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I thought Microsoft no longer sells Media Center 8 licenses, where do you get them?
I have a list, but I never thought it was worth paying money for 8, my only point is, given an _equal choice_ then 8 is better.

The ui can be made to be better.
8 is definitely snappier.
It boots a second or two faster.
You can pause and continue copy/paste operations. Little things now worth paying for but definitely worth choosing if it costs the same.

Classic Shell proper installation is essential.

I feel like you never understood what classic shell can be if you properly set it up and use it.
 
Alaric said:
Just to clarify my deal, I'm just wondering if there are any advantages to W8/8.1 over W7 that I'm not aware of besides the longer support structure. I do have to consider if the extended support is worth the extra $40 for Media Center and the extra hassle of fiddling with W8 to make what I don't want look like what I do want. Three years of support will probably be a bigger deal when it becomes an issue than it is now. I have to try and look at it with logic rather than "I don't like W8. At all. Not even a little bit. But I love W7." LOL And considering how badly M$ broke WU in W7, the end of updates may be a huge benefit. :)
Click to expand...

Win8 is a little faster in gaming, Its probably faster in other aplications too.
You get used to win8s UI and i really like it, Its similar to win7s UI and you can uninstall all the apps that come preinstalled.
 
If you cannot get Windows Media Center 8 license then that is a problem because you can't record TV without an alternative solution. So you are better off on 7, but we may be overlooking the big picture of how Win10 has no W Med Center even as a choice.

Absolutely benchmarks will show equal performance but in real life you will have 1-2 second faster boot and on a completely identical dual boot, you will feel that Windows 8 is "snappier". I say 'will' instead of 'may' because so many people have posted about this.
 
There aren't third party media apps as good or better than Media Center? I can't imagine that being the deal breaker.
 
I have a not uncommon TV Tuner.
I failed to get a single DVR program working on Windows 10, where there is no Windows Media Center. Actually I managed to install a hacked WMC on Windows 10 and I can get picture - but that's not what this is about. TV guide where you can select what to record is what this is about. Microsoft has a way not to allow you to get TV guide somehow.
I reboot into Windows 8 and the guide goes through.
But in Window 10, it will not allow it, and research reveals that on Windows 10, only very few zip codes can get the TV guide.

There is no question or doubt that Microsoft does not want us recording TV shows on Windows 10.

People have DVRs so no big deal. But absolutely a huge deal in households without a DVR who need to record a show or two once a week, if that.


If anyone wants me to test anything on Windows 10, I can, but I tested what I could find.

This is my tuner. It works perfectly on Windows 8 and 10. But no TV guide on Windows 10.
http://www.hauppauge.com/site/products/data_hvr950q.html
 
c627627 said:
I have a not uncommon TV Tuner.
I failed to get a single DVR program working on Windows 10, where there is no Windows Media Center. Actually I managed to install a hacked WMC on Windows 10 and I can get picture - but that's not what this is about. TV guide where you can select what to record is what this is about. Microsoft has a way not to allow you to get TV guide somehow.
I reboot into Windows 8 and the guide goes through.
But in Window 10, it will not allow it, and research reveals that on Windows 10, only very few zip codes can get the TV guide.

There is no question or doubt that Microsoft does not want us recording TV shows on Windows 10.

People have DVRs so no big deal. But absolutely a huge deal in households without a DVR who need to record a show or two once a week, if that.


If anyone wants me to test anything on Windows 10, I can, but I tested what I could find.

This is my tuner. It works perfectly on Windows 8 and 10. But no TV guide on Windows 10.
http://www.hauppauge.com/site/products/data_hvr950q.html
Click to expand...

Yup. My old tuner card won't even fit in my new mobo, so it went to my daughter with my old rig. I had to get the bundled software with my new tuner and it's awful. At least four channels aren't recognized just on signal (channel) 38. I'm missing 38.2, 38.4, 38.5, and 38.7. All channels I watch. Media center was my DVR. It allowed me to use my rig as a HTPC and my sound system for audio. My new tuner has four tuners and Media Center would allow me to record three channels while watching a fourth, plus have a guide that isn't a third party website and is actually on screen while watching TV. It is also, unfortunately, the only alternative to the bundled software with my tuner (which is in my sig). I'm a huge fan of as few third party apps as possible cluttering up my install, too. With 500 GB for OS, games, and programs, space is important.

People used Classic Shell/classic theme to get rid of W7 Aero...
Click to expand...

I like Aero! LOL. With enough power under the hood I like having a nice theme with effects to look at. :D
 
Web sites don't count for DVR functionality. It has to be like on Windows Media Center where you Click on the program you want recorded.

Does your new card's software not allow for that and what did you say the model of card and software is called?
Since they don't offer software for Windows 10 for cards that are not 2016 cards or tuners.
 
Alaric said:
I like Aero! LOL. With enough power under the hood I like having a nice theme with effects to look at. :D
Click to expand...

It's pretty to look at but i was always very fond of completely flat classic themes like XP Watercolor, fast/prettier then classic/just as functional :thup: if i wanted anything more extravagant i could always use WindowBlinds to switch. Really miss WinXP for costumization, Win7/8.1 requires modifying system files and doesnt always work like you want to :(

watercolor_4_3_visual_style_by_alecu222-d8drbqm.jpg
 
c627627 said:
Web sites don't count for DVR functionality. It has to be like on Windows Media Center where you Click on the program you want recorded.

Does your new card's software not allow for that and what did you say the model of card and software is called?
Since they don't offer software for Windows 10 for cards that are not 2016 cards or tuners.
Click to expand...

Hauppauge Quad TV Tuner (model# 1609). I can DVR from within the software but the scheduling is several extra steps compared to Media Center. I have to open a seperate menu, click "Scheduler", then "Add", then enter all the info manually. It's the Win TV8 software from Hauppauge. It's the channel guide that is a third party website (Titan TV). While most of what it does works, it is nowhere near the seamless integration of Media Center. To dredge up an old term, it's a kludge. Add to that the failure to see multiple channels, and it is a general disappointment. My TV (on the same antenna) finds all the channels, and so did Media Center with the same antenna. And MC's point 'n click recording function was soo much more user friendly. *sigh* You almost had me on the idea of W8, but the Media Center problem is a big issue for me. Although, I'm considering slapping together some old parts for a HTPC and using 7 for that while replacing 10 with 8.1. First world problems. :)

It's pretty to look at but i was always very fond of completely flat classic themes like XP Watercolor, fast/prettier then classic/just as functional if i wanted anything more extravagant i could always use WindowBlinds to switch. Really miss WinXP for costumization, Win7/8.1 requires modifying system files and doesnt always work like you want to
Click to expand...

Aero was a little hard on resources when introduced (so I've heard) but I can spare whatever it calls for at present, and I like the effects. It's absolutely a personal preference issue, but I spent too much to not have it like I want it.
 
So there really is no software out there to allow you to do what you want as far as theme?
Classic Shell is more about functionality rather than theme.
You choose your own Start button. You choose your own Start Menu from Windows 95 to Windows 7 (most people prefer).
You choose what shows up in the Start menu.
Finally, you choose your own icons.

Option to completely block Charms (or not). Thank God for Charms blockage on Windows 8.0.
Option to never see Metro, unless you SHIFT+Click on Start menu.

There is nothing better than Classic Shell because there is no such thing as Classic Shell way.
It just lets YOU choose whatever you want.

Then you save setting in an xml single file and use that file permanently on all your rigs, on all your systems for ever.
It takes 0.1 seconds to open your own personal .xml file and setup Windows Start Menu.

Bonus: You can custom set buttons in This PC menu, quickly do whatever you through a customized button. Make your buttons look like Windows XP ?Make them look ten times better than WIndows XP? Have no buttons? All choices that are by themselves better than anything specific first down your throat.


There is no discussion on what is "better" because that is subjective.
But there is discussion on choices. And only Classic Shell gives you a choice, if you invest into creation of your own personal .xml file which then transfers to all machines you ever own.

- - - Updated - - -

Alaric said:
Hauppauge Quad TV Tuner (model# 1609). I can DVR from within the software but the scheduling is several extra steps compared to Media Center. I have to open a separate menu, click "Scheduler", then "Add", then enter all the info manually. It's the Win TV8 software from Hauppauge. It's the channel guide that is a third party website (Titan TV). While most of what it does works, it is nowhere near the seamless integration of Media Center.
Click to expand...


:eek: wut? wow. :eek:
Thank you for that, I was mulling over just purchasing a 2016 card just to get the software, but I would have found out the hard way if I did.
The entire point is to click on guide and you simply click on which ever show you want to record.

1 click to see the guide > [move time to get to show] > 1 click to record

This simple 2 click procedure is THE ONLY reason we want the Windows Media Center.
 
Just a heads up: SageTV is back and free, although still in beta. It can be used as a stand alone DVR, or in a client/server setup, if you prefer a central repository for your recorded shows and hardware.
 
Linkage for Windows 10 version?

Main page says Google bought them out.
Google are such Pros, leave it to Google to continue showing Microsoft how data mining is done.

Let's hope Microsoft will see what Google is doing and they'll figure out they can mine data as far as WHAT we watch....
Let's hope they figure that out, face palm themselves, and release Windows Media Center for Windows 10 (now with Spyware!) version. :D
 
It takes a while to figure out that there is a download area
https://forums.sagetv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63009


And then you download the first download and then it asks you for a server, etc.
Where are instructions? What needs to be downloaded? What installed? In what order etc.

Whoever reads this does not have to post but if they want to, that is the info needed for others to test SageTV.
This is not a double click on Setup.exe situation and I've wasted *hours* and hours of time trying to install things of this nature before giving up.


If I did not have Microsoft Windows Media Center I bought with my retail Windows 8, I would figure it out on my own.
In 2023 I will.
And post instructions.
 
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