Transcript: Media Center Edition web chat, October 20, 2005
Published: October 29, 2005
Chat Date: October 20, 2005
Chat Title: Media Center Edition web chat
Please note:Portions of this transcript have been edited for clarity
Introduction
Andrew_MSFT (Moderator):
Hi everyone, and welcome to the Media Center chat!
Andrew_MSFT (Moderator):
Today we are answering your questions about Media Center. Now, I'll have our hosts for the chat today introduce themselves:
Robert Schlabbach (Expert):
Welcome everyone! I'm Robert Schlabbach, MCE MVP from Berlin, Germany. Ready to take your "European" MCE questions!
Andrew_MSFT (Moderator):
I'm Andrew Brown, and I'm the MVP Lead for Media Center, and the moderator for this chat.
AndyV (Expert):
Hi folks! I'm Andy Vanosdale, a Media Center MVP. The new update for Media Center has just been released! Be sure to get an XBOX 360 for a great Media Center Extender experience!
MarkS (Expert):
Evening Everyone! I'm Mark Salloway a Media Center MVP based in the United Kingdom.
Nathan_ms (Expert):
Hi, my name is Nathan and I'm a program manager on the Media Center Extender Team. Welcome everyone to the chat!
Joe [MS] (Expert):
Hi, I'm Joe. I'm a developer on the Media Center TV team.
Todd_MS (Expert):
Q: How many media Extenders can run at one time on Media Center. I have one xbox and I want to add another plus one tv exteder. is this possible? Is there a limit to the number of extenders?
A: Up to 5 Extenders may be connected to a Media Center PC at one time. Note though that only one Extender may be connected wirelessly. Also, the actual limit will depend upon how beefy your PC is (amount of RAM, CPU speed, etc.)
AndyV (Expert):
Q: When I click on some picture folders in Media Center I get " No pictures found, or you are view an empty file. Yet when I go to My Documents, My Pictures there are pictures in the folders.
A: When you are in My Pictures, press the More Info or Details button and choose Add Pictures. Walk through the wizard to add your pictures into Media Center.
Nathan_ms (Expert):
Q: Can we upgrade from Windows XP Media Centre to WIndows XP Professional ?
A: Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition is a version of Windows XP so there is no upgrade required or available from Media Center Edition to XP Pro. The only real functional difference between Media Center Edition and XP Pro is domain support. Domain joining is not supported on Media Center Edition and is supported on Windows XP Pro.
AndyV (Expert):
Q: Will there be a beta test for the new tool for checking your Hotmail messages from within Media Center 2005?
A: I don't know of a beta test going on for the tool at this time. You can visit http://beta.microsoft.com for more information on how to join Microsoft beta programs.
Andrew_MSFT (Moderator):
Q: Can you talk about what changes we can see with MCE-Vista? Will there be a MCE-Vista or will MCE be rolled into the OS?
A: Please note that we cannot comment on unannounced products, and in some cases may not be able to discuss specific aspects of announced products. This chat is primarily to discuss questions or issues with our current products. Thanks!
Todd_MS (Expert):
Q: We are soon going to have Digital Cable installed in our house and getting rid of analog cable service. I was woundering if MCE 2005 will be able to show the digiatl tv shows? and if so, do i need to add or chnage anything an my computer? Thank you.
A: Absolutely. In the case of digital cable, your cable set top box performs the channel tuning functionality and then feeds the TV stream to the TV card in your Media Center PC. Media Center controls the cable box via IR blasting (i.e. when you tell Media Center to change channels, it in turn tells the cable box to select the appropriate channel). Note that you will need one cable set top box per TV card in your Media Center (if you want to record multiple different shows at once)
Joe [MS] (Expert):
Q: What oprtions are available to an end user with a MCE system that the vendor will not offer an upgrade from MCE 2002 to the current version? The new version does not seem to be available without purchasing a new system?
A: Windows XP Service Pack 2 will upgrade this version of Media Center to 2004.
MarkS (Expert):
Q: is there a shortcut key for the guide when watching tv or can the guide be diplayed in teh lower part of the screen while watching tv?
A: The shortcut key for the guide is CTRL-G, but there is no way to show this in the lower part of the screen only.
Robert Schlabbach (Expert):
Q: Can I rename channels on Live TV ?
A: Currently, the only way to change the name of a channel is by assigning a Guide Listing to it (feature only available for PAL/SECAM and DVB-T setups). Other than that, there is no way.
Todd_MS (Expert):
Q: Can you talk about MCE and how it will work with XBOX360?
A: Xbox 360 running in Media Center Extender mode is truly an awesome thing to see - it has the full menu animations you see when running on Media Center directly on the PC and also supports playback of HDTV content, even over wireless (though Ethernet is recommended for the best experience).
AndyV (Expert):
Q: I have MDE 2005 with the latest updates. I often have an issue where media center shows that it's recoring a show that is no longer being broadcast (clearly it locked up) - any troubleshooting ideas for me?
A: That's strange. So, if the show shows up in the Guide, then this is an issue with the Guide data. You can let the data team know about this issue at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/mediacenter/using/guidesubmit.mspx. If the show doesn't show up in the Guide, but Media Center still records the show, I would recommend going to the public newsgroups for further troubleshooting.
Nathan_ms (Expert):
Q: Will the next version have the ability to change 'Themes'?
A: Not currently. Great suggestion.
MarkS (Expert):
Q: Will the new My DVD's, I think its called,the part that keeps the coverart and info for DVD changers libraried do the same for hdvds residing on the hard drive?
A: No, that feature is designed to work with the disc changers.
Dana (Expert):
Q: I get jerky video playback. Task Mgr shows high CPU usage, but most CPU is attributed to the Idle Process. After a few minutes, it stops. Any idea of what causes this?
A: One possible cause is a fragmented hard drive.
AndyV (Expert):
Q: I own an UltimateTV unit and I was wondering if the Media Center team is considering implementing some of the features and UI experience from the unit into MCE? I find MCE way too simple and feature-lacking when compared to my 3 years old unit...
A: What features from UltimateTV would like to see in Media Center?
Todd_MS (Expert):
Q: Question for the Media Center Extender team/Media Center in general. I think it would be nifty if I could play my multi-codec files eg.divx/mpeg4 that play in Media Center and Media Player, over my Extender? (I own the xbox extender) Can this be done?
A: Current Extenders do not support playback of MPEG-4 content, due in large part to the fact that doing so requires an MPEG-4 codec written for that specific platform. Support for additional video formats is a commonly requested feature from the enthusiast community and is something we are considering for future product releases.
Aaron Stebner [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: How Do I know if I need to install MC2005 over existing v2004 or do a complete drive format and clean install?
A: You can upgrade to MCE 2005 from the version of MCE 2004 included with Windows XP SP2, or you can perform a clean install of MCE 2005. Both are supported.
Joe [MS] (Expert):
Q: I can't play MPEG4s. Is this most probably a CODEC issue? Dell had me install something (KPack Lite?), but it did not help.
A: This is likely either caused by lack of an MPEG4 codec, a problem with the codec, or corrupt media files. You may want to ask the provider of the files what to use to play them back.
Aaron Stebner [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: What software is good for recording Medai Center recorded programs to DVD?
A: Media Center includes built-in software from Sonic to burn recorded programs to DVD. I have been using that on my home machine with good results so far.
Andrew_MSFT (Moderator):
Q: in a recent system builder chat, dvd changer support was mentioned. What are the facts surrounding this functionality ? What information is available about the dvd changers, both models and availability. Is this functionallity going to be in 2005 version?
A: We recently released the following information regarding MCE Update Rollup 2and DVD changers: "New integrated support for external DVD changers will enable consumers to watch movies and manage up to 200 DVD selections from the Media Center interface. Media Center will display information and cover art for each movie loaded in the DVD changer. Media Center-supported DVD changers will be available beginning this year."
Robert Schlabbach (Expert):
Q: When I use a mapped network drive, sometimes I have to click in my computer on the drive to reconnect it before the media center folders will see it. Can that be fixed?
A: Disable the autodisconnect timeout on the machine which offers the share using the "net config server /autodisconnect" command from the command line.
AndyV (Expert):
Q: When do you expect to support wide screen ratio on TV Recording...? I have a 56 wide screen TV and would love to play back in that format...
A: Media Center can play back video files in a wide screen format (even if the show was not recorded in wide screen format). In the Update Rollup 2, Media Center has a non-linear zooming mode that works extremely well.
Nathan_ms (Expert):
Q: Will there be a plugin or addition to My Pictures & My Videos that allows to keep video and pictures files private. Unseen from younger eyes?
A: There are no plans for additions or a plug in to block video and/or pictures from select audiences inside the Media Center experience. However, file permissions could be set outside of Media Center to allow only certain users access rights.
Dana (Expert):
Q: When I click on some picture folders in Media Center I get " No pictures found, or you are view an empty file. Yet when I go to My Documents, My Pictures there are pictures in the folders.
A: If these are JPG files, this may be due to a registry problem caused by Office or PhotoShop. You can easily fix the registry - full details are available at http://www.mediacenterstuff.com/faqs.htm
Joe [MS] (Expert):
Q: Is there going to be support for watching two channes at the same time any time soon?
A: I'm assuming you mean P-I-P here. You can already watch two channels (one on the Media Center PC and one on an Extender). I'll pass the P-I-P request on to product team. Thanks for the input.
Andrew_MSFT (Moderator):
Q: MTV overdrive isn't very integrated with media center. It's an example of a bad plug in. If you accedently hit back, it takes a long time to reload. It doesn't remember the play list between sessions, the videos cannot be searched with the keyboard.
A: Thanks for the feedback - we are very excited by the great offering from MTV, and will continue to work to improve the experience for all users. I'll pass your concerns on to our team here.
Todd_MS (Expert):
Q: My Media Extender seems to get confused by specific types of JPG files. If I try to access certain folders, the extender chokes, and then disconnects. What can cause this behaviour?
A: If these files are viewable on the PC, they should also be viewable on the Extender. It is possible that the MCX user (which has very restricted permissions) does not have the rights to view these files. Things to check: 1) do the pictures display without issue on the PC? 2) where are the pictures stored on the PC? If they are in the Shared Pictures folder, the MCX user definitely has permission to access them; if they are stored elsewhere, it's possible that the file permissions on them do not allow the MCX user access to them.
AndyV (Expert):
Q: Wll there be support for Set top boxes (such as ComCat) via firewire in the next version?
A: That's a great thought and one that the Media Center team is aware of.
Dana (Expert):
Q: I have noticed that when I have any software that has installed it's own decoder that I have performance problems while viewing TV. Only works well if I have decoder installed from video card drivers and everything else not installed. Any suggestions?
A: Microsoft's DecCheck utility can set which decoder is used by Media Center. To find this utility, visit Microsoft.com and enter "decoder check" in the search box.
AndyV (Expert):
Q: What software is good for recording Medai Center recorded programs to DVD?
A: There are several 3rd parties that have this capability. Sonic and Intervideo both have products and I would recommend that you visit their respective websites for more information
Joe [MS] (Expert):
Q: How many XBOX 360's can watch different HD TV shows from a media center at a time? What would the required processor and ram be?
A: I don't believe we've announced these details yet. In general, Network bandwidth, CPU power, RAM, and Hard Drive speed will all impact the number of streams MCE can support.
Todd_MS (Expert):
Q: Todd_MS... One thing I wanted to add to that is... so i need a Digital cable box to the computer and one for the TV, or can one Digital Cable box support both?
A: For the best experience, you will probably want one cable box per display surface. If you were to share a cable box between two TVs (or a Media Center and a TV), you would only be able to watch one TV show at a time.
Nathan_ms (Expert):
Q: After installing Rollup 2, I am now getting random video choppiness and artifacts while watching live Tv. I have a certified dual tuner card, NVTV. Is there any information available on correcting this. The live tv was great prior to rollup 2
A: Video performance is highly correlated to host CPU usage where spikes in CPU usage may contribute to choppy video. Without getting into details, there may be a process using your CPU heavily from time to time giving you poor video.
Aaron Stebner [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Which hardware configuration do I need to use Away mode? Can a current MCE2005 machine be hardware upgraded to use it?
A: The short answer to this question is - yes, it should be possible for current MCE 2005 machines to be upgraded to work with Away Mode. The following are snippets from the configuration guide for Away Mode: €œComputers running Away mode must include an ACPI BIOS object (device). To check this, Away Mode setup queries the Windows device manager for the Away Mode Device (AWY0001). Away mode has not been designed for mobile computers.€
Dana (Expert):
Q: since ru2, the UI animation became a little choppy. it's not smooth anymore.
A: You might try downloading new video drivers - nVidia and ATI have both released new drivers for Media Center. For ATI, it's Catalyst 5.10 and for nVidia it's 77.79.
Joe [MS] (Expert):
Q: Is there a way to tell the MC which capture card to use? Say for example you want to record something over HD vs Reg.
A: If you schedule a recording on an ATSC channel, you'll get the ATSC recording unless there was a problem (no signal, tuner unavailable) at record time. You can check your recording history or the event log to see if this has happened.
AndyV (Expert):
Q: Answering to AndyV: TV preview on a corner while browsing the guide and other areas of the menus; channel preview while browsing the guide (change channel on the preview window without actually changing the channel); there're more but I can't continue writ
A: If you are in the Guide, the Now Playing window is in the bottom left hand corner showing your TV show (or music or video) still playing. As for channel preview, I will let the TV team know about your concern with this area. Thanks!
Dana (Expert):
Q: Is there built in support to share media from multiple MC computers? Specifically recorded tv shows on two differnt computers.
A: You can set up watched folders using both (I think) TweakMCE and MCECustomizer.
Joe [MS] (Expert):
Q: Is MCE SP2 available from Windows update or is it a manual download and install?
A: Media Center Update Rollup 2 is available from Microsoft Update - http://update.microsoft.com.
Andrew_MSFT (Moderator):
Q: We created a Full screen Video Conf App and it works Great on Server 2003/2000/XPHome/XPPro but when I put on media Center box it Dies on start up fails in DirectXConfig
A: Unfortunately, none of our Experts here today have seen this issue or know why it is occuring. You may wish to post this question to the Media Center newsgroup. A list of all Microsoft-hosted support newsgroups is here: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/newsgroups/default.asp
Andrew_MSFT (Moderator):
Q: What systems (Make, Model, etc) will take advantage of the new "Away Mode" in the Rollup of MCE 2005? Any current mother boards taking advantage of this?
A: Our OEM partners (the makers of the PC hardware that Media Center Edition runs on) have not made any announcements regarding Away Mode yet. Stay tuned!
Nathan_ms (Expert):
Q: Is MCE SP2 available from Windows update or is it a manual download and install?
A: I believe you are referring to "Update Rollup 2 for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005" which is available on Windows update http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/
Dana (Expert):
Q: Even if I use DecCheck to set the decoder to the one for my video card I still have problems if I have other decoders installed
A: Which decoder do you hope to use, and which other decoders does it attempt to use instead? I've heard of problems with older versions of Nero.
Joe [MS] (Expert):
Q: We have a Multi Party Voip Video Conf App....... it Loads and Runs Fine on Windows XP/2000/2003... longest uptime now on Windows XP/2000/2003 is over 1 week..... but when I load on Media Center it Dies when it loads direct x
A: This is a good question to ask in the newsgrouops. You'll want to post your issue with as much detail as possible.
MarkS (Expert):
Q: As a parent I'd like to lock down my HP media center computer in the family room from computer activities. Is there going to be a easy way to do this so my kids cannot install what ever they want causing MCE to be unstable?
A: After the initial first run configuration Media Center will operate under a limited user account. Running under a limited user does slightly more restrict where installation programs can write to. There are more things you can do depending on how far you want to lock the system down, dedicated Media Center vs. usable desktop machine.
Todd_MS (Expert):
Q: I'm from Peru, South America, and I'm wondering if the MCE team is planning to implement this service to South America? i had to buy a MCE PC in the states and bring it here but some of my friends wants one too
A: With Update Rollup 2 for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, we have added support for 20 new countries and 11 new languages; unfortunately, Peru is not one of these countries. With future releases, we will evaluate whether to move into markets in addition to the list we already support. I do not have any specific details to share at this point.
Aaron Stebner [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Does rollup 2 add some drm aspect. The reason I ask is because I can no longer watch HBO. Get a restricted message after 1 minute that didn't appear till after the rollup.
A: Update Rollup 2 does contain an updated DRM stack. One of the problems we have seen with this new DRM is the HBO issue that you describe. The team is still investigating this issue to determine the best way to fix it because it does not reproduce regularly for our in-house testers. Please stay tuned to the newsgroups, blogs and Microsoft Media Center web sites for updates about this issue as they become available.
Joe [MS] (Expert):
Q: Please build a small delay when using channel up and down on HD channels so I can select the channel I want before it goes through the trouble of aquiring it.
A: Thanks for the suggestion. I'll pass it along. By the way, how long does it take to lock on a channel for you?
Nathan_ms (Expert):
Q: I have some pixelation on Live TV, can it be the video card?, I have an FX5200 with a Hauppauge 150MCE.
A: Yes it is possible that the video card could be the problem. Make sure that you have updated to the latest drivers. Also, video performance is heavily related to CPU usage. Also make sure that the CPU is not "spiking".
Andrew_MSFT (Moderator):
Q: Is there any way to prevent a MCX from 'accidently' deleting music files from the shared music?
A: The Media Center Extender is essentially providing a "window" into the main Media Center PC. As such, anything you do on the Extender, you are doing on the Media Center PC, just remotely. This would include any deletions you made using the Extender.
Joe [MS] (Expert):
Q: is there a shortcut key for the guide when watching tv or can the guide be displayed in the lower part of the screen while watching tv?
A: You can press the guide button on the remote or Ctrl-G on the keyboard to bring up the Guide.
Todd_MS (Expert):
Q: When the next version is released, will there also be a software upgrade for MC extenders?
A: Support for using Xbox 360 as an Extender is included Update Rollup 2 for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005. Outside of this functionality, we have not made any announcements regarding future Extender updates.
Aaron Stebner [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: What is Away mode?
A: Away mode allows the computer to appear off to the user while it continues to perform tasks that do not require user input, such as recording TV and viewing Media Center Extender sessions. Among other things, away mode turns off the video port for the main display so the monitor appears blank, mutes all audio output, filters the primary input devices (such as the mouse, keyboard, or remote control), puts the CPU into an adaptive power policy that reduces system power and turns off the power LED and slows down or stops the fans.
AndyV (Expert):
Q: Does MC support TIF Files?
A: Media Center does support TIFF files if the extension is .tiff.
Nathan_ms (Expert):
Q: How can i make a Video Playlist?
A: Great suggestion although video playlists are not currently supported.
AndyV (Expert):
Q: Is Task Manager the best tool available to me to diagnose CPU spiking, or is there something else that I should be using?
A: Task Manager is a good tool included with Windows to help with that. You may want to check SysInternals' Process Explorer that may give you more details about a program's CPU usage.
Joe [MS] (Expert):
Q: Ok... I just installed a second Media Center and would like to know of any Microsoft white papers that exist on how to share the recorded tv so that both rooms show all recoreded programs... I found a resource that required registry hacks and the such...
A: We don't have any that I am aware of. You should be able to get some information about doing this from a simple MSN Search or posting into the newsgroups. I'll pass the paper suggestion along to the ExpertZone authors in our group.
AndyV (Expert):
Q: If MPEG4s play OK in Media Player should they also play OK in MCE?
A: I have been able to play MPEG4 (DivX) within Media Center.
AndyV (Expert):
Q: when you put a .dvr-ms file inside my videos folder it doesn'tt show a preview like .mpg or .avi files to in mce.. are you guys planing to fix that??
A: I have not tried doing this personally, but I will alert the product team to this issue.
Todd_MS (Expert):
Q: Does the Xbox 360 extender run without an "extender" disc in the DVD drive? Is this the same for versions without a hard drive?
A: The Extender functionality is built into all Xbox 360 consoles (including the core system, which ships without a hard drive); it does not require a separate game disc to run.
Andrew_MSFT (Moderator):
Q: I have Windows Update turned on. Do I need to do more to be up-to-date on maintenance? Can background receipt of maintenance use a lot of CPU and cause choppy video?
A: It depends on your specific system components. A faster system may have little to no noticeable impact on video playback, while a slower system might see some issues. I personally have not seen any issues when using Windows Update and playing back video.
Joe [MS] (Expert):
Q: After I apply Rollup2, MCE won't go to standby/sleep after I pressed STOP button on the remote. It used to work before rollup2. Is it a known issue?
A: I'll pass this on to the product group. Is there any other programs running on the machine that might prevent Media Center from going to sleep?
AndyV (Expert):
Q: Is there a descrete power IR code? One for turning the computer on and one for turnning it off? These is very important for custom home theater installers.
A: The power button on the remote emits the same IR code to the receiver whether the computer is on or off.
AndyV (Expert):
Q: will we see better outlook (or other pop3) integration with MCE soon?
A: I don't know if you will see Outlook or POP3 integration in MCE soon, but there will be a new Hotmail mail tool for Media Center soon.
Todd_MS (Expert):
Q: Is there a way to backup DRM to another disk and then recover it if necessary?
A: Yes. Launch Windows Media Player, select Tools --> Manage Licenses, select a location to back up to, then click Back Up Now
Nathan_ms (Expert):
Q: Media Center on my 1 month old Dell Inspirion 6000 will not play DVDs correctly. When you place a DVD in the tray Media Center will open and play the about two seconds of the movie then freeze the video and shake it back and forth.
A: It is unclear what the problem is. However, I would start with trying to play a DVD using another program such as Windows Media Player. My guess is that if the DVD does not play in Media Center, there may be a problem with DVD playback in general on your system. To debug this problem, I would make sure that you are running the latest video drivers for your graphics card. Since your PC is only 1 month old, your OEM technical support may be able to help you with this.
Aaron Stebner [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: what are the steps to get 'my dvds' without having a 200000 dics DVD changer?
A: The upcoming update to TweakMCE will contain a setting that allows you to enable the My DVDs feature in the UI. I encourage you to keep an eye on the MCE downloads page and try it out when it is available.
Robert Schlabbach (Expert):
Q: Hi, Media center crashes every time a particular TV program (Lost) intro is played, live or recorded. How can I trouble shoot this issue?
A: What type of TV signal are you receiving? Analog, ATSC or DVB-T?
AndyV (Expert):
Q: Could ATSC channel changing delay be reduced for users with dual tuners? You could let them leapfrog one another, so that the existing channel stays displayed until the next tuner is ready to dislplay the newly requested channel.
A: I will let the product team know about your concern with this area.
Aaron Stebner [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Tweak MCE will not run on my MCE 2005 since the rollup... I says "The Media Center Power Toy can only be run on Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005" Why is this...?
A: There will be a new version of TweakMCE released shortly that will support Update Rollup 2. It will contain additional settings that you can tweak. I posted an "unofficial" workaround if you want to use the current version of TweakMCE before the new version is released. You can find that at http://blogs.msdn.com/astebner/archive/2005/10/17/482102.aspx.
AndyV (Expert):
Q: Do the Experts here find it necessary to restart their MCE PC's regularly to keep them stable? How often? Do the "housekeeping" functions in Rollup 2 make this less of an issue?
A: I infrequently need to restart my Media Center PCs. The new optimization features help recycle some of the resources used by Media Center to improve performance when you use it the next time.
Todd_MS (Expert):
Q: Where can I find a list of what codecs Xbox 360 supports and is it true HD capable ergo 720P 1080I?
A: A full codec list has not been posted yet, but at a minimum expect parity with existing Extenders plus support for high definition WMV and MPEG-2 content. Xbox 360 supports playing both 720p and 1080i high definition content (including output at 720p and 1080i).
Nathan_ms (Expert):
Q: Using MCE2005, is there a way to read messages in Outlook 2003 without shutting down MCE?
A: You don't have to close Media Center to read your messages in Outlook. While there is no built in method for reading email in the Media Center experience, you may move the mouse and "minimize" Media Center to check your outlook email. When finished, you can simply maximize Media Center again.
Joe [MS] (Expert):
Q: I'd like to see better integration between multiple media centers, or a media center exteneder application that can be run on other computers. It's too technical to acheive the all together look and feel that Relplay TV has when shaing content between bxs
A: Thanks for the feedback. I have multiple Media Center PCs at home too - I'd love to see them work better together. You can share music, videos, and photos by using the "shared documents" folder in Windows.
AndyV (Expert):
Q: are you planing to implement MSN messenger in mce??? instead of windows messenger? and also make msn msg to show what im watching too? just like what im listening??(sorry if this is isnt a mce question, but i think is has to do with mce)
A: This has been recommended to the product team, but I will pass along comments as well. Thanks.
AndyV (Expert):
Q: Someone came earlier this morning asking this : "My Media Center does not show a few of my Cable Channels, and my TV does not display any channels at all anymore..." My concern was that he may have some cabling issues there, or is this a MCE issue?
A: There could be a number of issues with this scenario. I would ask this question in the public newsgroups so that more feedback can be obtained about the situation.
Robert Schlabbach (Expert):
Q: I have PowerDVD 6 codec and a C-Media 7.1 sound card with S/PDIF output connected to a Denon AVR3805 and can't get Dolby Digital while watching the ATI HDTV Wonder (I know that the show it in DD as when I switch to the Set To Box it works).
A: It's the decoder's task to pass the encoded DD stream through to the S/PDIF output. I'm not familiar with the PowerDVD 6 decoders. Check if they have a configuration page (possibly in their standalone DVD playback application) where you can configure the passthrough.
AndyV (Expert):
Q: Why is there not a tv reminders feature? sometimes i dont want to record something, i just want to know that its coming on next??
A: This would be a great extensibility application for Media Center. For those interested in the SDK for Media Center, visit http://www.microsoft.com/mediacenter
Dana (Expert):
Q: If I use ATI MPEG Video Decoder it works just fine but WinDVD's, Nvidia's create the same performance issues. I also noticed it with Pinnacle Studio Plus 9 installed. If I have any of those installed and set to ati's or not, I have problems.
A: I seem to remember hearing the name Pinnacle in relation to this problem too. I suggest you contact them to see if they have an update.
Nathan_ms (Expert):
Q: Regarding Question 13, where can I get that BIOS udpate? Or do I need to install additional Hardware?
A: In general, the best place to find a BIOS update is from your OEM. If your PC was not from an OEM, and thus custom-built, check with the manufacturer of your motherboard.
Todd_MS (Expert):
Q: will media center make proper use of a dual core processor, if so in what ways?
A: Media Center is based upon Windows XP, which fully supports dual-core processors, meaning that it is possible to run CPU-intensive tasks such as video encoding on one core while simultaneously performing performance sensitive tasks on the second core with little discernable impact to the user experience.
Aaron Stebner [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Does "Away Mode" use current ACPI or is there a new identifier we should look for on motherboards?
A: This is the information from our hardware requirements document regarding Away Mode:
The BIOS must define the Away mode device and ACPI Control Method in the ACPI namespace as follows:
// Define Away Mode device
Device(\AWY){
Name(_HID, "AWY0001") // Away Mode device
The BIOS must implement Away mode's Set Mode (SMOD) control method. This SMOD control method notifies the BIOS that the computer is entering or leaving Away mode, enabling the BIOS to control aspects of the computer such as fan speed or the LED. The method must be defined as follows:
Method(SMOD,1) {
Mode = 1: ON
Mode = 0: Away
AndyV (Expert):
Q: In order to watch tv, capture video, etc with my video card and another program I have to kill ehRecvr.exe or my video device isn't recognized. What can I do about this?
A: Media Center releases the TV tuner after it is done with it. Many programs do not realize that Media Center has released it for other programs to use. My suggestion is to contact the manufacturer of the program to release an update or keep killing ehRecvr.exe.
Robert Schlabbach (Expert):
Q: ru2 made the ui animations choppy. is this common?
A: No, it isn't. Maybe Automatic Updates is loading further updates in the background? Try visiting Windows Update and check if you have all updates installed.
Andrew_MSFT (Moderator):
Q: are you guys planing on making the remote to work only for mce app?? cuz when i have mce maximized in my second display the mouse get like locked there.. and no one can use the pc... are you planing on fix that?
A: Unfortunately, none of our Experts here today have seen this issue. You may wish to post this question to the Media Center newsgroup. A list of all Microsoft-hosted support newsgroups is here: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/newsgroups/default.asp
AndyV (Expert):
Q: Do you see a possiblity to use MCE with a cellular as a remote via bluetooth in the future? My table is full of remotes.
A: It is possible now. Someone could write an application for both the phone and the PC so that the phone could act as a remote.
AndyV (Expert):
Q: Here's a problem I've noticed, I have an issue where some channels have no sound. It has always been this way. I use a happauge pvr-150.
A: I would ensure you have the latest drivers from Hauppauge or the OEM who sold you the Media Center PC.
Robert Schlabbach (Expert):
Q: What decoder is recommended for successfully passing Dolby Digital via S/PDIF? If you can't recommend a specific on, please recommend a couple that you KNOW work.
A: I'm not using SPDIF myself yet, but some decoder makers offer free trial versions for download. You could just try which one works best for you.
Robert Schlabbach (Expert):
Q: If I tune a channel on a 3rd Party application outside MCE the image is great, but in MCE its really bad. What can I check?
A: Might be an issue with your cable provider (if you're receiving cable?) using nonstandard frequencies. If you're in a PAL or SECAM country, you should be able to edit the frequencies in \Windows\ehome\MCETuningOverrides.xml, but this isn't for novices. Please post your issue with more detail (TV signal type, your signal source) in the public newsgroup if you need further assistance.
AndyV (Expert):
Q: Oh, a quick question that I just remembered. I use a dual monitor machine, and mce works pretty well with it, but I would like to move the mouse back and forth or do work in the other monitor while mce is full screen. Could there be a powertoy for this?
A: This is a limitation of DirectX 9, and the team is aware of the issue.
Aaron Stebner [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: How can I clear/reset/delete my Video/Picture/Music "index file", if a video file is renamed after getting a cover picture, it will sometimes still show the old name. ...and simular problems in the picture and music folders.
A: Unfortunately there is not a good way to accomplish this. You can go into the file system and delete the Windows Media Player library, which will force a rescan of your entire library.
AndyV (Expert):
Q: Is there going to be a sleep timer for MCE2005?
A: There is a sleep timer PowerToy available at http://www.microsoft.com/mediacenter
Robert Schlabbach (Expert):
Q: "Media Center has a non-linear zooming mode that works extremely well. " I am trying to find the feature you have described... is it located the the TV part of Setup?
A: When in Live TV or playing back recorded TV, press the "More Info" button on the remote and select "Zoom" to toggle through the zoom modes. The new non-linear mode is zoom mode 4.
Todd_MS (Expert):
Q: regarding ru2 - what happened to the transition from TV to guide? there used to be a smooth transition that blended well.
A: This transition still exists. If you are using a video card that does not carry the Designed for Windows XP Media Center Edition logo (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/mediacenter/partners/dfw/partnerlisting.mspx), it's possible that you are hitting a graphics card performance or driver issue.
Andrew_MSFT (Moderator):
Q: Question 13 was answered about Away Mode needing an ACPI BIOS. My Shuttle SB75G2 has this but yet it says it's not compatible. Could you be more specific of vendors offering the correct specs that Away Mode supports?
A: Our OEM partners (the makers of the PC hardware that Media Center Edition runs on) have not made any announcements regarding Away Mode yet. Stay tuned!
Nathan_ms (Expert):
Q: I have been having trouble playing DVDs in Media Center. I put the DVD in, try to play it using MCE, and all I get is the video, but no audio. What I ended up having to do is watch the DVD using Nero Showtime, which worked perfectly. What do I do?
A: I think the next step would be to try and play the DVD in Windows Media Player. If the DVD does not play in windows Media Player properly, it is likely a codec issue in which case I could contact the PC OEM and get the latest version. Also, you should make sure that your video and sound drivers are up to date. As a sanity check, you may want to make sure they are functioning properly by checking them both in device manager.
AndyV (Expert):
Q: Why FM radio scheduled recording feature still doesn't get implemented?
A: This is a feature that the product team is aware of. I will let them know of your push for it as well.
Aaron Stebner [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: I have used MSN Remote Record plugin many times on fresh builds of MCE and yet the service stops everytime Win MCE starts up? What gives? There has been no real troubleshooting techniques posted in any forums.
A: I have been successfully using MSN Remote Record at home with my machine running Update Rollup 2, so it should be compatible. You might want to check your application event log for any warnings or errors related to the MSN Remote Record service to see if that helps narrow this down.
Todd_MS (Expert):
Q: Will there ever ben an official feature native to MCE to transcode DVR-MS to WMV9 if the content isn't protected? I do this currently to save disk space, but most of the 3rd party apps I've seen can be buggy and crash prone and aren't supported very well.
A: Transcoding to WMV for copying DVR-MS to portable devices is supported started with Media Center 2005. Broadening the use of this functionality to cover PC-only scenarios is an interesting suggestion. I'll pass it along to the right folks.
Andrew_MSFT (Moderator):
This concludes our Media Center chat for today. Thanks for coming, everyone!
Andrew_MSFT (Moderator):
Please feel free to stay and continue to chat about Media Center or other Windows topics.
MarkS (Expert):
Thanks for coming today everyone, see you next month!
Robert Schlabbach (Expert):
Bye everyone! See you next time!
