find a solution. No solution found and then wants to send report to MS.

I close that out and maximize 7MC so MC is still running.

[Advent]

Originally Posted by Java Jack

Thanks. I think I had just figured out the not adding to native strips when I was able to add it to a custom strip.

However, now I am getting a different error. The icon minimizes 7MC but then says that The Media Center Extensiblity Host has stopped working and then tries to find a solution. No solution found and then wants to send report to MS.

I close that out and maximize 7MC so MC is still running.

If you can create a support package (creating a support package is done by clicking a button on the ribbon in MCS) and PM it to me along with a message saying which entry point is causing the problem, I'll look into it right away.

[Java Jack]

It was my bad. I had the path incorrect for the target app (Hulu DT). Hulu hides the install path so I had to find where it was actually installing the program. Once I found that, it worked correctly.