Movies and more with Windows and Xbox
I admit it: I love the fact that Windows Media Center lets me access movies I've downloaded to different televisions in my home through the use of Media Center Extenders like Xbox 360. I also like that I can make movies with Windows Movie Maker.
If you're a movie fan running Windows 7 or Windows Vista, you have a lot to look forward to. In this article, I'll show you how quickly you can record movies from television or download them from the Internet, how you can watch those movies throughout your home, and how you can create your own movies using Windows Live Movie Maker or Windows Movie Maker.
Recording movies from television
You may already know that you can record movies from television with Windows Media Center; it's probably one of the easiest things you can do with the program. But there are a couple of things to remember when you record a favorite movie from TV.
First, you need to set some general recording options to make sure you catch the entire movie. And second, there are two separate ways to record a movie: as it plays on live television or by setting up a request in the guide.
To set general recording options, including recording live TV and movies as they play, follow these steps:
Watching and downloading movies
If you hate making trips to the video store, you'll be glad to know that Windows Media Center can eliminate that problem for you. Multiple online media companies have partnered with Microsoft to let you download movies easily.
Vongo, Kazaa, Cinemanow, and other online stores offer tons of movies (and other media) to buy or rent. Most sites are subscription-based and offer a range of options depending upon the licensing agreement they have with a particular movie studio.
Options include direct purchase of a movie so that you can burn it to DVD, downloading of a movie so you can watch it for a designated time period, and movies that you can watch instantly that never download to your computer. Prices range from as little as 49 cents for a rental with limited viewings to as much as $19.99 for a straight download that you can keep forever.
Tip: Windows Media Center also offers free movie downloads through television networks such as Showtime, even if you're not a Showtime subscriber.
It's important to remember these different options—just because you buy a movie doesn't mean you own it and can do whatever you want with it. It will take about an hour to an hour and a half to download a typical two-hour movie on a high-speed connection. Besides time, you'll also need about 1.5 gigabytes of free space on your hard drive per movie. By the way, if you just can't wait, you can usually watch a movie as it downloads.
To download a movie, follow these steps:
On the Windows Media Center Start screen, click Movies.
Click Movie Library.
Select the movie provider you want to use (Vongo is shown in the illustration below) and follow its instructions for registration, login, and movie rentals or purchases.
Once you're ready to watch the movie, just locate and select it in the Windows Media Center Library you've stored it in.
There are plenty of online media sources such as Vongo that let you download movies.
Grabbing movies off Xbox Live
If you have an Xbox 360, you'll want to check out the Xbox Live Marketplace for unique content, including games, demos, trailers, and more. This is where you can rent and download movies directly to your Xbox. Movies are priced using a point system.
From your Xbox, go to Xbox Live Marketplace to access the movie selection. A quick note: Windows 7 and Windows Vista are not compatible with the original Xbox—only Xbox 360, which you can purchase along with all the accessories at the Microsoft Store.
Xbox Live Marketplace lets you download movies directly to your Xbox 360 video game system.
Creating movies with Windows Movie Maker
Movie buffs don't usually want to stop at watching movies; they would love to create their own, too. For most of us, the process seems pretty frightening–but with Windows Movie Maker, even I could put together a decent little movie of my daughter, using film from my video camera. The secret to making a quick and easy movie is to use the Movie Maker AutoMovie option. Oh, sure, you can make a movie manually, but why would you do that when you've got a nifty little tool that analyzes your video along with your pictures and music selections, then combines everything to make a movie based on the editing style you select?
That's right: You pretty much dump in what you want in the movie, and then tell Windows Movie Maker to make your movie. Of course, you will need to have all this content on your computer hard drive, but beyond that there isn't much to think about.
Tip: Windows Movie Maker will assign any picture a duration of four seconds unless you otherwise specify.
For Windows 7 users:
Windows Live Movie Maker is not included with Windows 7, but you can download and install it for free from the Microsoft website. To download and install MovieMaker use the following procedure:
Close all other programs on your computer.
Go to http://windowslive.com/Desktop/moviemaker, and click Download Now.
Click Run to begin to run the installation process. If you get a User Account Control message asking if you want to allow Windows to make this change on your computer.
In the Choose the programs you want to install window, check that you have enough space to install Movie Maker, select Movie Maker, and then click Install.
Verify you have space, then choose programs to install
To open Windows Live Movie Maker, click Start, click All Programs, click Windows Live, and then click Windows Live Movie Maker.
To create a movie with Windows Movie Maker AutoMovie, follow these steps:
In the Drag videos and photos here or click to browse for them area, either drag your media from other folders into the space, or click the text and browse for them.
On the Home tab, click AutoMovie, and then click OK to begin.
If you want to add music, click Yes, and then select music that you already have on your computer.
Add music to your AutoMovie
Movie Maker assembles your photos and video into a single video. Then you can modify your video’s editing speed, music, titles, and more, and you can add or remove footage as you like, using Movie Maker’s controls. Learn more about Windows Live Movie Maker.
For Windows Vista users:
To create a movie with Windows Movie Maker, open the program and then follow these steps:
Click the collection where your movie or multiple clips are stored.
Go to the Tools menu and click AutoMovie.
Select an editing style from the list provided, as shown here.
Select an editing style and Windows Movie Maker will do the rest.
Under More Options, click Enter a title for the movie. Enter the title text in the text box.
Under More Options, click Select audio or background music. You can just click None if you don't want audio or music.
Click Create AutoMovie. The movie will appear on your screen when it's been created.
There's actually much more that can be done with movies in Windows, but you've got the bulk of the information here. I hope you'll try out a few things I've mentioned—movies are a great way to relax, so why not let Windows help you watch as many as you want?
S.E. Slack
S.E. Slack is a lifestyle and technology writer with more than 10 books to her credit. She co-authored Breakthrough Windows Vista and Office 2007 Solutions to help you easily use Windows Vista and Office 2007.
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