Plex for Windows Phone Now Available

Earlier this week we told you about the new beta for Plex, and now Plex are reporting that Plex for Windows Phone is available.

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This is part of what was posted on the Plex blog:

All that to say: Hey, Plex for Windows Phone 7 is now available in the App Store! (Well, it should be shortly, it says it’s live but apparently it takes a little while to actually show up.) Make sure you’re running the new 0.9.6 beta of the Plex Media Server, which includes Silverlight Smooth Streaming support.

I have just checked the Windows Phone Marketplace and I couldn’t find it. I did however find a game called Plex!

If you find it and try it, let us know what you think.

FireCore update Apple TV ATV Flash version 5.0

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FireCore have today released an update to its ATV Flash version 5.0 software for the Apple TV 2.

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This is what FireCore posted on their blog tonight:

Today we’re happy to release new versions of Seas0nPass and aTV Flash (black) that are compatible with latest 5.0 (iOS 5.1) software running on the ATV2. A ton of work has gone into getting everything updated, and a huge thanks go out to Brandon Holland (@640774n6) and Dustin Howett (@DHowett) who both contributed immensely in adding support for 5.0.

Is this a tethered or untethered jailbreak? What’s the difference?

Seas0nPass currently provides a tethered jailbreak for the new 5.0 (iOS 5.1) AppleTV software. Functionally, both jailbreak types are identical, the only difference being that a tethered jailbreak requires the AppleTV to be connected to a Mac/PC when first powering it on. Since the AppleTV doesn’t have a battery, and is rarely ever powered off, this usually only needs to be done once.

What’s new in the 5.0 AppleTV software? Should I update?

  • New interface: – Fast, visual access to all content choices
  • Movie purchases in iCloud: Support for buying movies on Apple TV and playing back purchased movies from iCloud
  • Genius Recommendations: Recommendations for content on the iTunes Store based on previous rentals and purchases
  • Screensaver photos: New National Geographic photos built-in for screensaver
  • On-device sign-up: On-device sign up for content partners on Apple TV using your Apple ID

Updating to the new 5.0 software is not required, and all aTV Flash (black) features will continue to be supported on AppleTV versions 4.2 and later.

What about the ATV3, will this work?

Unfortunately not. Work is still ongoing for the ATV3, and we hope to have more news soon. For the latest updates be sure to follow us on Twitter.

Which plugins are currently supported on 5.0?

  • Couch Surfer (works)
  • Last.fm (works)
  • Maintenance (works)
  • Media Player (works)
  • NitoTV (works)
  • RSS Feeds (works)
  • Weather (works)
  • Overflow (not working)
  • Plex (not working)
  • Remote HD (not working)
  • Rowmote (not working)
  • XBMC (not working)

Note: Non-working items require an author update for 5.0 compatibility.

Seas0nPass 0.8.3 is available as a free download from Seas0nPass.com.

aTV Flash (black) 1.4.1 can be found in your account under the Downloads tab.

If you’re not yet using aTV Flash (black) you can learn about all the great benefits here.

Owning and configuring Your own Economic Home Server

 

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Introduction – This article is aimed at your average Joe User with little or No IT experience under their belt that wants but did not think they could own their very own Home Server. While I do realize that better mouse traps (In this case the mouse trap is the Home Server) can be built or bought using different hardware or different Operating Systems that goes beyond the scope of this particular Article.

Why do I need or even want a Home Server?

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A very fair question and up to about even 5 years ago this would be more of a nice luxury item to show off to your geek friends in your garage, however now home servers are becoming more of necessity. With today’s society now heavily into electronic portable devices in their daily lives ranging from your average laptop to the most portable of devices like an IPhone, people have switched from a carbon paper filled existence to a virtual carbonless one. We no longer send mail we instead send e-mail, instead of sharing printed photo pictures on quality Kodak paper (by the way Kodak just filed for Bankruptcy not to long ago) we share Digital Pictures we may have taken with our digital cameras or cell phones, and instead of sharing a Cassette Tape or CD with our music we share our mp3’s on a portable media device. Since we cannot haul all our portable media were ever we go, it would get very cumbersome having to drag a desktop PC all over the place. The average every day person needs a way to access and possibly share their documents, pictures, video, and music remotely without swinging by their residence to pick it up. The answer lies in a central storage place, a Home Server.

I Can’t afford $$$$ for a server, I need to send my kids to College!

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If you are talking about an HP Proliant or even a Dell PowerEdge Enterprise Server (which can go anywhere from $2,000 to $6,000 on a average) then yes you would have to possibly mortgage your house, spouse, and your dog. But since you do not need to support over 10,000 family members then this would be a little excessive. But with direct whole sellers that sell either refurbished or stock that never sold in stores from one third to one fourth of their original price you can get a perfectly good PC that will more than adequately serve that server function. Another even more affordable solution is re-purpose that old Desktop or even Laptop as your Home Server as well. Just because it maybe 4 or 5 years old does not mean it could not be reused for another useful function.

Learn to develop a Windows Phone app with the HackReady.Phone WebCast Series

If you are thinking of writing an app for Windows Phone you might want to check out a series of webcasts designed to help you do just that!

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Here are the list of webcasts:

Join us for HackReady, the new online learning series designed for developers to bring you the vital bits you need, without the fluff you won’t miss. Full of key information and demonstrations, this series gives you a solid understanding of the tools, techniques, and resources you need to become HackReady.

The HackReady.Phone series brings you seven episodes, from start to marketplace. Whether you are a new Windows Phone developer thinking about your first app or well on your way to publishing, these sessions help you get there. Join us for one or the whole series—pick and choose as you like.

(Tue 4/3 10AM PST)
MSDN Webcast: HackReady.Phone, Episode 1: Introduction to the Windows Phone Platform (Level 100) – http://aka.ms/HackReadyPhone1

(Thur 4/5 10AM PST)
MSDN Webcast: HackReady.Phone, Episode 2: Working with Internal and External Data in Windows Phone (Level 200) – http://aka.ms/HackReadyPhone2

(Tue 4/10 10AM PST)
MSDN Webcast: HackReady.Phone, Episode 3: Understanding Windows Phone’s Application Lifecycle and State Management (Level 200) – http://aka.ms/HackReadyPhone3

(Thur 4/12 10AM PST)
MSDN Webcast: HackReady.Phone, Episode 4: Working with Windows Phone Sensors and Other APIs (Level 200)http://aka.ms/HackReadyPhone4

(Tue 4/17 10AM PST)
MSDN Webcast: HackReady.Phone, Episode 5: Enhancing the User Experience and App Usability with Live Tiles, Push Notifications, and Background Agents (Level 200) – http://aka.ms/HackReadyPhone5

(Thur 4/19 10AM PST)
MSDN Webcast: HackReady.Phone, Episode 6: Enhancing Performance and Application Testing (Level 200) – http://aka.ms/HackReadyPhone6

(Tue 4/24 10AM PST)
MSDN Webcast: HackReady.Phone, Episode 7: Ready, Set, Publish: Everything You Need to Know About Releasing Your Apps (Level 200) – http://aka.ms/HackReadyPhone7

Are you going to participate?

TDL User Group Meeting on the 22nd September 2012

It’s been nearly two years since the last TDL user group meeting so Ian, myself and Garry decided it was about time for another one!

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This is what Ian has posted today:

It’s been a couple of years since our last user group meeting and I am pleased to say that we finally have a date for our next user group event. This time the event is going to be held in “up north” , just of the M6 motorway near Warrington, part of the reason for this was the availably of a nice venue that isn’t going to cost us anything and that means we don’t have to try and get sponsorship or try and get money out of companies as we have done in the past.

The other change to the event is that this time it’s going to me more social than in the past, we are going to have less presentations and more hands on and networking time. I envisage having the room setup with tables for members to show off various technologies, maybe showing an iPad controlling a Media Center system or an XBMC setup on an embedded device.

We also plan to have a vintage computing area with a selection of classic and rare hardware and a education area showing of computer programming which could include basic Windows 8 and Windows Phone development and maybe iOS development.

At the moment we are trying to pull together range of exhibiters so if you have something you think you could show off let me know and can add it to our plans and if you have any suggestions for technologies you would like to see at the event let us know and we will see what we can do.

I have created a section for the user group on our forums, please post any suggestions and comments about the user group over there.

We want to try and make it an interactive and social event with very little (if any) Powerpoint so we we will appreciate your suggestions. I will open up registrations soon, for now we are looking for your input on how to make it a great event.

Are you going to come along? It will be fun!

Crystal Palace Tower to light up the London skies to mark switch from analogue to digital

Arqiva plans to mark the Digital TV services switchover in London with a spectacular light show on 18th April.

Crystal Palace

The historic switch from analogue to digital TV services in London next month will be celebrated with a spectacular lightshow at the iconic Crystal Palace broadcast tower, Arqiva announced today.

More than 200,000 watts – 7.5 billion candlepower – of energy-efficient lighting, the same wattage used to light the Eiffel Tower in Paris, will illuminate the 219 metre tall structure.

Visible across London, the explosion of light will culminate with a beam of light shooting up the tower and radiating out over London, representing the invisible digital TV signals.

Arqiva, the company which has engineered the UK’s digital switchover project (DSO), is installing more than 6 tonnes of lighting equipment on the tower in readiness for the light show at 9.15pm on 18 April.

The 7000 watt, billion candlepower search lights that will beam out across London weigh 100 kilos alone and are being installed 130 metres above the ground by a team of 20 riggers.

For more than 50 years the Crystal Palace tower has broadcast the best of British TV, from the first episode of Blue Peter in 1958 to last year’s Royal Wedding, to more than 12 million people in the Greater London area and surrounding counties. With a coverage range of over 40 miles, it’s the most important transmitter of the 1150 masts in the UK broadcast network and Londoners have been the first to receive many ground-breaking TV services that we now take for granted. Crystal Palace broadcast the first colour TV test transmissions in November 1956, with a regular colour service starting on BBC2 in 1967. More recently, in 2009, Londoners were the first in Europe to receive free-to-air terrestrial HDTV broadcasts.

UK broadcast transmission company Arqiva, will complete implementation of the digital switchover project in October in Northern Ireland. Alongside, Digital UK is co-ordinating a public information campaign to help consumers make the switch – http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/ .

In addition to the public lighting display, Arqiva is hosting a special VIP event at the foot of the tower to mark the switchover. Hosted by Chris Evans, the event will feature a rare appearance from Sir David Attenborough, who is celebrating his 60th year in broadcasting and will talk about the evolution of broadcasting during his lifetime.

Sir David Attenborough, broadcaster and naturalist, said “Thanks to public service broadcasting, for the past 75 years we could all take part in the most memorable moments in the UK’s history. Think about the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953 or England winning the World Cup in 1966.  Now with the switch to digital TV, we’re celebrating the start of a new, very exciting time in UK broadcasting when viewers will have more channels to choose from and a better viewing experience than ever before. This is as wonderful as anything I’ve experienced in my 60 years of working in the TV industry.”

Chris Evans, TV presenter and BBC Radio 2 DJ, said “2012 is set to be a truly incredible year for Britain.  Everyone knows about the Olympics and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee but this year also sees the completion of the largest broadcast engineering project ever seen in the UK.  The switchover to digital TV is a momentous step for the broadcast industry.  It’s part of enabling  a Digital Britain and gives everyone a greater choice of TV programmes than they’ve ever had before.  The Crystal Palace transmitter is an iconic landmark. Lighting it up is a fitting tribute to the success of public service broadcasting over the last 75 years and a celebration I’m proud to be part of.”

John Cresswell, CEO of Arqiva, said: “DSO is a huge team achievement, working with our Freeview partners, alongside Digital UK and Ofcom.  At completion in October it will have involved more than 1200 man years of effort and the construction of five new TV masts, one the height of 70 double decker buses. In only five years, we have transformed this vital public service into a modern platform that is delivering the best of British TV into over 20 million homes across the UK and meeting the evolving TV viewing needs of the UK population.”

Developments of the London Switch Over night celebrations can be followed via FaceBook (www.facebook.com/switchovernight) and Twitter (@switchovernight). Arqiva is also offering two people the chance to win a memorable helicopter flight across London and the Crystal Palace site, by entering its competition on Twitter.

Have you got the GTX Factor? Win a GeForce GTX gaming PC with NVIDIA

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To celebrate the launch of the eagerly awaited next-generation GeForce GTX 600-series architecture, NVIDIA are going to give away a fantastic GeForce GTX gaming PC.

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The PC will be truly ‘Geared for Gaming’ packing dual GeForce GTX 680 in SLI that offers frighteningly fast performance and a smoother and richer gaming experience. In addition, the PC will come armed with the very latest NVIDIA® 3D Vision™ 2 wireless glasses and monitor for the ultimate immersive 3D PC experience.

Plus, 2 runners up will walk away with a fantastic GeForce GTX 680 graphics card each.

To enter the competition, you need to create an image that best illustrates your passion for GeForce GTX. Included in the picture should be the NVIDIA GeForce GTX badge.

Prizes will be awarded to the entries that best demonstrate your passion for GeForce GTX and have the most creative, humorous or wackiest use of the GeForce GTX badge. You can create your image using conventional photography or computer generated software. Just keep it clean and keep it legal.

Once you have created your picture simply upload it to the ‘I’ve got the GTX Factor’ image gallery. Good luck!

Learn more and enter the competition here

Raspberry Pi Compliance Update from Farnell UK

Yesterday we told you about the CE issue around the Raspberry Pi boards – this morning I received an update from Farnell UK on the situation.

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This is the email I just received:

In recent days you may have heard various reports on the Web about Raspberry Pi, the need for compliance testing and possible further delivery delays.

We recognise the impact on our customers of the constantly changing delivery dates, and we apologise for the frustration and disappointment this is causing. We will supply you with accurate delivery dates just as soon as we can, as the Boards undergo compliance testing.

It is clear that many of our customers will be using the Raspberry Pi as a finished product, not just an engineering development board. As such, we see it as the most responsible approach to ensure that all Pis meet the required standards for finished products in all territories.

We are therefore going through a much accelerated compliance process, working closely with the Raspberry Pi Foundation and RS Components. We take our commitment and responsibility in this area very seriously and believe the short-term delays, whilst frustrating, will be worthwhile to ensure our customers receive a fully compliant product.

The exact situation at the present time is as follows:

  • 2000 Raspberry Pi’s are now in the UK.You can see pictures of them leaving the factory in China here; http://www.raspberrypi.org/
  • The compliance teams of element14, RS and Raspberry Pi are working round the clock with the testing houses to assess the product now.  Any issues that are identified (hardware or software) will then need to be rectified and we will ensure this happens as quickly as is humanly possible.
  • There are different compliance standards around the globe. We are focused on meeting all of those as quickly as possible. Some may take longer than others.
  • As soon as these initial 2000 Boards are compliant to at least one set of required standards, we will receive our share of this first batch from Raspberry Pi and ship these to customers in the locations where the compliance standards have been met on a strictly first come, first served basis. Those who ordered first in those countries will receive the product first.
  • Regrettably we cannot give any firm delivery commitments on Raspberry Pis until this testing is complete. Please be assured we will provide this information as soon as we can.
  • Once the product is fully compliant our manufacturing partners have the necessary stocks of components to ramp up production very quickly. So, despite these frustrating, initial delays we are confident the picture will improve and lead times for new orders will reduce.
  • We will email you individually to confirm your personal delivery date as soon as we are able to. We will continue to share generic information, but recognise that it is the detailed specific information to your order that is most important to you.
  • We will continue to post news and updates on our element14 community. Next week, on April 4th, Raspberry Pi founder, Eben Upton will give a 40-minute webinar on programming the Raspberry Pi as part of our element14 Design Flow series.
    To join the 2000+ Pi fans who have already registered to attend and learn more Click here

Once again we apologise to all of our customers for this delay in providing the hotly awaited Raspberry Pi. Despite these initial teething troubles, we’re certain you’ll be delighted with the end result.

HOT OFF THE PRESS UPDATE FROM EBEN UPTON OF RASPBERRY PI:
“We have spoken with BIS this morning, and have been told that, given the volumes involved and the demographic mix of likely users, the development board exemption is not applicable to us; as a result, even the first uncased developer units of Raspberry Pi will require a CE mark prior to distribution in the EU…… ….we are working with RS Components and element14/Premier Farnell to bring Raspberry Pi into a compliant state as soon as is humanly possible.”

From Farnell element14

Check out A Slice of Raspberry Pi at Beeb@30 post from earlier in the week

Installing the Windows 8 Consumer Preview on the Samsung Series 7 Slate PC

Samsung have released updated firmware to enable the Windows 8 Consumer Preview to work with its Series 7 Slate PC.

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Download the updates and learn more from here

My Movies for iPhone Pro 1.82 Released

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The latest version of My Movies for iPhone Pro, version 1.82, has been released.

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What is My Movies for iPhone?

My Movies for iPhone allows you to catalog your entire movie collection from our high quality online data service containing data for more than 475,000 DVD, Blu-ray and HD DVD titles from various countries. If you have one or more titles that is not in our service, you can report it and it will be created within 48 hours by our staff.

If you would like to evaluate the application, you can install My Movies for iPad Free, which is a freely available identical version with the exception of it being limited to 50 titles, and only 10 items in release and trailer lists.

You can use My Movies for iPhone as a standalone product by adding titles by barcode or title searches, or use it as a companion to our My Movies software packages for Microsoft Windows, allowing you to keep your movie collection synchronized between clients.
My Movies for iPhone requires you to create a user account, or log on to an existing My Movies account to be able to use the program. Your collection will follow your user account through our online servers, allowing you to switch between different clients without ever losing your data. If you log in to an existing My Movies account, your current collection will automatically be synchronized to your iPhone.

You can within the program activate an online collection website of your movie collection, allowing you to send friends and family a website that allows them to browse your entire collection.

With My Movies for iPhone, you can keep track of movies you own, previously have owned, rented or movies you wish to purchase. Never again will you have to purchase or rent a movie twice.

Features:
– Add titles by barcode, title search, manually or scan barcodes with the camera on your device.
– Preview titles with complete details before adding to your collection, or quickscan a title to view details without adding it.
– Add titles to different groups (Owned, Wished, Rented, …), and move titles between groups.
– Report missing titles to our staff to have the titles created in our service.
– Report incorrect data to our moderation team if you find an error in our database.
– View movie trailers for titles in your collection, or scan and quickly view a movie trailer for titles when in the movie store.
– Management loans to friends and family.
– Search your collection.
– Sort titles by title, collection number, rating, running time, production year, release date, parental level or added date both ascending and descending.
– Filter titles by type, genre, group, watched status, parental rating, production year, running time, personal categories or online status. (Watched status, Categories and Online status requires My Movies software suite for Windows).
– View movie details, including synopsis, cast list, audio tracks, subtitles and much, much more.
– View full screen or zoom-able high resolution front and back covers.
– View actors and directors with photos, biography and list of titles the person stars in.
– Create an online collection website to share with friends and family.
– Update movie profiles from our service to always have the latest, most complete and accurate data.
– Upload your collection directly from My Movies Windows software suite as an alternative to synchronize through our online servers.
– See weekly releases of titles on Blu-ray and DVD including all details and trailers. (Release lists are not complete in all countries).
– Keep collection synchronized between different devices.

What’s New in Version 1.82

– Added: Windows Home Server 2011 connection, allowing you to browse list details on the server and many other things.
– Added: Simple watched setting option, allowing to switch watched back to an yes/no functionality.
– Fix: Bug where actors where not reloaded when changing amount of actors to download.
– Fix: Problem selecting the correct player when having multiple Dune players.
– Adjustments to the upgrade functionality.

Download My Movies for iPhone from the Apple App Store

My Movies for iPad 1.82 Released

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Brian has just released and update for My Movies for iPad – its now version 1.82.

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What is My Movies for iPad?

My Movies for iPad allows you to catalog your entire movie collection from our high quality online data service containing data for more than 475,000 DVD, Blu-ray and HD DVD titles from various countries. If you have one or more titles that is not in our service, you can report it and it will be created within 48 hours by our staff.

If you would like to evaluate the application, you can install My Movies for iPad Free, which is a freely available identical version with the exception of it being limited to 50 titles, and only 10 items in release and trailer lists.

You can use My Movies for iPad as a standalone product by adding titles by barcode or title searches, use it along with My Movies for iPhone Light or Pro or use it as a companion to our My Movies software packages for Microsoft Windows, allowing you to keep your movie collection synchronized between all devices and clients.

My Movies for iPad requires you to create a user account, or log on to an existing My Movies account to be able to use the program. Your collection will follow your user account through our online servers, allowing you to switch between different clients without ever losing your data. If you log in to an existing My Movies account, your current collection will automatically be synchronized to your iPad, and users of My Movies for iPhone can use it’s batch barcode scanning functionality to quickly add titles and automatically have them synchronized to their iPad.

You can within the program activate an online collection website of your movie collection, allowing you to send friends and family a website that allows them to browse your entire collection.

With My Movies for iPad, you can keep track of movies you own, previously have owned, rented or movies you wish to purchase. Never again will you have to purchase or rent a movie twice. Users of My Movies for Windows Media Center can also use the application to start playback of movies on their Media Center.

Features:
– Add titles by barcode, title search or manual creation.
– Preview titles with complete details before adding to your collection.
– Add titles to different groups (Owned, Wished, Rented, …), and move titles between groups.
– Report missing titles to our staff to have the titles created in our service.
– Report incorrect data to our moderation team if you find an error in our database.
– View movie trailers for titles in your collection.
– Management loans to friends and family by selecting from contacts or typing name.
– High resolution front and back covers.
– Search your collection.
– Browse using our movie wall or list views with large or small thumbnails.
– Sort titles using advanced data options.
– View actors and directors with photos, biography and list of titles the person stars in.
– Update movie profiles from our service to always have the latest, most complete and accurate data.
– Create an online collection website to share with friends and family.
– Upload your collection directly from My Movies Windows software suite as an alternative to synchronize through our online servers.
– See weekly releases of titles on Blu-ray and DVD including all details and trailers. (Release lists are not complete in all countries).
– Start playback of movies in My Movies for Windows Media Center.

What’s New in Version 1.82

Notice! If you have any problems either with this or any prior update, please contact us on support@mymovies, and we will help you resolve your issue.
– Added: Support for iPad Retina display.
– Added: Windows Home Server 2011 connection, allowing you to browse list details on the server and many other things.
– Added: Simple watched setting option, allowing to switch watched back to an yes/no functionality.
– Fix: Bug where actors where not reloaded when changing amount of actors to download.
– Fix: Problem selecting the correct player when having multiple Dune players.
– Adjustments to the upgrade functionality.

Download from the Apple App Store now

My Movies for Windows Home Server 2011 Version 2.11 PR3 Released

Brian has also released version 2.11 PR3 of My Movies for Windows Home Server 2011.

Windows Home Server 2011

My Movies for Windows Home Server 2011 operates as database back-end for My Movies clients in multi-zone environments.

The My Movies for Windows Media Center or My Movies Collection Management products can be downloaded and installed on client PC’s to maintain movies in the database on My Movies for Windows Home Sever 2011.

My Movies may not be pre-installed on commercial products, nor in any way redistributed or provided to end-users by installers that is not part of our installer program.

Change Log:

Added: Installers “My Movies for Windows Home Server 2011 Integrators” option.

Change: Better handling of database upgrades, so that later versions does not need all clients to be upgraded when server is upgraded.
Change: Updated for iOS 1.82 WHS connection options.

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Before installing a pre release version, you must make a backup of your database using the Collection Management program. There are no guarantee that a pre release version functions as expected, and it should therefore only be used for evaluation purposes. The database backup ensures that you can revert back to the latest stable version.

My Movies for Windows Home Server 2011 2.11 Pre Release 3 can be used as server for My Movies 4.03 Pre Release 3 clients.

You can download the Windows Home Server 2011 edition here Check out our review of My Movies for Windows Home Server 2011 2.0 Pre Release 7