Replacing a Windows 7/WMC/Xbox Home Theater Setup with Windows 10 as a Base OS
Posted: Thu Nov 28, 2019 6:29 pm
***First, I apologize if there’s already a topic/discussion in the forum for this. I couldn’t find one. None of the major categories seemed to fit. I may have posted this in the wrong place. Please don’t shoot me, just point me to a link.***
OK, the end is near for Windows 7 mainstream support (Jan 14, 2020).
Yes, I know I can continue using my current Win7 OS setup on my hardware almost forever, but security will become more and more problematic over time.
So what to do?
Here is my current setup:
- Win7 SP1 OS on a Dell XPS tower with lots of RAM and hard drive capacity and 2 24” monitors
WMC installed, to provide WMC functionality in addition to all of my daily work-related tasks.
- EPG123 installed with paid subscription to SchedulesDirect (thank God for Gary)
- 2 Ceton InfiniTV USB cable card tuner boxes, each with a registered/validated cable card for all Frontier FiOS base and subscription TV channels
- 3 Xbox 360s used as WMC Extenders (no gaming, ever) in three different rooms
I know it’s time to upgrade (ha!) to Win10 for many of my non-WMC (daily business-related) needs.
Is there a simple, equivalent, replacement solution for this wonderful functionality which I have enjoyed for 10+ years (including Windows Vista) that will operate on (or in conjunction with) Windows 10?
I’ve read that some WMC enthusiasts have managed to run a hacked version of WMC on Win10, but it appears to be fragile and is broken with each new release of Win10.
I’ve also read about Silicon Dust’s Prime 6 box and their DVR software, but that seems to be someone’s fantasy as opposed to reality, at least for the foreseeable future.
In conjunction with a Win10 PC, I am expecting to buy new hardware, external devices, etc. to replicate the functionality to which I have become accustomed:
1) Watch live cable TV channels on my PC and three Xbox extenders all simultaneously. Pause, resume, skip back/forward, change channels all independently of each other.
2) Record up to 8 channels simultaneously
3) Guide with EPG123/SD daily updated data
4) All of the other great features you know and love
What are my choices to come as close with Win10 to the functionality that I enjoy with Win7/WMC/Xbox Extenders today?
I am not a PC genius and I’m not looking for a complicated, technical solution….just a simple, elegant one, like WMC (mostly) is.
Yes, I know, if there was a simple and elegant Windows 10 solution, almost everyone would be doing it already.
All suggestions/recommendations will be greatly appreciated.
OK, the end is near for Windows 7 mainstream support (Jan 14, 2020).
Yes, I know I can continue using my current Win7 OS setup on my hardware almost forever, but security will become more and more problematic over time.
So what to do?
Here is my current setup:
- Win7 SP1 OS on a Dell XPS tower with lots of RAM and hard drive capacity and 2 24” monitors
WMC installed, to provide WMC functionality in addition to all of my daily work-related tasks.
- EPG123 installed with paid subscription to SchedulesDirect (thank God for Gary)
- 2 Ceton InfiniTV USB cable card tuner boxes, each with a registered/validated cable card for all Frontier FiOS base and subscription TV channels
- 3 Xbox 360s used as WMC Extenders (no gaming, ever) in three different rooms
I know it’s time to upgrade (ha!) to Win10 for many of my non-WMC (daily business-related) needs.
Is there a simple, equivalent, replacement solution for this wonderful functionality which I have enjoyed for 10+ years (including Windows Vista) that will operate on (or in conjunction with) Windows 10?
I’ve read that some WMC enthusiasts have managed to run a hacked version of WMC on Win10, but it appears to be fragile and is broken with each new release of Win10.
I’ve also read about Silicon Dust’s Prime 6 box and their DVR software, but that seems to be someone’s fantasy as opposed to reality, at least for the foreseeable future.
In conjunction with a Win10 PC, I am expecting to buy new hardware, external devices, etc. to replicate the functionality to which I have become accustomed:
1) Watch live cable TV channels on my PC and three Xbox extenders all simultaneously. Pause, resume, skip back/forward, change channels all independently of each other.
2) Record up to 8 channels simultaneously
3) Guide with EPG123/SD daily updated data
4) All of the other great features you know and love
What are my choices to come as close with Win10 to the functionality that I enjoy with Win7/WMC/Xbox Extenders today?
I am not a PC genius and I’m not looking for a complicated, technical solution….just a simple, elegant one, like WMC (mostly) is.
Yes, I know, if there was a simple and elegant Windows 10 solution, almost everyone would be doing it already.
All suggestions/recommendations will be greatly appreciated.