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Patch Tuesday Also Intros Redmond's New Active Protection and Exploitability Index, WMC Updates

Mark Edward Soper — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 21:36:49 -0500

October's Patch Tuesday's bigger than normal, with 11 security bulletins (four critical, six important, and one moderate) affecting the following desktop operating systems and applications:

Internet Explorer 5.01, 6, and 7 on Windows 2000 SP4, Windows XP, and Windows Vista get patched to stop a remote code execution threat
Windows XP SP2 and SP3 and Windows XP Professional x64 and XP Professional x64 SP2 will be patched to stop elevation of privilege attacks
Windows 2000 SP4 through Windows Vista SP1 will also be as updated needed to prevent remote code execution
Microsoft Excel 2000 SP3, Excel 2002, Excel 2003 SP2/SP3, and Excel 2007/2007 SP1 will be updated against a critical vulnerability, as will Excel Viewer 2003/2003 SP3, Excel Viewer, and MS Office Compatibility Pack and Compatibility Pack's SP1.

What else is coming down the chute starting Tuesday?

Windows Vista Media Center gets a pair of updates (one for the TV Pack, and one for everyone), as well as the usual updates to the Malicious Software Removal Tool, Windows Mail Junk Email Filter and Customer/Windows Vista Experience Improvement Program.

However, the biggest news is the premiere of the Microsoft Active Protections Program and Exploitability Index we told you about in August. Hopefully, these programs will aid the never-ending battle against the bad guys in cyberspace.

"Fiji" Update for Windows Media Center RTMs, Exact Features Still a Mystery

Mark Edward Soper — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:02:50 -0500

For Windows Vista users who use Windows Media Center, there's good news and bad news:

The good news? The long-awaited "Fiji" update to WMC, officially known as the Windows Media Center TV Pack, was released to manufacturing last week. The bad news? Pick a pair: a) TV Pack is currently available only to OEMs. b) Nobody who knows exactly what TV Pack includes is telling, and the rest of us don't know.

Some long-rumored features, such as support for H.264 encoding (used by DirecTV), didn't make the cut, but exactly what's in "Fiji" is still a mystery. To find out the best guesses we've found about TV Pack, and when the rest of us might finally get our hands on it, join us after the jump.

Tiny Island Nation of Fiji and Microsoft on War Path

Pulkit Chandna — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 22:04:36 -0500

The government of the small island nation of Fiji is not too pleased with Microsoft’s purported use of the country’s name for the upcoming revision of Windows Media Center. According to reports, Fiji’s government is still trying to convince Microsoft that it needs to seek official permission first – and impute more respect to the tiny country, before going ahead with its plans to launch Windows Fiji.

The country’s Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum wants the dispute to be resolved cordially. Interestingly, Microsoft’s annual turnover is many times Fiji’s GDP. But something could be more interesting then the economic disparity between the two: Microsoft’s possible obsession with the name Fiji, which might eventually cost it a few million dollars.

Vista Updates for Windows Media Center Improve Extender and Set-Top Box Support

Mark Edward Soper — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 21:19:55 -0500

Redmond rolls out a pair of updates for Vista's version of Windows Media Center, improving support for newer set-top boxes and enhancing support for Media Center Extenders. Media Center Extenders enable you to bring the Windows Media Center desktop and content to your TV or HDTV. Whether you use an Xbox 360 or other extender, the updates Redmond rolled out today will improve how extenders work. If you use Windows Media Center, you'll want these updates.

Now Playing on Windows Vista Media Center, May 2008 Edition

Mark Soper — Fri, 09 May 2008 22:13:37 -0500

Tired of "Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on?" Tune into Windows Media Center. Here's a taste of the latest attractions.

Vongo

Michael Brown & Will Smith — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 17:00:01 -0500

Vongo’s subscription business model puts it in a category all its own:
The service’s primary focus is to provide an all-you-can-eat
smorgasbord of movies and other video content that can be downloaded to
your PC for a $10 monthly fee. It doesn’t offer any for-purchase
content, and its TV offerings are nearly nonexistent.

Click Read More for more.

Movielink

Michael Brown & Will Smith — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 16:59:51 -0500

Movie-rental outfit Blockbuster Entertainment acquired movie-download service Movielink in August 2007, but the company seems to have lost interest in its latest asset. When we contacted Blockbuster’s corporate communications department in preparation for this story, they couldn’t be bothered to provide us with Movielink’s phone number (which wasn’t listed on either company’s website). It’s easy to see why.

Click Read More for more.

CinemaNow

Michael Brown & Will Smith — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 16:59:07 -0500

CinemaNow offers newly released movies on the same pay-per-view model that most of the other services here (with the exception of Vongo) use, but the service also sells a limited collection of movies that can be downloaded and burned to a DVD that can be played anywhere. CinemaNow’s optional subscription service allows unlimited downloads, but these titles cannot be burned.

Click Read More for more.