Windows Media Center

[Dominato3r]

I just got done loading up Win7 on my sisters computer and noticed this thing. It's been there forever but ive never really looked at it much. It's one of those features that I think Microsoft expects everyone to use but no one uses.

When was the last time you went to Media Center to play music or video? I don't recall ever doing so. I just let Windows media player handle it through auto-play. The only time I actually thought about using it was when I got my xbox and it was an extender but that shit was broken to the max. I still don't think it works fluidly.

 

[Edgy]

It is mostly used as frontend for HTPC. The concept is to turn a PC into a remote controlled media consumption appliance (especially useful for computer-challenged persons).

Having said that, I use XBMC on my 3 HTPCs as it is easier to customize than WMC for my computer-illiterate, non-english speaking parents when they consume media content from their native country using what to them is much like a VCR remote control.

If my target audience were English literate, I would certainly not hesitate using WMC as it is very solid front end.

 

[sm625]

It is good for a dumbed down interface to netflix or your own video library. But it is goddawful god-awful .... GOD-awful slow, just like XBMC and apparently all of these dumbed down interfaces. What I ended up doing was using eventghost and autohotkey to program a $12 rosewill media center remote into something that could interface with my windows 7 desktop. I can move the cursor around, run magnifier, open folders, close folders, alt-tab, play videos, and inside VLC I can zoom, ff, rewind, skip, play, pause, and change the volume. And it is fast. As fast as I can click, thats how fast stuff loads.

imo: You have no right to call yourself an enthusiast if you are not totally turned off by the 200-2000mS lag in every click or every action taken inside one of those goddawful media center interfaces.

 

[lxskllr]

Never used it. I don't use Windows at all anymore, and when I did, my media needs were simple. I don't watch much video, and Foobar2000 took care of my music.

 

[notposting]

Dumbed down interfaces lol. Because it would be smart to have my wife trying to use the desktop in the living room. We have progressed through VMC and now 7MC. Have a remote control, you never see Windows at all. It has all of our DVD's available from the server, including disc menus (and all the meta data and organization handled by MyMovies), Netflix integrated into it seamlessly, records TV in beautiful HD with the networked clear-QAM tuner, all of our music and playlists show up and the picture playbook automatically updates with Dropbox. My wife can use it with no problems, heck her parents were here for the last week and even her mom could use it with no problems. One of the best pieces of software they ever made.

 

[Monster_Munch]

I have a dedicated HTPC in the living room running win 7 media center. It's pretty sweet having one box under the TV to play everything from digital tv, downloaded movies, blurays, dvds, mame emulator roms etc. I control everything with a single logitech harmony remote, so there's hardly any clutter.

 

[blasphemy]

never used it, don't even know what it is

 

[notposting]

It's really only meant to be used in the 10' UI realm.

 

[wirednuts]

i use it for netflix and live ota tv alllll the time. love it. very easy to setup and absolutely rock solid software. cant wait to see what they do for win8 mc.. i hope they integrate obscure video formats better (easier tagging and artwork importing at least)

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

I have a dedicated HTPC in the living room running win 7 media center. It's pretty sweet having one box under the TV to play everything from digital tv, downloaded movies, blurays, dvds, mame emulator roms etc. I control everything with a single logitech harmony remote, so there's hardly any clutter.

This.

With a Ceton tuner, HD Homerun Prime, or Haupauge cablecard tuner it's pretty much the only viable option as well.

It would be great if MS makes it so that Win8 blu-ray support can be enabled natively via a 3rd-party codec. It's unlikely that MS will support BD directly but hopefully they can make it so others like ArcSoft and Cyberlink can provide a more integrated experience than what is available now.

 

[manko]

I use it for Netflix and the Live TV and DVR functions with my TV tuner. It works well for those and it's nice to have it included with the OS. I don't use it as a general media player though.

 

[Griffinhart]

I use it daily, but not for ALL media. I have a Ceton CableCard tuner and use it for watching live and recorded TV mostly through a Media Center Extender (xbox 360, HP Media player).

I don't tend to use it for other media since it's actually the "family PC" and in the kitchen. I manage my Music and video library on my primary desktop which syncs to my server. From there I use Twonkyserver to stream music and video to other devices.

 

[gmaster456]

I occasionally use it for netflix, but usually, if I'm at my computer and want to watch netflix, I just open it in my browser.

 

[thewhat]

It can't play some formats (have to install additional codecs etc.) and it's dumbed down to the point of being almost unusable.

For example: when watching digital TV (with a tuner) it will record what you're watching and there's no way to turn that off. So when you run out of space on the C: drive.. it will.. simply stop recording? NO! It will interrupt the viewing with an error so that the only solution is to restart the program to delete the recorded files.

The setup wizard is another example. If you have multiple soundcards or audio outputs it's a challenge to find/select the one you want. It tries to simplify things by asking "will you be using headphones or speakers?" and stuff like that, forgetting that modern video cards also have an audio output (through HDMI/DP). And for something that's supposed to be simple it does it in way too many steps and you really need a lot of patience. XMBC is much simpler by comparison, even tho it's not the best example either.

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

It can't play some formats (have to install additional codecs etc.) and it's dumbed down to the point of being almost unusable.

It's not supposed to be complicated. WMC is designed to be used with a remote so it should be simple.

For example: when watching digital TV (with a tuner) it will record what you're watching and there's no way to turn that off. So when you run out of space on the C: drive.. it will.. simply stop recording? NO! It will interrupt the viewing with an error so that the only solution is to restart the program to delete the recorded files.

Huh? It does not actually record anything. It buffers the current live signal so you can pause and rewind if you so desire. Temp files are created that are deleted/overwritten when you change the channel or stop watching live tv. The default is 40 minutes so at most about 5GB of disk space is required. If you only have 5GB of disk space available on your C: drive then you need a bigger disk. As cheap as hard-drive space is now it's not a big deal at all.

The setup wizard is another example. If you have multiple soundcards or audio outputs it's a challenge to find/select the one you want. It tries to simplify things by asking "will you be using headphones or speakers?" and stuff like that, forgetting that modern video cards also have an audio output (through HDMI/DP). And for something that's supposed to be simple it does it in way too many steps and you really need a lot of patience. XMBC is much simpler by comparison, even tho it's not the best example either.

Designating the default output device is done in Windows itself, not Media Center. In WMC you are merely designating the audio output config (headphones, stereo speakers, 5.1, 7.1). That's consistent whether you use XBMC, WMC, or whatever for controlling your media.

 

[thewhat]

Huh? It does not actually record anything. It buffers the current live signal so you can pause and rewind if you so desire.

Right... semantics.
And yes, 5GB can be an issue, and it's especially irritating if it's used for something one doesn't need.

Designating the default output device is done in Windows itself, not Media Center. In WMC you are merely designating the audio output config (headphones, stereo speakers, 5.1, 7.1). That's consistent whether you use XBMC, WMC, or whatever for controlling your media.

Every decent media player (including XMBC) lets you choose a non Windows-default output device.

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

Right... semantics.
And yes, 5GB can be an issue, and it's especially irritating if it's used for something one doesn't need.

Any PVR software will buffer a live signal and if you try to disable it on any such software it will bug out.

You're picking nits. If 5GB is an issue then your system has bigger problems than using WMC, XBMC, Myth, whatever.

Every decent media player (including XMBC) lets you choose a non Windows-default output device.

Please explain how it is done in XBMC, because I don't see it. You can designate an analog or digital source in the Audio Settings, but I don't see anywhere that a non-default audio output device can be selected.

 

[WT]

I have a dedicated HTPC in the living room running win 7 media center. It's pretty sweet having one box under the TV to play everything from digital tv, downloaded movies, blurays, dvds, mame emulator roms etc. I control everything with a single logitech harmony remote, so there's hardly any clutter.

This.

Its my HTPC frontend for the DVD collection. So simple the 8 y.o. can easily find and play her movies. I tried using Winamp to play audio thru it (5.1 setup) but the remote does not allow me to change tracks in Winamp, so I use WMP.

 

[thewhat]

Any PVR software will buffer a live signal and if you try to disable it on any such software it will bug out.

No, you're wrong.
(And there's a difference between the required buffering, which lasts a couple of seconds at most, and the "real time recording" that lets you rewind whatever you're watching, which is what WMC does whether you like it or not.)

Please explain how it is done in XBMC, because I don't see it. You can designate an analog or digital source in the Audio Settings, but I don't see anywhere that a non-default audio output device can be selected.

Last time I used XBMC (about a year ago) it was fairly easy to set up the HDMI output for audio, which was certainly not the default Windows sound output on that PC. Either they removed this functionality in the mean time or you haven't really looked. Or you don't even have two audio devices.
(EDIT: It's there, as "Audio output device".)

I'm not even trying to argue with you. If WMC works for you, fine. But don't try to make up stuff to make it sound better than in is.

 

[notposting]

Lol, don't make stuff up? Oh my god it will just record and record and it never ends oh my it ate my hard drive! Set output to speakers in setup...done. Assuming (sounds like a big if for some folks) the sound is working already, you're all set.

I do like the stray complaints about the millisecond response times...um...when I relax and browse the TV for something to watch, I want it now! Not an eye blink later! Maybe the system needs some upgrades to be fast enough.

 

[thewhat]

Right... is it so ridiculous that someone would want to use more than one audio device on his PC?
Especially when other media players have no problem dealing with this?

And if you don't know how this applies, let me explain: on that particular PC I was setting up, the default audio device was the motherboard's built in soundcard, connected to the desktop monitor's speakers.
This worked just fine for the regular desktop use.
However, that audio device didn't make much sense for the Media Center, which was being watched and listened on the TV, connected via HDMI. But since the HDMI output wasn't the default Windows audio output, it was impossible to select it via WMC.

So there you have it. A real life example of WMC failing at something really basic.
(And the "auto recording - out of free space" issue is something that happened to me as well, I wasn't searching for things to post in this thread. Whether you think I should just get a bigger drive or not, doesn't change the fact that WMC is rather inflexible.)

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

No, you're wrong.
(And there's a difference between the required buffering, which lasts a couple of seconds at most, and the "real time recording" that lets you rewind whatever you're watching, which is what WMC does whether you like it or not.)

Nope. Not wrong at all. ANY "PVR" software will have buffering because they all allow you to pause and rewind as well as record. Without those features few care for them. These days people who only want to watch straight live TV without pausing, rewinding, or recording on their PC are an extremely small niche, which is why you will have trouble finding media software that is purely for watching live TV and which doesn't buffer.

Last time I used XBMC (about a year ago) it was fairly easy to set up the HDMI output for audio, which was certainly not the default Windows sound output on that PC. Either they removed this functionality in the mean time or you haven't really looked. Or you don't even have two audio devices.
(EDIT: It's there, as "Audio output device".)

Erm. That setting doesn't allow you to bypass or work-around the default audio device in Windows. It's for telling XBMC which type of connection the default audio device uses so it knows what audio formats it can pass along (like DD and DTS through opt/coax and HDMI.

I'm not even trying to argue with you. If WMC works for you, fine. But don't try to make up stuff to make it sound better than in is.

I don't think I am the one making stuff up to fluff up anything here. Quite the opposite, you appear to be stretching the facts in order to bash WMC. See above.

 

[thewhat]

This is my last reply to you, because you should really do your own research, for your own benefit.
1. You said all PVR programs have this "buffering" which you can't disable - that's wrong. (TotalMedia if you want an example off top of my head.)
2. That setting in XBMC does allow you to bypass the default audio device and use whatever device you chose there. Again, you're wrong and need to check the facts before posting.

 

[Slugbait]

Home theatre room and living room are both running Win7 Media Center, while the bedroom is running MCE2K5. Other than receivers and speakers, I don't have any other components anymore...my HTPCs handle all of my media. Built my first MCE machine back in 2005...that was because I forgot to set my VCR to record 24 one night, and kicked myself repeatedly. So nice to just select "record series" and forget about it.

However, that audio device didn't make much sense for the Media Center, which was being watched and listened on the TV, connected via HDMI. But since the HDMI output wasn't the default Windows audio output, it was impossible to select it via WMC.

So there you have it. A real life example of WMC failing at something really basic.

Sounds like a Windows issue that long preceded the first version of MCE. If you have two audio sources, you have to tell Windows which one you want to use...MCE didn't fail you cuz it had no control, rather you failed to change your audio device. From http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/help/no-sound-in-windows?T1=tab02, scroll down to section 2 and expand "HDMI cables". I believe this part may apply to your machine:

In this case, you'll need to set your preferred video card as the default audio device to fix the problem.

Every decent media player (including XMBC) lets you choose a non Windows-default output device.

I've tried multiple media players over the last 15 years or so, and have never been able to hear sound if I was allowed to choose a non-default audio device. I have no experience with XMBC, but I'm unaware of any other software that can bypass the default audio device. And after some searching, I could find nothing specifically that claims XMBC can do it, either.

You said all PVR programs have this "buffering" which you can't disable - that's wrong. (TotalMedia if you want an example off top of my head.)

I went to arcsoft's website, and did some looking around...I can't find any evidence that TotalMedia even has PVR capabilities, much less a way to disable its PVR buffer. And I've never heard of any PVR program that allowed you to disable the buffer and it would still work...the buffer is necessary for pausing/timeshifting, and on-the-fly recording would likely be broken as well. Besides, I think if the tuner doesn't have hardware encoding and the machine doesn't have a beefy CPU, and the buffer was disabled, wouldn't it drop frames like crazy for 480i? Wouldn't it simply choke on 720P and 1080i?

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

This is my last reply to you, because you should really do your own research, for your own benefit.

lol.

1. You said all PVR programs have this "buffering" which you can't disable - that's wrong. (TotalMedia if you want an example off top of my head.)

Got proof that TM doesn't use buffering when timeshifting is enabled? Because without timeshifting it's not a PVR.

2. That setting in XBMC does allow you to bypass the default audio device and use whatever device you chose there. Again, you're wrong and need to check the facts before posting.

/sigh

http://wiki.xbmc.org/index.php?title=System_Settings

"Audio output

Allows you to tell xbmc about the type of connection to the audio equipment. Optical/Coax and HDMI enable the passthrough of Dolby Digital and DTS to capable receivers."

You should question who needs to do some research here. Hint: It's not me.