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Windows Media Center

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Windows Media Center
Developer(s)Microsoft
Initial releaseOctober 12, 2004
Stable release
6.0.6000.16484 / November 8, 2006
Operating systemWindows XP Media Center Edition, Windows Vista
TypeMedia center
LicenseProprietary EULA
WebsiteWindows Vista: Features Explained: Windows Media Center

Windows Media Center is an application designed to serve as a home-entertainment hub. It is included in Windows XP Media Center Edition and premium editions of Windows Vista (Vista Home Premium and Vista Ultimate). It is controlled by specially designed remote controls which prominently feature the Green Button. This button is used to either launch Media Center from Windows or to return to the Start Menu from within the application. Media Center visualizes the computer user's pictures, videos, and music from local hard drives, optical drives, and network locations. It then categorizes them by name, date, tags, and other file attributes. Media managed through Media Center can also be relayed via a home network to standard TV sets via specially designed Windows Media Center Extender or the Xbox 360. The original Xbox requires an additional kit to function as an Extender and no longer works with Windows Vista. Also, the original Extenders manufactured by HP and Linksys are no longer supported in Windows Vista. Microsoft states in various sources, including the Windows Vista Product Guide, that a new generation of Extenders, in various form factors such as a set-top box or built-in to a TV, will be available shortly after the release of Windows Vista.

Television

With the addition of TV tuner cards, Media Center can record and schedule TV shows in either over-the-air High-definition TV, Digital Cable w/ CableCard (HDTV up to 1080p) or standard antenna, cable, or satellite signal. After recording, it can then burn the shows to DVD or transfer them to a portable media player. Media Center originally had a limitation of 2 analog tuners. With Update Rollup 1 for Media Center 2005, support for a digital tuner was added, but an analog tuner must still be present for the digital tuner to function. With Rollup 2, up to 4 TV tuners can be configured (2 analog & 2 HDTV). All the tuners must use the same source, for example they must all be off an aerial or a set-top box using the same guide data, you cannot mix Sky Digital and DVB-T for example.

Hacks are available that remove the two-tuner limitation. Five DVB-T tuners have been confirmed to work simultaneously, but the maximum is unknown.

Media Center can stream live and pre-recorded television to Windows Media Center Extenders. However, Media Center can only stream live TV to media center extenders and to the Xbox consoles, not to other computers. Media Center creates a buffer to enable the user to rewind or skip backwards when viewing TV, known as timeshifting. This buffer cannot be transferred from one instance of TV to another on a different device. The buffer is deleted when the user changes the channel or closes Media Center, although the buffer is not deleted if the user only presses "Stop" on the remote. If that is the case, Media Center will continue recording until the buffer is full, then it will delete TV off the end of the buffer to enable more TV to be recorded. Also, the size of the buffer limits the length of time the user can pause TV.

Music

Connectivity features of Media Center include various inputs and outputs, for example for RCA type cables (e.g., from cassette players or analog videocassette recorders), microphones, digital video signals and other inputs. Analog to digital conversion within the tuner card enables users to convert older type media to digital media.

Windows Media Center organizes and displays music found on the computer. Music can then be played by selecting "My Music" from the Start Menu. In the default view, albums are arranged in alphabetical order with accompanying album art. Album art can be downloaded off the internet automatically, or it can be added manually into Media Center. The user can create playlists of different songs or albums, but once created, playlists cannot be edited.

When playing music, the user can pause and fast forward music, as long as Media Center is not in the “View Queue” mode. The user also has the option to shuffle or repeat music in the queue. Visualizations, as in Windows Media Player, can also be viewed, although Extenders do not have this option.

Local Video

Windows Media Center also catalogues videos found on the host PC as well as on any other PC or device connected to the home network. Once a codec is downloaded from Windows Media Player, all video codec's supported by WMP can also be played back in Media Center. All trickmodes are fully supported; depending on the file type, container or codec used to watch the video.

Streaming Video

Media Center can also play back video from URL's, Server and Client side playlists

Radio

Some TV tuners support FM radio. Media Center supports play back of all FM tuned stations.

Media Center in Windows XP

The final version of Windows XP Media Center Edition was 2005 RU2, which is basically Windows XP Pro SP2 with the additional Media Center functionality. The key feature that Windows Professional Edition has that Media Center 2005 lacks is support for Domain Controllers. XP MCE 2005 was the first version of Media Center that could be bought without buying a pre-built system, however it still was only an OEM license.

Windows XP Media Center 2005 was able to run flawlessly on relatively low-end hardware (Celeron D with integrated graphics was sufficient). Due to the more intense graphics requirements of Vista (for the translucent and glowing effects) a more powerful computer is required for acceptable performance, and hence MCE 2005 is still a favorite for many.

Portable Devices

Windows Media Center has the ability to synchronize media with certain portable devices. These devices include Windows Mobile Pocket PCs, Smartphones, and Portable Media Centers. While synchronizing television shows, Windows Media Center encodes the shows using Windows Media Encoder to a Windows Media Video format at a lower quality than the DVR-MS format used for viewing on the desktop media center. This is to compliment the limited storage space and processing power of such portable devices. Optionally, music can also be re-encoded to a smaller file size upon synchronization.

Media Center in Windows Vista

File:Windows Media Center - Sports Scores.png
Sports scores in Windows Media Center on Windows Vista

Windows Media Center in Windows Vista includes a redesigned menu system that takes advantage of the graphics capabilities of the operating system as well as the common 16:9 aspect ratio. Each button in the main menu, which contains sections such as "Music", "Videos", and "TV", gets encased in a box when selected, and for each selection, a submenu comes up, extending horizontally. When any of the options is selected, the entries for each are presented in a grid-like structure, with each item being identified by album art, if its an audio file, or a thumbnail image if it is a picture, a video or a TV recording, and other related options, such as different views for the music collection if "Music" is selected, extend horizontally along the top of the grid. Similarly, other items are identified by suggestive artwork. The grid displaying the items is also extended horizontally, and the selected item is enlarged compared to the rest.

Other features of Windows Vista Media Center include:

  • Support for two dual-tuner cards*. In countries other than the United States, there is support for only one dual-tuner card, due to the limit of up to two TV tuners that is imposed in other countries.
  • Support for up to four TV tuners*. In countries other than the United States, there is support for a maximum of two TV tuners.
  • Native DVD/MPEG-2 support
  • Addition of Movies and DVD button which lists all the movies on the hard drive and DVD.
  • Tasks button that provides access to jobs such as setting up and configuring a media center extender device.
  • The UI is translucently overlaid on the video, if the UI is navigated while the video is still playing. This presently only occurs with the Start and Electronic Programme Guide menus. All other menus have the video playing in a small rectangle in the bottom left hand corner, in a similar fashion to previous versions of Windows Media Center.
  • Support for high-definition (HD) content, and CableCARD support*. Windows Media Center can play HD video in all countries, but does not support HDTV in any country except from the United States. Additionally, there is no support for HD DVD or Blu-ray Disc movies in any country. CableCARD support is only available by purchasing a new CableLabs certified computer.
  • Ability for a digital tuner to function without an analog tuner present.
  • New "Sports" section which gives real-time access to sports scores, as well as free broadcasts of games over the Internet.*

Microsoft partnered with Fox Sports and NASCAR to provide these services. Support for fantasy sport-style player tracking has also been demonstrated.[1]

Note that the features marked with an asterisk (*) above are available in the United States only.

References

  1. ^ "TV partnerships key to Vista's Windows Media Center". CBC. January 9 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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