How is this new?
New versions of Windows often have internal changes (which is why it's a new version, more often than not) that, gasp, usually breaks things and requires developers to address the change.
There is
NOTHING added to media center from 7 to 8.1. Absolutely
NOTHING. We aren't talking about one or two 3rd party plugins breaking. It's pretty much
ALL of them.
In the transition from Vista to Windows 7, in which a good bit of MCE functionality WAS added,
most of the Vista add-ins worked on Windows 7, since the plug-in API hasn't actually changed, or at least there hasn't been a single spec of documentation released, since Vista.
In the transition from Windows 7 to Windows 8, with
nothing added for MCE,
every single add-in broke. Most of them still don't work today.
None are working with 8.1.
It's not always something Microsoft has to "fix" - it's the developer.
That includes plugins written by Microsoft themselves. The built-in Digital Cable Advisor, for example, which is required to activate CableCARD support, does not work in 8.1.
Also, by using 8/8.1 you lose the ability to use any extender other than the XBOX 360, and in 8.1, even
that has trouble connecting.
You'll also be pleased to note that 8.1 breaks RDP from anything other than another 8.1 machine or Windows 7. I managed to blue-screen it by attempting RDP from a Mac.
BTW, Harmony remotes work beautifully with Media Center, at least in the 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, Vista, and Windows 7 versions. If yours doesn't, that is yet another "feature" of Windows 8. My guess is that it's the broken USB on recent Intel chipsets with Windows 8 and 8.1 that is interfering with your remote.
This has been going on for ages, on all platforms. When the product they develop for is tied into an OS version, that happens.
Like I said, there are no new features, no changed APIs from 7 to 8.1. In fact there are no changed APIs from Vista to 8.1. MS quite simply broke it. Plugins in Vista
worked in 7 without changes, even though 7 (much unlike 8) had underlying improvements and features added.
Here's to hoping significant changes to 8.1 also include better integration between WMC and Windows, like with previous editions of WMC.
Seriously, name one example? What integration with Windows are you talking about?
And 8.1 hasn't even released to customers yet - and developers haven't had a heck of a lot of time with release code. Things tends to have a period of not working perfectly if third-party code relies upon something that was changed.
With 8.1, we've received semi-official notification yesterday that that "period" is
forever.
Here the author of DVRMSToolbox confirms pretty much the same thing. And here is one from the MyMovies authors. You are right in that the RecordedTV HD forum post was last month. The author sent an e-mail out to registered users confirming 8.1 is broken yesterday. Even the various apps to just show you the weather are broken in 8.1.
In order to force you to "upgrade" to the steaming turd that is 8.1, a lot of major windows updates will not be available for 8.0. For example, IE11 (not that anyone would really use IE) is only available for Windows 7, not 8. While active support for Win7 ends in Jan 2015, extended support where at least there are windows updates is until 2020. And there are 3rd party addons that work with 7 to import guide data from sources other than MS's contract with ZapToIt for the areas they don't cover; so once the guide data stops I'm sure these 3rd party addons will start handling US data as well. Since 8.1 is a service pack for 8,
ALL support for Windows 8 without that service pack will end 2 years from now, in 2015. And you will be stuck with the train wreck that is 8.1.
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