A while ago, Microsoft released to manufacture (RTM) the new update to Windows Media Center; Windows Media Center TV Pack 2008.

Microsoft stated that it’s only going to be available to OEM users (god know’s why!) but i’ve managed to download a copy of it, and have uploaded it to this webserver, both the 32bit version and the 64bit version.

Some features of TV Pack 2008 Include:

• Improved TV Tuner Support
• Enhanced Guide and User Interface
• new file format for recorded tv – .WTV

Some Known issues (taken from pcmag’s article)

TV Pack alters the file format of shows recorded by Media Center from DVR-MS (Microsoft Digital Video Recording) to WTV (Windows TV), a switch many are complaining about. A bunch of third-party applications for post-processing recorded television shows—mainly to remove or otherwise mark advertisements—haven’t been updated yet to work with the new format

But what does the new format add? Video in the new WTV format is encoded using the MPEG-2 standard and audio using MPEG-1 Layer II or Dolby Digital AC-3 (ATSC A/52)—specs that are similar to those in the earlier DVR-MS format. WTV extends these standards by including metadata about the content and digital rights management, through Microsoft’s new PlayReady DRM scheme. Since PlayReady was initially designed for mobile devices, it’s possible that Microsoft plans deeper integration between Windows Mobile 7 devices and content recorded (and maybe even distributed) across the Media Center platform. Only time will tell.

Ignoring the obvious format-related incompatibilities, the other problems seem to relate to rights management. Users with CableCARDs are reporting trouble tuning in certain channels they ought to receive, though it’s unclear whether this is an issue with TV Pack or with the OCUR tuners themselves—which are notoriously troublesome. Other users report “restricted content” errors when attempting to watch live shows that shouldn’t be restricted—though many say they can record these shows successfully. Clearly, there are some DRM issues that need to be resolved.

Beyond that, there are surprisingly few known bugs, a refreshing change from other Microsoft software launches

Download Links

At the request of Microsoft the Links have been removed