Will Microsoft Continue WMC Support?

Lady Fitzgerald · 11 May 2015

Once Win10 is released, will M$ continue to support Windows Media Center in W7 until Win 7's EOL?

badcrc · 12 May 2015

Guess you're referring to this

Microsoft discontinues Media Center with Windows 10 â

I use WMC for live + recording TV, so my main worry is that MS will stop the EPG data. I seem to remember this happening a couple of years ago (for a few weeks), and although I found an EPG workaround, it wasn't all that easy.

The closest replacement for WMC + TV seems to be Mediaportal, but I had a quick look and it seems harder to setup than WMC - client/server etc. Since WMC was a paid add-on in W8, maybe MS will keep the EPG data flowing for a few years . . .

Indianatone · 02 Jun 2015

One would expect them to provide EPG data until Windows 8.1 Media Center reaches end of life which is I believe 2023. I am hoping that by then someone will either port media center or create a really good alternate. Yes getting the guide data collecting is a nightmare. I can tell you as an absolute fact that Windows Media Center worked on Windows 10 as I loaded it as the dumb ass programmers forgot to disable it. I used a Windows 8 Key used in development. So 10 is deliberately crippled so as Media Center will no longer load. Solved How to add Media Center to Tech Preview - Windows 10 Forums

Lady Fitzgerald · 02 Jun 2015

Indianatone said:

One would expect them to provide EPG data until Windows 8.1 Media Center reaches end of life which is I believe 2023. I am hoping that by then someone will either port media center or create a really good alternate. Yes getting the guide data collecting is a nightmare. I can tell you as an absolute fact that Windows Media Center worked on Windows 10 as I loaded it as the dumb ass programmers forgot to disable it. I used a Windows 8 Key used in development. So 10 is deliberately crippled so as Media Center will no longer load. Solved How to add Media Center to Tech Preview - Windows 10 Forums

Thanks for the info!

badcrc · 03 Jun 2015

I also used 'add extra features' and an old serial to enable media center in an early build of W10 TP. IIRC doing this changed the W10 branding to show W8.1 (but the OS was still W10), and updates were disabled. I read on a MS blog that this was an accidental oversight (as per Indianatone above), which would get fixed.

I have looked on more recent W10 TP builds, but can't see any way to enable WMC (I admit I didn't look very hard). I couldn't find any ehome folder either. I guess it's gone forever.

Re TV on Windows 10 - there's an app (I think it uses FilmOn) that streams low quality SD UK TV. AFAIK you have to pay to get higher bitrate. In the UK we have free to air HD TV (called Freeview), but MS wants me to stop watching TV for free with a HD tuner card and WMC, and pay a monthly subscription instead.

That's the new Windows attitude - once you've got their new product, it's pay, pay, pay. On Windows 8, even good old Solitaire had ads - which you could pay to remove.

z3r010 · 03 Jun 2015

I moved back to Windows 10 yesterday and am testing ProgDVB for my tuner cards atm, the ProgTV mode app is quite like WMC and it works for my needs so far, but time will tell.

Lady Fitzgerald · 03 Jun 2015

z3r010 said:

I moved back to Windows 10 yesterday and am testing ProgDVB for my tuner cards atm, the ProgTV mode app is quite like WMC and it works for my needs so far, but time will tell.

Hmmm. I wonder if that will work with U.S. TV or is it strictly for your side of the pond?

z3r010 · 03 Jun 2015

I think it's mainly US but supports all major standards.

Just download the free version and give it a try.

Lady Fitzgerald · 03 Jun 2015

z3r010 said:

I think it's mainly US but supports all major standards.

Just download the free version and give it a try.

Thanks. That's curious since the prices on the website were in €. WMC is working fine for me now (except for one channel) so I will stay with it for as long as it does but I will keep this in mind plus I will be watching here to see if you have problems with ProgDVB.

The company that makes my tuners has a Kick Starter going to fund making their own version of WMC. They plan on charging $30/year to use it, which isn't too bad but I hate this little charge here and this little one there since they add up and I'm on a so called fixed income (thanks to inflation, it's definitely not fixed). At least I now have a plan A and a Plan B in place now.

Berton · 03 Jun 2015

I can tell you as an absolute fact that Windows Media Center worked on Windows 10 as I loaded it as the dumb ass programmers forgot to disable it

So far the only issue I've had with WMP on Win10 is it won't play commercial video DVDs.

As far as TV, any issue may be due to Europe and other countries having the PAL format and North America and others using NTSC format.