Transcript: Windows XP Media Center Edition , December 16, 2004
Published: December 24, 2004
Chat Date: December 16, 2004
Please note: Portions of this transcript have been edited for clarity
Introduction
Andy Q (Moderator):
Welcome to today’s chat. Our topic is Windows XP Media Center Edition Questions, comments, and suggestions are welcome.
Andy Q (Moderator):
We are pleased to welcome our Experts for today’s chat. I will have them introduce themselves now.
Todd_MS (Expert):
Good afternoon; my name is Todd. I’m a program manager working on Media Center Extender technology
AndyV_MVP (Expert):
Hi! I'm Andy Vanosdale, one of the MVPs for Media Center. I am also a Microsoft Student Ambassador for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Fire away!
Bill_MS (Expert):
Hello all! I'm Bill Dollar, a Program Manager in the Media Center Extender team here at Microsoft.
Nick_MS (Expert):
Hey, folks, I'm Nick, a developer on the Media Center Extender team.
Start of Chat
AndyV_MVP (Expert):
Q: sometimes while online out of the blue I get error message saying Main Module Error and shuts down internet only. It tells me to check C:\docume~1\owner\locals~1\temp\wer258.tmp.dir00\appcompat.txt What causes this and how can I fix.
A: Where do you get this error message from? If this is from Internet Explorer, I recommend you stick around after the chat and ask this question then.
Andy Q (Moderator):
We ask that you stay on topic for the duration of the chat. This helps the Guests and Experts follow the conversation more easily. We invite you to ask off topic questions after this chat is over, but not during.
AndyV_MVP (Expert):
Q: how do i set up my TV to display my desktop?
A: Most video cards for Media Center PCs come with either an S-Video or RCA output. You should be able to connect the proper cable from one of these ports to your TV. Some older TVs may need an RF converter since they might not have S-Video or RCA inputs.
Todd_MS (Expert):
Q: In windows media player 10, you are able to rip tracks from cd's into an mp3 format. I noticed that you cannot convert into .wav format. Is there a way to do that, or is there an add-on download that I can get that will allow me to convert into .wav?
A: Windows Media Player 10 supports ripping CDs into either WMA or MP3 format; it does not support ripping tracks to WAVs. There are plenty of shareware/freeware utilities that enable ripping to WAVs; I suggest running a search on your search engine of choice to find one that fits your needs.
AndyV_MVP (Expert):
Q: I'm not sure. I figure it is IE cause thats the only thing that closes and it always lets me log back on but within the hour it does it again, sometimes less than an hour
A: I would stick around after the chat or visit the Internet Explorer public newsgroups.
AndyV_MVP (Expert):
Q: Seems lots of folks are going to the media center to download music and the download goes into a loop. One girl was at 157 downloads and couldn't get the download to cease. Comments....
A: I have not heard of this problem. What music service is causing this problem?
Nick_MS (Expert):
Q: Under XP media ed 2005: HD over-the-air channels picked up by the guide (by zipcode) list correct channel but on the wrong frequency (Channel 27-1 freq ? should be 27-1 freq. 13 in zip 40517) Can't change the frequency without using a bogus zip.
A: There are two things you can do here: First, you should report EPG problems like this at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/mce/reporting/epg.aspx - Until we have time to get the guide updated, however, there is an article written by one of our developers at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/mce/expert/elsbree_dec2004.mspx which might help you fix your problems.
AndyV_MVP (Expert):
Q: any thougts on what causes and intermittent "loss of signal" message during TV Recording and a splitting of that recording? the signal fine... and displays on another screen perfectly.
A: This is typically a problem with outdated tuner card drivers. I would contact the manufacturer of the tuner card or the Media Center PC to get the latest drivers.
Todd_MS (Expert):
Alexandre - what are you doing at the time you see this? Are you trying to launch the MusicMatch extensibility application
AndyV_MVP (Expert):
Q: On MCE, the display quality degrades over time. All the drivers on the system adhere to WHQL
A: Hmmm... I have never seen this happen nor heard of any reports. I would ensure that you have the latest drivers for the tuner and video card installed.
AndyV_MVP (Expert):
Q: So it seems like mce2005 can join a domain during setup but not after. If a domain is joined at that time would it continue to authenticate to that domain?
A: If the Media Center PC is joined to a domain, it should be able to authenticate with the domain.
AndyV_MVP (Expert):
Q: Has anyone successfully run the media center (mce 2005) in dualview mode in a dual screen envirionment. I can only get it to work in clone mode . It seems that media center will only run on the default monitor and the remote control and mouse are tied
A: Media Center 2005 can work on a secondary monitor. However, the mouse and keyboard are locked to Media Center as long as Media Center has focus.
AndyV_MVP (Expert):
Q: Media Center Remote Control > TiVO box --- I'm unable to change the channels on my TIVO (set-top box) with the Media Center remote control. Can someone help?
A: The Media Center remote is not made to work any other devices besides Media Center PCs and Media Center Extenders.
Bill_MS (Expert):
Q: Windows Media Center 205 cannot play DVD when connected thru component cables in any resolution different than 640*480. Is this due to software or hardware limitation. How can this be corrected?
A: This occurs when the DVD uses Macrovision protection. It is limited by software, but not Media Center software.
Nick_MS (Expert):
Q: All the latest drivers have been installed. This has happened with 2 separate sets of video drivers.
A: If you post specifics about your problem (what you're seeing, when you're seeing it) and your hardware and software configuration to our newsgroup at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/newsgroups/reader.mspx?dg=microsoft.public.windows.mediacenter, one of our MVPs should be able to help you diagnose your problems. Unfortunately, we can't dig into the specifics of individual issues here in this chat.
Todd_MS (Expert):
Q: I just installed the Xbox extender to my media center and using 802.11g it's really bad. I've ordered a repeater and am going to use a different channel between my xbox and the mec but don't have high hopes. any 802.11a wireless for xbox end?
A: Few pointers - 1) it’s best to run only 1 wireless hop; if you must have two wireless hops, it’s best for one to be 802.11a and the second to be 802.11g 2) wireless repeaters effectively halve your bandwidth, so a repeater will make your throughput worse 3) make sure you’re running your G network in G-only mode, not B+G “mixed mode” 4) it’s best not to have more than 1 or 2 walls between your access point and wirelessly-connected device; also, make sure no big metal objects are nearby 5) moving your antenna a few degrees or moving your access point to a higher location can make a big difference in throughput. For more info, consult Barb Bowman’s excellent wireless networking guide: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/mce/expert/bowman_extenders.mspx
Bill_MS (Expert):
Q: Is a Dialup connection (user dials in to logon) possible to a MCE system?
A: Yes - you can configure Incoming Connections in your Network Connections folder, and connect with a dial-up connection. Once connected, you can use Remote Desktop to control your PC. However, due to bandwidth, the experience will probably be sub-optimal.
Bill_MS (Expert):
Q: Hey what video codec's do you guys feel work well with MCE 2005? Any favorites?
A: Take a look at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/mediacenter/partners/hardware.mspx. This site contains the hardware and software that has been tested on Media Center Edition 2005 and is known to provide a great experience.
AndyV_MVP (Expert):
Q: Is there near future plans for picture in picture for media center?
A: This is a great feature request and one that I want as well. The product team is well aware of the request, but cannot comment on future products.
AndyV_MVP (Expert):
Q: When setting up my Windows Media Center TV Signal to my TiVO/DirecTV set-top box, I'm unable to properly synchronize the remote control so that I can change channels on the set-top box with my Windows Media Center remote control. Help... please!!!
A: You will need to use the IR emitter that came with the Media Center PC to control the set-top box. Instructions should be in the packaging for the PC.
Bill_MS (Expert):
Q: Can the resolution issue over component cable (Macrovision) be corrected somehow? Via software upgrade probably?
A: Macrovision protection is intentional, and is intended to enforce copy protection.
AndyV_MVP (Expert):
Q: Is there anyway to change an hd over-the-air channel's frequency manually after it has been found by the guide? I understand it can be added easily if it isn't found by the guide at all.
A: it’s not possible.
AndyV_MVP (Expert):
Q: AndyV_MVP -- I have used that. Even bought a 3.5 mm cable to hook it up to the back of my Tivo's IR plug. I have all the cables connected properly. I even did research and adjusted the registry. No luck
A: This questions sounds outside the scope of this chat. I would post this in the Media Center public newsgroup. I am sure you will get a response there.
Bill_MS (Expert):
Q: so my TV signal with 2004 and now 2005 has been significantly brighter than say DVD signal or straight TV. Is there any way to adjust display settings thru MCE and not for the whole TV?
A: Sorry - I do not know of a way to adjust the display settings for MCE. However, I did see an application on thegreenbutton.com which allows users to adjust the display settings for a couple of tuner cards.
Bill_MS (Expert):
Q: Can you give details of the recommended means of connecting a satelite set top box to a MCE2005 machine - Composite cables ? S-Video cable ?
A: I connect my set top box to my Media Center PC with coaxial cable, and it seems to work very well.
Andy Q (Moderator):
We are a little over half way through our Windows XP Media Center Edition chat, great questions guys, keep 'em coming!
Todd_MS (Expert):
Q: I have a client experiencing the problem descibed in Q832506. He lives in Bothell, WA, and is willing to let MS Engineers/Testers do a remote debug, and/or visit his site to help resolve the problem. Any takers?
A: The best thing to do is to direct him to the Media Center newsgroup (Microsoft.public.windows.mediacenter), where we can help him out.
Todd_MS (Expert):
Q: What is the prefered connection to a plasma TV for computer & tv use? It seems svga connection is best for computer use and pretty good for tv. DVI seems a little better for tv, but much worse in computer mode. Is this to be expected?
A: DVI should be better; that said, we have seen some TVs that don't handle computer resolutions very well over DVI, which might explain what you're seeing.
Nick_MS (Expert):
Q: Just curious because the error reporting tool keeps gathering and subitting large error reports. This would suggest to me that test/dev are unable to repro Q832506 in house, and therefore, that a production system may help in debugging.
A: The error reporting system will always automatically collect data anytime there is a failure, regardless of whether we have enough data already or not, so this doesn't necessarily indicate our current testing and investigation status. As mentioned before, you might try having them post to the newsgroup and we can contact you if the system might be helpful.
Bill_MS (Expert):
Q: When setting up my Windows Media Center TV Signal to my TiVO/DirecTV set-top box, I'm unable to properly synchronize the remote control so that I can change channels on the set-top box with my Windows Media Center remote control. Help... please!!!
A: Some set-top boxes are better at receiving IR signals than others. I had better results with this when I slowed down my IR blasting.
AndyV_MVP (Expert):
Q: I downloaded Windows XP media Center 5.0 software from msdn, but when i am installing - it is installing xp professional. What am i doing wrong? And I am using MCE key
A: This is a question that should be directed toward the MSDN managed newsgroups.
AndyV_MVP (Expert):
Q: Can you give details of the recommended means of connecting a satelite set top box to a MCE2005 machine - Composite cables ? S-Video cable ?
A: S-Video will give you the better quality over composite.
AndyV_MVP (Expert):
Q: Is there any plans to have some sort of email notification withing WMC 2005 so you do not have to constantly minimize/maximize?
A: This would be a great extensibility application for a partner to take on. The Media Center website has more information about obtaining the MCE 2005 SDK.
Andy Q (Moderator):
Well that's it folks!!
Andy Q (Moderator):
Thanks for all the good questions and I'd like to thank our experts for being here today.
Andy Q (Moderator):
Please join us next month and see http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/chats/default.mspx for upcoming chats!
AndyV_MVP (Expert):
Thanks everyone! We'll see you next month!
Andy Q (Moderator):
bye all!
Nick_MS (Expert):
Thanks, folks ... see you next month.
Todd_MS (Expert):
Thanks all
