[This is preliminary documentation and subject to change.]
A show reminder is simply a task set in Task Scheduler. As such, it does not provide a user interface. When it runs, it calls a display application, such as Microsoft WebTV for Windows, to parse its show reference and display a reminder message to the user. When that display application is Microsoft® WebTV® for Windows®, the application also offers the user the opportunity to tune immediately to the channel on which the episode is broadcast. Your application specifies which display application to use when it sets the reminder.
If your application requires a custom reminder dialog box or special functionality, you can write a custom display application to handle show reminders. For example, you can write an application that displays an image of the show's cast and plays the theme song when it reminds the user the show is about to begin.
To be compatible with Broadcast Architecture show reminders, a custom display application should accept a show reference as input. It should then parse the show reference to obtain the episode data and display the reminder to the user. For more information on show references, see Show Reference Format.
To locate more information on Task Scheduler, see Further General Information.