Posted By: scobleizer | Apr 7th, 2006 @ 7:17 PM
Over in building 50 there's a secret room. It's never been shown in public before. What is this room for? Testing audio devices. It is a special room where it's completely silent and the walls have been treated to minimize sound wave reflections. After giving us a tour Charlie Owen, PM on the Media Center team, gives us a little taste of Windows Vista's Media Center features and shows us how to build your first Media Center application. Great discussion of Xbox 360 and the latest in Media Center functionality. The Vista demo starts at about 19:00 into the video. The Web site we talk about is the Media Center Sandbox, which is where you can learn more.
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Cool, the listening room sees the light of day.


First of all, I am just 10 minutes in so I don't know if what I am about to say will be covered later in the video, but...

The way I understand it from reading various tidbits about MCML, it sounds like it existed before to describe the Media Center UI and was only opened up reluctantly because people weren't happy with the HTML model for UI development ( I being one of them. )  While I am thrilled that MCML is now opened up I can't help think that it will always be second class to XAML/WPF.   Moving forward will we be seeing the technologies converge to the point where XAML/WPF becomes the standard for the UI?

Since WPF is getting all the tools (ie, Expression Interactive Designer), wouldn't it make sense to go to purely a WPF UI?

Cheers,
Clint 

By the way, this was filmed back in January. Sorry it took so long to get up. And, yeah, I lost my Superbowl bet. I wore the Pittsburgh shirt last week during an interview that'll come up in a few weeks.
 That really kewl and its gud ... thnk u fr the presentation .

   P.Swetha Rani .
Clint --> [With regards to Windows Media Center Presentation Layer Applications which use Media Center Markup Language (MCML)] it sounds like it existed before to describe the Media Center UI and was only opened up reluctantly because people weren't happy with the HTML model for UI development.

Nope. Smiley

We leveraged the HTML model first because it offered us the quickest way to get our API out there and didn't force folks to learn a whole new development paradigm for a nascent market. In addition, many of our target partners already had HTML based experiences they could easily leverage in a remote controlled world. But yes, you are right, HTML development for Media Center can be painful at times.

And yes, the Windows Media Center Presentation Layer and MCML has existed in some form since the very first version of Media Center. It has proven, over the course of 4 versions of Windows Media Center (and soon to be a fifth in Windows Vista) to be such a powerful way to create applications designed for use with a remote control it was a no brainer decision to make it available to third parties. Far from being a reluctant decision, we are ECSTATIC it's being opened up to folks like you Clint. It's really what our community of developers have been asking for from our team and we are happy to deliver.

Clint --> While I am thrilled that MCML is now opened up I can't help think that it will always be second class to XAML/WPF.

I can see how you might arrive at this conclusion, but it's certainly not the case. We hope people will look at it this way...

The Windows Media Center Presentation Layer Application paradigm is the first class citizen in developing applications and services for Windows Media Center (but it's NOT available for general Windows development). The WinFX paradigm is the first class citizen in developing applications and services for Windows (and you can also use it in developing Windows Media Center experiences). The Windows Media Center SDK for Windows Vista has a topic called 'Choosing a Technology' which will help you decide which one is appropriate for your needs.

Clint --> Moving forward will we be seeing the technologies converge to the point where XAML/WPF becomes the standard for the UI?

Perhaps -- time will tell. The two teams are certainly collaborating now to give us the ability to use WinFX XBAP in Windows Media Center. Based on what I have seen so far internally I don't think you are dead-ended long term with either choice, if that's your concern.

Clint --> Since WPF is getting all the tools (ie, Expression Interactive Designer), wouldn't it make sense to go to purely a WPF UI?

That's the great thing -- as a third party you CAN use WinFX for your Windows Media Center experience -- totally your choice -- just as you can choose the Windows Media Center Presentation Layer or HTML, which is still a valid app dev model within Windows Media Center in Windows Vista.
Very cool vid. I'm way excited. haven't had a lot of time to play with MCE on Vista but I plan too at some point really soon. MCE is one of my personal favorite groups simply because its one of those products that I can really relate to wanting to use all the time.

So happy about having MCML, as the hosted HTML model drove me crazy.

They need to get you a better camera.

The trick now is to get my boss to pay me to play with MCE Smiley

 

You good!I want a wallop invite.Thank you very much!Hope you to contact with me!My mailbox is: tanzhiren0416@hotmail.com

Have any of you written apps/tools using this XAML or MCML? It seems really cool in theory but it seems like it would be really limiting....constantly looking for the right way to describe your ui/functionality.

Again, exciting in theory but I am curious to see what kind of apps come out of it.

Yes! Finally something new from the Media Center team, I loved the one with Charlie and the other guy a while back, this might be my favorite team except the tablet team.