Entertainment 2.0 from The Digital Media Zone

With less than two weeks until the official launch of Windows 8 there was plenty of news for Josh and Richard to cover. The new Xbox Dashboard is out, along with Xbox Music, Microsoft has released pricing and pre-orders for the Surface RT and Windows, and the FCC continues to make us angry!

As we get closer to Microsoft releasing all of its new products later this month there is plenty to talk about with the Xbox 360, Windows 8, and Windows Phone 8. Josh and Richard covered it all, and even found room to discuss a competitor to Windows Media Center!

On this week’s show, Josh has lots of listener feedback to share. Rumor has it that Microsoft may be making a Windows Phone of its own, and Ceton announces delays for its Q entertainment appliance and Echo extender.

This week it looks as though Microsoft is planning to produce their own original video content and they are also offering some great deals on video games that may entice you to checkout a Microsoft Store. My Movies has been used by one million people, Cyberlink released a Windows 8 version of PowerDVD that doesn't play DVDs, there might be a new fix for the Netflix bug in Media Center, and details of the upcoming RedBox video streaming service have started to be released. Of course the pair couldn't make it out without talking (briefly this time) about the HTC Windows Phone 8 devices that were announced before wrapping up the show.

There was simply too much news this week for Josh and Richard to cover it alone, so they brought friends! Early in the show James Montemagno makes an appearance to enlighten us about the Wii U and Nintendo TVii, and then later in the show Craig Scholle (remember him?) shows up to tell us about the Intel NUC.

Josh and Richard discuss building a new HTPC, Ceton's Companion apps and Echo. They also are interested in the latest Spotify rumor before comparing the iPhone 5 to the new Lumias. Josh also provides an update on his usage of ComSkip.

Josh and Richard are joined by Phil Lozen (of the Seen in HD podcast) to discuss all of the details of the Nokia/Microsoft Windows Phone 8 announcement. There was also some good and bad news for users of Media Center, Ceton product, and the Zune Music Pass.

There were a plethora of Windows 8 devices announced on the first day of IFA from Samsung, ASUS, and Sony. Samsung also became the first manufacturer to officially announce a Windows Phone 8 device. This week Josh and Richard covered all of that, plus other Microsoft news including how they may be positively impacted by the recent Apple vs Samsung court ruling.

It's apparently travel week at the Digital Media Zone, and everyone received the memo except for Josh. Richard is out this week, but fortunately Chris Barnes was able to fill in before he left for a trip of his own. The show this week is largely dominated by Windows 8 news.

Windows 8 is available to MSDN and TechNet subscribers, so we get our grubby hands on it to discover what it means for Media Center users! We also cover the week's news, and speak with a guest whose entire house runs on Apple, except for his Windows Media Center setup!

Microsoft RTMs Windows 8 but calls take-backs on the term Metro. There’s also wild speculation that Nokia may actually announce new Windows 8 phones at Nokia World. Who could have possibly seen that one coming? Meanwhile, Amazon makes some changes in its media delivery strategy. All that and more on episode 189 of the Entertainment 2.0 podcast.

Our doctors continue to tell us that we need more fiber in our diet, but perhaps Richard didn't completely understand what they meant. Regardless, he added plenty to his, and the residents of Kansas City are about to add a whole lot more to theirs too! Josh did everything he could to keep the show regular, but Richard continued to do crazy things, like purchasing an Android tablet! Enough with the fiber jokes! There were other things to discuss too, like Google delaying the Nexus Q, Apple TV finally adding another streaming video source, and what's all this hub-bub about Olympics coverage? Do people in the UK have it better than the rest of us?

Josh and Richard are back with a way to get the Start button back into Windows 8, along with another huge benefit to Windows 8 home theater PC users. They also discuss a way to remap a Media Center remote's Green Button to work as a Start button, along with Netflix's earnings, Vizio's new Google TV box, and their latest projects.

Josh and Richard discuss the latest Windows 8 news and information about the Ceton Echo beta, and then are joined by Windows Home Server MVP to discuss the death of Home Server.

For episode 185 Josh and Richard are joined by long time friend of the show Derek Flickinger. Doc Flick, as Josh likes to call him, has made many appearances on the show in the past, but none in over two years! He's been at the front of the field in the custom installer market, and has a wealth of knowledge covering all areas of home entertainment, networking, and so much more. We spent the show catching up with him and getting his take on where this segment has gone over the last couple of years, and where it still needs to go.