Windows Media Center is back in the news: GitHub has posted the SDK that brought it to life in Windows 7

In 2015 Windows Media Center said goodbye. The arrival of Windows 10 brought with it an unexpected collateral victim for many. We had to say goodbye to the Microsoft interface/application for multimedia PCs that we had worked with over the years. With Windows 10 it would no longer be available, not even as a paid add-on.

But for the most nostalgic, now comes the possibility of reviving the old utility thanks to the development of Charlie Owen, former Manager of Programs at Microsoft, which has posted on GitHub Windows Media Center SDK for Windows 7.

A review of history

Windows Media Center launched in 2002 as a special edition of Windows XP, intended for computers with reception/ TV and DVD recording, which were accompanied by a remote control with the classic green Windows icon. With the advent of Vista, Media Center went from being offered as a separate edition of Windows to being a feature included in the premium consumer editions: Home Premium and Ultimate.

Already in 2009, what would be the last stable version of Windows Media Center was released, included in the Home Premium versions , Pro, and Ultimate of Windows 7. At that time the arrival of add-ons began to integrate it with Netflix and with the leading Xbox 360. An evolution that I could not hide that had been stagnant for 6 years since in 2009, its developers flew to the Xbox and Windows divisions.It was the beginning of the end. Declining usage led to its disappearance with Windows 10 after it became a paid add-on in Windows 8 and Windows 8.1.

Back to 2019

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That&39;s why the movement of Charlie Owen, who worked on Windows Media Center until 2019, is striking. On Github, he says that the idea of ​​sharing the SDK would help to preserve a bit of history for the diaspora who created Windows."

Now, with the availability of its SDK for Windows 7, it is possible to relive, in part, a not so distant time. And be careful, it does not mean that it is an alternative to services such as Kodi or Plex.

Thanks to this SDK, those interested with the right knowledge can create add-ons and extensions for the now-defunct Windows Media Center.It does not mean that it will be a widely used application again, but it does offer a loophole so that those interested can experiment with the code that gave it life.

Source | The Register More information | GitHub