Schedule TV Show Recording over the Web Using MSN Remote Record Service
Published: April 4, 2005
If you own a Media Center PC, then you already know that it's great for showing pictures to friends and family, listening to music, and especially for watching TV. You can use the Media Center's Program Guide to schedule TV shows or a series of TV shows to record. If you have more than one TV tuner, you can record more than one TV show at once or even record one TV show while watching another. If you're wondering how this works, check out Expert Zone Columnist Barb Bowman's great article on How to Use Dual Set-Top Boxes in Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005.
Because I'm a student, I'm not at home to experience the convenience of my Media Center PC as much as I'd like. While on holiday breaks and various trips, I often want to record a TV show I hear about when I'm away from my Media Center at home. The ability to remotely schedule TV shows to record has been a long time request of the Media Center community.
Now there's an official solution from Microsoft. The MSN Remote Record service is an easy new way to access Guide information and schedule recordings on your Media Center PC over the Internet. If you're running Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, you can find out exactly what TV shows are playing your area. MSN Remote Record lets you perform all the tasks that you could if you were actually at your Media Center PC using the Guide feature (with the exception of deleting TV shows).
In this column I'll show you how to set up MSN Remote Record, record a TV show or schedule a series of TV shows to record, and also explain how to handle program conflicts.
Requirements for Installing MSN Remote Record Service
The MSN Remote Record Service requires a broadband connection and that you run Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005. Most Media Center Edition 2004 PCs can be upgraded to Media Center Edition 2005 for a small shipping charge. Some older Media Center PCs may not support Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005. Consult your computer manufacturer and Upgrading to Windows XP Media Edition 2005 for information about upgrading.
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 needs to be configured to use the Guide before installing MSN Remote Record.
To use MSN Remote Record you must have a .NET Passport. If you use MSN Messenger, you already have a Passport. It's your sign-in e-mail address. If you're not sure if you have one, visit the Microsoft .NET Passport page for more information.
Finally, MSN Remote Record only works on Media Center PCs in the United States and Canada. The possibility exists for MSN Remote Record to be available for use in other countries eventually. (For good news about Media Center in other markets, see Availability of Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Will Expand to 20 Additional Markets Worldwide.)
Did I mention that the MSN Remote Record Service is free?
Install MSN Remote Record
MSN Remote Record can be installed from Online Spotlight in Media Center Edition 2005 or from the MSN TV Web site.
To install from Online Spotlight in Media Center Edition 2005
1. | Press the START button on the remote. |
2. | Navigate to Online Spotlight, select Downloads, and press OK. |
3. | Select MSN Remote Record, press OK, and follow the directions on the screen. |
To install from the MSN TV Web site
1. | Open Internet Explorer and navigate to MSN TV on your Media Center PC. |
2. | Enter your zip code in the Zip box, as shown in Figure 1, and then click Go. (MSN TV will list the TV shows currently available on major networks during prime time, but without your zip code it can not display information relevant to your local cable network.)  Figure 1: MSN TV front page. |
3. | Select an antenna, cable, or satellite service and click Continue. MSN TV will list all of the available service providers in your area. |
4. | Click your service provider such as Comcast or Adelphia. MSN TV will show all of the TV shows (HDTV is currently not supported) available from your service provider's channel lineup. |
5. | Click Remote Record Settings on the left side of the MSN TV page to begin the MSN Remote Record installation process. If you're not signed in with your .NET Passport, MSN TV will ask you to sign in. |
6. | Follow the prompts that appear in the MSN Remote Record Service window. You'll need to agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Statement, install the MSN Remote Record Software, and confirm some other information like your service provider and zip code. |
Congratulations! MSN Remote Record is all set up. Now let's get to the fun stuff.
Explore MSN Remote Record
MSN TV uses the exact same TV guide data that Media Center does, which is made available by Zap2It. You can browse from any Internet-connected computer to MSN TV to see what's on or what's coming up. Remember to sign in with your Passport first if you want to see TV guide information specific to the location of your Media Center PC.
MSN TV maintains a constant connection with your Media Center PC through the .NET Messenger service so you don't need to worry about firewall or Internet connection issues. In the event that the MSN Remote Record Service can't communicate with your Media Center PC, it will attempt to resend any record requests every fifteen minutes up until the TV show ends. If your computer is in standby or hibernation, the MSN Remote Record service will be unable to communicate with it. Your Media Center Edition PC must be completely powered on and connected to the Internet.
Tip: Away from your Media Center PC, but near to a broadband Internet connection? You can always access Media Center with Remote Desktop by connecting to your PC and clicking Start, pointing to All Programs, pointing to Accessories, pointing to Media Center, and then clicking Media Center. You can't watch TV, but you can still schedule recordings using the Guide feature. Read Charlie Russel's Tuning Windows XP Remote Desktop for Network Bandwidth for more information about Remote Desktop.
Record a Show or Schedule a Series to Record
To record a TV show, just browse to MSN TV and sign in with your .NET Passport. MSN TV shows all the available TV shows from your Media Center PC. Click the show that you want to record. MSN TV displays the Program Details window with additional information such as the Title, Channel, Air Time, Category, and TV Rating of the show, as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2: MSN Remote Record program details.
It even tells you when the show repeats in the future. At the bottom of the Program Details window you can click Record This Show, or Record Series, as shown in Figure 3. Record Show and Record Series has the exact same affect as the equivalent options in Media Center.
Figure 3: Record Show or Record Series option.
With this new freedom you might want to go crazy—maybe even record dozens of TV shows unlike never before! You can do this with MSN Remote Record up until you have 75 scheduled or active TV recordings. After that MSN Remote Record will require you cancel a few TV recording requests before continuing.
Manage Program Conflicts
If you make a recording request that conflicts with a previous or active scheduled TV show recording, the MSN Remote Record service asks you if you want to cancel the new request and keep the first recording or if you want to overwrite the first request with the new one as shown in Figure 4. You can resolve this program conflict just by clicking the option you want and then clicking the Done button. That's all there is to it.
Figure 4: Easy program conflict management.
Once you're signed in to your .NET Passport and comfortable browsing MSN TV, you can change the Remote Record settings that control how MSN Remote Record handles program conflicts. Just click Remote Record Settings on the left side of the TV Listings page. You can select from Let me choose which show to record or Always cancel the last recording request.
Update MSN Remote Record, Add Additional Users, and View Scheduled Recordings
Occasionally MSN will make available updates to MSN Remote Record to provide the best service possible. When this happens you'll see a message in the notification area asking you to update MSN Remote Record. Or you can do this by selecting the MSN Remote Record Update Center Start menu link.
Only the Passport you used during the sign-up process can be used to schedule TV recordings using MSN Remote Record. To let other people record TV shows on your Media Center PC, just point to MSN Remote Record, and then click Add Remote Record User. To add additional users to the MSN Remote Record service, the new user must:
1. | Sign in with the Passport they wish to add. |
2. | Go to the Start Menu. |
3. | Select MSN Remote Record Service. |
4. | Select Add User. |
5. | Follow the steps to complete the registration process. |
By visiting MSN TV you can view all active or pending MSN Remote Record scheduled recordings. You can also view recordings that have happened in the past or click the shows you have scheduled to display Program Details.
If you have any questions about this new, free service from MSN or just want to learn more about Media Center, Microsoft provides a newsgroup where you'll find other Media Center enthusiasts and Microsoft personnel helping out. I'll see you there!
 | Justin Harrison is an Expert Zone columnist and Director of Asteract Studios Limited. In the past he has worked for GE Energy and has worked with the Casual Games team at Microsoft.
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