If you run Windows Vista Home Premium or Windows Vista Ultimate editions (why run anything other than Ultimate?), you may notice that Windows Update contains an update for Media Center on both 32- and 64-bit systems. You can download the update directly from the Microsoft Windows Update Web site or from the Windows Download Center (x86 or x64).
I'm glad to see the arrival of the April 2007 Cumulative Update for Media Center for Windows Vista, as it resolves the following issues, some of which have annoyed me:
The update also provides the following improvements:
There's also another change that affects those of you using Windows Media Center Extenders. Windows Media Center Extenders, such as the Microsoft Xbox 360, use network ports to communicate over the network to computers that are running Windows Vista Home Premium or Windows Vista Ultimate. This cumulative update contains updates to Media Center programs that may have been previously configured as "approved" or "allowed" by a third-party firewall. If you use a third-party firewall, you may have to manually update your firewall to let the new versions of these programs access the ports. If you do not perform these firewall updates, you may experience failures when you try to connect the Windows Media Center Extender to the Media Center computer.
This is great unless you have products from ATI in which they do not support the tv capture of their product (All in wonder x1900). What is up with mainstream venders that do not release drivers for their products to work with Vista?
The x1900 does not have a *fully* hardware MPEG2 encoder/decoder (AKA Theater 200) onboard, which the Vista Media Center requires (if I am not mistaken). On the flip side, the ATI Theater 550 chip (like the one found on my Powercolor PCI-e 1x tuner) is one of the best performing/looking hardware tuners you can get for Vista!
It will be very interesting how this new release will improve on its predecessor's version.
I'm not a Linux fanboy but I hope MS has taken a look at LinuxMCE (http://linuxmce.com/). Please keep WMC competitive and dont let it fall behind LinuxMCE.
"Windows Media Center Extenders, such as the Microsoft Xbox 360": are there others v2 extenders yet available?
To be honest, this isn't very important to me personally or professionally compared to being able to use my HP color laser printer (XP driver, I guess, who'd know?) with windows photo gallery and actually be able to print. I have to dual boot back into XP to do anything with multimedia..
What´s with a fix for the album cover bug ?!
Described and analyzed here in german:
http://www.mce-community.de/forum/index.php?showtopic=16655&st=0
and here in english:
http://www.xpmediacentre.com.au/community/vista-media-center-software/16181-coverart-vmc.html
Why then be so "clever" and build several different versions of Vista? Absolutelly unnecessary, of course!
Why then be so "clever" and build several different versions of Vista? Absolutely unnecessary, of course!
Thank you for give me this massage. But I can not afford to do it with my pc. Just applogise it.
ATI informed me that Remote Wonder is not compatible with Vista. I also have two different machines with all in wonder cards in them, which are less then two years old. No way would I buy an ati product to replace my brain dead current capture products. Thanks AMD and goodbye to your products.
oldguy28
Hey Jurgen: there certainly are alternatives to the Xbox 360; as a point of reference, take a look at devices that work with Windows XP MCE 2005: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/mediacenter/extender/owner/stboverview.mspx.
Why run anything other than Ultimate? Well in the UK the cost of Ultimate is double that of Home Premium. I would have loved to run Ultimate, but couldn't afford too.
For Vista Media Centre there are no alternatives to the XBox 360. The ones you reference only work with MCE '05 so what relevance are they to a Vista blog?
After installing the media center update (actually it was auto-installed) I had my first system crash! I moved my antenna, so I had to rescan for atsc channels. When I hit the 'next' button, I got a quick blue screen and then my system restarted. Doh!
I have a question. I have an Avermedia UltraTV 1500 MCE tuner card installed. When trying to setup windows media, I see the picture and have sound but it tells me that windows media cannot dectect an IR receiver. I'm using satelite. I'm connected through a splitter to the TV and the tuner card. What's my fix?
Hey Nick: Jurgen was talking about the lack of "v2" Media Center Extenders. I.e., the total derth of MCEs that are designed to work with Windows Vista... that is, besides the Xbox 360. We know that there are some devices out there designed with Windows XP.... hmm, we don't care about those! :-)
Not sure if this is the right forum, but in need of help. I have a JVC video camera that is meant to run with a Winfast dv2000 card. Can not get the media centre to work and i cant download the original software on the disc. I am running VistaHome Premium 32 bit. Any ideas
Thanks Paul
I Have also downloaded the latest software that is meant to be for Vista but still nothing. Cant get the TV to work on the DV2000 either. If i installed a fire wire card by itself would i then be able to download my video onto the computer
Hey ph8370: you're better off seeking assistance via the public newsgroups -- good luck.
looking for information on how to reslove MEC conflicts with Yuan EC300 DVB-T TV Tuner card which is packaged and sold as HP Express Digital/Analog TV Tuner. OS is Vitsa Home Prenium on HP dv6226us
I noticed that when Vista Media Center is run in Full Screen mode, the Print Screen keyboard function just produces a black screen image. Is this by design or is there another way to take a quick screenshot which produces a proper copy of the image? Please advise. Tnx, D.J.
I'm having some issues with Windows Media Center under Vista Ulitmate right now. When I try to go into the guide, my recorded programs, or Live TV (as well as setup for these things), it gives me errors. For instance, the Recorded TV gives me the error
"Component Registration Failure: Some of the files needed to play radio or video are missing or corrupt. Windows Media Center component registration may have failed."
Then tells me I have no recorded shows (the shows recorded before this issue are still there and play back fine with Windows Media Player, though).
The system worked fine for the first couple months I had it up (installed on 3/30/07), then suddenly stopped working one day. It stopped working in May, well after the update in April and before the update in June.
I have tried deleting the TempRec folder and unregsitering and then reregsitering the dll. Neither trick worked. My research shows that at least 5 other people have expereinced this same exact problem. I feel confident its not something that I did since I loaded no new software. The only new loading was the automatic Vista Ulitmate updates.
Is there any TV card than can guarantee me 100% Vista Media Center (on x64) support?
I've been searching everywhere and every card seems to have a problem.
Please, let me know if there's ANYTHING I can do to actually have a working TV tuner in my PC.
Hey diegoferreyra: I know of folks who run Windows Vista x64 and use videos cards that run Media Center well; there are a lot of variables around how an OEM designs a particular card, however. You might go over to thegreenbutton.com, one of our Windows Featured Community sites, and pose this question to the Media Center experts there. Thanks for reading and good luck.
Media Center is ALWAYS crashing on me and usually causes my machine to crash as well (BSOD w/ Memory Dump). I want to uninstall and reinstall Media Center but I don't know how. Also I am having issues where it says the tuner is being used, do I wante to take control, and I know that it is not being used (nothing is being recorded, etc). Even if I click Yes nothing happens and I have to restart Media Center to be able to watch TV.
-Jared
I have used media center since the XP version, and like the functionality. Now, I'm running Vista Home Premium.
After using Media Center without a hitch for a year, all of a sudden one day everything crashed...not even recognizing my multiple tuner devices. After trying several of the suggestions above...and several others...I ended up doing a clean install of Vista. Now everything works great again (for now).
I'm pleased with the quality of one hour TV shows, and up until now, I had not really tried recording movies lasting more than one hour.
Whenever I record a movie, Media Center breaks the movie into either two or three files. I would really prefer just one file per movie.
Is there a setting I should change somewhere? I haven't been able to find one. Otherwise, why would MC split the movies?
If you are still running a beta copy of Vista, Microsoft wants you to know that all good things come to an end: Microsoft Corp. today spelled out exactly how users of Windows Vista betas and release candidates can shift to the final code, and warned ..