Now that XM Satellite Radio is available through MCE (wahoo!) Does anyone know how to add it to the MCE Start menu? I know how to add items through the registry, but I guess the trick is knowing the right URI.

I have been interested in added things like MyWeather to the start menu but I haven't been able to figure it out.  I did a quick search on google and found this.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/MedctrSDK/htm/addingapplicationstothemediacenterstartpage.asp

It looks kind of complicated.

If anyone knows of a shortcut please let me know.

I would also like to add XM Radio to the start menu, but that looked wayyy to complicated.
Anyone out there with a solution to the problem????

For adding mceWeather and My Movies it will load to the main startup page when you install MCEWeather or My Movies, it will give you the option when you first install the apps.

Version 1 of mceWeather added an item in the start menu of MCE, but in version 2, there is only a link in "More Programs"?
Microsoft preserves two entries only in the start menu of MCE for applications of OEM-partners. "Normal" developers should not block these two items by adding their own items into the start menu. The third application which would try to add a link to the start menu would fail.
This is what Microsoft says in their MSDN: "Only OEMs should add applications to this category.".
However, i got so many mails asking to add this entry to the start menu, that i extended the setup in Version 3.0 to let you choose if the setup should add an entry to the start menu.

If need to add  other apps to the main MCE startup page this may help

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media Center\Extensibility\Categories\Start Menu\{ABEDF8D5-1939-4518-A576-30E612340600}] //this is reg key, generate or find a unique GUID for your app(cut this comment from copy/paste)//
"AddIn"=""
"BackgroundColor"="RGB(42,90,174)"
"CapabilitiesRequired"=""
"Context"="start=1"
"Description"="whatever plug in"
"ThumbnailUrl"="C:\\Program Files\\my plug in whatever\\pluginimage.png"
"Run"=""
"Subtitle"="whatever"
"AppId"="{ABEDF8D5-1939-4518-A576-30E612340600}"
"ImageUrl"="C:\\Program Files\\my plug in whatever\\pluginimage.png"
"Title"="whatever plugin "
"Url"=""C:\\Program Files\\my plug in whatever\\pluginimage.htm "

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media Center\Extensibility\Applications\{ABEDF8D5-1939-4518-A576-30E612340600}]
"CompanyLogo"="C:\\Program Files\\my plug in whatever\\pluginimage.png"
"CompanyName"="whatever company"
"Description"="however description"
"Title"="whatever title"

So...has anyone tried applying this to XM Radio? I think the problem is that we don't necessarily know the relevant info to create the link....

OK, guys.... I have it.

Use the following registry info to add XM Radio to the Main MCE Menu:

- Steve

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media Center\Extensibility]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media Center\Extensibility\Applications]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media Center\Extensibility\Applications\{abce8379-f381-47b8-ae3d-ef6ade750509}]
"Title"="XM Radio"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media Center\Extensibility\Categories]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media Center\Extensibility\Categories\Start Menu]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media Center\Extensibility\Categories\Start Menu\{3de6904a-d9c7-4ef9-b77d-c1216b39161f}]
"AppId"="{abce8379-f381-47b8-ae3d-ef6ade750509}"
"Title"="XM Radio"
"Url"="http://www.xmradio.com/mce"
"NowPlayingDirective"="stop"
"BackgroundColor"="RGB(0,0,0)"
"TimeStamp"=dword:086f4354

Perfect! I added that (and the appropriate header info) to a .reg file, merged it into my registry, and poof! It appears and works. Thank you so much for doing what XM has been too busy to provide to its MCE listeners.

No problem...

Now the question becomes, how do we get the XM Radio item to have the focus when the Green button is pressed?  Weird question?  Think of the ease in terms of programming a macro-enabled remote control such as the Philips Pronto series...

Another good question... can we bypass the login screens and go straight to the channel listings by passing our login info through the URL...?  Hmm... time to do some more tinkering...

Steve

Okay... this sounds like it is just the thing but I'm new to Regedit and don't want to screw my machine... How do you merge a reg file and what would be the "right header info"... anyone... help a newbie

Come to think of it... does anyone have the coding to do this with Movielink as well?

And how do you determine where these end up in the lineup...?

Open Notepad and copy the following line into the top of the new file:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

Follow this by one blank line. Copy the registry lines from the post above, and then paste these lines at the end of your file in Notepad. Save this file to your desktop (or anywhere else, for that matter) with a name that you'll remember. I used AddXMRadiotoStart.reg. It's important that you use a .reg file extension when you save the file, changing the Save as type in the Save dialog box to All files. Close the file (comprised of a header and the information posted above) and double click and acknowledge the prompt to merge its contents into your registry. Afterward, XM Radio should appear in your Media Center Start menu.

Thanks so much... that works great... I actually work at XM so I'll talk to Don (head of e-commerce) and see if they can add something to the http://xmradio.com/mce site that will allow it to directly go to the channel listing... and I'll also pass on the reg edit and see if they can make it available free for others that want to use it...

Appropriate credit will be given when I pass it on of course...

Thanks again,

-Ken
What a great hack!

That would be great. I had provided feedback to that point long ago, but it was received with general disinterest. Specifically, if it's already using a cookie to capture my user ID and password, why not just use that cookie to automatically log me in. Further, bypass the "Listen Now" step, since I can't really imagine any other reason I'd be there. Any assistance you can provide to encourage these changes would, I suspect, be well-received by the user community.

I just tried it in another machine that is running MCE2004 and it didn't add it to the start menu...

If anyone can get the coding for 2004 posted as well that would be great...

If it's even possible

Ken:

My pleasure; I'd been futzing with this forever and happened to come up with the solution after finding the www.xmradio.com/mce URL in a recent post to one of the XM fanboards.  I understand why the links to account management need to be available... there are always going to be some users who won't understand that this particular version of the interface is designed for an entertainment center and not for desktop PC management... but perhaps there could be some kind of intelligent redesign or even an alternate start page for listeners who would prefer to just LISTEN.

As to the prospect of modifying this for MCE2004, I'll look into it... does anyone out there have or have a link to the software development kit for MCE2004?

Steve

that's the only reason i don't use it online... i mean, can you imagine? i'd cancel my regular radio subscription if i had to log in every time i wanted to listen to the radio in my car. you'd think someone would have seen that comming.

 

edit***

i've seen a few people complain about the same thing...

https://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/chats/transcripts/05_0818_mce.mspx

Joe [MS] (Expert):
Q: I love streaming XM Radio in MCE, but it’s a hassle to navigate (Spotlight, XM logo, login screen, start XM to launch player window). Is there a way to add to the main MCE list so it just plays? Or, to Radio (I have a HP Z545).
A: Media Center does support this (Napster radio has a link under radio). This is a great suggestion to pass along to XM.