Are you one of the many Media Center users already running a Vista Media Center and planning to upgrade to a new Windows 7 install? If so, it’s likely that you’d want to move your recording schedule over as well. For those planning to do a simple upgrade the process should be automatic, however, if you’re planning a clean [...]
Converting audio streams already contained inside an MKV can be a daunting process for the beginner. First, we’ll need to extract the audio tracks from the MKV container then we’ll begin the process of converting the track. Finally, we’ll re-mux the entire project back into a new MKV file. There are any number of reasons why one would want [...]
Using the latest version of DVRMSToolbox from Andy VT we can easily convert an MKV file to the new WTV format thanks to the inclusion of an updated todvrms program. Why would we want to do this? Well, for those who use Windows 7 Media Center exclusively for watching movie content it means ultimate compatibility. Converting to the WTV [...]
Many movie enthusiasts prefer to watch content in it’s original resolution and refresh rate. Unfortunately, Windows 7 Media Center doesn’t automatically adjust the refresh rate or resolution of the program to suit content instead resizing and adjusting the content to suit Media Center’s settings. This of course distorts the content from it’s original format. Luckily for purists, Dgaust of [...]
We’ve already covered replacing the built in movie library with a third party plug-in like MediaBrowser or Open Media Library. There are even a handful of solutions to hide the default movie start strip and add our own, such as MC Studio and Mikinhosoft’s Hide Strips program. The one problem that has persisted, however, is that pressing the video [...]
A new program we’ve all been waiting for quite some time to get our hands on, Media Center Studio, has finally arrived allowing even the most novice users the ability to create their own custom Media Center themes and Start Menu arrangements. Media Center Studio, created by Advent of the Australian Media Center Community the author of Media Center [...]
A default installation of Windows 7 already has incredible performance, capable of running on even the lowest end hardware. That doesn’t mean we aren’t able to eek out just a little more performance from a dedicated Windows 7 Media Center machine though. Windows comes ready to perform a wide range of functions but a dedicated machine really only performs [...]
One of the advantages that most third-party movie library plugins have over the built-in Windows 7 Media Center Movie Library are their ability to mount ISO files as normal disks. The process requires additional mounting software to be installed and running in the background but has the advantage of being able to provide a full DVD experience without the [...]
Looking for the ultimate in TV listing control including the ability to use third party services like IceTV or XMLTV files? Big Screen Global has got just the solution with it’s Big Screen EPG program. Big Screen EPG, currently in beta, gives you the ability to import XMLTV service files into your Windows 7 Media Center as well as [...]
DVRMSToolbox is the Media Center enthusiast’s Swiss Army Knife due in a large part to the FileWatcher service and Media Center add-in it provides. Downloadable from Andy VT’s Tools and Blog, DVRMSToolbox comes jam packed with features and profiles which allow you to automate the menial tasks of being a Media Center user.
Using the FileWatcher feature is a lot [...]
Some 3rd-Party EPG guide programs (which we’ll be covering soon) require you to have your EPG listings in XMLTV format. It can also be handy to have a copy of the Windows 7 Media Center listings if you switch between multiple HTPC applications. The easiest method, by far, to convert Media Center guide data into a standardized XMLTV format [...]
Normally, Windows 7 Media Center only allows residents of the United States to use the Internet TV feature built into Media Center. Since a good portion of the Media Center community lies outside the United States in the UK, Europe and Australia this is a bit of a slight to a large number of users. Luckily, thanks to jem101 [...]
There are a number of conceivable reasons to setup a RamDisk on your Media Center PC. The biggest plausible reason is for the performance increase that can be gained by using a RamDisk as opposed to a Hard Disk to store the temporary files created for time-shifting live TV. In place of writing and erasing this data to your [...]
Finding the right metadata tool to suit your needs can be a tricky process but we’re here to help. One of the oldest metadata tools available, MetaBrowser predates most of the offerings we’ve covered previously. It’s also one of the most full featured metadata retrieval tools available, including support for actor images, backdrops and poster images. We’ve already covered [...]
If you’re looking for a way to record to one drive and move it to another, perhaps recording to a local disk then moving it to a network storage drive, then DVRMSToolbox may just provide the solution you’re looking for. Using the FileWatcher service and the right processing conditions you can setup a process to automatically move your recordings [...]
If there’s one thing that the majority of metadata tools are missing it’s the ability to go beyond the basic movie collection and grab information on TV series collections as well. While MetaBrowser provides a comprehensive tool for both Movie and TV series metadata, as well as a more complete integration with Media Browser’s backdrops, covers and actor images, [...]
Have an MKV with a default audio track in Russian or subtitles in Chinese? Maybe from ripping an anime you found at a yard sale (who are we to judge)? In any case you could use Media Control to switch the tracks each time you load it up or we could just change the default tracks and not worry [...]
