Expert Zone > Chats

Windows XP Media Center Edition (December 21, 2006)

Chat Topic: Windows XP Media Center
Date: Thursday, December 21, 2006

Please note: Portions of this transcript have been edited for clarity.

Tyler Welch [MSFT] (Moderator):
Hi everyone, and welcome to the Windows XP Media Center Expert Zone chat!

Today we are answering your questions about Windows XP Media Center Edition.

Now, I'll have our hosts for the chat today introduce themselves:I'm Tyler Welch, and I'm the MVP Lead for Windows XP Media Center Edition, and the moderator for this chat.Go ahead and begin sending us your questions, and we'll get the chat underway.

Introductions

Todd_MSFT (Moderator):
Hi, my name is Todd. I am a program manager working on Media Center Extender technology.

Robert Schlabbach (Expert):
Hi, I'm Robert Schlabbach, MCE MVP from Berlin, Germany!

Bryan Socha (Expert):
Hi, I'm Bryan Socha, also known as accident on thegreenbutton.com

Start of Chat

Todd_MSFT (Moderator):
Q: why does media center not give me the option of loading my music from drive D, it only allows me to look at the C drive?
A: Media Center can access music from whichever drive you need, but you need to tell the music library where your music is, which you can do by pressing "More Info" while you're in My Music and selecting "Add Music".

Tyler Welch [MSFT] (Moderator):
Q: How would I go about using my Windows XP in full Korean? I have already installed a Korean Global IME program, and also changed settings within the regional and language options applet. I don't think I have MUI on my computer.
A: Unfortunately, none of our Experts here today have seen this issue. You may wish to post this question to the Windows XP newsgroup. A list of all Microsoft-hosted support newsgroups is here: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/newsgroups/default.asp

Tyler Welch [MSFT] (Moderator):
Q: This is perhaps a dumb question, but if I have PC with a tv tuner running Xp MCE, can I connect to it from another PC running XP or XP MCE, and select the TV channels or DVD's etc ?
A: Answer from Barb Bowman: You can't use another pc as an extender to watch live TV or Watch a DVD on the remote MCE machine.

Todd_MSFT (Moderator):
Q: I have heard that v2 extenders will not support MCE 2005 is there a reason why this wont happen? The XBOX360 supports both.
A: The Media Center Extender Platform Adaptation Kit enables partners to build Extenders for use with Windows Vista. Because Extender technology is a superset of the PlaysForSure device program, these devices will also be able to connect to Windows Media Connect/Windows Media Player Network Sharing running on Media Center 2005 PCs (and other Windows XP PCs). They will not, however, connect to Media Center 2005 as Extenders due to the technological differences between the Extender technology in Windows XP and Windows Vista.

Todd_MSFT (Moderator):
Q: Remote Control keyevent: In MCE the remote receives the unique event that is called from MCE's event function passing only the keyCode. Is there anyway to capture the entire event and disable the "event bubbling" - basically to cancel the default event?
A: Glad to hear that you're interested in developing applications for Media Center, but SDK questions are a little outside the scope for this chat. Try asking in the Media Center Developers' Newsgroup at http://msdn.microsoft.com/newsgroups/default.aspx?dg=microsoft.public.windows.developer.mediacenter&lang=en&cr=

Todd_MSFT (Moderator):
Q: Our audio is coming in a split second before video on recordings. We use WMC to record via a camera (our Live TV) then show the recording in another room a few minutes behind the live room. What do we need to try to fix this?US

Q: Here is our setup: camera (Panasonic DVX100A) to Edirol V4 switcher via S-video to Hauppauge WinTV PVR2 via S video to WMC computer via USB2. The problem translates onto the DVDs we make so it is definitely a recording problem.
A: That’s a pretty complex setup :-) If you directly connect a TV source to the TV tuner card, is audio in sync? If so, start gradually adding more components to the configuration until you encounter audio sync issues. If this doesn’t help isolate the issue, I suggest visiting the Media Center public newsgroup (Microsoft.public.windows.mediacenter) for further troubleshooting assistance.

Tyler Welch [MSFT] (Moderator):
Q: I have been using mce for about 3 months now and was wondering why there wasn't a install cd available in stores?
A: Currently, Windows XP Media Center edition is available via OEM and Certified Partners. Coming in January, Media Center will be available as part of the Windows Vista Home Premium and Ultimate editions. Once Vista is released you will be able to purchase a copy off the shelf.

Tyler Welch [MSFT] (Moderator):
Q: Trying to load Corel address book (error occurred trying to logon for address service
A: Hi Tom, Unfortunately, none of our Experts here today have seen this issue today on the chat we have members of the Windows Media Center Team. You may wish to post this question to the Windows XP newsgroup. A list of all Microsoft-hosted support newsgroups is here: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/newsgroups/default.asp

Todd_MSFT (Moderator):
Q: The next question becomes why does the XBOX360 not have the same issue that other v2 extender have?
A: There are two versions of Extender software for Xbox 360 - the initial version, which was launched with the Xbox 360, is designed for use with Windows XP Media Center Edition. An updated version, which is being launched with Windows Vista, is designed for use with Windows Vista. The appropriate software is automatically downloaded to your Xbox 360 at connect time based upon the version of Windows running on your Media Center PC.

Tyler Welch [MSFT] (Moderator):
Q: Hi, are these chats going to continue when Vista is launched at the end of January?
A: Yes, the Expert Zone site will be updated in the coming weeks with an updated schedule for the Windows Media Center Expert Zone Chats.

Todd_MSFT (Moderator):
Q: If the ehome team already has a xbox extender-based software update available, why hasn't a PC version been made available? The demand is already there with projects such as orb and slingbox.
A: We're aware that Extender technology running on a PC would be an interesting feature for some of our customers, and we continue to evaluate the possibility of supporting this in the future. It's not a simple matter of just copying over the software available for the Xbox, however, so we have to evaluate this feature request in context of all of the other Extender feature requests.

Tyler Welch [MSFT] (Moderator):
Q: When upgrading to IE7, all the album art embedded in the file ceases to show during playback (but album covers do show that are tied to the folder.jpb). A black box is shown instead. It is fixed by going back to IE6. Is the MCE group and IE groups fixin
A: Unfortunately, none of our Experts here today have seen this issue. You may wish to post this question to the Windows XP Media Center newsgroup. A list of all Microsoft-hosted support newsgroups is here: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/newsgroups/default.asp There also may be more information available at the Community forums at http://www.Thegreenbutton.com

Tyler Welch [MSFT] (Moderator):
Q: Why do the sonic encoders in Media Center 2005 squash widescreen 16:9 to 4:3 when recording a TV program to DVD?
A: Answer From Robert Schlabbach: This seems to be an issue when converting "anamorph widescreen" content from DVB-T, when the recording starts in 4:3 and switches to 16:9 anamorph widescreen "on the fly" during the recording. As such, it is an issue for Sonic to fix...

Tyler Welch [MSFT] (Moderator):
Q: In attempting to uninstall Office 2003 that came installed on trial, and install Office 2000, I get the following error message when I attempt to Boot up "Your SQL Server Installation is either corrupt or has been tampered with". How do I resolve this?
A: Unfortunately, none of our Experts here today have seen this issue. You may wish to post this question to the Office newsgroup. A list of all Microsoft-hosted support newsgroups is here: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/newsgroups/default.asp

Todd_MSFT (Moderator):
Q: I tried to reinstall windows media center on a pc. the cd drive if software managed, I mean there is no way to eject the cd unless from the so gui. during the installation process the installer asks for tyhe second cd but I cannot eject the first cd.
A: It is likely that your drive does have an eject button but it is covered but the front of your computer case. There are a couple things you can try: 1) insert a paperclip into the emergency eject hole on the CD drive (if it’s accessible) or 2) remove the front of your PC’s case in order to access the physical eject button.

Todd_MSFT (Moderator):
Q: todd: a paper in the forums i read said there are 4 parts: PVR, Decompressor, graphics hardware, monitor. We suspect the problem is in the PVR or decompressor, but don't know how to investigate it.
A: The best thing to do is to scale back your system to recording from a regular TV feed to see if you still have sync issues. If you don’t, add your video camera, etc. one by one to the config. If you have sync issues with a regular TV feed, the next thing to do is to watch one of your recordings on another PC; if you see lip sync issues on the second PC, it’s likely a capture issue/issue with your PVR card or drivers. If you don’t see lip sync issues on the second PC, it’s a playback issue of some sort (e.g. an issue with your DVD/MPEG playback software). Because there are so many variables, the best thing to do is to try the above suggestions and then post your results to the newsgroup.

Tyler Welch [MSFT] (Moderator):
Q: I recently asked a question about language and regional options, but it seems that no one here can solve my problem. Can you refer me to a chat, forum, email, where I can get this resolved? Thanks again.
A: The members of the Microsoft Product Group that are on the chat today are from the Windows XP Media Center group and are able to help with questions about Windows Media Center specifically. For other questions, I recommend that you post in the general Windows XP newsgroup our experts may be able to assist you. Here is a link to the newsgroups http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/newsgroups.mspx

Todd_MSFT (Moderator):
Q: todd said "the next thing to do is to watch one of your recordings on another PC". do you mean another receiver?
A: Once you have recorded a TV show on your first PC, copy the associated .dvr-ms file from your Recorded TV folder to a second PC and play that file on the second PC. Note that the second PC will need to be a Windows XP or Windows Vista PC with an MPEG-2 decoder installed.

Q: so lets say it is a playback issue. since i'm using a receiver in another room and playing it through the WMC interface, what would i need to change?
A: It depends upon the root cause of the issue, so it's hard to say without first solving the issue :-)

Tyler Welch [MSFT] (Moderator):
Q: With the release of Vista with MCE and also Office 2007 will they reopen the techy rooms, or leave them as "read only"
A: Currently, the peer to peer chats will be made available during the scheduled Windows Expert Zone Chats timeslots.

Tyler Welch [MSFT] (Moderator):
Q: Todd at least when this chat room was "peer to peer" chatters could find some help here, even though some people did abuse the use of the room, now with the release of the new software there is no help, so we’ve had to set up rooms on other servers
A: Thank you for your feedback. Currently, the newsgroups are the best option for community based support. Information about the Microsoft Community Newsgroups can be found here. http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/newsgroups/default.asp

Tyler Welch [MSFT] (Moderator):
This concludes our Windows XP Media Center Expert Zone chat for today. Thanks for coming, everyone!

Todd_MSFT (Moderator):
Thanks everyone for joining in today.