I'm very annoyed by the fact that I spend $30+ to purchase a Blu-ray movie and yet still forced to watched advertisements, trailers, and FBI warnings. Several years ago, SlySoft released a version of AnyDVD that allowed users to overcome these User Prohibited Actions for regular DVDs. Today they announced version 6.4.3.2 of AnyDVD HD that gives users the same features for Blu-ray.

AnyDVD is a program that runs in the background on your Windows computer. When a DVD or Blu-ray disc is inserted, it dynamically re-authors the content of the disk so that when you use your favorite DVD or Blu-Ray software player, all of the annoying "features" are automatically missing — you jump straight to the Main Menu or directly to the start of the movie (you decide.)

Unfortunately, this on one of the few reasons to use a Windows computer as a Blu-ray player. I'm still waiting for a solution to output full-quality HD Audio over an HDMI cable (currently only DVD-quality PCM sound is possible.) I'd also love to see Blu-ray integration into Windows Media Center — you shouldn't have to launch an external program to play a Blu-ray movie. So unless automatically removing annoying advertisements is your #1 priority, a Sony PS3 is still probably the best current choice for a Blu-ray player.

Windows Media Center can automatically download the metadata (cover art, movie name, cast, plot summary, etc.) for DVDs. If you place a DVD in your drive, this occurs automatically. However, if you backup your DVDs to a server and access the moive via Windows Media Center, this data is not available. But there is a work-around and it involves creating a DVDID.XML file when you back-up the DVD to your media server. Here's how you do it.

The easiest way to do this is to use My DVD Settings, a program created by Gelano over at TheGreenButton forums. Unfortunately, Gelano and his program have both disappeared. Fortunately, this software is still available from an alternative location: my_dvd_settings.rar.

You'll need to download, install, run My DVD Settings, put the DVD in your optical drive, and have My DVD Settings create the XML data. Finally, save the resulting xml file to the folder containing the movie backup. When you are finished creating/coping all of the files, your folder structure will look like this:

\Minority Report\ (parent folder for movie)
\Minority Report\folder.jpg (not necessary, but I like to manually save a cover art picture to the directory)
\Minority Report\MINORITY_REPORT.dvdid.xml (metadata file)
\Minority Report\VIDEO_TS\ (*.ifo, *.bup, *.vob files are in this sub-directory, created using DVD Fab, Slysoft, etc.)

Using this xml file, Windows Media Center will connect to the AMG library and download all of the available details on the movie.

Note 1: If you use DVD Profiler to catalog your movie collection, My DVD Settings can the DVD Profiler data to create the dvdid.xml file. Alternatively, you can go to dvdxml.com and search for and download the XML file.

Note 2: You'll need to enable DVD Library in Vista to access this feature. Once active, go to DVD Library and add the folder containing your backed-up movies. You can also install the MyMovies Media Center plug-in.

How is the DVDID.XML File Created?

I really wish the software I used to backup my movies would also create the DVDID.xml file. Unfortunately, there is very little documentation on how this file is generated. I did quite a bit of reading and some investigation using Process Monitor and have some preliminary details. The dvdid is a CRC64 number generated by scanning the *.IFO and *.BUP files in the VIDEO_TS folder, combining that with the VOLUME_ID from the DVD disk itself. The inclusion of the VOLUME_ID is what prevents Windows Media Center from being able to automatically generate this information for DVD that are backed-up to a media server; there is no VOLUME_ID for the individual folders.

Once this process is fully understood, it should be possible for programs like DVD Fab and Slysoft CloneDVD to create these files when the DVD is being backed-up. This would eliminate the need to use the additional program (My DVD Settings) all together. Here's hoping for inclusion in an upcoming release!

Update 2008-May-01: The version 5 of DVDFab Decrypter supports the automatic creation of dvdid.xml files!

I'm used to companies offering less than stellar customer care in this age of low-cost, low-margin business. So when a company goes above and beyond to take care of their customers, it get my attention.

Everyone pretty much know that the High Definition Disc Format war would end one format would become obsolete. Which is why I'm surprised that Busy Buy and Circuit City are both compensating customer who choose the losing format. Best Buy will be giving a $50 giftcard to anyone who purchased a HD-DVD Player prior to February 23, 2008 (just go to BestBuyTradein.com and register.)

Circuit City has taken a different approach, extending the return period for player by "several months." So the customer can return the player for full credit, but obviously will be unable to play any HD-DVD movies they purchased as they will no longer have a player. It's interesting that Bust Buy officially announced this while Circuit City made this an unofficial policy.

Meanwhile, Wal-Mart, the low-cost advocate of HD-DVD, is offering their customers nothing.

Netflix, which whom I've been a customer for 8 years, had a massive outage last Monday, lasting about 12 hours. As a result, they were unable to ship the two movies I was to receive until Tuesday. A 1 day delay, not a big deal. I was just glad that they acknowledged and apologized for the the problem. But I was elated when they went above and beyond by offering a 10% discount on my fees for the month.

Since it's tax time, I feel the need to complain about Intuit TurboTax. The software is great, but the price gouging is terrible. They find every way possible to charge the customer more, right up to the unreasonable filing fees. I generally have faith in the free market, but the TurboTax / Tax Cut dual-opoly is not yielding the fruit competition should. I'm just hoping that these companies learn something from Bust Buy, Circuit City, and Netflix about doing what is right for their customers.

I firmly believe in paying for the movies you own. In doing so, I believe you should be able to move them to your media server and play them back however you please. BD+ protection (DRM) prevented this with recent Blu-Ray titles, but latest version of Slysoft's AnyDVD HD overcomes this limitation.

Here is the update notification:

6.4.0.0 2008-03-19

• New (Blu-ray): Removes the BD+ protection from Blu-ray discs! (for increased compatibility with titles released by Twentieth Century Fox )
• New (Blu-ray): Added option to enable / disable BD+ removal
• New (DVD): AnyDVD ripper no longer uses the Windows filesystem, it has now its own UDF parser / reader. Discs which cannot be read by Windows can now be copied with the AnyDVD ripper.
• Fix (Blu-ray): Black display with some BD discs, e.g., "Layer Cake", second release, "The Fugitive", "Wild Things" (all Region B)
• Fix (DVD): Small bugfix in "repairing defective disc structure" function of AnyDVD ripper
• Fix (DVD): Problems with some Arccos protected titles, e.g. "The Grudge", R1, US
• Some minor fixes and improvements
• Updated languages

The update is free for all registered customers, of course. Just install the new version on top of your current version, regardless which version you have installed: http://www.slysoft.com/download.html

Update 8-Apr-2008: Chris Lanier just posted about the program MC Menu Customizer, which automates editing of the start menu. A great alternative to what is posted below!

I recently posted about automatically launching plugins within Vista Media Center. I just came across another improvement that allows editing the order and contents of the Vista Media Center start menu. This, combined with automatic plug-in launching, goes a long way toward giving whatever startup experience you desire.

Quoting bluebucket on The Green Button forums:

I've found a way to edit the standard start menu items in Vista Media Center, but its a hack.

Using this hack I've successfully removed items and even entire strips from the start menu. I suspect that its also possible to change the position of menu items, but I haven't tried yet.

You'll need a resource editor like ResourceTuner from HeavenTools.com.

1. Make a backup of the %SYSTEMROOT%\ehome\ehres.dll
2. Change the security settings of the %SYSTEMROOT%\ehome\ehres.dll to give yourself ownership of the dll. Afterwards change the file rights to full control. If you're running with UAC, then you might need to do some more steps here.
3. Open the ehres.dll in the ResourceTuner.
4. Expand the HTML node

Now the files we're interested in are among others:

STARTMENU.XML - defines the main start menu stripes
SM.ACTIVITIES.XML - defines the menu items under the Task menu
SM.MUSIC.XML - defines the menu items under the Music menu
SM.PICTURES.XML - defines the menu items under the Pictures & Video menu
SM.TV.XML - defines the menu under the Tv menu

5. Choose SM.MUSIC.XML for example, rightclick the node and select Edit Resource. The XML file opens.
6. Now remove the XML tags defining the menu items you do not want. Alternatively make the element into a comment by changing the tag to <!– old tag content –>. It might take a while to get an overview of the structure and maybe some trial and error before the logic of the xml file sinks in. Do not remove the <home:App /> elements though.
7. When you're happy with the changes, click Ok and accept the changes.
8. Select Save As and select the original file (overwriting the existing).
9. Open Vista Media Center and check that the changes work.

Now, since this is a hack, I take no responsibility of how you might break Vista Media Center, destroy your computer or otherwise corrupt the world using this hack.
Also note, that a software update might overwrite your hacked ehres.dll file effectively removing your changes.

For me, Brian Binnerup's My Movies plugin is the most important function of Vista Media Center. It's so useful that I want it to be the default start page every time I turn-on my Vista Media Center PC.

I couldn't figure out how to do that, and this I came across this post on TheGreenButton forums. Here are the details on launching a Media Center plug-in from via the startup folder or from a key on your remote control.

Associate Media Center Plug ins with the Media Center Application:

• Open My Computer or Explorer and navigate to: C:Program FilesMCEMy Movies
• Right click on the file MyMovies.mcl
• From the menu choose Open With and choose Media Center.
  • Make sure the checkbox for "Always use the selected program to open this kind of file" is checked.

Option 1: Set the Plugin to Automatically Launch when the computer boots:

• Right click on the file C:Program FilesMCEMy MoviesMyMovies.mcl and create a shortcut
• Copy that shortcut to the Startup folder in the Windows Start menu

Option 2: Have the asterisk key on the remote launch the plug-in:

• Down load a program called HotkeyP (free / open source)
• In the program add a new Hotkey:
  • Check the box for the Shift button
  • In the input box type: 8
  • In the Command input type or navigate to: C:Program FilesMCEMy MoviesMyMovies.mcl
  • Click OK to save

HotkeyP will need to be running in the System tray, and Now when you press the Asterisks key it will open My Movies.

If you are using the Harmony 880 remote, you can add a button to the LCD display window and name it My Movies. This is necessary because these remotes do not have an Asterisk Key.

Option 3: Have the Media Center Button or some other dedicated button lauch the plugin
The key combination of Windows logo key+ALT+ENTER launches Windows Media Center. Assign this hotkey to launch the Media Center plugin file instead. For a list of all available keyboard shortcuts in Media Center, see the Microsoft article.

I was very excited to get my new TiVo HD DVRs due to the fact that I didn't have to hack them, add a network adapter, and install MFS_FTP to pull shows (which was a ton of work for my DirecTV TiVos.)  Unfortunately, TiVoToGo show downloads fail on almost all of the programs I've tried to pull.  For example, for a 1 hour show, I can only download the first 1 minute (68 MB).

At first I tried using TiVo Desktop (free download from TiVo.com) to download the programs and experienced the problem.  I figured it was an issue with that software, so I searched for a different method of downloading.  It turns out you can download shows directly from with your browser (details here.)  I tried downloading multiple shows from different browsers on 2 different computers and came up with the same result each time: a very short, partial, incomplete download.

I think this is a bug with the TiVo HD sofware not being able to properly generate the *.tivo file that is re-packaged as it is downloaded to your computer. Each shows bugged-out at the exact same spot regardless which download method was used.  In fact, the only show that downloaded fully was one that pulled from TiVo HD 1 -> TiVo HD 2 -> computer (using multi-room viewing, then downloading to PC.)

At this point, I don't know what the solution is.  It's probably going to require a new version of TiVo software.  I'm hoping they fixed it sooner rather than later.  I know it's not just me; I've seen a few other posts on TiVo Community Forum.  I'm guessing as more people play around with the feature, it will become more of an issue.

I'll post an update when I have one.  In the meantime, if you have any suggestions, please let me know.

I've had two different home theaters; one with with a screen that cost about $50 and one with a screen that cost, well, much more than that. Here is a high-level overview of four options for a fixed, wall-mounted projector screen for any budget. Just add a front projector and you're ready for a real home theater experience.

Option 1: A Black Frame on a Painted Wall

You could just point your projector at a blank wall, but having a border makes a huge difference and doesn't cost all that much. This is what I did with my first home theater. The frame is simply 4 pieces of 3-inch wide baseboard molding, covered in black velvetine, held-together with 4 right-angle brackets, and hung on the wall. Please note that the black velvetine essential; see the second picture below for proof. There is a board in the middle of the screen in the second picture; there is velvetine draped over the very top and below it is painted flat black. Notice all of the reflected light from the flat black paint?

To make the faux-screen look complete, I painted the wall with a slightly gray eggshell paint. The paint was nothing special, just a white base with a small amount of black pigment added to produce a light-gray paint color. (The Gray helps blacks look blacker on the screen, which was more of a problem a few years ago than it is with the newest projectors.)

Pros: Cheap ($50 total), relatively easy to assembly, and no one ever realized it wasn't a real screen. You can build it to any custom dimension.

Cons: It was hard to get/keep the frame perfectly square. Imperfections in the wall finish can show-up in bright scenes. The screen screen gain (brightness) is very low; I'm not sure, but it was probably about 0.70 (vs. 1.0 to 1.5 for most commercial fabric screens), which makes the image noticeably more dim than a "real" screen would. The color accuracy may be less than ideal.

Option 2: A Black Frame on a Screen Goo Painted Wall

This is essentially the same as option 1, but with a different screen (wall) paint. The paint is called Screen Goo and it's available from Goo Systems. The main advantage is that it has a higher gain and better color accuracy than standard wall paint. Figure on spending about $200 for the base coat + top coat for a home theater screen (1000 mL of each.)

Pros: Improved gain and color accuracy vs. standard wall paint.

Cons: According to Projector Central, the gains for Screen Goo aren't has high as they are claimed to be. The Cinema White provided a 1.0 gain (not 1.8) and the digital gray provided a 0.75 gain (not 1.4). The imperfections in the wall and the problems with with squareness of the frame still apply as in Option 1.

Option 3: Take screen material from a low-cost screen and put it in your own frame

You can purchase a great screen fabric and install it in your own frame. Surprisingly, it's actually cheaper to purchase a manual pull-down retractable screen (you know, the type that goes over a chalkboard) and cut the material from it than it is to buy the fabric alone. People have been doing this with 4:3 (1.33:1 aspect ratio) Da-Lite screens ordered from AVSforum for years. Next, you just cut the screen to size and staple the fabric to the 3" fabric frame mentioned in Options 1 and 2. Total Cost is about $550.

Pros: Same image quality as a "real" screen.

Cons: Same problems as mentioned above with the frame, plus the fabric can have ripples due to the frame not being completely sturdy. Requires quite a bit of work. Requires destroying a new retractable screen to make your new fixed screen, which is a big step to take.

Option 4: Purchase a Complete Screen: Material and Fixed Frame

There are many different screen materials, many different screen manufacturers, and many different price ranges. You can pick a lower-cost manufacturer and get outstanding results (Da-Lite, Carada) or spend more and perhaps get slightly better performance (Stewart.) I think the lower-priced manufacturers offer the best bang-for-the-buck. Just pick a wide, black, fabric-covered frame and either a white screen (for best color accuracy and contrast ratio) or a gray screen (for better black levels.) Price: $700-$2000.

Pros: Perfectly, smooth and flat image. Great color reproduction and contrast (compared to other options; varies somewhat by manufacturer.) Very easy to assemble the frame, snap-on the material, and hang the included brackets on the wall.

Cons: There are so many manufacturers and screen materials from which to choose. Price is slightly more expensive than do-it-yourself options. You generally have to order the screen and wait a few days for it to be delivered (no instant gratification.)

Notes:

• You'll want the frame to be the same aspect ratio as your projector, which will most likely be 16:9 (1.78:1; width = 1.78 * height)

After 5 years as a loyal DirecTV subscriber, I'm canceling my account and switching to TiVo HDs using *gasp* an over-the-air antenna! I never would have guessed I'd be doing this; I remember when I was a kid in rural Kentucky and all we received were 4 grainy stations out of Louisville. Cable TV, and later Satellite, made the poor reception and selection a thing of the past. But several things have changed since then and digital makes all the difference. Here's why I'm switching and my thoughts on my new TiVo HD.

Network Programming

This year, I noticed how high the quality of prime time network television is. Nicole and I barely left the house due to our new addition to the family, so we set one of our TiVos to record every single season premier on the fall schedule. Without exception, every one of the prime time network premiers were pretty good and every non-prime time premier was somewhere between uninteresting and unwatchable. That' s when it dawned on me: about 90% of the shows we record to our HR10-250 satellite receivers are over-the-air local stations. The antenna in our attic was more valuable than the satellite dish on our house. So why pay DirecTV $70/month for free programming?

If you have strong reception, the HD signals from an over-the-air antenna are the highest quality available. Both satellite and cable compress all of the high definition channels they transmit/repeat, even the local networks.  The local networks do not compress their broadcast signal.  It's the original, highest-quality source you can get. And because it's digital, the snowy, washed-out signal is a thing of the past.

New TiVo Hardware and Software

The incentives that made the switch decision final were new features from TiVo. They launched the lower-priced TiVo HD, they enabled Multi-Room Viewing and TiVoToGo features for moving shows around, and they re-offered Lifetime subscriptions for the TiVo service.

I must say, it feels nice to have a TiVo that supports so many features, and feels like it's supported in general. There is no technical reason the DirecTV HR10-250 TiVo couldn't implement every feature the TiVo HD does; DirecTV just decided they didn't want to give customers those features. In the evolving world of technology, this is never a wise decision.  Since DirecTV launched the HR10-250, the only new feature that has been offered is folders for grouping shows. That's it.

What's Great About the TiVo HD:

• Improved Interface: A faster User Interface with updated graphics with crisp edges and pleasing gradients throughout; makes the DirecTV TiVo look and feel "1999" by comparison.
  •  
• Built-in Ethernet network port: no phone line required for activation or daily calls. I never again have to see this message I've seen every day for the past few years:
  • 
• Native resolution pass-through: the TiVo HD outputs the recorded show in its native resolution; this eliminates any image quality issues due to upscaling or down-converting or interlacing.
• eSATA expansion for additional Hard Disk Drive: Upgrading the recording space has been the most beneficial enhancement for a TiVo With an external port, this process is much easier. Easy enough for any non-technical user to do; minimal instructions required.
• Download free programs from the Internet: TiVoCast allows automatic downloading of a bunch of partner content. If you run the PyTiVo server program on a network computer, you can access every movie and videocast your hard drive can hold (PyTiVo transcodes them and sends them to the TiVo HD.)
  •    
• Rent movies: With the Amazon Unbox feature, you can find, purchase, download, and start watching about any movie you could want.
• No monthly fees: Not to DirecTV. Not to TiVo. (Thanks to TiVo for offering the lifetime service transfer; I wouldn't have gone for the deal otherwise)
• Digital Cable Option:  I can switch to any of the local cable services and use a cable card with my existing hardware (if for some reason I decide more channels.)
• Software Updates:  I'm positive TiVo will continue to release new software updates with great new features.

What I'll miss about DirecTV:

• The Discovery Channel
• Food Network
• HBO: Inside the NFL and Entourage
  

My TiVo HD Wishlist:

As great as the TiVo HD is, there are still a couple of things it could do better. Here's my wishlist:

• Series Premier/Series Finale Data in Program Guide: DirecTV offered this as part of their guide data. This made it very easy to find and record all of the new shows each season. The program data on the TiVo (from TV Guide) does not have this extra information. Shame on you for being 1-upped by DirecTV. The online fall TV guide is not adequate compensation.
• Automatic e-mail or SMS message if there are recording conflicts: If a show is not going to record, I'd like to know about it. I never look through the TiVo menu for conflicts and often have to do a CSI-style reconstruction to figure out why a show is missing. Please TiVo, just send me a weekly e-mail listing the conflicts.
• Multi-room coordination of recording conflicts: if you have 2 TiVos and one TiVo is unable to record a program, I would like to see it hand-off the recording responsibility to the other TiVo.
• Add Video Podcasts by RSS URL: To allow the downloading of online videos that are not currently indexed by the TiVo service
• TiVo Desktop replication of the TiVo User Interface: When creating a bunch of season passes, it sure would be a lot faster doing that through TiVo Desktop on your computer. I would like to see portions of the TiVo UI replicated in TiVo Desktop, giving easier data entry and searching via the keyboard and mouse.
• Backup Season Pass List: If your TiVo crashes, it is a pain to recreate all of your Season Passes. I would like my season pass list to be automatically backed-up to the TiVo server every month or so. Or at least give an option to create and print a list of season passes through TiVo Desktop. (Note: there is a partial implementation of this feature if you activate the TiVo KidZone feature on a Series2 or Series3 non-DirecTV TiVo.)
• Automatically scan the Unencrypted QAM channels: Cable companies seem to want to charge for cable cards. They use random channels for local HD, such as ABC 6-1 showing up 116-1 one week, 97-2 the next. I'd like TiVo to scan those station and use the PSIP information to identify channels.
• Automatic padding: if there isn't a show on after the one being recording, record an extra few minutes just in case the show runs a bit long. You can currently specify end padding, but that can cause a recording conflict if there is another recording immediately afterwards.
• Unlabeled lights on the front panel: There are green, red, amber, and blue lights on the front panel. I have no idea what they mean. It looks like amber is remote control signal acknowledgment. I'm assuming red means there is a recording. But it would be nice to have some silk-screened labels on the front to clarify this.

Do you have some suggestions as to how TiVo can improve their service? Let them know!

http://research.tivo.com/suggestions/2web519.htm

If you want the ultimate subwoofer for your home theater, this is probably it: the JL Audio Gotham. JL Audio, long known for their car stereo subwoofers, started to make a move into home theater a few years ago. I had the opportunity to hear this subwoofer a couple of years ago at CEDIA. Let me tell you, the bass from demo room sounded awesome outside of the demo room, and even better within. The sound was low, solid, and hard-hitting. I was impressed by how unbelievably smooth the sustained bass passages were (but I'm sure that's in no small part due to a very well constructed demo room and not just the subwoofer.)Truthfully, I figured JL Audio would have been shipping these already, but I guess they are just now getting to dealers.

The Gotham G231 has two 13.5-inch drivers that each have 4 inches of total travel. The case is made from super-thick (1.1+ inches) fiberglass and houses a Class D 3800 watt amplifier. Of particular interest to me is the Automatic Room Optimization (A.R.O.) system, which equalizes output to match the room. Place a microphone in the in the primary listening position and it automatically measures and corrects for the room’s low-frequency acoustic properties. Of course, this will not compensate for a lack of acoustic treatments, but every little bit helps.

There are a few downsides to this subwoofer. First of all, it's huge (standing almost 3 feet tall) and it's very heavy (360 pounds.) Also, it is quite expensive: $11,000 MSPR.

Do I want one of these in my home theater? Absolutely. Am I going to get one? No. It's too big and too expensive. My Velodyne HGS 15 provides plenty of bass for my home theater and I plan to eventually add a Velodyne SMS-1 Room Correction Processor to my equipment rack to equalize the bass output. Even if I were to purchase a new subwoofer, I'd probably pick a JL Audio Fathom f113 over the G213, since it is "only" $3,200 MSRP.

But I do still remember waiting in line outside the JL Audio demo room, feeling the bass and being impressed by how it could be heard throughout much of the RCA Dome (where the demo room was located.) It's that impressive of a product and clearly set the bar, in my mind, for ultimate subwoofer performance.

[press release via cepro]