Windows XP Media Center Edition (January 19, 2006)

Published: January 20, 2006

Please Note: Portions of this chat have been edited for clarity.

Andrew_MSFT (Moderator):Hi everyone, and welcome to the Media Center chat! I will have our hosts for the chat today introduce themselves:

Introduction:

Andrew_MSFT (Moderator):
I'm Andrew Brown, and I'm the MVP Lead for Media Center, and the moderator for this chat.

O2 [MSFT] (Expert):
Hi, I’m O2. I’m the Test Lead for the Media Center Extender on Xbox 360.

AndyV (Expert):
Hi! I'm Andy Vanosdale, an MVP for Media Center!

Ed Rich [MSFT] (Expert):
Hi, I'm Ed Rich. I'm a Program Manager in the eHome Division. Thanks for coming to the Chat.

Joe [MSFT] (Expert):
Hello - I’m Joe McClanahan. I’m a developer on the Media Center TV team.

Nick [MSFT] (Expert):
Hello, everyone. I'm Nick, an A/V developer for Media Center Extender.

Corey Gouker [MSFT] (Expert):
Hi I'm Corey Gouker, I'm a MCE MVP and also work on the Vista MCE Beta Team here at Microsoft. You can find my blog pretty easily via MSN Search or Google.

MarkS (Expert):
Hi. I’m Mark Salloway a Media Center MVP from the United Kingdom.

danacline (Expert):
Hi - I'm Dana...MCE MVP concentrating on home-built MCE systems...

Start of chat:

Andrew_MSFT (Moderator):
Q: When will Vista be released
A: We have not yet announced a release date for Windows Vista.

Andrew_MSFT (Moderator):
Q: I want to be an MVP (I want to know how Microsoft will Monitor my Online Activites in Helping People)?
A: For more information on the MVP Program, I encourage you to look at the following web pages:http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/mvpexecsum http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/mvpfaqs

Ed Rich [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: what can i do with windows media center that i cant do with windows media connect on my xbox 360?
A: Windows Media Connect will allow streaming of Audio and Pictures. Windows Media Center remoted on the Xbox 360 gives you the full user expereince of Windows Media Center and supports the use of the remote control.

O2 [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: what can i do with windows media center that i cant do with windows media connect on my xbox 360?
A: Windows Media Connect supports Music and Pictures. When using Media Center, you get Music, Pictures, Video, TV, and Online Apps (like Movies on Demand, etc). In addition, when using Media Center, you get the entire Media Center UI on your Xbox 360. See this link for more info on MCE: http://www.microsoft.com/mcx

AndyV (Expert):
Q: I am adding an SATA 160GB drive to my MCE box. It already has a 60GB drive on it. Will MCE use the additional space on the new drive for recorded TV automatically?
A: It will not move over automatically. There is a setting in the TV-> Recorder section to have Media Center start recording on that drive.

O2 [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: will media center be standard in Vista?
A: We expect a growing number of PCs to come standard with Media Center. This trend should continue with Vista. http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2006/jan06/01-04WindowsInnovationsPR.mspx

Joe [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: I have a windows media center pc and the media center extender. I scheduled it to record Lost last night. I watched part of American Idol and part of Lost and it recorded parts of American Idol and parts of Lost. What’s up with that?
A: You might try looking in your Recording History to see what the reason for missing part of the recoding is. If Media Center thinks it recorded everything correctly, you should also check your PC's clock.

Ed Rich [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: When are you going to provide full tv guide support, or indeed full MCE support for us here in Australia? Currently, we're left with using silly little 'hacks' to get the TV guide working.
A: We are constantly looking at improving the guide functionality in regions. There are unique challenges to providing full guide services to AU. I cannot comment on specifics, but I can tell you we fully understand the specifics and are investigating improvements.

O2 [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Any plans to have the "slide show mode" in Extenders provide the same viewing experinece as the PC Version of MCE
A: When using the Xbox 360 as an extender, slides shows (and the rest of the Media Center UI) look just as cool as they do on the console.

O2 [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Great news about the xbox 360 .. and slide show mode .. what about providing a upgrade for those of us who have HP & Linksys Extenders?
A: No upgrades are in the works for existing extenders. That hardware doesn't have the power of the Xbox 360, so we can't support the same cool animations, etc.

Nick [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Our company will be assembling many media center edition computers with identical components. To expidite our assembly time, is their a pre installation kit for wmce 2005 xp that we could load onto one hard drive and ghost to the remaining hard drives?
A: The Microsoft OEM System Builder program is designed for companies that want to build machines with our products, including Windows XP Media Center Edition and provides resources for this kind of task. You can find details of the program at http://www.microsoft.com/oem/default.mspx.

AndyV (Expert):
Q: I have my MCE system up and running and can watch TV ok. But I can't seem to get the recording feature to work either in "record now' or in 'scheduled recording. I have udated to roll up 2. any ideas?
A: Is there an error message that appears?

Corey Gouker [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Closed captioning runs five seconds ahead of the video/audio for recorded TV playback only (not for DVD playback). I have checked the Angel MPEG device driver at Dell's support site (the only place I can find them) as previously suggested here, and it is up-to-date. Do you have anything else I can try?
A: You might want to check and see which DVD Decoder you're using and see if there's a newer version available or even try a trial of another. For full support you should bring this to the MCE newsgroups.

Corey Gouker [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: My question regarding closed captioning running five seconds ahead was misunderstood. It works fine for DVD playback. The problem is in recorded TV playback. Why else would I be messing with the Angel MPEG device driver?
A: TV Playback relies on your MPEG2 Decoder so if there's an issue there it can cause A/V sync issues along with Closed Captioning sync issues.

MarkS (Expert):
Q: can i watch video from my pc to my 360 with mce?
A: Yes you can including Recorded TV in Standard/High Def if your PC is running Media Center 2005. With other video files there are limitations such as not being able to use 3rd party video codec’s such as DIVX/XVID. Supported formats for video include MPEG1, MPEG2 and Windows Media Video.

Ed Rich [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: How many additional menu choices can be added to wmce 2005 xp main menu screen?
A: OEM and System Builder can add up to 2 additonal menu choices to the start screen. This is descibed in the OEM Preinstall Kit (OPK) that is provided to them.

danacline (Expert):
Q: I have MCE 2004 OEM Why is MCE designed to not be upgraded from say 2004 to 2005?
A: Actually it _can_ be upgraded - I successfully went from MCE 2002 -> 2004 -> 2005. However, there are advantages to a clean install too.

Andrew_MSFT (Moderator):
Q: are you hosting an xp chat anytime soon
A: You can find a list of upcoming web chats here: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/default.mspx (it's towards the bottom of the page on the right-hand side)

danacline (Expert):
Q: I have a Media Center PC with two 300GB hard drives. I want to burn DVDs from my video camera. Do I have to download from the camera first, save it on the hard drive, then burn it? If so, what is the best format to use?
A: Does your video camera have a Firewire interface? If so, you can use MovieMaker to bring it into your PC and edit it. Due to the way CD and DVD burners work, once started on the burn they must finish the burn without any interruptions, which is infinitely easier if the material to be burned is on a local (not network) hard drive.

danacline (Expert):
Q: I do have firewire. So, there is no way to go from camera to DVD? What is the best format?
A: Not within Media Center. You can (and I have) do this using something like a standalone DVD recorder.

Ed Rich [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: My MCE has been sleepless since applying rollup2. It won't go to standby after pressing STOP button on live TV. I've reported this two motns ago. Do you have update on this problem yet?
A: I have not heard of this issue. Have you contacted your PC Manaufacturer to try and resolve this yet?

Ed Rich [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: in the media center when i click onto the online spotlight i get a message: website may not be designed for viewing from a distance or for remote control interaction. then it is says view now, view later, cancel. I cannot receive any of the online option
A: I'm not clear on your question. Are you saying that you cannot select any button? (view now, view later, cancel). If this is the case try using your mouse instead of the remote. The PC may have lost focus.

AndyV (Expert):
Q: Is there anyone at Msft MCE working with the MusicMatch MCE OnLIne spotlight team to have their S/W work with Extenders. I've attempted several times to contact MusicMatch support and they don't know what an "Extender" is.
A: I will notify the Program Manager in charge of this area know about this.

Ed Rich [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: In Australia, for those of us with Pay-TV (Analog) and Digital TV (Digital) we need two different tuners to be able to receive signals from both sources, however apparently currently MCE doesn't support this (mixed tuners), will this be fixed in Vista?
A: Thank you for your question. We are aware of this issue for users with your configurations. At this time I cannot comment further on this.

O2 [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Is it possible to have my MCE PC screen set for 4:3 TV and my Extender set for 16x9 such that when I'm viewing the GUIDE in the Extender I can get the advantages of the wide screen format I have on my HDTV connected to my TV?
A: Yes, you can put the Extender in 16x9 mode, tho it is a hidden feature. To access:
Reboot the Extender.
Before it Starts to connect, press more info.
On this page, Press the My TV button on your remote.
You should see a choice of 4x3 or 16x9.
Choose 16x9 and press ok.

Corey Gouker [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Is it posible or allowed to embed our logo onto the wmce 2005 xp main menu or any other screen?
A: No not at this time. You can however have your application listed under the More Programs section of MCE.

Nick [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: If I use an external TV Tuner card with XP proffessional pre-installed, is it possible for me to install media center eddition in it and run its main software (one used to stream live tv, pause)??? If not, then how could i use the software?????
A: Media Center is unfortunately not available for other versions of Windows XP (such as Professional) - it is available only as part of Windows XP Media Center Edition.

danacline (Expert):
Q: What is the easiest way to convert a recorded show to wmv or a format that is compatable with video Ipod?
A: For WMV, you can use the free app DVR2WMV available at thegreenbutton.com. For converting to an Apple iPod, well, you'll probably want to ask Apple...

O2 [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: I understand the lack of support of DivX/XVID et al when using the 360 as an extender can we ever expect this support or this is something that Microsoft has chosen to not ever support?
A: Microsoft is aware of the collective desire for xvid, divx, real, h.264, etc. We are always evaluating features for future products, but have not announced support for additional codecs at this time. Also, there are some great solutions to this problem in the community. Some people have on the fly transcoding working: <http://www.brains-n-brawn.com/default.aspx?vDir=mcedivx360>

Corey Gouker [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: do any of you know if Vista media center will support other A/V devices like VCR, DVD player, MD player etc?
A: Depends on what you mean by support? Can you be more specific? Do you mean playback in MCE from these devices or recording from these devices?

Joe [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: I have a new Media Center PC connected for digital optical (TOSLINK) audio to my sound processor. I get audio on DVD and over the Air HDTV. No audio from movies in Media Player? Any idea why?
A: Check to see what your DVD audio settings are in Windows Media Player. Go to Tools -> Options -> DVD -> Advanced. Make sure that you have the proper output selected in that dialog.

Nick [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Can I connect a PC running Windows MCE 2005 to a work network or domain?
A: Computers running Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 can be members of Workgroups, but cannot be joined to Domains.

Andrew_MSFT (Moderator):
Q: what do i need to do to get the online spotlight working on mc. i get a message that says "website may not be designed for viewing from a distance or for remote control interaction"
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

danacline (Expert):
Q: I am trying to ask, if i install win xo mce in a comp running win xp pro, will i be able to use its main software(one used to pauselive tv etc.)???
A: To get the Media Center program, it is necessary to do a clean install of Media Center - it cannot be used to upgrade XP.

Joe [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: I have cable TV connected and I've suddenly run into some channels having static. The types appear to be random and they increase in number at times. The living TV is fine, just the computer has this problem. Has anyone else encountered this?
A: If you are running a dual tuner system, ensure that you have a signal connected to the TV IN on both tuners (not the FM IN).

Nick [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Have you ever considered the possibility of making a light-weight version of Windows MCE, very much similar to the Extender OS that can be installed on old computers people have lying around so they can be reused as extenders instead of garbage?
A: Thanks for the suggestion. This is an idea that the team's aware about and we know that there are customers interested in this scenario, so it's on our list of feature requests to consider.

Joe [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: The fast forward and reverse does not work properly on the recorded TV shows in media center. It goes back to the beginning and starts the recorded show over again. What's up with that?
A: Make sure you're not using the "Skip" and "Replay" buttons. These buttons will skip to the beginning or end if you hold them in for more than a second.

Joe [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: << = Rewind & >> = Fast Forward ...Right?
A: << = Rewind >> = Fast Forward |< = Replay >| = Skip

Ed Rich [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Is it possible to add menu choices to the online spotlight section?
A: There is a process for requesting adding an item. Please see
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/mediacenter/partners/default.mspx

Ed Rich [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Can MS provide a Rullup2 sleepless fix instead of using 3rd party fix from http://www.thegreenbutton.com/community/shwmessage.aspx?forumid=26&messageid=145454 ?
A: Thank you for your feedback. The product team is aware of your request.

danacline (Expert):
Q: I am confused. I have a laptop with xp pro pre-installed. Now, I use an External TV Tuner Card with its own software. If I CLEAN thedrive and make a fresh installation of Win XP MCE, will I be able to run its media center software (one used to pause live tv)
A: You can, but with caveats...first off, is your laptop strong enough to run Media Center? Second, is your USB tuner supported by Media Center? Does your laptop graphics contain DirectX in hardware? For Media Center, you need at least an Intel 915 chipset with 64Mb of RAM, or an ATI Radeon. I think Hauppauge makes the only USB tuner that works in the US.

Corey Gouker [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Re Q. 53 - yes I mean playback in VMCE from VCR or other external A/V devices. thx
A: The one recommendation would be to use the S-Video or Composite cables and connecting them that way, you'd have to go through the wizard again and select that for input. Granted you'd have to then switch back for normal TV viewing. Also keep in mind your tuner / PC would need inputs for that.

Ed Rich [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: When adding menu choices to "more programs" how can I select my own icon? and is it possible to extend the label? It seem to truncate after so many letters.
A: The details of what is supported is listed in the OEM Preinstall Kit. Please refer to that document. You might also want to post your question to the Media Center Newsgroup.

Corey Gouker [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: What will gaming preformance and quality be like on the New Windows Vista?
A: Absolutely fabulous! Okay, so honestly you should expect it to be at least as good as XP and granted because you'll probably be running Vista on a new PC with an even newer GPU it should definitely be a nice step up. Since Vista is still in beta and hasn't gone through the tweaks needed to make it a truly perform now isn't really a good time to comment on specifics.

Ed Rich [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: I have a Tobisha Satellite laptop with Windows Media Centre 2004. I would like to upgrade to Windows Media Centre 2005 edition with legitimate unopened software in order to use a Linksys Media Extender. What problems might I encounter if I do this?
A: I would recommend that you contact Toshiba Support. Your PC Manufacturer is best able to identify any specific issues you may encounter.

Corey Gouker [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Thank you Experts, you have been very helpful.
A: You're welcome, we're always here to help/

Andrew_MSFT (Moderator):
Q: [72] - When i do get Windows Vista it might not be on a new PC, but still the current confiration of my PC is decent... But to another question how much will Windows Vista Cost?
A: We have not announced any pricing information for Windows Vista yet.

Corey Gouker [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: What do you mean by windows xp 64 bit? What is the relation between 64 Bit OS and 64 bit processor? What do i need to run 64 bit OS? will 64 bit OS run my 32 bitapplications???? please xplain me everything related to this...also give me someinformativelink
A: Windows XP 64-bit will only run on a AMD or Intel 64-bit processor. So you'll need that and will need a copy of Windows XP 64-bit. You'll also need 64-bit drivers for your devices as well. Your 32-bit applications will still run on XP 64. For more information please see: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/64bit/default.mspx

Corey Gouker [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Will I ever be able to play Xbox 360 through the Media Center interface? :D
A: You could always write an application for your MCE PC that then communicates via the Xbox 360's USB ports to control the 360. This would then enable you to play the 360 via the MCE remote and interface.

Andrew_MSFT (Moderator):
Q: Pentium 4 2.8GHz HT, 2.5GB DDR RAM, 160GB Hard-Drive, 256MB ATI Radeon X1800 XT ... Would that be able to work fine with the new Windows Vista?
A: As with pricing and availability, we have not announced specific system requirements for Windows Vista yet.

Corey Gouker [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Can someone help with a DirectX 9 problem?
A: DirectX 9 questions should be directed to the DX9 public newsgroups: http://support.microsoft.com/newsgroups/microsoft.public.directx.misc

Andrew_MSFT (Moderator):
Q: Recently I've heard rumors of DirectX 10 is this true, and if so what will the version do that version 9 doesn't?
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 Media Center products.

Corey Gouker [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: My albums cover art are not showing-up any more in MCE's "album" view, instead I see only a list of the album titles (similar to the "artist" view). The covert arts do exist since I see them in MCE's play view. Any idea how to fix this ?
A: You should use Windows Media Player and do Find Album Info on any albums that are having Album Art issues. More specifically if you unhide System Files you should have a 200x200 and 75x75 JPG called Folder.jpg and AlbumArtSmall.jpg respectively in each album folder.

Corey Gouker [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: will xp support WMP11?
A: Nothing has been announced at this time.

Corey Gouker [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Forgive my ignorance but, I would like to load a DVD concert onto my pc for audio/video playback. Windows XP SP2. How do I do it?
A: If I understand your question, you'd need a DVD decoder to play back the DVD with Windows Media Player or MCE. Look for a decoder from nVidia, InterVideo, or Cyberlink.

Corey Gouker [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Thank you. Will that allow the audio to be transfered to an MP3 player? say A concert video
A: No, that will simply allow for playback of the concert DVD. For more information I suggest that you check the MCE or Windows Media newsgroups for more support.

Corey Gouker [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: In Windows Vista, will DVD playback functionality be available out of the box w/o installing a 3rd party decoder?
A: Nothing has been announced at this time.

Ed Rich [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: how much does xp mce costs?..in usd
A: I would recommend you search the internet. That info is easily found using a search engine like MSN

Corey Gouker [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: What is the best video format to convert to when using MovieMaker? I would like to ensure I don't lose any quality.
A: WMV VBR works great and if you're going from DV there's also an option for that to ensure you get the best quality. For more information about the Windows Media Codecs see the following URL:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/9series/codecs.aspx

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.

Nick [MSFT] (Expert):
Thanks for coming, everyone. See you next month!

Joe [MSFT] (Expert):
Thanks everyone! See you next month!

O2 [MSFT] (Expert):
Thanks for joining the chat today! For questions about your 360 and Media Center, be sure to visit the Xbox Media Connectivity forum: <http://forums.xbox.com/333/ShowForum.aspx>

MarkS (Expert):
Thanks Everyone. See you next time!

Corey Gouker [MSFT] (Expert):
Thanks for the great questions see you next time! :)

AndyV (Expert):
Thanks, everyone!

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