FIJI Has been Released! - Page 5

logifuse · **18th July 2008, 04:33 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by aanda6

Let me reiterate as I think it is important not to confuse the situation. "fiji" release having the ability to utilize EIT is a good thing, you cannot blame Microsoft for it mot working the way it should. The issue here is still with the Broadcasters not putting acurate, usable information into the data. Until we are able to force the broadcasters to improve the quality of EPG information no EPG in Australia will ever work properly unless you are prepared to spend time manipulating it, or pay Icetv for it.

Agree it's a good thing, don't agree that MS have no blame in the situation. You can't search the EIT guide - that's an MS issue.

Also, with MS having no guide for Australia, they should have at least been working with IceTV to make sure they were ready. They weren't (still aren't).

Justin

warren13 · **18th July 2008, 04:33 PM**

Hmmm. All in all a lot of conjecture here...can't believe how quickly this post grew...I can't find any official information anywhere so I am sceptical, but all sounds very light on for Aus conditions, do any of the format updates actually assist here is Australia? EIT and WTV will just cause further issues at this stage as far as I can tell. This is all I have found out there, apart from what is on here at this stage.

Could it be possible that the KB here has a typo in the relase date?

warren13 · **18th July 2008, 04:46 PM**

madankumars - just 1 post here...is this looking a bit sus to anyone else, Is anyone good at anagrams? i saw this exact wording somewhere else on the interweb.

Quote:

Originally Posted by madankumars

-I just got this email-

Fiji, officially known as Windows Media Center TV Pack 2008, has Released! The input from Self Host testers has been invaluable to this product and the team would like to thank each of you for your bug reports and feedback.

As the release team is taking a much needed break, our next focus will be to post the final build onto the Products servers. Please check the newsgroups for updates. Once the build is live, we will notify you.

logifuse · **18th July 2008, 05:16 PM**

This was just posted on TGB:

Quote:

Wow. This was an eye-opening thread... and not in a good way. There is obviously a lot of frustration about this, but I don't agree with making personal attacks and (in my opinion) very hateful and harsh statements without any real information to back it up. I was also a little surprised at being personally called out for not posting a response (along with Microsoft in general) to a post that wasn't even one day old. Thanks guys, really... I feel the love.

That said, I'll refer back to my earlier post on this topic, and say that we will post more information before the official announcements at CEDIA. You can expect this to include explanations to several of the issues brought up in this thread. In the meantime, I'll see how much (if any) information I can comment on, and we'll share more details when possible. However, I encourage future posts to be somewhat respectful, as I will not be responding to any questions within the flaming or overly anti-Microsoft posts. We all care about the success of Media Center otherwise we wouldn't be here... so please keep that in mind when posting.
Jeff Tucker
Microsoft | eHome

slimf · **18th July 2008, 05:17 PM**

The changes Microsoft made the the guide xml format and the way it downloads may break Ice TV now - but it also might make proper reliable integration easier. Microsoft got a lot of feedback from Australia about the guide - and they have obviously made many changes to it - perhaps they actually listened to our feedback. The EIT data support is great, and perhaps it will now be easier and more reliable for IceTV to enhance this data! Everyone is so quick to jump on the 'bash MS wagon'!

arkay · **18th July 2008, 05:34 PM**

That's because everyone is sick of the cloak and dagger routine.

Honestly. Like that quote above on TGB..

"I'll see what I'm allowed to tell you about..."...

Here's a suggestion... Don't bother MS.

It's a god damned tiny service pack release to an aging and poorly supported product.. Just tell us WTF is going on or go away.

Rumour suggests there's two parts of stuff all in it for AUS and that it's more than likely going to break your enjoyment of media center than it will enhance it.

I'm not exactly sure what it is they're doing in Redmond these days but I like it. Every release, every press announcement, nearly everything they do is designed to annoy their customer base.. I sincerely hope they keep it up.

Cheers,

Arkay.

logifuse · **18th July 2008, 05:46 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by slimf

The changes Microsoft made the the guide xml format and the way it downloads may break Ice TV now - but it also might make proper reliable integration easier. Microsoft got a lot of feedback from Australia about the guide - and they have obviously made many changes to it - perhaps they actually listened to our feedback. The EIT data support is great, and perhaps it will now be easier and more reliable for IceTV to enhance this data! Everyone is so quick to jump on the 'bash MS wagon'!

I'm quite sure that they are improvements, but that's not the point.

They have made fundamental changes that break a lot of existing tools (guide data providers & any DVR-MS based tools). OK, so the tools can be updated, but they clearly haven't worked with the suppliers of some of the critical ones (IceTV), so they won't be ready at relase.

They have also effectively split VMC in to 2 fundamentally different versions (unless they reverse the OEM decision) - that means the tools will need to support both, & anybody offering support for VMC (i.e. us) will need to be accross both.

Let's not kid ourselves - we are responsible for the uptake of Media Center in this country & we are MS's unpaid & somewhat unappreciated support team. We have every right to feel aggrieved.

Justin

merovingian · **18th July 2008, 06:10 PM**

I'm with Arkay on this one. Jeff Tucker's post on TGB is a disgrace. Simply no idea of customer service if he thinks his condescending tone and "how dare you" attitude is at all justified.

ExtremePC · **18th July 2008, 06:30 PM**

Dam straight there is a lot more changed than just the XML format, being OTA the EIT and the way Fiji grabs the data is dynamic with an update period when you leave it on the same channel as well as everytime you change channels with consideration given if you change channels rapidly in that it won't update the XML data if you channel surf.

What this means is that IF IceTV or any other third party app. is to inject data into the XML it will have to do it every time the XML is updated via the LIVE EIT, this could be many many times a day!

warren13 · **18th July 2008, 06:33 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by slimf

The changes Microsoft made the the guide xml format and the way it downloads may break Ice TV now - but it also might make proper reliable integration easier....perhaps they actually listened to our feedback. The EIT data support is great, and perhaps it will now be easier and more reliable for IceTV to enhance this data!

I hope so...either that or we will no longer require IceTV or FreeEPG

let us wait and see the fall out of all this and TGB now have MS employees reacting...kind of reminding me of HDDVD fallout at the moment.

If it is just these slimmed down regional support based updates in Windows Vista Media Center TV Pack 2008 as well as EIT and WTV. I am hoping there is still a future release before Windows 7 that will include H.264 and native Blu-Ray as well as many other desirable features.

I am just one bunny on the net here but IMHO a planned communication model would be better than no communication...that is what I see as the major issue here. We have know of the internal code name of 'fiji' for a long time now and if you just gave us your users a ball-park date (we know there are always delays) and a feature set well in advance and let us collaborate on that. We all get worthwhile updates instead of leaving us in the dark to speculate amongst ourselves without any clear confirmation about how close it is and what has been stripped out/included or left for later.

Better communication might have avoided a lot of frustration about this touted 'fiji' code. We all know Media Center is now lacking in many ways and the difficulties faced with MCE2005 and VMC having been developed at the same time, but traditionally Windows based products have supported the most file formats and all of the common ones, sometimes it took a "supported" third party software and has been relatively easy, but that is one of the reasons I believe it has been so popular for so long...I fear Media Center is not keeping pace and just isn't the product it should be and all is about to change....god I hope marketing and "i" products (and their restrictions) don't rule. I am sorry for the criticism but feel it justified in this case MS eHome division.

davomate · **18th July 2008, 07:11 PM**

The leaking of the fact of the release (substantiated by the knowledge base entries) has left Microsoft open to intense critisism because of the suggestion that it is OEM only. In a vacuum of information about their plans, people are speculating and criticising based on their speculations. It may only be OEM intitially, but Microsoft need to declare their intentions as soon as possible. I hope someone at Redmond is madly drafting a press release.

lillgreen · **18th July 2008, 07:36 PM**

I hope they are planing some sort of statement.
What i dont understand is why release a kb article on the release and not mention anything about it?
They were hoping to hold off untill September untill they made announcements at cedia about it is my understanding.
Not sure how the internal workings are structured over there at Redmond, but surely ehome would have been clued in to the kb article being posted?
If not then ehome should have more control over the postings of such news and hopefully allow them to control information a little better.