Comments on: Media Center on Home Server? Still no go http://www.edbott.com/weblog/2008/12/media-center-on-home-server-still-no-go/ I write stuff. Mostly about Windows. Sometimes I get paid for it. Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:55:06 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Ed Bott http://www.edbott.com/weblog/2008/12/media-center-on-home-server-still-no-go/comment-page-1/#comment-178862 Ed Bott Fri, 19 Dec 2008 14:49:50 +0000 http://www.edbott.com/weblog/?p=2267#comment-178862 Brent, they've been a little busy this year with a couple major bugs. Now that those are fixed, I have no doubt they are working on the best way to add this much-requested feature to the next edition. Brent, they’ve been a little busy this year with a couple major bugs. Now that those are fixed, I have no doubt they are working on the best way to add this much-requested feature to the next edition.

]]> By: Brent http://www.edbott.com/weblog/2008/12/media-center-on-home-server-still-no-go/comment-page-1/#comment-178861 Brent Fri, 19 Dec 2008 14:26:26 +0000 http://www.edbott.com/weblog/?p=2267#comment-178861 It still amazes me that Microsoft "can't" bring Media Center to WHS! SageTV has had the ability to use WHS as a Media Center server for over a year now and it works great. Surely the company that brings us WHS in the first place could easily do it couldn't they? It still amazes me that Microsoft “can’t” bring Media Center to WHS! SageTV has had the ability to use WHS as a Media Center server for over a year now and it works great. Surely the company that brings us WHS in the first place could easily do it couldn’t they?

]]> By: alphaxion http://www.edbott.com/weblog/2008/12/media-center-on-home-server-still-no-go/comment-page-1/#comment-178860 alphaxion Fri, 19 Dec 2008 09:44:23 +0000 http://www.edbott.com/weblog/?p=2267#comment-178860 I have installed WHS using the copy I get in the MSDN subscription where I work - The insult was for the client OS's they call "home" as in vista and XP - which are crippled, no other way to describe them. I'm sorry if I didn't make that bit clear. I do like the start they have made with WHS but as I have said, I don't think they went far enough with it. For all intents and purposes, WHS is nothing more than a backup and media serving box with a token "password sync" feature. And just to reiterate, I'm not asking them to implement full AD featureset, rather a reduced set of features - effectively user accounts and specifically the restrictions you can place on them using account settings (logon times being one big item), GPO's and delegation in order to restrict kids from doing things before you believe them to be ready, roaming profiles, disk quota's etc. I guess the major stumbling block is the very presence of home edition clients, which cannot be added to domain. Sadly, with the way home clients are built I don't think there would be a way to produce an SP that could reintroduce the missing system components. Maybe this is exactly why AD is missing from WHS and I've pondered my way to the reason. Don't think I'm merely picking up on buzz words, I have been a sysadmin for 9 years now and understand what you can do with AD and how it can benefit the average home. I have installed WHS using the copy I get in the MSDN subscription where I work – The insult was for the client OS’s they call “home” as in vista and XP – which are crippled, no other way to describe them.

I’m sorry if I didn’t make that bit clear. I do like the start they have made with WHS but as I have said, I don’t think they went far enough with it. For all intents and purposes, WHS is nothing more than a backup and media serving box with a token “password sync” feature.

And just to reiterate, I’m not asking them to implement full AD featureset, rather a reduced set of features – effectively user accounts and specifically the restrictions you can place on them using account settings (logon times being one big item), GPO’s and delegation in order to restrict kids from doing things before you believe them to be ready, roaming profiles, disk quota’s etc.

I guess the major stumbling block is the very presence of home edition clients, which cannot be added to domain. Sadly, with the way home clients are built I don’t think there would be a way to produce an SP that could reintroduce the missing system components.

Maybe this is exactly why AD is missing from WHS and I’ve pondered my way to the reason.

Don’t think I’m merely picking up on buzz words, I have been a sysadmin for 9 years now and understand what you can do with AD and how it can benefit the average home.

]]> By: Ed Bott http://www.edbott.com/weblog/2008/12/media-center-on-home-server-still-no-go/comment-page-1/#comment-178856 Ed Bott Thu, 18 Dec 2008 18:35:16 +0000 http://www.edbott.com/weblog/?p=2267#comment-178856 Alphaxion, have you ever used Windows Home Server? Before you go flinging insults, you might want to actually look at it. I have both a Windows Server 2008 box and a Windows Home Server box here. Completely different beasts, and I like them both, a lot, for what they do. Alphaxion, have you ever used Windows Home Server? Before you go flinging insults, you might want to actually look at it. I have both a Windows Server 2008 box and a Windows Home Server box here. Completely different beasts, and I like them both, a lot, for what they do.

]]> By: alphaxion http://www.edbott.com/weblog/2008/12/media-center-on-home-server-still-no-go/comment-page-1/#comment-178855 alphaxion Thu, 18 Dec 2008 17:58:54 +0000 http://www.edbott.com/weblog/?p=2267#comment-178855 Ideally MS should take the concept of taking a crippled OS and calling it "home edition" out into the snowy tundra, strip it of its clothing and leave the drooling lobotomised cretin to the elements! Ideally MS should take the concept of taking a crippled OS and calling it “home edition” out into the snowy tundra, strip it of its clothing and leave the drooling lobotomised cretin to the elements!

]]> By: AndyB http://www.edbott.com/weblog/2008/12/media-center-on-home-server-still-no-go/comment-page-1/#comment-178853 AndyB Thu, 18 Dec 2008 17:04:59 +0000 http://www.edbott.com/weblog/?p=2267#comment-178853 Is there any reason supplied by MS why Media Center was not included in Home? That's the one deal breaker for me. Is there any reason supplied by MS why Media Center was not included in Home? That’s the one deal breaker for me.

]]> By: Richard http://www.edbott.com/weblog/2008/12/media-center-on-home-server-still-no-go/comment-page-1/#comment-178852 Richard Thu, 18 Dec 2008 16:54:58 +0000 http://www.edbott.com/weblog/?p=2267#comment-178852 Perhaps ADAM could do the trick? http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=9688F8B9-1034-4EF6-A3E5-2A2A57B5C8E4&displaylang=en Perhaps ADAM could do the trick?
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=9688F8B9-1034-4EF6-A3E5-2A2A57B5C8E4&displaylang=en

]]> By: Matthew http://www.edbott.com/weblog/2008/12/media-center-on-home-server-still-no-go/comment-page-1/#comment-178851 Matthew Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:56:40 +0000 http://www.edbott.com/weblog/?p=2267#comment-178851 See this idea which is currently available in Microsoft Connect feedback, too, with high rating. http://weblogs.asp.net/mschwarz/archive/2008/11/13/windows-media-center-as-a-silverlight-application.aspx See this idea which is currently available in Microsoft Connect feedback, too, with high rating.

http://weblogs.asp.net/mschwarz/archive/2008/11/13/windows-media-center-as-a-silverlight-application.aspx

]]> By: alphaxion http://www.edbott.com/weblog/2008/12/media-center-on-home-server-still-no-go/comment-page-1/#comment-178850 alphaxion Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:28:40 +0000 http://www.edbott.com/weblog/?p=2267#comment-178850 but the only real purpose for SBS is to get your hands onto exchange. Also, as I said it would be feature reduced - no federation, limited number of computer and user accounts etc. but the only real purpose for SBS is to get your hands onto exchange. Also, as I said it would be feature reduced – no federation, limited number of computer and user accounts etc.

]]> By: Les http://www.edbott.com/weblog/2008/12/media-center-on-home-server-still-no-go/comment-page-1/#comment-178849 Les Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:20:32 +0000 http://www.edbott.com/weblog/?p=2267#comment-178849 While I like AD myself, MS isn't going to cut into its small business market with WHS. While I like AD myself, MS isn’t going to cut into its small business market with WHS.

]]> By: alphaxion http://www.edbott.com/weblog/2008/12/media-center-on-home-server-still-no-go/comment-page-1/#comment-178848 alphaxion Thu, 18 Dec 2008 14:02:11 +0000 http://www.edbott.com/weblog/?p=2267#comment-178848 Something I truly believe is that MS have missed a trick with WHS. They should have shipped a super wizardised, AD "lite". There's plenty of features in AD and their server product line that would lend themselves perfectly to the home and could even address many of the complaints people have but aren't aware of because they are usually hidden from them in the corporate world. I did a video explaining it a bit more here http://www.alphaxion.com/?p=61 Oh, and if you're looking for a good media centre app I recommend Mediaportal at www.team-mediaportal.com :) alphaxion Something I truly believe is that MS have missed a trick with WHS.

They should have shipped a super wizardised, AD “lite”. There’s plenty of features in AD and their server product line that would lend themselves perfectly to the home and could even address many of the complaints people have but aren’t aware of because they are usually hidden from them in the corporate world.

I did a video explaining it a bit more here http://www.alphaxion.com/?p=61

Oh, and if you’re looking for a good media centre app I recommend Mediaportal at http://www.team-mediaportal.com :)

alphaxion

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