I prefer Windows Media Center (but I would like to use Front Row)

This is a plea to Apple that they would update Front Row with some more functionalities!
I'm using my Mac mini as a HTPC and it's doing it's job absolutely great - thanks to Windows Media Center.... Awwww, I wish I didn't have to write that
Well, it's all about functionality and at that point, I have the conviction that WMC is really kicking FR's a**. I really don't get why Apple has chosen to put a media center software (don't know if I dare to call it that) in their OS which lacks of so many important functions.
One of the important things for me, in a media center software, is support for TV tuners, and guess what... Windows Media Center has this, but there's no support in Front Row.
I would also like to see more integration with iTunes, so that I can use the Remote app on my iPhone to control the music in FR and so it's possible to use the party function (also with the Remote app, cause that works really great).
This is only some of the functionalities I miss in Front Row, but I do hope that Apple will consider those so I can get rid of Windows from my machine.
//Cheers

Best way to convey your wishes to Apple is to send them feedback.
Where to send product feedback to Apple:
http://www.apple.com/feedback/

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Switch to OFF.

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HT1491 I've always used itune cards for purchases but i would like to use my credit card now and i can't find where to enter my credit information. can anyone help me with this please

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Internet TV in Windows Media Center

Hi there,
I have been trying to set up Internet TV in Windows Media Center but to no avail. I followed all the instructions given by Microsoft but I still cannot get the Guide to show up. I even tried setting up Internet TV in the WMC gadget but it is greyed out. Can anyone offer any advice that hasn't been offered by Microsoft that will help? Thanks in advance. I have a W700 running Windows 7 Ultimate 64.
Noel
Moderator note: subject line adjusted for clarity

From what I can figure out, Canadians are not allowed to use internet TV. I would love a solutiuon.

Problem connect mac to internet with pc w/windows media center os

I share a wireless DSL connection with my roommate. Everything was working fine for a long time until she bought a Sony PC with Windows Media Center OS on it. Every time she connects to the internet, she doesn't think it works very well for her. But, if she leaves the house (and therefore is not using her computer online) I can reset the DSL modem and the wireless router and then my internet connection from my iBook works like a lovely breeze. Then she comes home, connects her computer and the internet doesn't work for either of us. She insists it is not "her computer" and doesn't believe that I could be receiving such a seamless connection when she's not around. Does anyone know (1) if there are issues with Windows Media Center OS that would cause this problem and (2) What I can do to fix the situation?

Actually, it sounds like her computer might have a Static IP set, which tries to grab your IP... you might cure it by changing your setup to "Using DHCP with Manual Address" and using a couple numbers higher than what it says when it does work.

Premiere Elements cause problems with Windows Media Center while streaming to TV.

I was having the following problem:
The audio from the streaming process of a recorded TV show on my HP computer to the remote receivers, a Sony Blu-ray player and/or a Sony Streaming Player, results in the loss of audio signal at exactly 30 seconds from the beginning on either devices. The video continues on as normal.
A user on the Windows 7 forum had the following possible cause and solution. His response was as follows:
I "solved" my issue, at least partially. Turns out for me a codec installed by Adobe Premiere Elements for audio (Main Concept) was causing mfpmp.exe to fail (you should see it getting an appcrash in the event log two or three times as soon as you start playing the media remotely.) This program is used by microsoft for DRM. I went through and one by one remained the various attached (non-microsoft) modules until i found the one that caused the appcrash. I haven't fully figured out if Elements is now negatively effected, but that's for a different forum.
I tried the quick fix by un-installing Adobe Premiere Elements. The uninstall solved my problem with Windows Media Center, but I want to re-install the software but I do not want to recreate the problem with Windows Media Center.
Is there another solution for this problem?

I reinstalled Adobe Premiere Elements 10 and the above mention problem reoccured. With a little detective work I was able to determine that the file causing my problem was "mc_dec_dd_ds.ax". I am not sure what this does to Adobe Premiere Elements 10 since I removed (renamed) the offending file. A strange side affect, renaming the file did cause an increase volume. Strange.

TS1646 I live in a foreign country and would like to use my US credit card (which has my current foreign address) to make purchase in the US App Store. How do I do this?

I live in Japan but I would like to use my US credit card to make purchases in the US Store.
I had no problems with this previously, but I recently informed my US bank of my Japanese address and changed it (had to).
There is no way to input my Japanese address (so that it matches the bank information) in the fields for the US App Store (which has no foreign country fields, you are limited to having to fill in the US state field, flags me for phone number area code differences, etc.).
When I hit the change country button: A) It took me to the Japanese App Store; B) I could not use my US credit card there (despite my Japanese address).
Yes, I may want to make purchases in the Japanese App Store in the future (I am bilingual), but the selections are different depending on the country.
Now I can make purchases in neither country.
I want to make purchases in the US Store from Japan.
Help! I feel like I am getting punished for being global. (The world should be getting smaller, more interconnected, and more convenient with the Internet --- not the opposite!)

Well, I can certainly understand the licensing argument if I were using a Japanese credit card with a Japanse address and making a purchase with Japanese yen from the US Store from Japan.
When I am making a purchase with US card from the US store with US dollars, the argument becomes a bit suspect (I know it is Apple's, not your argument).
it is just kind of a paradoxical situation and I am hoping Apple will offer some sort of solution. We can always hoe, right?
Thank you for your reply.

How can I convert the metadata tags on my mp4s to xml files so that they can be read in Windows Media Center?

I have a library with almost 3000 movies and TV shows that I have fully tagged. However, I have decided to start using Windows Media Center and it does its metadata tagging through XML files. I wanted to know if anyone could tell me if there was a way to extract the metadata from those mp4s and convert them to a format that WMC could read? Thanks!!!!

iTunes can make XML playlists so it might be all you need, I made a simple one file playlist and exported it from iTunes. The result is shown below. In principle I could delete the playlist and the entry from the library, as long as I don't delete the file, then later reimport the XML playlist file. I haven't tested this particular scenario, but I assume that iTunes will read all the properties as listed unless it can read some kind of tag from the file itself in which case the current value of the tag would take precedence.
What I don't know is what media center would make of this file, or what its files look like, however assuming they have a similar structure that can be decoded then it should be possible to read data from the iTunes library and write out a text file that will make sense to media centre.
Video Test.xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple Computer//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
<key>Major Version</key><integer>1</integer>
<key>Minor Version</key><integer>1</integer>
<key>Date</key><date>2013-09-26T23:30:26Z</date>
<key>Application Version</key><string>11.1</string>
<key>Features</key><integer>5</integer>
<key>Show Content Ratings</key><true/>
<key>Music Folder</key><string>file://localhost/E:/iTunes/iTunes%20Media/</string>
<key>Library Persistent ID</key><string>CCF046191585EA85</string>
<key>Tracks</key>
<dict>
<key>155170</key>
<dict>
<key>Track ID</key><integer>155170</integer>
<key>Name</key><string>Abbott & Costello: "Two Tens For A Five" & "Who's On First"</string>
<key>Artist</key><string>Abbott & Costello</string>
<key>Album Artist</key><string>Abbott & Costello</string>
<key>Album</key><string>Abbott & Costello: "Two Tens For A Five" & "Who's On First"</string>
<key>Genre</key><string>Comedy Clip</string>
<key>Kind</key><string>MPEG-4 video file</string>
<key>Size</key><integer>110483524</integer>
<key>Total Time</key><integer>532096</integer>
<key>Year</key><integer>1950</integer>
<key>Date Modified</key><date>2013-06-19T17:35:18Z</date>
<key>Date Added</key><date>2012-12-01T17:30:57Z</date>
<key>Bit Rate</key><integer>156</integer>
<key>Comments</key><string>www.dvdvideosoft.com</string>
<key>Artwork Count</key><integer>1</integer>
<key>Persistent ID</key><string>5AF2C490D1E065CD</string>
<key>Track Type</key><string>File</string>
<key>Has Video</key><true/>
<key>HD</key><false/>
<key>Video Width</key><integer>1136</integer>
<key>Video Height</key><integer>640</integer>
<key>Location</key><string>file://localhost/E:/iTunes/iTunes%20Media/Home%20Vide os/Abbott%20&%20Costello_%20_Two%20Tens%20for%20a%20Five_%20&%20_Who's%2 0on%20First_.mp4</string>
<key>File Folder Count</key><integer>3</integer>
<key>Library Folder Count</key><integer>1</integer>
</dict>
</dict>
<key>Playlists</key>
<array>
<dict>
<key>Name</key><string>Video Test</string>
<key>Playlist ID</key><integer>1930541</integer>
<key>Playlist Persistent ID</key><string>30BF2769C94F7F29</string>
<key>All Items</key><true/>
<key>Playlist Items</key>
<array>
<dict>
<key>Track ID</key><integer>155170</integer>
</dict>
</array>
</dict>
</array>
</dict>
</plist>
Such files are easier to interpret if opened with Notepad++.
tt2

Windows Media Center, Windows 7 and HP ATSC/Analog TV Tuner

I can't get windows media center to find signals using my TV tuner anymore. I used to be able to watch TV on my computer using either a digital antenna or analog cable, but now I can't.
I'm running Windows 7 (64 bit) on an HPdv6 laptop. I upgraded to windows 7 from vista quite awhile ago, but I can't remember if it stopped working after I installed windows 7 or not. I'm not exactly sure what model number my TV tuner is, but it says it is an HP ATSC/Analog TV Tuner in the device manager. It also says it's manufactured by AverMedia, but it doesn't give the product number or model number. Maybe the tuner isn't compatible with windows 7? There is no way I can find out if I don't know the product number...
I've tried updating the driver for the tuner, but that didn't help. WMC simply can't pick up a signal from the tuner anymore, so all of the channels are fuzzy.
What else can I do?

Nckhammond wrote:
is it still listed in the device manager? its ether an avermedia or hauppauge card. just pick a random win 7 driver for the right brand and force it to install. then update the driver with windows update to get the right one.
Yes, mine is listed in the device manager as HP ATSC/Analog TV Tuner. When I click on its properties, it says it's made by Avermedia. So you're suggesting that I download a random Avermedia driver? I don't understand what that would do... I already tried to update the driver, and it says I have the most recent version. I also checked the HP site to see if they released a different version or something. Nope, same version that I have installed. Still doesn't work.

Is there or can Microsoft develop a app for smart TVs so you can stream from Windows Media Center

I have used Windows Media Center for years to record TV programs and have even sertup my kids Xbox 360 as an extender. I've recently purchased a smart TV which allows me to steam music and home videoes from Windows media player but ofcourse the .wtv
files will not play. Would it be possible to develop an app for Smart TVs and other devices so they can be used as extenders. I'm sure many people would be willing to pay for the app. I've tried some 3rd party extenders and not been
happy with there performance and I'd like to not need another box and remote. I'm sure these new TVs have the ability to do it will microsoft allow them too?

Hi,
I agree with S.Sengupta.
You may contact the support of the smart TVs and request a tool to match Windows media player.
Hope it helps.
Regards,
Blair Deng
Blair Deng
TechNet Community Support

'Windows Media Center Receiver Service' stops and cannot be restarted

Hi,
I have had some issues with running my Hauppage TV Tuners (WinTV-HVR-2200) on a new Windows 7 Home Premium Installation.
After installing the TV Tuner card, drivers and WMC support software - I am able to configure my TV channels through Windows Media Centre and all is working fine. I can watch and record TV, so it all seems to be OK. It is only AFTER I restart my computer
that I get an error 'Viewing/Listening Device is currently not available' when trying to watch TV in WMC again.
I troubleshooted this issue and found that 'Windows Media Centre Receiver Service' was not running and when I tried to restart the service (via services.msc) it comes up with the following error:
"0x80070003: File path not found"
I have checked the Windows directory for ehrecvr.exe (the file that the service is linked to) and it is not corrupted or moved but I cannot re-link or restart the service.
I tried the following tasks to remedy the issue and none of them were successful:
Run SFC from cmd prompt - no issues were found
Changed the 'logon' details for the service from Network to Local
Changed the start type of the service from manual to automatic
Restored previous versions of windows - prior to windows updates
Re-install TV Tuner drivers and software
Updated to the latest drivers and software version of 'WinTV' (Hauppage TV Tuner Software)
Complete new installation of windows, including a format of the HDD - without installing additional third party software or anit-virus software
Re-seat the TV tuner in a new PCI slot
The only way that I am able to remedy the issue is if I disable and then re-enable WMC via 'optionalfeatures'. This then allows the service to start again, I can then configure my TV tuner in WMC but it still has issues after restarting the PC!
It would appear that by configuring the TV tuners in WMC, it causes a conflict in the service so that it cannot be restarted after it is stopped. Note: I can start/stop the service with the TV tuner cards installed on my PC - it is only when I configure
the TV channels in WMC that it then has issues.
I have had these TV tuners running without any issues for over 2 years; however I have upgraded the motherboard and CPU and this issue has only just started happening. I am at a loss of what to look at next...
Any help would be much appreciated!
Thanks

I shall suggest you :
1. uninstall WinTV software and reinstall WMC from the scratch.
2. Disable AV or any other internet security application during configuring WMC.
3. Update the TV Tuner card driver from Hauppage's website (only WMC driver and no other application)
Run Setup Again.
Open WMC > Tasks > Settings > General > Windows Media Center Setup > Run Setup Again
Does it help?
If the above doesn't help then try resetting WMC:-
Open Control Panel > Uninstall a Program > Turn Windows Features on or off > Scroll down to Media Features > Uncheck the box against Windows Media Center > Follow on screen instructions > Reboot > Again open Turn Windows Features on
or off under Control Panel > Scroll down to Media Features > Check the box against Windows Media Center.
Now reconfigure WMC again
S.Sengupta, Windows Entertainment and Connected Home MVP

Apple 23" Cinema Display not supported by Windows Media Center Edition PC

Well I'm learning the hard way and of course that is through experience. I just found out after purchasing my 23"Apple Display and talking to the Apple Support Tech is that Apple does not support the Cinema Display with PC's,
Wish Apple would be more transparent on this issue prior to a costly purchase. For example on the Apple site listing the Display in system requirements:
Windows PC and graphics card that supports DVI ports with full single-link digital bandwidth and VESA DDC standard for plug and play setup
Well I have a Windows PC with a Nvidia Graphics card just as the system requirements state. Yet my PC will not adjust to proper resolution for the Apple Display. The graphics card works fine. Its a driver issue where the Apple Display is not compatible with Window Media Center Edition on Windows PC's
So in conclusion the system requirements for Windows PC's that Apple is stating For Apple Cinema Displays is not correct. The system requirements need also to state that the Apple Cinema Display does not work with Windows Media Center Edition (MCE)
Hope that helps for any users with Windows Media Center Edition thinking or already have purchased an Apple Cinema Display.
73,
John
Mac Pro 2.66 GHZ, 1 GB RAM, 250 GB HD Mac OS X (10.4.7) Sony Vaio Desktop PC, G-Drive External HD,Toshiba Satellite Pro Notebook

Well,
Here is the latest from Nvidia Customer Care educating users on the DVI port on the Nvidia GeForce FX 5200:
"...The basic difference you will see in these ports are in their Physical appearance. The DVI-D has less pins compared to the DVI-I port connector. Also the Apple 23" Cinema Display will work at a resolution of 1920*1200. But this graphics card that is Geforce FX 5200 will not support this resolution of 1920*1200. It will support only till 1600*1200. So that's the reason you were having the issues were you were not able to adjust the resolution"
So I ask, which Nvidia GPU card can I substitute for the current one at a reasonable price? I don't need dual link, so single link would be sufficient for my application . Here is some more helpful tips from Nvidia support. Hope this helps other users, utilizing the Apple 23" Cinema Display"
"...go for a Geforce 7600 GS graphics card which is a AGP 8x compatible graphics card. This graphics card is just 129$ graphics card. Please visit the given link to know about the details of this graphics card."
http://bfgtech.com/7600GS_512.html
And now for the final conclusion of what you need to know regarding DVI ports. Evidently Nvidia uses a term called normal DVI port. I've never heard of that term in the literature in shopping for a graphics card and checking the specs. I guess you need to look for the specific term single or dual link specifically. If it doesn't say that, then what I can gather it is a normal DVI port...whatever the heck that is?
"...Yes let me inform you that the Geforce FX 5200 graphics card does have one DVI port and one VGA port. But these single link and Dual link DVI port is totally different compared to the normal DVI ports. As you wanted to connect an Apple 23" Cinema Display to this graphics card. So for this you will need to have a graphics card which will have a Single link or Dual link DVI ports not the normal ports. So to support an Apple 23" Cinema Display, you will need to have either a Geforce 6 series or the Geforce 7 series graphics card. That's the reason I gave you the list of graphics card which comes with Single or Dual link DVI ports, not the normal ports."
Oh well off to the market to pick up either a Series 6 or Series 7 Nvidia Graphics card. The Nvidia Customer Care team was very helpful and replied to my inquires very quickly through email.
Hope this long drawn out expose helps others who might have issue with connecting their proud Apple 23' Cinema Display to their PC
Kind Regards,
John
Mac Pro 2.66 GHZ, 1 GB RAM, 250 GB HD Mac OS X (10.4.7) Sony Vaio PC, G-Drive External HD,Toshiba Satellite Pro Notebook

TS1717 i recently downloaded two tracks from itunes: they will not play in my windows media center even though i have added them to that location. any idea what other trouble shooting i can attempt on this issue??

i recently downloaded two tracks from itunes and they will not play in my windows media center. i have never had this problem but the two tracks play on my PC just not in the windows media center and usually all my itunes music plays in there no problem??? any idea what to do? thanks

I'm searching for an answer to almost the same exact problem, using almost the same exact hardware and software. Has an answer been found?
The files that I'm trying to burn come from eMusic, and they are formatted mp3. Recently, (after the iTunes update to 9.2.3?,) they would not drag and drop from iTunes into Toast. From several different discussions I've tried working around this by dragging to the desktop first then dragging and dropping to Toast, going to Toast from a programmer's homemade help window, " iToons," and today, after talking with Apple support, going directly to Toast from my eMusic folder. Alas, all recordings do not perform like they use to. Sometimes they play and sometimes not. There is one I managed, that is listenable, but sometimes I have to put it in my car stereo over and over again as it gets ejected with an error code, sometimes, finally it takes it... Some of the recordings on other disks I've burned are not clean - they have white-noise sounds creeping in... I use to have none of these problems. One time as I was listening to a CD that managed to play, and it just stopped playing... Is there an answer out there to get back to how it use to be? Thanks for you help.

Home Hub 4 and Windows Media Center extenders

Hi, I cannot get my PC to see my Xbox as a Media Center extender. This used to work fine on the Home Hub 3. The computer just can't see it at all. Any ideas?

Hi,
just received my homehub 4 a couple of days ago and have been having the same issues, although my network is completely wireless. It's not just a problem with my PC not seeing my XBOX as a media center extender but also with my XBOX not being able to see any UPnP servers on my network. To prove it was the Homehub 4 I connected my old netgear router and everything worked just fine.
What I noticed was that the Windows 7 PC that I was running Windows Media Center from was connecting to the Homehub 4 on a 5GHz channel (new wireless dongle which supports 2.4GHz & 5GHz), the XBOX was connecting on the more normal 2.4GHz channel. You would think that this doesn't matter since ultimately they both connect to the same network but in my case they just wouldn't talk to each other! I followed the instructions here:
http://community.bt.com/t5/BB-Speed-Connection-Issues/BT-home-hub-4-wireless-connection-issue-on-the...
to ensure that the SSID of the 5GHz (e.g. BTHub4-ABCD_5GHz) channel was separated from the 2.4GHz (e.g. BTHub4-ABCD_2_4GHz) one and forced the Windows 7 PC and any other Media Servers to use the 2.4GHz channel rather than the 5GHz one and now all is well. Not an ideal solution as I would have liked to use the 5GHz channel where my hardware allows it but it will do for now.
I think I read further down that your XBOX may have been connected via a cable rather than wirelessly and I don't think there was any mention of how your media centre PC was connected, but if your PC is connected via the 5GHz channel it might still be worth moving it to the 2.4GHz one and trying again.
Cheers

I prefer Windows Media Center (but I would like to use Front Row)

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