Maybe you will know this. We recently got Windows XP Media Center (OEM), and we noticed when we pop in a dvd that the subtitles are really, really small. We can only see them properly (frictionless) from about a meter away.
Not all members of my family are fluent in English, so if you know how to change them (it isn’t in the settings, trust me, I’ve checked everywhere), I would be in your depth!
Thank you,
MLeo Daalder (Netherlands)
PS.
MLeo is a contraction of 2 names.
There is another alternative for those who do not wish to go to Vista. I am currently using GBPVR on a Windows XP Pro box, along with a Hauppage PVR-150 card, a USB-IRT, and an automation program called HIP.
While I cannot watch one show and record another, it is simply because I have a single TV card. Unlike Windows Media Center, GBPVR supports as many cards as you can put in your system. The USB-IRT allows me to control all of the different hardware connected to my system (using HIP) without having to have separate IR blasters installed.
Check them out, it took a real novice like me about a week to figure out the setup.
–The Biggest MCP Improvement that No One is Talking About–
Great blog post, Jeff!
As many of you know, the Windows desktop doesn’t display nicely on most lcd/plasma TVs due to resolution incompatabilities. For those of you who don’t know what I am talking about; the resolution that works correctly for TV veiwing and DVDs, does not work for your Windows desktop. The desktop is too big and important edges are lost (like the min/max/close buttons on the top of a maximized window, and 3/4 of the start bar).
The best explanation I have heard has to do with the way HD TVs adjust for analog pixel sizes and that the outer edges of the TV image are considered throw-away (like the “bleed” areas in print media). Regardless, to fix it I had to use soemthing called Underscan Compresion in my Forceware CP. This compressed my desktop to the actual size of the screen. However, it screweed up my TV veiwing. So, Nvidia allows the creation of customized desktops that can be switched via a right click on the desktop. This allwed me to have my hi-res tv veiwing and desktop as well.
Enter Vista. As of this date, Nvidia does not support overscan/underscan or multiple user defined desktops on Vista (or custom scanning for those of you living on the edge). I’ve been all over the web in all the forums. Nvidia appears to not be ready for Vista.
Then I discovered something cool. When I set the TV resolution inside Media Center, it does not effect my desktop resolution and vice versa. I was now able to do what I wanted to do form the start; have one resolution for TV veiwing and one for computer use. This also makes my PC games work great.
The thing about this great feature is that I cannot find anyone talking about it. Let your friends know.
Jeff, you have possibly uncovered a reason to use Vista.
Duuuude… Is that Brittany Spears in your music collection, top left? Whoda thunk it? Jeff is a teenybob fan. 
…I pointed it at my music and film collection (on another server via 100meg connection) and it just stalled; in the end I just end tasked it
When it comes to accessing video and film collections over the network, you want a gigabit connection. Gigabit is cheap these days and it’s 3x faster in real-world use than 100 mbit (fast ethernet).
When I set the TV resolution inside Media Center, it does not affect my desktop resolution and vice versa. I am now able to do what I wanted to do from the start; have one resolution for TV veiwing and one for computer use.
Yep, that’s a nice new feature too.
by not being able to build my own HTPC with CableCard I have zero interest in Media Center
I’m not sure that’s written in stone at this point… it remains to be seen what will happen with CableCard. I know Tivo struggled with the same issues.
http://www.tivo.com/series3hdDvr.faqs.asp
http://news.com.com/FAQ+CableCard+Whats+that/2100-1041_3-5542400.html
Pretty cool,
I especially enjoyed seeing Ween - 12 Golden Country Hits in the screen shot. 
It proves you have taste I can agree with.
macbook pro laptop + egalto eyetv hybred…
well it works, the screen size is a tad small, but thats cus I’m too cheap to get an external display, this would work well with a mac-mini from what I hear.
digital tv in to screen with full recording, export to iDVD or quicktime files (among others), will handle HD (assuming you can find any free to air), ‘it just works’ install setup, works with apple remote during playback, can export files in a form itunes likes, or just playback from within app.
tv guide, either from over the air broadcast or a website…
I’m happy.
flip side. the mac to run it on is not cheap and the box itself was 100ukp. but if you have the mac 100ukp for a pvr thats basically idoit proof is not too bad.
oh and it will handle old fashioned analog as well.
i dare say the hardware works under windows as well, and the software is probably just as good, but i’ve not tried it.
I can understand the reluctance of cable/sat compaines over computers handling the content, especially HD. but since it will happen anyway they may as well try to make a buck on the hardware and a subscription.
You can, at your option, choose to pay once ($250, I think) and not pay any more monthly fees
No you can’t. Not any more.
http://news.com.com/2100-1041_3-6047709.html
I’ll gladly take a one-time fixed fee over monthly recurring fees any day. At $50+ a month, I’d pay $600 a year for the privilege of using my “free” cell phone. At $13 a month-- the minimum cost “three year commitment plan” from Tivo-- that’s $468.
I like some of the things Vista is supposed to do with MCE. But my XP MCE is “finally” stable now and I don’t want to mess with it. As far as the SAF (spouse approval factor) is concerned MCE’s just great, and that’s all that matters - one box that does it all.
By the way, I don’t use cable. Only digital free-to-air TV. My unit has a single DVB-T card.
There are two things I need fixed with XP MCE. The first is that I cannot rip DVDs (I timeshift the DVDs I rent). I use AnyDVD but it means I need to get out of the MCE interface. The MCE add-in “My Movies” allows movies to be timeshifted onto the hard disk drive, but only if it is a Region 1 disk - being in Australia, all my rentals are Region 4. Note to the unwise, I do NOT burn these movies onto DVD or share them. Lucky for me I don’t have the wish to watch movies more than once; if I do - which is very rare, I go out and buy the DVD (with the original box and promo material).
Re the second issue with MCE, the Microsoft’s audio players (whether straight-XP or via MCE) does not support “Real Gain”. While audio levels are not an issue when you play a full album from start to finish, it becomes a huge problem when in Shuffle play mode. I use Media Monkey software, and the difference between the RMS level of the highest and lowest MP3s I have is some 25db. Imagine the loudest song playing immediately after the softest one! I’ve invested too much in my hi-fi system and value my hearing to risk that.
Can anyone confirm if DVD timeshifting and Real Gain audio is now supported in Vista MCE?
Kris
so you love vista huh ? how much is ms paying you to say that ? … do a google search on vista sucks and it comes up with over a million eight hundred thousand results of people pissed off because vista is the biggest piece of crap that ms has ever come out with
Since I don’t care about watching TV/MOvies/etc on my PC (or at all), how well does this stack up for just sound?
I have a large collection (and growing) of audio books and kids CD’s. I’d like to put them into a PC so the kids don’t have to be swapping CD’s all day long.
Anything in particular I should look into when setting up an Audio-Only Media PC?
Big Star and Matthew Sweet? Good work fella.
"do a google search on vista sucks and it comes up with over a million eight hundred thousand results of people pissed off because vista is the biggest piece of crap that ms has ever come out with "
I take it you’ve never Googled for “Linux sucks” have you? Give it a try and report back to us.
You’re right, remote record is a great feature, and I should have mentioned it. Scheduling shows to record via the web is definitely convenient.
Here’s the remote record FAQ:
http://tv.msn.com/help/tv/rrfaq
It’s a “phone home” service, so you have to configure it in Media Center first. And it is compatible with Vista.
Erm, Windows Media Center makes you watch movies with Windows Media Player, right? The worst media player ever known to mankind? Sorry, I’ll pass. I like the idea of WMC, but there’s no way I’m going to be able to view all my videos coded in all possible codecs display properly (with subtitles) with WMP.
“Duuuude… Is that Brittany Spears in your music collection, top left?”
I almost went there, but figured that either he would blame his wife or it would be “Hipster Ironic” that he had her in his collection. Props for the Matthew Sweet though.
What I dislike about Vista Media Center is the need for what is essentially a developer power box to watch TV. How powerful are the Tivo and Apple TV boxes again?
That and having Media Center on a laptop or desktop is dumb. Does anyone use Media Center in non-DVR hooked up to a TV situations? when you want to browse your photos or music on your desktop or laptop do you say, “Ah, gotta start up Media Center so I can see the photos glide past” instead of using Picassa or the Vista iPhoto?
Like said previously it needs to support DVB text, it’s useless otherwise outside of the US, not sure why mediacenter still doesn’t support that when every little app that comes with the cards support it.
But I guess thats just another proof of how little the rest of the world matters for MS, still waiting for the Ultimate Extras they promised when I purchased vista ultimate edition 
Hi Kris, I also timeshift my Netflix subscription. I rip DVDs to the drive as .ISO images and then I simply mount them when I want to watch the movie. I have a shell extension set up so I just double-click the file to “insert” it into the virtual drive.
As for automatic volume levelling, I think this is something that has to be done at the time of rip, or across your entire music collection. I’m not aware of any new features in Vista to accommodate this.
Personally I am not a fan of levelling. I view it as interfering with the original intent of the artist. I think if the CD was mastered loud, then it should play loud; if it was mastered soft, it should play soft.
Remote Record is excellent! There are times when I’m at work, and I hear someone say so-and-so is on such-and-such program this afternoon. I would go to http://tv.msn.com and find the show, and hit record, and voila, I get to watch it at home in the evening. How wonderful! Oh yes, they have one that works with Vista: http://tv.msn.com/tv/rr/rrsetup.aspx
I love my Vista Media Center!