Comments on: How to Use Windows 7 “Play To” http://www.hack7mc.com/2009/01/how-to-use-windows-7-play-to.html Using small hacks to build a better Media Center experience. Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:41:01 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Hagrinashttp://www.hack7mc.com/2009/01/how-to-use-windows-7-play-to.html#comment-13393 Hagrinas Fri, 02 Jul 2010 08:49:16 +0000 http://hack7mc.dreamhosters.com/2009/01/how-to-use-windows-7-%e2%80%9cplay-to%e2%80%9d.html#comment-13393 By "video cards" I meant tuner cards. By “video cards” I meant tuner cards.

]]> By: Hagrinashttp://www.hack7mc.com/2009/01/how-to-use-windows-7-play-to.html#comment-13392 Hagrinas Fri, 02 Jul 2010 08:47:40 +0000 http://hack7mc.dreamhosters.com/2009/01/how-to-use-windows-7-%e2%80%9cplay-to%e2%80%9d.html#comment-13392 You don't need a Share button. The final release of W7 has a Stream button and you need to check "Allow remote control of my player..." and hope it remains checked.It would be nice if this were integrated into Windows Media Center, but there's not much need to Play To WMC on another computer when you can share the library instead. Unlike Media Player, you need to give Media Center a while before it realizes that there is content on other computers available at the moment. Just keep waiting, it will show up. Really.Play To is for a different purpose. Suppose you have a TV in your bedroom and have something like a Western Digital TV Live Plus media player. You don't want to watch in your family room, but want to stay in your bedroom. With this feature, you merely go to the family room, ask whoever is using WMC to press pause and promise you won't be more than a few minutes, then you pick what you want to watch by using the Media Player and press Play To. Then go back to the bedroom. You wake your wife back up and tell the kids that they can go back to the family room and stop crying. Then you tell your wife how nice it is to send content to another room that you are not even in rather than being able to select what to watch from the room you are in. If she complains that she can't control what she is watching, unlike with every other format out there, and if she calls you an idiot because WTV is the only format in the world that other devices can't play without you leaving the room, keep it a secret that all video cards come with their own recording software that would have avoided this problem altogether.Seriously, I think Windows Media Center is great and one of the best things Microsoft ever did. I don't understand why I need to use Media Player at all. I should not have to understand BOTH. Aside from hand held or portable devices, I can't see how Play To can be considered anything but backwards. The only way to really make things work is to have a Windows 7 computer attached to each TV. Even the XBOX 360 won't play movies from your Media Center library despite an identical looking interface. You just can't win.As things stand, Media Center works great, but you need Media Player for some things. It's just that you lose so much functionality that you wonder how to even watch what you are watching. You don’t need a Share button. The final release of W7 has a Stream button and you need to check “Allow remote control of my player…” and hope it remains checked.

It would be nice if this were integrated into Windows Media Center, but there’s not much need to Play To WMC on another computer when you can share the library instead. Unlike Media Player, you need to give Media Center a while before it realizes that there is content on other computers available at the moment. Just keep waiting, it will show up. Really.

Play To is for a different purpose. Suppose you have a TV in your bedroom and have something like a Western Digital TV Live Plus media player. You don’t want to watch in your family room, but want to stay in your bedroom. With this feature, you merely go to the family room, ask whoever is using WMC to press pause and promise you won’t be more than a few minutes, then you pick what you want to watch by using the Media Player and press Play To. Then go back to the bedroom. You wake your wife back up and tell the kids that they can go back to the family room and stop crying. Then you tell your wife how nice it is to send content to another room that you are not even in rather than being able to select what to watch from the room you are in. If she complains that she can’t control what she is watching, unlike with every other format out there, and if she calls you an idiot because WTV is the only format in the world that other devices can’t play without you leaving the room, keep it a secret that all video cards come with their own recording software that would have avoided this problem altogether.

Seriously, I think Windows Media Center is great and one of the best things Microsoft ever did. I don’t understand why I need to use Media Player at all. I should not have to understand BOTH. Aside from hand held or portable devices, I can’t see how Play To can be considered anything but backwards. The only way to really make things work is to have a Windows 7 computer attached to each TV. Even the XBOX 360 won’t play movies from your Media Center library despite an identical looking interface. You just can’t win.

As things stand, Media Center works great, but you need Media Player for some things. It’s just that you lose so much functionality that you wonder how to even watch what you are watching.

]]> By: colecrewhttp://www.hack7mc.com/2009/01/how-to-use-windows-7-play-to.html#comment-12830 colecrew Fri, 11 Jun 2010 17:45:40 +0000 http://hack7mc.dreamhosters.com/2009/01/how-to-use-windows-7-%e2%80%9cplay-to%e2%80%9d.html#comment-12830 My WMP doesn't have a Share button, instead it says stream. How do I get it to say share? My WMP doesn’t have a Share button, instead it says stream. How do I get it to say share?

]]> By: Fletchhttp://www.hack7mc.com/2009/01/how-to-use-windows-7-play-to.html#comment-9123 Fletch Thu, 08 Apr 2010 04:24:56 +0000 http://hack7mc.dreamhosters.com/2009/01/how-to-use-windows-7-%e2%80%9cplay-to%e2%80%9d.html#comment-9123 I think the article is wrong as I ran into the same thing and MS support told me it doesn't really work with XBOX (even though it is listed) but rather with other Win 7 machines. Maybe a hack or fix will come out in the future..here's hoping. I think the article is wrong as I ran into the same thing and MS support told me it doesn’t really work with XBOX (even though it is listed) but rather with other Win 7 machines. Maybe a hack or fix will come out in the future..here’s hoping.

]]> By: Kulvir Bhogalhttp://www.hack7mc.com/2009/01/how-to-use-windows-7-play-to.html#comment-7896 Kulvir Bhogal Fri, 19 Feb 2010 23:39:50 +0000 http://hack7mc.dreamhosters.com/2009/01/how-to-use-windows-7-%e2%80%9cplay-to%e2%80%9d.html#comment-7896 It would be cool to be able to use "Play To" from within Windows Media Center 7. Basically, I'd like to see it integrated with the 10 foot interface. Anyone, know if someone has done this via a plugin or something? It would be cool to be able to use “Play To” from within Windows Media Center 7. Basically, I’d like to see it integrated with the 10 foot interface. Anyone, know if someone has done this via a plugin or something?

]]> By: Tomhttp://www.hack7mc.com/2009/01/how-to-use-windows-7-play-to.html#comment-6156 Tom Wed, 30 Dec 2009 22:14:08 +0000 http://hack7mc.dreamhosters.com/2009/01/how-to-use-windows-7-%e2%80%9cplay-to%e2%80%9d.html#comment-6156 Hi I am having the same problem with Windows 7 "Playing To" an Xbox - When I click on Play To, it says device is not responding. Any ideas? Hi
I am having the same problem with Windows 7 “Playing To” an Xbox – When I click on Play To, it says device is not responding.
Any ideas?

]]> By: Duckhttp://www.hack7mc.com/2009/01/how-to-use-windows-7-play-to.html#comment-5440 Duck Mon, 07 Dec 2009 07:36:09 +0000 http://hack7mc.dreamhosters.com/2009/01/how-to-use-windows-7-%e2%80%9cplay-to%e2%80%9d.html#comment-5440 I've recently set this up and when I "play to" it fails, saying "can't connect". Needless to say, these two Win7 machines <strong>can</strong> connect, both ping-wise and folder share-wise, with no issue. WMP is up in the target machine (so it does appear as a valid Play To target in the origin machine). Any idea where to look next? I’ve recently set this up and when I “play to” it fails, saying “can’t connect”. Needless to say, these two Win7 machines can connect, both ping-wise and folder share-wise, with no issue. WMP is up in the target machine (so it does appear as a valid Play To target in the origin machine).
Any idea where to look next?

]]> By: Ελένξτε την Tv του σαλονιού από.. μακρυά at Wigglerhttp://www.hack7mc.com/2009/01/how-to-use-windows-7-play-to.html#comment-5080 Ελένξτε την Tv του σαλονιού από.. μακρυά at Wiggler Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:20:06 +0000 http://hack7mc.dreamhosters.com/2009/01/how-to-use-windows-7-%e2%80%9cplay-to%e2%80%9d.html#comment-5080 [...] Μία ακόμα δυνατότητα του DLNA είναι να μπορείτε να διαχειριστείτε απομακρυσμένα τις συσκευές που το υποστηρίζουν. Φανταστείτε με ένα δεξί click σε ένα κομμάτι και “Play to” να βάλτε μία μπαλάντα να παίζει στην TV του σαλονιού και μετά να παράλληλα να βάλετε στο διπλανό υπνοδωμάτιο να παίζει το τελευταίο επεισόδιο “Family guy“. Έναν απλό οδηγό  θα βρείτε εδώ. [...] [...] Μία ακόμα δυνατότητα του DLNA είναι να μπορείτε να διαχειριστείτε απομακρυσμένα τις συσκευές που το υποστηρίζουν. Φανταστείτε με ένα δεξί click σε ένα κομμάτι και “Play to” να βάλτε μία μπαλάντα να παίζει στην TV του σαλονιού και μετά να παράλληλα να βάλετε στο διπλανό υπνοδωμάτιο να παίζει το τελευταίο επεισόδιο “Family guy“. Έναν απλό οδηγό  θα βρείτε εδώ. [...]

]]> By: teohhanhuihttp://www.hack7mc.com/2009/01/how-to-use-windows-7-play-to.html#comment-4539 teohhanhui Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:39:59 +0000 http://hack7mc.dreamhosters.com/2009/01/how-to-use-windows-7-%e2%80%9cplay-to%e2%80%9d.html#comment-4539 Windows Media Player has to be running on the target Windows 7 machine for it to show up in the "Play to" devices list. Doesn't it make more sense to have the digital media renderer functionality implemented as/in a service? Windows Media Player has to be running on the target Windows 7 machine for it to show up in the “Play to” devices list. Doesn’t it make more sense to have the digital media renderer functionality implemented as/in a service?

]]> By: Michael Healyhttp://www.hack7mc.com/2009/01/how-to-use-windows-7-play-to.html#comment-925 Michael Healy Sun, 10 May 2009 12:15:37 +0000 http://hack7mc.dreamhosters.com/2009/01/how-to-use-windows-7-%e2%80%9cplay-to%e2%80%9d.html#comment-925 In it's current form Play To doesn't do simulcasting from WMP as the DLNA specification doesn't contain support for it. The DLNA platform is more focused on ensuring device to device media format interoperability than being an actual broadcasting system. In it’s current form Play To doesn’t do simulcasting from WMP as the DLNA specification doesn’t contain support for it. The DLNA platform is more focused on ensuring device to device media format interoperability than being an actual broadcasting system.

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