Windows Media Center Extender FAQ

Depending on which firewall you have installed on your PC, you may have to configure it to enable Media Center Extender to work. You can read more about firewalls at Firewalls and Media Center Extender.

1. A home network—wireless or wired. If you choose wireless, we strongly recommend using a dual band 802.11a+g router configured properly to access each band. Get tips about wireless networking.

2. A PC running Windows Vista Home Premium or Windows Vista Ultimate connected directly to your home network by an Ethernet cable to the router.

3. An Xbox 360 or Windows Media Center Extender device connected wirelessly or wired to your home network. If you choose to connect your Xbox 360 wirelessly to your network, you also need the Xbox 360 Wireless Networking Adapter.

A Windows Media Center Extender is a hardware device that, when connected to a TV, gives you the ability to enjoy the Windows Media Center experience and media on that TV, even though your Windows Vista-based PC is in another room.

You can read more about building the optimal home wireless network in Wireless Home Networking Basics and Advanced Home Wireless Network Troubleshooting.

Yes. Media Center Extenders have an Ethernet connection port that you can use to plug your console directly into your network. Wired connections tend to be the best way to network for Windows Media Center Extender scenarios.

It is possible to add a TV tuner card to your PC. The first thing you should do is contact your PC manufacturer and find out what options are available for adding a TV tuner card to your PC. You can also visit a local computer retailer to find out what options are available. If you are a do-it-yourselfer, you can purchase a TV tuner card and install it yourself (check out the different internal and external models available through Windows Marketplace, search "TV Tuner").

No. The original Windows XP-based Media Center Extenders are not compatible with the Windows Vista operating system.

Yes. You will have all of the Windows Media Center functionality that you have on your PC through your Media Center Extender, including all of the TV options—as long as your PC has a TV tuner card.

Absolutely. Windows Vista-based PCs with Windows Media Center enable independent control of the user experience and content. It is possible for one person at the Media Center Extender to be listening to music while someone at the PC watches TV. It is even possible for both people in different rooms to be watching the same TV show at the same time. One person could even pause his or her TV show without impacting the viewing experience of the person in the other room.

As part of the setup process, music, pictures, and videos are located on the PC and added to the content presented on the Media Center Extender. To add additional content for use on the Media Center Extender:

Using the Remote

1. Press START (green button), and then select either My Music, My Pictures, or My Videos.

2. Press INFO on the remote.

3. Select Add Music, Add Pictures, or Add Video, and then press OK on the remote.

4. Follow the steps on screen to add additional content.

Note:  Once you add additional media locations, the names or titles of the media might not display on the console for a few minutes. During this time, you can continue to use Windows Media Center on the Media Center Extender.

Yes. When you connect a Media Center Extender to a Windows Vista-based PC with Windows Media Center in Windows Vista, a unique user account for the console is created on the PC. This account contains settings that are specific to the Media Center Extender. The settings include such information as locations on your PC containing the music you want to listen to on the Media Center Extender. The settings are unique to the Extender.

Because the settings are unique, you can connect additional consoles to the PC. You can connect up to five Media Center Extenders.

Yes. Because each Media Center Extender connected to your PC has a unique user account, each Extender can stream different media from the PC.

Given their direct experience with the features and functions of Extenders, the manufacturer is best suited to help a consumer make the most of the experience. Microsoft has been working closely with our partners to make sure that any technical problems can be addressed when a consumer contacts the Extender manufacturer.

Live and recorded TV, digital photos, digital music, home video, and exclusive online multimedia content, such as news clips, downloadable music, local weather, RSS feeds, and more.

Video formats

• MPEG-1 with MPEG audio

• MPEG-2 with MPEG audio or AC-3 audio

• WMV 7, 8, and 9 with WMA Standard or WMA Pro audio

• WMV Image 1 and 2 (Photo Story 1, 2, and 3)

Audio formats

• Windows Media Audio (WMA) Standard

• WMA Pro

• WMA Lossless

• MP3

Yes. The Windows Media Center Quick Reference Guide for Xbox 360 includes diagrams of the buttons on the Xbox 360 Controller, the Xbox 360 Universal Remote, and the Xbox 360 Media Remote. Each diagram associates buttons to features within Windows Media Center in Windows Vista.

Yes, if you are using an Xbox 360 remote. If the Xbox 360 console is turned off, press the green button on your remote, and the Xbox 360 console will turn on and start Windows Media Center in Windows Vista. You can also start Windows Media Center by pressing the green button from any location within the Xbox Dashboard.

Some features in Windows Media Center in Windows Vista require you to type text, such as when you are searching for TV shows by title or keyword. With Xbox 360, you can type text using an on-screen keyboard (by using the Xbox 360 Controller or either Xbox 360 remote). To display the on-screen keyboard, press the Y button on the Xbox 360 Controller, or press DVD MENU on the remote to display the on-screen keyboard.

If you are using the Xbox 360 Universal Remote, you can use the numeric keypad to type text. Press the number buttons repeatedly (sometimes called "triple-tap") to type letters into the fields, just as you would type text on a wireless phone.

No. Windows Media Center in Windows Vista does not copy media content to the hard disk drive or Memory Unit of the Xbox 360 console. When you use your Xbox 360 console to play content, your media remains on the PC but is presented to you on the Xbox 360 console.

No. The Windows Media Center in Windows Vista experience is between the PC and the Xbox 360 console and is not available between two Xbox 360 consoles. Your media content is not stored on the Xbox 360 console; it is streamed to the console from your PC.

No. With your Xbox 360 connected to your Windows Vista-based PC, you will be able to access and play music though the Xbox 360. However, those media files cannot be transferred to your Xbox 360; they are instead streamed to the console.