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[LanceD]

Since I haven't found any mention of it being supported, I thought I'd state that MC is working with my ADS Tech Instant HDTV (ATSC) card (Is there a better place to post this?).

Now if only the UI, guide, control aspects of TV and DVD in MC were a little better. I'd be able use it exclusively instead of switching between MC, Beyond TV and Beyond Media.

[Yaobing]

This is the right place to post.

Thanks for reporting back. It is good news that your device works. We have not tested it ourselves. That is why we have not mentioned it.

What aspect of MC TV do you not like? If you can give some specific suggestions, we are glad to make improvement. There will definitely be some improvements in DVD for version 12.

[LanceD]

Thanks Yaobing,

Sorry for suggesting that the TV function should be 'better' without qualifying that in any way. That was rude of me.

Keep in mind  that my only real frame of reference is BeyondTV (that's what I currently use). There are two areas of MC TV that would GREATLY increase the WAF (and general usability).

1. Guide Integration --  I know there are buttons that take you to the yahoo TV website and such. First of all, when I'm watching TV, I'm not doing it with mouse-in-hand. Navigating a web page is a MAJOR pain with a remote control. Second, the pages are full of ads, and not pleasant to look at. Third and most importantly, they're not integrated into the program. You can't click a link on the web page to record the show. Setting up a recording in MC feels like setting up a recording on a VCR (start time, stop time, channel, etc...).
     
I'd rather see something like BTV's guide.... Once a week (or however you configure it), the program downloads guide info from the web (they use their own Snapstream.net service, but I'm sure there are others out there). When you select 'guide' in BTV, you get a grid of channels-VS-time (I'm told TiVo is similar). It's VERY navigable with a remote. Once in the grid, if you click on a show (Enter or the 'select' button), you get a context menu with options like "watch this episode" (if it's currently on), "record this episode", "record all episodes",  "record all new episodes" etc... etc...

2. Navigability -- Ok, this plays into the previous point. While watching TV with BTV, if you hit any button, you get a (about 70% transparency) display of the channel / show info you're watching. The up / down buttons will change the channel for you (you have the option of whether you have to confirm the channel-change with the 'select' button). In MC, the channels are displayed too small for comfort. It feels too much like a PC menu instead of a TV menu. I know this sounds petty, but once again... it's all about WAF. A remote-friendly navigation scheme would help out quite a bit. I'm not saying you should copy snapstream exactly. It's just a point of reference. I'm pretty sure TiVo, and other set top boxes use pretty much the same UI structure.

Those are the two biggies for now. Thanks for being so open to suggestion.

[Yaobing]

Many people have asked for EPG support. I am not sure when that can become reality. Someday, hopefully.

Do you use Theater view in MC? That may address some of the issues though not all of them.

[beanernsd]

It works for about 5 minutes then like black magic it's gone. Gave up on it unless someone knows some magic to make it work. Just a waste of money. ?

This is the right place to post.

Thanks for reporting back. It is good news that your device works. We have not tested it ourselves. That is why we have not mentioned it.

What aspect of MC TV do you not like? If you can give some specific suggestions, we are glad to make improvement. There will definitely be some improvements in DVD for version 12.