Convert DVD to WMV: Focus on Streaming from Windows Home Server to Xbox 360 Media Center via the My Movies Add-in

November 11th, 2008

NOTE: I started this project, but may not fully complete the instructions because I have found a much better work-around that I have posted here.

Background:

I have a Windows Home Server (HP EX475) in my home and I want to back up my DVD library for playing on other PC’s and Media Extenders (an Xbox 360) in the home over a combined wired and wireless LAN. I am currently using Windows Media Center on these PC’s and on an Xbox. I have My Movies set up to distribute full .ISO copies of my DVD’s. However, I also need to serve media to an Xbox 360, which will not accept streaming directly from an .ISO copy and has specific media requirements for playback.

 

Introduction:

The following is meant to be a very comprehensive and geeky “step by step” guide on how I have been able to back up a small DVD collection for storage (and streaming to my Xbox 360). The Windows Media file format is used for compatability purposes and I have tried to emphasize quality of the end product over size (these are stored on a large server) because I want these movies to be nearly indistinguishable from the original MPEG-2 source. I am sure that there are methods to do this conversion that require less steps, but I have tried to incorporate various steps that I have found to make the best quality end product possible. Plus, this is an exercise in pure geekage.  Read the rest of this entry »

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How to add folders from your Windows Home Server to Media Center on the Xbox 360

November 9th, 2008

Let me say that I’ve been searching around to find a way to do what I am about to detail below for a few months now. Maybe I’m stupid or blind, but I could not find this anywhere, and what I could find had nearly convinced me that the following is impossible to do.

1. Set up your Xbox 360 to access Windows Media Center on a PC (Not your server, a different PC with MCE 2005, Vista HP, or Vista Ultimate – Instructions are found here). You will need to keep this computer on while setting up your Xbox with your server, and also at any time that you run media center on your Xbox (I have confirmed this by turning off my PC and then losing my connection to the server from within MC on my Xbox).

2. Open your Windows Home Server Console

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Guitar Hero: Aerosmith – Final Tracklist

June 29th, 2008

Guitar Hero: Aerosmith was released this morning. Took just a couple hours to beat on Hard. There are 32 total songs; 30 regular songs in Career Mode with a 31st which is a battle Vs. Joe Perry. And then the 32nd song is unlocked after completing Career Mode and is made available in The Vault.

The general format for each venue is two random songs (as if a gig is being opened by a cover band) followed by a few songs by the main attraction: Aerosmith.

Here is the complete tracklist for your enjoyment.

Getting the Band Together:

1. “Dream Police” – Cheap Trick, 1979
2. “All the Young Dudes” (Cover) – Mott the Hoople, 1972
3. “Make It” – Aerosmith, 2007
4. “Uncle Salty” – Aerosmith, 1974
5. “Draw the Line” – Aerosmith, 1977

First Taste of Success:

6. “I Hate Myself for Loving You” – Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, 1988
7. “All Day and All of the Night” (Cover) – The Kinks, 1964
8. “No Surprize” - Aerosmith, 1979
9. “Movin’ Out” – Aerosmith, 2007
10. “Sweet Emotion” – Aerosmith, 1975

The Triumphant Return:

11. “Complete Control” – The Clash, 1977
12. “Personality Crisis” (Cover) – New York Dolls, 1973
13. “Livin’ on the Edge” – Aerosmith, 1993
14. “Rag Doll” – Aerosmith, 1987
15. “Love in an Elevator” – Aerosmith, 1989

International Superstars:

16. “She Sells Sanctuary” – The Cult, 1985
17. “King of Rock” – Run DMC, 1985
18. “Nobody’s Fault” – Aerosmith, 1976
19. “Bright Light Fright” – Aerosmith, 1977
20. “Walk This Way (Run DMC)” – Run DMC Feat. Aerosmith, 1986

The Great American Band:

21. “Hard to Handle” (Cover) – The Black Crowes, 1990
22. “Always on the Run” – Lenny Kravitz Feat. Slash, 1991
23. “Back in the Saddle” – Aerosmith, 1976
24. “Beyond Beautiful” – Aerosmith, 2001
25. “Dream On” – Aerosmith, 2007

Rock ‘N Roll Legends:

26. “Cat Scratch Fever” – Ted Nugent, 1977
27. “Sex Type Thing” – Stone Temple Pilots, 1992
28. “Guitar Battle Vs. Joe Perry” – Joe Perry, 2007
29. “Mama Kin” – Aerosmith, 2007
30. “Toys in the Attic” – Aerosmith, 1975
31. “Train Kept a Rollin’” – Aerosmith, 1974

Bonus Song Available in The Vault:

32. “Kings and Queens” - Aerosmith, 1977

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Diablo 3 Live Demonstration at Blizzcon Paris

June 28th, 2008

Wow… Just friggin’ “WOW” is all I can say.

This is what we’ve all been waiting for years. Diablo 3 has just been announced by Blizzard at Blizzcon in Paris. I’m uploading the live demonstration video which just looks plain awesome.

The demo starts out with the Barbarian class who cuts through waves of mobs like a hot knife through butter specializing in powerful melee attacks along with some AOE stun attacks.

As the demo progresses, they introduce the Witchdoctor class who seems to specialize in disease based attacks (through a swarming cloud of locusts), summoning small minions, and lobbing big ‘ole fireballs. The locust cloud looks particularly cool as it blows out in a cone shape and then swarms to nearby mobs leaving only their bones falling to the ground.

The third phase of the demo simply introduces Femal toons for the Barbarian and Witchdoctor classes. It’s a little difficult to make things out in this movie, but the detail in these characters and in the armor/weapons is really blowing me away. It is obvious to me that the guys at Blizzard have been working a while on this game, and in typical Blizzard fashion, everything looks highly polished!

The final part of the demo shows all 4 of these live characters take on a humongous boss. Very cool; I think two of the Blizzard players die. And then… a swarm of (I’m guessing) 50 skeletons begin to climb out of the ground where the boss died in order to exact revenge on our heroes.

Just friggin WOW man….

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I Made a Post on GameSpot on December 31st, 1969?

May 31st, 2008

OK, this is just plain funny to me. I posted a response to a news article on GameSpot regarding Netflix partnering with Xbox Live, and I noticed that my post was “Posted Dec 31, 1969 7:00 pm ET”. I think that’s before the “Internet”, LOL! It is definitely before I was born…

I think it is clear in the preceding post, that the current date is May 31st, 2008. Read the rest of this entry »

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How to remove ActiveX Controls in Internet Explorer 7 (Windows Vista)

May 31st, 2008

I was having a problem with a website, and thought it might be due to an incorrect installation of an ActiveX Control. I found two sources from Microsoft; the first of which did not seem to address my question, the second one did. But I wanted to post screenshots because it was not entirely obvious how to do this.

This refers to Internet Explorer 7 on Windows Vista Service Pack 1.

METHOD 1

The first post that I found from the Microsoft Knowledge base has you go through the control panel. For one, this KB needs updated because it refers to Windows XP terminology and could be confusing to those using Vista.

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Age of Conan Collector’s Edition Soundtrack: Track Names

May 29th, 2008

This is great, I’ve been looking for this. I mentioned the soundtrack in the Collector’s Edition of Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures; and how I had liked it. But I could not find anywhere the names of the songs, and these were not listed on the free CD resources. Well, here it is! 

Age of Conan Collector’s Edition Soundtrack
Composer – Knut Avenstroup Haugen

  1. The Dreaming – “Ere the World Crumbles…”
  2. The Sands of the Forgetfulness – Tortage Beach
  3. The Damp Barachan Nights
  4. The Awakening – Hyborian Adventures
  5. The Arrival – Cimmeran Welcome
  6. Nighttime Journey Through the Eiglophian Mountains
  7. The Vista from Mount Crom
  8. The Lure of Atali
  9. Phalanx of Conquest
  10. Field of the Dead
  11. Echoes of Atlantis
  12. Hamlets of Aquilonia
  13. Behold! Tarantia – Royal City
  14. Hymn for King Conan
  15. Awash in the Golden Field of Poitain
  16. Foundations of the Temple
  17. Akhet – Portal to Stygia
  18. Beyond the Pyramid – Sunrise in Khopshef Province
  19. The Purple Lotus Swamp
  20. Keshatta – City of Mages
  21. The Black Ring Citadel – Final Memory
  22. I – Stygia
  23. II – Cimmeria
  24. III – Aquilonia
  25. The Dreaming Anew – Memories of Cimmeria
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Simple (and free!) Tool for Checking GPU Information

May 27th, 2008

I found a very cool application that checks info regarding your installed GPU and it works with ATI and NVIDIA graphics cards. This is free, small, and simple; created by the folks who make ATI Tool which I used to use for overclocking back when ATI made decent GPUs.

It is called GPU-Z, which you can download from FileHippo here, or go their website at CPUID. Here are screenshots using version 0.2.2 on a Lenovo ThinkPad T61: Read the rest of this entry »

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Simple (and free!) Tool for Checking CPU, RAM, and Motherboard Information

May 27th, 2008

I found a very cool application that checks info regarding your installed CPU, RAM, and Mobo. This is free, small, and simple.

It is called CPU-Z, which you can download from FileHippo here, or go their website at CPUID. Here are screenshots using version 1.45 on a Lenovo ThinkPad T61:

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The Cult will be on Guitar Hero: Aerosmith !!!!!

May 25th, 2008

I am SO VERY EXCITED about this. I was at GameStop today and saw a promo box for Guitar Hero: Aerosmith. I flipped the box over and found a short list of expected tracks (which I will liste below). But what really caught my eye was the following “And Also Featuring” … “The Cult“.

I cannot even begin to explain how much I LOVE The Cult! And, I have been following the GH news, and have not seen this reported elsewhere as of yet.

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