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Thread: Netflix, PlayOn, TubeCore etc. in WMC7 setup

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    Default Netflix, PlayOn, TubeCore etc. in WMC7 setup

    Hi all,

    Kind of just a post on what I have done for anyone who is interested. Basically I got the NBN installed the other day, so have finally got the bandwidth to start really getting proper IPTV going. I had tried this before and my connection just wasn't capable, so this post might not suite some people (or may just make them jealous and annoyed, sorry if that's the case).

    I am a Windows Media Center 7 user (largely because of the girlfriend friendly factor, it took a lot of training but the fiance has finally come around and I doubt will change). So this is currently my main media hub for everything, so if I want anything in the living rooms it's WMC7 all the way.

    Having read a few threads on here (thank you!) and a few other spots, I decided to dive into some Netflix. I went with the VPN option using StrongVPN (which gives me some decent speeds). Unfortunately my trial unblock-us subscription had expired but I will be testing and comparing that shortly.

    So after multiple failed attempts, and some serious bunging up of my WMC7 guide, trying to get the Netflix icon showing I decided to go 3rd party. I installed PlayOn -> (I also bought a 6 month membership to get the premium which was about $15 and I think it's like $5 a month after that). This is the server side and basically streams content from online US channels as well as Hulu, Netflix etc. (This can then be accessed via PS3, XBOX, PC, AppleTV etc.). Obviously you need an account for the relevant services, but some are free.

    The next step was a front end for WMC7 I went with TubeCore (This was also $10 once off payment This allows a connection to the Playon Server and integrates all the "channels" into WMC7.

    This seems to work quite well, although I haven't done extensive watching as of yet. My main goal from here was to get iView, 7, 9, 10 catch up services into WMC7 but it appears all the scripts don't work. Can anyone help on this, or had any success?

    I also got a couple of extra scripts/plugins for playon from (basically the SuperUsVox which was $5 and the free Aussie Pack) these bring in a number of international channels into Playon here's a list for interested parties:

    There is also a PlayLater feature so apparently you can save shows to watch later (haven't tried that yet though). So far pretty happy with it, there was a bit of a financial outlay, but it may actually be competitive compared to payTV. I will post my experiences as I plan to use extensively over the weekend.

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  • #2
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    UPDATE:
    Alright to sum some things up and just give a bit of a heads up for a few of the things I have tried (and bought all of them, so might save you some $$).

    VPN: I have both a StrongVPN and an Unblock-US account. I would have to say that for speed Unblock-US is awesome, basically doesn't slow down at all. However it is limited and doesn't work for everything. Strong-VPN works for everything and makes your connection US based but there is a definitely a speed hit.

    PlayOn & Tubecore: The Playon Server seems to work great, however the Tubecore front end leaves a bit to be desired. It's quite slow and due to some disputes between tubecore and playon (caused by the Play Later feature) there is some content (Netflix) that doesn't work properly. However there is a lot of content on there that does work (including some International Satellite Channels). Most of it will work with UnBlock-US (not all).

    SecondRun.TV: This is an interesting one, adds a bit of functionality but does take some configuration. You basically have to set up channels for each of the programs you want (from Netflix), it does well loading all the Netflix movies though. And does come with a limited number of US channels (they don't all work with UnBlock-Us unfortunately). It was worth a try but wasn't really the solution I was after.

    Kylo Browser: This sort of works as a plugin for WMC7 (although it is no embedded) and is simply a web browser that works well on a big screen. It does work with UnBlock-US but you have to manually add some webpages (Discover, MTV, Netflix). With StrongVPN you get shortcuts for all the US websites. It's not a complete solution but is open source and worth a crack as it's free. You can also manually add links to the Australia services websites (iView, 7Plus etc.). Although it's not fully integrated it does allow access to these services from the couch.

    WMC7 Netflix Plugin: This was a bit of a b*tch to get working but I had success using the following steps:

    1. Connect using StrongVPN or another US VPN service (unfortunately doesn't work with Unblock-US).
    2. Set Computer Regional and Location as US (not sure if entirely necessary actually).
    3. Re-tune TV Signal using US location and Postcode (this stuffs up all your channels but is unfortunately necessary!).
    4. This will download a whole heap of guide information from the states and does take a while (checking the WMC7 events in event viewer does give a little information about what gets updated) also if you click on the little guide downloader icon in the system tray it will give you a run down of what is being downloaded (mine took like 30 minutes at least).
    5. Once channels tuned (or not in this case) force the WMC7 to Update from Settings->General->Automatic Updates -> Download Now
    6. Close and re-open WMC7, if no Netflix icon under Movies, try installing:
    7. If still no luck, force another WMC7 Update from Settings and close and open WMC7
    8. At this point I had the Netflix Icon, but no channels obviously
    9. Rescan channels using Australia Settings (do not download guide updates)
    10. Once all set-up, change the following 2 Registry Entries:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Media Center/Settings/ProgramGuide/strCountryCode -> US
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Media Center/Settings/ProgramGuide/strLocation -> A US postcode
    11. BOOM you should have Netflix and Australian FTA.
    12. At this point you can disconnect the VPN and just use Unblock-US from that point.

    Conclusion:
    I've basically gone with the embedded Netflix because it works and integrates real well (and is free). If I was to do it again I would just use a trial/free VPN to get it into Media Centre and then use UnBlock-Us from there (to avoid paying for a VPN AND Unblock-US).

    I've set up PlayOn to stream to my PS3/Xbox (will report on this shortly) and for some of the TubeCore content that does work (Discovery, MTV, Nat Geo, International TV etc.).

    Then Kylo is great for iView, 7Plus (and some of the US services) because at this time I can't find any other way to integrate them.

    Hope this sheds some light on some of the WMC7 options, happy to answer any questions. Will post screenshots if people request them, but post is already too long
    Last edited by speckledegg; 14-09-12 at 03:58 PM.

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    Hi All,

    Had a bit of a play over the weekend. Netflix has been working well with Unblock-us (big hit with the Fiance). I also hooked up a PS3 and it works flawlessly as well, so very happy with the results there. I was going to use the XBOX 360 but apparently you need a membership (+- $100/year) so just used the PS3 instead. None of the Netflix features work using the XBOX360 as an extender either. All up pretty happy though, hours of stuff to watch now and definitely worth the $10-15/month I think.

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    Just done a reinstall oF windows 7 Pro x64. I setup the PC as it was in The USA.

    When I goto select the region of USA in WMC. Its says its unsupprted. Any ideas? I looked at some posts regarding Canadians having the same problem and ran a batch file they supplied but still to no avail
    cheers

    Running Dual Leadtek DTV2000 DS (not he PLUS)
    Last edited by acejas; 17-02-13 at 10:44 PM.

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    just found out my tuner is not compatible. It doesnt accept the ATSC standard. The Hauppauge HVR 22xx models

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