Windows Media Center Expert Zone Chat (June 25, 2009)
Chat Topic: Windows Media Center Expert Zone Chat
Date: Thursday, June 25, 2009
Please note: Portions of this transcript have been edited for clarity.
Pete Brown MSFT (Moderator):
Welcome everyone...You can submit your Windows Media Center Questions to our experts...Be sure to check "Ask the Experts."
Start of chat:
Dennis [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Hi guys, Any update on fixing the channel assignments in VMC after the DTV changeover. Still having trouble here with some channel in 92509. Ran the setup again this morning, still missing 11 and 13. Antenna is UHF and VHF, using HD Homerun (which I also have reinstalled as of this morning)
A: all the channel assignments should be fixed now. Please try to force a redownload of the guide data by going to tasks > settings > TV > guide > Get latest Guide Listings. I’ll also let the guide folks know that you're having issues.
Pete Brown MSFT (Moderator):
A: Two questions - have you re-run TV setup recently (last few days) and/or posted your channel issues on The Green Button? If so, then I recommend creating a post on The Green Button with your info and someone from the TV team will take a look. Use this forum: http://thegreenbutton.com/forums/90/ShowForum.aspxWe have people monitoring this forum and looking into missing channel reports…
Dennis [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: I am new to wmc how do you manage application for example I want to delete the MSN sites sorry but they don’t work when I select them they just go black and never return so far the only plug in that works is Netflix
A: There is no way for you to remove tiles that don't work for you. Sorry.
Mike Garcen -shadymg (Expert):
A: While not at all supported by Microsoft, there is a 3rd party application called MC Menu Mender which allows you to modify everything on the start menu.
Mike Garcen -shadymg (Expert):
Q: My TV Pack 2008 freezes when I try to view premium cable channels received thru a STB. All drivers are up to date; VMC 32b has all hot fixes, and rollup updates. I’ve used msconfig to disable non-ms services and startup. Didn’t help. Any suggestion?? Regular channels can be viewed or recorded. Premium channels will appear for 10 or 15 secs. Seems like DRM issue but I don't know what to do next! Thanks!!
A: Have you tried resetting your Windows DRM? Also, have you tried re-setting up TV? Here's the link for the Microsoft KB for resetting the DRM. There are several steps, so I'd say worth a shot: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/891664
Karri [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: I have tried internet TV options all of them freeze the only one working at the moment is Netflix. How do I debug to get more info?
A: Are you experiencing these problems on the PC or through a Media Center Extender?
Dennis [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Hello: Many people have had a problem with their Media Center PC from the beginning; Judder, skipping, studder. It goes by many names and there are many posts documenting the problem. I have the problem with cable card HD. Is MSFT addressing this?
A: there are many factors that can cause this to happen (CPU load, disk throughput, etc.) so as you can imagine it is hard to make everyone's configurations just work but we continue to try our best.
Pete Brown MSFT (Moderator):
A: Allen: Just wanted to point you to this post to let you know this has been on our radar: http://thegreenbutton.com/forums/post/341305.aspx
Pete Brown MSFT (Moderator):
Q: Is there a timeframe for Netflix to be included on Windows 7. I know a lot of my friends have moved W7 exclusively now, I can't because I use Netflix so much....
A: We can't discuss what may or may not be in 7; however, there has been really great feedback on the feature in Vista, and many folks are happy about it...
Dennis [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: The Internet TV is very slow and stutters over a 1.5mb connection (fastest available in my area). Is there some method to increase the buffer or queue downloads in advance? As it is now it is not usable.
A: There is not. It should buffer on its own to prevent starvation. I'm sorry this is not working for you.
Mike Garcen -shadymg (Expert):
Q: I just did some updating and disc maintenance which removed a lot of old files/ fragments. After that I went to watch TV on media center and it said the video decoder was not installed or was malfunctioning. Any ideas on how to repair or replace the decoder.
A: Have you tried re-setting up your TV? Also, the quickest solution may be to do a "System Restore" back to the last day when it was working.
Mike Garcen -shadymg (Expert):
Q: I have tried the setup still comes up the same. As to sys restore everything prior to that wiped out.
A: Sorry then, System Restore has been my only salvation with this. I’ve seen this error personally, and my only recourse has been to do a reinstallation of Windows Vista.
Pete Brown MSFT (Moderator):
Q: On Judder/Studder, CPU speed, disk speed, and video cards and drivers have all been ruled out as problems. On The Green Button, one post with users Bug Report: Severe Judder is 530+ posts long. My BRAND NEW OCUR PC does it.
A: Allen: If you can PM me on TheGreenButton any of the details on your system and what you're experiencing, then I can forward the info to the right people...I'm sorry you're experiencing this issue
Pete Stagman (Expert):Q: I have been using registry hacks that enable multiple HTPC's to access a central recorded TV directory. I am looking into WHS, because I hear that it has a feature to achieve the same goal, is this HP only or any WHS ?
A: That's available in WHS since Power Pack 2. Not HP only.
Dennis [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: When accessing the Music section, my covers do not appear until after 30 seconds of my albums "refreshing". There are only about 80 albums, so I can't understand why it is taking so long to load the data. It happens every time I restart. The titles appear in the boxes that should contain the artwork, the boxes flash (I'm guessing a refresh of sorts), then the artwork finally appears. I'm currently running windows 7 build 7100. Extenders have the same issue as well.
A: When you say refreshing, are you just talking about having the artwork appear or for the tiles to appear? This is a known issue that unfortunately will not be fixed. what is happening is that media center is not getting shut down properly (either by killing media center or killing the power on your Extender) and the cache gets a bit out of sync. When it goes to update itself it causes the flash and delay in the artwork appearing. the only known work-around is to close Media Center / Media Center Extender by going to Task | Close.
Pete Brown MSFT (Moderator):
Q: Hello, Every time I use Windows Media Center a box pops up trying to ActiveSync a device. I do not have a device to Sync too. How can I deactivate ActiveSync?
A: Do you use ActiveSync to sync a Windows Mobile phone? If not, do you need it for anything else on your PC? If the answer is no, I would uninstall it: Go into Start | Control Panel | Uninstall a program and select it, then select Uninstall
Karri [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: I have tried internet TV options all of them freeze the only one working at the moment is Netflix. How do I debug to get more info; my computer is a window media center.
A: You might try posting your detailed issue on The Green Button. Include your computer's operating system, whether you have installed all updates and whether you are able to stream other content on your PC over the internet (not in Media Center). You might also check out a few Knowledge Base articles on this subject such as: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/931364 or http://support.microsoft.com/KB/954588. On 931364, if you think it is relevant, you might also try changing the regkey to 1 (the article says 0). Good luck. I hope you are able to resolve your issue.
Pete Brown MSFT (Moderator):
Q: Do you expect to give an update through Windows Update so Windows Vista (no TV Pack included) will let Windows Media Center find digital channels such as 7.2 and 7.3, and have the Guide listings correct? I also lost the ability to tune to analog FM Radio.
A: Hi Rusty: I don't know of any plans to do this...Have you considered upgrading to Windows 7 when it comes out?
Pete Brown MSFT (Moderator):
Q: will there be a windows se7en chat room?
A: Starting in October we'll be all about Windows 7... In terms of Windows Media Center chats, beginning in September they will occur every-other-month and be open to the public. Once Windows 7 is released (October 22) we anticipate the chats becoming more focused on Win7. If demand stays high, we will schedule more chats...(I can only speak to Media Center chats...you might want to check out the chat calendar to see the other topics they are scheduling...)
Pete Brown MSFT (Moderator):
Q: What about adding other websites to MC like hulu is this allow I haven’t tried it yet
A: On the Green Button (www.thegreenbutton.com) you can find a lot of third-party plugins that add other services to the Media Center experience. There is a plugin that allows you to launch Hulu desktop from within Media Center. And of course, we just rolled out native Netflix integration for Media Center PCs.
Pete Brown MSFT (Moderator):
Q: Does Microsoft have any plans with regards extender V3, or XBox it ?
A: Hi Bjorn...Unfortunately, we can't comment on future plans...I do know that Toshiba announced a new extender product at CES that is expected later this year
Pete Brown MSFT (Moderator):
Thank you for joining us today for our Windows Media Center Expert Zone Chat! We hope that this was a good use of your time. If we weren’t able to answer your question of if you have others, please don’t hesitate to check out The Green Button at www.thegreenbutton.com , or our public newsgroups: http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/communities/newsgroups/en-us/default.mspx A special thank you to the Microsoft experts and Media Center MVPs who came out to help! Our next chat is scheduled for this coming September.Please check http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/chats/default.mspx for the list of upcoming chats.
Pete Brown MSFT (Moderator):
Thanks again everyone - great questions.
