Play video and watch pictures in Windows Media Center
With Windows Media Center, you can play your home videos and view your digital photos in a number of fun ways. You can also organize your digital media files to make them easier to access from your computer's hard disk.

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Sync TV shows to a device
You can use Windows Media Center to sync (or copy) digital media files such as recorded TV shows, music, and pictures to your Portable Media Center, Smartphone, Pocket PC, or mass storage device, provided that your portable device can play back these different types of digital media. This lets you enjoy the digital media that you have on your Windows Media Center computer away from home.

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Use a Windows Media Center Extender device
If your computer has no TV tuner, an optional analog or digital TV tuner is required to play and record TV in Windows Media Center. Windows Media Center Extender makes it easy for you to enjoy Windows Media Center experiences anywhere in your home. While the Extender works much the same as Windows Media Center, it is a separate device and there are some differences. The Extender is always on and running, ready for you to turn on your TV, watch a show, or view some pictures.

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Troubleshoot problems with a Windows Media Center Extender device
Here are solutions to some common problems when using a Windows Media Center Extender. What if a Windows Media Center Extender cannot connect to a Windows Media Center computer? What if Windows Media Center cannot detect the Extender during setup? I can't play some audio and video files when using Xbox 360 as a Media Center Extender. What types of audio and video files can I play when I am using Xbox 360 as a Media Center Extender? Why does the Network Issue notification often appear when I use a Media Center Extender device? Media Center Extender responds slowly when I am using it. What happens if the connection to the Windows Media Center computer is lost? What happens if the Extender did not acquire a valid IP address? How do I control the media experience when using Xbox 360 as a Media Center Extender? I added new content to my libraries in Windows Media Center, but now I dont see the new content on my Extender. What can I do? What features aren't available in Windows Media Center when using a Media Center Extender? Where else can I find help for troubleshooting problems when using a Media Center Extender ?

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Using Windows Media Center
Windows Media Center is a feature of Windows Vista Home Premium and Windows Vista Ultimate that turns your computer into a multimedia powerhouse. You can use Windows Media Center to watch, record, and pause live TV; listen to your entire music collection; view your family pictures and home movies; play games; burn CDs and DVDs; and listen to Internet and FM radio. And if you have a compatible remote control, you can do all of this from across the room. You can even connect your Media Center PC to your TV so the whole family can enjoy the show.

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Set up a Windows Media Center Extender device
You can set up a Windows Media Center Extender so that you can enjoy digital media on your Windows Media Center computer in a variety of places. To enjoy your digital media files in your home by using an Extender, you need to make sure that your Extender and Windows Media Center computer are connected to your home network.

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Browse, stream, and download digital media from Online Media in Windows Media Center
Windows Media Center offers a number of partner programs in Online Media to enhance your entertainment experience. For example, you can play games on demand, share pictures, find digital music and radio programs, download movies, and watch videos over the Internet. Some of these programs will be pre-installed on your Windows Media Center computer, some require installation, and others will work over the Internet without installation.

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Play games in Windows Media Center
Windows Vista, together with its media partners, offer on-demand online games that you can play on your Windows Media Center computer. The additional icons that appear in Online Media on the start screen in Windows Media Center vary by country/region.

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Your pics on the big screen: Create slide shows in Windows Media Center
Every party needs a little background music to set the mood, but have you ever considered background photos? With Windows Media Center, you can have both. For those unfamiliar with Media Center, it's a feature in Windows Vista that serves as a center for your digital media collection, including photos, music, TV shows, and home movies. With the right setup, you can use Media Center to completely change the dynamic of your living room by playing a slide show of your favorite photos-along with background music-on your TV. The best way to experience slide shows is on an HDTV, using a Media Center remote to control the action.

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Use Parental Controls in Windows Media Center
If your computer has no TV tuner, an optional analog or digital TV tuner is required to play and record TV in Windows Media Center. The advent of digital media provides unprecedented access to a wide variety of content, some of which might not be suitable for every viewer. Parents can specify and enforce which content is suitable for their families by configuring Parental Controls within Windows Media Center.

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Add digital media files to Windows Media Center
The first time you start Windows Media Center, it will look for digital media files in the Music, Pictures, and Videos folders. But you are not limited to these folders for storing your digital media.

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Use a remote control with Windows Media Center
If you want to control Windows Media Center with a remote control, an optional Windows Media Center remote control is required. If your computer has no TV tuner, an optional analog or digital TV tuner is required to play and record TV in Windows Media Center. There are different models available of the Windows Media Center remote control with a variety of options. The remote control can come with the Windows Media Center computer you have purchased or it can be purchased at retail locations.

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Troubleshoot problems with DVDs and movies in Windows Media Center
Here are solutions to some common problems with playing DVDs and viewing movie information in Windows Media Center. Why doesn't digital audio work for DVD? Why is the DVD video distorted? Why doesn't a DVD play? What happens if the DVD has a different region code and does not play? Why doesn't movie information or cover art display in Windows Media Center? How can I change the program that AutoPlay opens when I plug in a device or insert a disc?

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Keep Windows Media Center on top of other windows
You can keep Windows Media Center visible on your desktop so that you can enjoy digital media content while doing other tasks on your computer. You can also resize the Windows Media Center window so that you can see everything that you want on your computer.

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Getting started with Windows Media Player
Windows Media Player provides an intuitive, easy-to-use interface to play digital media files, organize your digital media collection, burn CDs of your favorite music, rip music from CDs, sync digital media files to a portable music player, and shop for digital media content from online stores.

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Troubleshoot audio problems in Windows Media Center
Here are solutions to some common problems with audio in Windows Media Center. Why aren't music files displayed in Windows Media Center? Why doesn't album information or cover art display? Why does a codec error display when I try to play music? Why isn't there sound? Why doesn't a music file play? Why doesn't an audio CD play? How can I change the program that AutoPlay opens when I plug in a device or insert a disc?

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Play a CD or DVD in Windows Media Center
If you want to control Windows Media Center with a remote control, an optional Windows Media Center remote control is required. Using Windows Media Center, you can play audio and data CDs, as well as video and data DVDs. This lets you enjoy both commercial CDs and DVDs, as well as CDs and DVDs that you have created.

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Set up Guide listings for use in Windows Media Center
If you have Windows Vista Home Premium or Windows Vista Ultimate, and you have a TV signal connected to your computer, you can use the Guide to keep track of TV listings in Windows Media Center. The Guide is useful for scheduling programs you want to record in Windows Media Center, and for simply browsing through channels to see what's on TV.

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Troubleshoot problems with radio stations in Windows Media Center
Here are solutions to some common problems with playing FM radio in Windows Media Center. An optional FM tuner is required to play FM band radio stations in Windows Media Center. Why doesn't my FM radio play? Why are no FM radio stations detected? Why did the FM radio stop playing unexpectedly? Why does fast forward or rewind not work when I'm playing FM radio? Why can't I find the option to play FM radio? Why can't I find Internet radio?

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Rip music from a CD in Windows Media Center
You can rip (or copy) tracks from your audio CDs to your computer using Windows Media Center. After that, the tracks that you rip become digital media files on your computer. Settings such as the format of the file for example, Windows Media Audio (WMA) or MP3and bit rate for the files are determined by the settings specified in Windows Media Player.

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Troubleshoot problems with pictures in Windows Media Center
Here are solutions to some common problems with pictures in Windows Media Center. Why doesn't a picture display in Windows Media Center? The quality of the picture is low. I cannot save a picture after editing it in Windows Media Center. How can I change the program that AutoPlay opens when I plug in a device or insert a disc?

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Set up a TV signal in Windows Media Center
Did you know that it's possible to watch and record live TV on your computer? All you need is Windows Media Center a feature included in Windows Vista Home Premium and Windows Vista Ultimate a TV signal, and a compatible TV tuner device.

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Listen to radio in Windows Media Center
An optional FM tuner is required to play FM radio stations in Windows Media Center. You can use Windows Media Center to listen to FM and Internet radio stations available in your area, and you can create presets for your favorite radio stations.

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Troubleshoot problems with watching TV on your computer
Here are solutions to some common problems you might encounter while using Windows Media Center to watch TV on your computer. Why do I get an error when I try to watch TV? Why did the TV stop or the channel change unexpectedly? Why can't Windows Media Center change channels? What happens if I forget the access code for Parental Controls? Why is there no TV signal on any standard TV channel? Why is there no TV signal for any of the digital antenna TV channels that are identified in Windows Media Center? Why can't I get a signal for a specific digital antenna TV channel? Why can't I get a strong signal for a digital cable TV channel?

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Troubleshoot problems with recording TV on your computer
Here are solutions to some common problems you might encounter while using Windows Media Center to record TV on your computer. Why is there a recording conflict? Why didn't my TV show record? Why can't I find a recording? Why did the wrong channel record? What happens if the hard disk space is low or full? How can I increase the limit so more series shows can be recorded? Why can't Windows Media Center locate the channel to record? What should I do if Windows Media Center fails to record a program? What should I do if Windows Media Center fails to stop recording a program? Why was Windows Media Center unable to create the recording file?

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Burn a CD or DVD in Windows Media Center
You can burn many different types of CDs and DVDs in Windows Media Center. This lets you decide what type of DVD or CD you want to create, based on how and what you want to use to play the content after it is burned to a disc.

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What should I know before adding TV tuners to use with Windows Media Center?
A TV tuner is a device that makes it possible to connect a TV signal to your computer. With Windows Media Center a feature included in Windows Vista Home Premium and Windows Vista Ultimate and a compatible TV tuner, you can watch live TV shows and movies on your computer, and record programs for future viewings.

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Add items to the Windows Media Player library
You can use the Windows Media Player library to help you organize your entire digital media collection on your computer, including music, videos, and pictures. Once you add files to your library, you can play the files, burn mix CDs, create playlists, sync the files to portable music and video players, and share the files with other devices on your home network. There are several methods you can use to add files to your library:

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Download updated Guide listings in Windows Media Center
If your computer has no TV tuner, an optional analog or digital TV tuner is required to play and record TV in Windows Media Center. The Guide provides TV listings to help you find, watch, and record TV shows. It may contain up to 14 days of TV listings at a time, and you can download updated listings whenever you want.

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Remove information about what you have played in Windows Media Player
When you play digital media content in Windows Media Player, some file history and media information is typically stored on your computer. You can prevent it from being stored if you don't want the information to be available to others who use your computer with the same user account.

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Managing recorded TV shows in Windows Media Center: frequently asked questions
If you have Windows Vista Home Premium or Windows Vista Ultimate, as well as a compatible TV tuner device, you can use Windows Media Center to watch and record live TV on your computer. Here are answers to some common questions about managing TV shows that you record in Windows Media Center. How do I change the default storage settings for my recorded programs? How do I delete my recorded TV programs? Why aren't my programs being recorded? What happens when there is no hard disk space available for recording a TV program? How long does Windows Media Center keep my recordings on the hard disk? What happens to programs that are recorded as part of a TV series? How do I cancel recording a series? How can I change recording settings for future recordings? What is copy protection and how does it affect me?

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TV signals that are supported by Windows Media Center
Windows Media Center is a feature included in Windows Vista Home Premium and Windows Vista Ultimate that enables you to watch and record live TV on your computer. The TV signals and programming that you can watch and record depend on the following:

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Stream digital media to any room with Windows Media Center and an Xbox 360
From PC to TV, Part 1: Stream digital media to any room with Windows Media Center and an Xbox 360.

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Windows Media Player library
The library is the location in Windows Media Player where you can manage all of your favorite music, videos, and pictures on your computer. It lets you easily find and play your digital media files, as well as choose content that you want to burn to a CD or sync to a portable device. Click one of the following links to learn more about using the library:

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Listen to music in Windows Media Center
You probably already know that Windows Media Center is a great way to watch and record TV, but did you know that its also a fun way to listen to music as well? Whether on your couch or at your desk, you can use Windows Media Center to find your favorite songs, or you can create playlists for parties. You can even watch a slide show of your favorite pictures moving across your screen while the music plays .

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Play an audio or video file
You can use Windows Media Player to play digital media files that are in your Player library, on your computer or a network folder, or on a website. If you find that files play back too quickly in the Player, try installing new drivers for your sound card. For more information, see the manufacturer's website or check for driver updates on the Windows Update website. Learn how to: play a file in your library; play a paused or stopped file; play a file on a webpage; play a file that is not in your library; play a file on the Internet by entering the URL to the file; play a section of a file; continue playing files when switching users; always play files in compact mode.

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What is media information in Windows Media Player and why is it important?
Media information (sometimes called "metadata") is a general term used to describe the contents of a digital media file. For music files, the following are some common types of media information:

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Do you have Windows Media Center?
Learn how to quickly find out if your current Windows operating system includes Windows Media Center.

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Burn a CD or DVD in Windows Media Center: frequently asked questions
Here are answers to some common questions about burning CDs and DVDs in Windows Media Center. What types of CDs can I burn in Windows Media Center? What types of DVDs can I burn in Windows Media Center? On average, how much video can I fit on a recordable DVD when burning a video DVD? What determines how long it will take to burn the DVD? Why does a notification appear that says the quality will be reduced when I add a few video files to a video DVD? Why am I asked if I want to skip a file when burning an audio CD?

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Windows Media Center Quick Reference for Xbox 360
This document contains important information about using your Xbox 360 with Windows Media Center. This document includes information such as using the Xbox 360 controller and the Xbox 360 Remotes with Windows Media Center and networking tips. (pdf file, install Acrobat Reader to view this file).

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