If you are running a CableCard Tuner or any type of TV Tuner in your Windows HTPC there is some important information you need to be alert to.
Microsoft has been pushing their Windows 10 Operating System on owners of Windows 7 and 8 Systems so hard that the upgrade is Free. This might be good news for normal desktop users that don’t capture TV Shows from Cable or Antenna but if you are someone who does you’re about to get screwed.
It has been reported that in early 2016 Microsoft will start pushing Windows 10 as an Automatic Recommended Windows Update.
This means if you have Windows Update set to automatically download and install Updates for security and other reasons this Update or takeover of your computer could happen one night while you’re not aware.
Reportedly the final install of Windows 10 will still require human intervention however with the way some updates are configured it might be possible that this install could happen in some environments automatically.
What we know to date is that the Update can and will be fetched on many systems.
Arstechnica has reported that if you are using a system that relies on Microsoft Media Center to record programs it is important “to disable automatic updates between now and the new year.”
As we see it Cordcutters and those that want to retain their rights to use software they long ago bought are going to end up getting screwed by Microsoft.
It is another in your face takeover of your ability to record content and control it.
Microsoft has taken away the ability to watch Netflix within Media Center and they are pushing streaming as a new method of content delivery. Not just for personal use but by corporate headends such as Comcast, Cox and other Cable Companies.
The idea is to remove your ability to record content and save it from any format whether it be Over The Air Antenna Broadcasts or Streaming.
Final Note
I find the current support from Microsoft to be outrageous. Their New CEO has an initiative to stop dead the ability for windows users to compile and control video content.
Windows 10 Beta was released with Media Center and this meant that if you wanted to have your own DVR at home all you needed was a $15 video card and a copy of Windows 7 Pro. You could schedule programs to record automatically then save them for later viewing.
If you are a CordCutter Recording any good content from Antenna based distribution then saving it for later viewing is important because it means a Movie that was shown last week or month or year is now in your Archive and you can watch it again as many times as you want even if it is not being aired on TV.
Right now Cable Companies are instituting Caps on Data Transfer and this means in the future whether you use a paid Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu+ or YouTube Red account you will be paying tens or hundreds of dollars extra every month due to your overages.
If you record a movie or TV show legally off of Cable or Antenna you don’t have to pay the transfer fees. You can downgrade your Cable TV subscription and save enough money to pay for all your other utility bills combined.
It is simply outrageous and I don’t know if Bill Gates would have done this many years ago but the New CEO just does not care.
Although there is a huge leap in complexity to use Linux it might be an option for many people. I would guess with all the security concerns mixed in with Window 10 and the privacy concerns where you basically have no privacy on your computer anymore.. I think many people will be looking to Linux for an answer.
As a Microsoft Technet and Developer Network Member since the release of Windows 95 and before this is very concerning to me and how it will effect the entire future of computing, privacy and control of your content on your home computer.