Media Center DVR vs plain HD DVR

From a reliability standpoint, can anyone offer opinions as to which is more 'stable' and reliable. I don't really need the streaming to other TV feature. Is there any other reason to select the Media Ctr DVR
Thanks
TJM

TJM wrote:
From a reliability standpoint, can anyone offer opinions as to which is more 'stable' and reliable. I don't really need the streaming to other TV feature. Is there any other reason to select the Media Ctr DVR
Thanks
TJM
MR DVR is just an optional feature on the DVR. It's not a different box. If you don't need multi-room streaming, then you don't pay extra to activate that feature on the DVR.
If you are the original poster (OP) and your issue is solved, please remember to click the "Solution?" button so that others can more easily find it.

Similar Messages

Adding Media Center DVR

I currently have Fios with 3 TV's and 3 STD boxes @ $5.99 each per month. I would like to add the media center DVR and have some questions.
1) Does the media center DVR @ $19.99 per month replace one of the STD boxes?
2)Is there any additional wiring needed to use multi room DVR? ( I do have FIOS internet as well )
Thanks for any help

The $19.99 is the complete cost for the Multi-room DVR, but of course you need the additional SD or HD boxes on the other TVs, and they cost $$$ too.
There really isn't any "setup" required as far as I know. If the order is processed correctly, then you will have the multi-room function available automatically. However, I think it would be reasonable for you to ask the install tech to stay until you have verified that the multi-room function works (and keep in mind that, at least for right now, there are apparently several pretty serious bugs in the multi-room function, hopefully to be fixed in the "near" future, whatever that means).
Justin
Verizon FiOS TV, Internet, and phone
IMG 1.6.0, Build 06.89
Keller, TX

PSE 8 and Media Center DVR-MS files?

Though familiar with image editing in Adobe PS from 4 through CS, I am new to video editing and looking for the ability to edit the nearly 1TB of tv shows I’ve recorded with HP Media Center. Presently, my main interest is to edit out commercials and save (MPEG2… or better?), take brief sections of streaming video to edit to use in sigs and also capture single frames for captioning in humorous forums (any extra editing capabilities would be a plus). Was told by Abobe software advice/sales that that PSE 8 could read my Media Center DVR-MS files so I downloaded the trial version. When I click on ‘Get Media fom – PC Files and Folders’ the only files that appear under ‘All Supported Files’ are the ones I previously edited with my Sonic DigitalMedia Plus v7 and saved as MPEG2 movie clips and when I switch to ‘All Files [*.*]’ and select a DVR-MS file get ‘Error – This type file is not supported, or the required codec is not installed’. Now either I was given misinformation by the rep or I don’t know what I’m doing (which is most often the case).
Though my SDMPv7 is easy enough to crop out crap and capture stills, it takes about an hour to save a 2.5GB edited file to HD, was hoping for something faster. Might just be my old HP AMD 64x2 – 2.2 GHz 2MB, 1024MB 400MHz, 400GB internal HD can’t save it any faster.
Also, apparently Media Center will only play DVR-MS files and though Windows Media Player and Realplayer will play MPEG2’s the fast forward and reverse options are not functionable.
Any help/advice (other software?) is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Try downloading the trial version of PRE and then import the file.PRE has more video capabilities than PSE

How do I get fios to work with my new desktop w/ Windows Media Center

Can someone please help me I have "fios".TV and internet 1HDSTB + 1HDDVR with multi room dvr Home media mgr.how do I get fios to work with my new desktop HP Pavillion m9715f**(specs below)**w/ Windows Media Center or did I just throw away my money?
also equipted is 47" Samsung 850series 1080p 120hertz HD LCD TV + 36" Samsung 560series 1080p 60hertz HD LCD TV and 19"Samsung 950b LCD Monitor
** computer specs**
Product number NZ017AA
Introduction date 30-Jun-2009
Country/region sold in: United States,Canada
Hardware Base processor
Phenom-9650 (A) 2.3 GHz (95W) 3600 MHz HyperTransport 3.0 Socket, AM2+
Chipset AMD 780G
Motherboard Manufacturer: MSI Motherboard Name: MS-7548 HP/Compaq motherboard name: Aspen-GL8E
Power supply 300W
Memory
Component Attributes Memory Installed 8 GB Maximum allowed 16 GB (4 x 4 GB) (64-bit OS)
4 GB* (4 x 1 GB) (32-bit OS)
*Actual available memory may be less Speed supported PC2-6400 MB/sec Type 240 pin, DDR2
Hard drive750 GB SATA 3G (3.0 Gb/sec)7200 rpm
Blu-ray player & SuperMulti DVD burner with LightScribe Technology drive
This Blu-Ray Disc DVD drive introduces a player that reads Blu-ray Disc format enabling you to watch high-definition Blu-ray Disc movies. NOTE: This drive does not include high-definition write capability.
Formats/Disc types Write speeds Read speeds Storage capacity Blu-ray Disc BD-ROM SL NA up to 6X up to 25 GB BD-ROM DL NA up to 4.8X up to 50 GB BD-R SL not supported up to 6X up to 25 GB BD-R DL not supported up to 4.8X up to 50 GB BD-RE SL not supported up to 2.3X up to 25 GB BD-RE DL not supported up to 2X up to 50 GB HD DVD not supported DVD DVD-ROM SL NA up to 16X up to 4.7 GB DVD-ROM DL NA up to 8X up to 8.5 GB DVD+R SL up to 16X up to 12X up to 4.7 GB DVD+R DL up to 4X up to 8X up to 8.5 GB DVD+RW SL up to 8X up to 10X up to 4.7 GB DVD+RW DL not supported DVD-R SL up to 16X up to 12X up to 4.7 GB DVD-R DL up to 4X up to 8X up to 8.5 GB DVD-RW SL up to 6X up to 10X up to 4.7 GB DVD-RW DL not supported DVD-RAM up to 5X up to 5X up to 4.7 GB CD CDROM NA up to 40X up to 700 MB CDR up to 40X up to 40X up to 700 MB CDRW up to 24X up to 40X up to 700 MB CD-DA NA up to 32X up to 700 MB Video CD NA up to 10X up to 700 MB
Wireless Wireless LAN 802.11 b/g
Video Graphics Radeon HD4350
512 MB DDR2 memory
I/O Ports: HDMI, VGA, single-link DVI
Television Hauppauge ATSC/NTSC TV tuner card with FM tuner
Sound/Audio High Definition 8-channel audio
ALC 888S chipset
Network (LAN) Integrated 10/100/1000 Base-T networking interface
Memory card reader
Contains an Infrared receiver for remote control
Supports the following cards:
Compact Flash I
Compact Flash II
IBM Microdrive
Secure Digital (SD)
mini-SD
MultiMediaCard (MMC)
Reduced size MultiMediaCard (RS-MMC)
MultiMediaCard Plus (MMC plus)
MultiMediaCard Mobile (MMC mobile)
Memory Stick
Memory Stick Pro
Memory Stick Duo
Memory Stick Pro Duo
SmartMedia
xD Picture Card (xD = extreme digital)
External I/O ports
I/O ports on the front panel
Port type Quantity 15-in-1 (4 slot) with IR Receiver One USB Two Headphone One Microphone One Audio L-R One S-video in One Composite video in One
I/O ports on the back panel
Port type Quantity PS/2 (keyboard, mouse) Two S/PDIF out (coaxial) One VGA One (disabled due to the installation of a graphics card) DVI-D One USB Four 1394a One LAN One Audio (side speaker out, rear speaker out, center/subwoofer-out , line-in, line-out, microphone) One Each
Expansion slots
Slot type Quantity PCI Express x16 One (None available) PCI Express x1 Three (Two available)
Drive bays
Bay type Quantity 5.25" Two (One available) 3.5" Two (One available) Personal Media Drive One (One available) Pocket Media Drive One (One available)
Keyboard and mouse HP multimedia keyboard HP PS/2 optical mouse
Remote Control USB infrared remote control,Remote control expansion card with IR ports,IR emitter cable to transmit codes to a set top box

Based on what you've posted, your computer does not have the right tuner. You need a QAM tuner to record locals from FiOS, or a CableCard tuner to record all local and cable channels from FiOS.
QAM tuners to record local channels only
This requires Windows Vista or Windows 7
Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-2250
SiliconDust HDHomeRun (info on a sale)
CableCard tuner to record local and cable channels
This requires Windows 7 + one CableCard from Verizon for $3.99/mo
ATI TV Wonder Digital PC CableCard Tuner (records one channel at a time) -- $200-$250 on ebay
Ceton MOCUR tuner (records four channels at a time) -- coming in early 2010 for $400-$600
Make sure your computer has Windows 7 Home Premium (or better) installed. That's necessary to support CableCard tuners.
If you are the original poster (OP) and your issue is solved, please remember to click the "Solution?" button so that others can more easily find it.

Windows Media Center on my HP TouchSmart PC won't switch channels on my attached Cable Box.

Have a Motorola DCX3501-M DVR (cable box) connected to my HP TouchSmart PC (Win 7 64-bit) in order to view and record HDTV channels. Problem is I can't get Windows Media Center to communicate with the cable box properly, e.g., when I select a channel to view in WMC (using the PC's remote control) it does not tell the cable box to switch to that channel. I have the IR cable connected from the rear of the PC and affixed to the front panel of the cable box. How can I get the cable box to work properly with this PC?

Hello Curly2U:
Did you connect the IR cables correctly ?http://www.motorola.com/staticfiles/Video-Solutions/Products/Video-CPE/All-Digital-Set-Tops/DCX3501-... Now I look up your cable box. Take the IR cable that is connected from p.c. IR out port and plug the other end directly into EXT IR IN port. Next to IEEE 1384 and Power Cord ports. I really do not see how a p.c. remote can control any thing but the computer because these remotes do not have a option to add codes to them like a universal remote does. They also do not have special butons to allow you to contol other devices such as tv's or stereos and cable boxes like a universal remote does. I checked our Help and Support and did not see anything about mentioning controlling other devices.
You might want to by pass the cable box altogether and directly plug the cable antenna wire directly into the computer and see if it can tune in cable channels. You might not need the cable box after all. There are two antenna ports on your computer try switching the cable antenna arround. I found out one antenna port olnly picked up one channel and when I switched the cable cable arround I was able to pick up all the channels.

Windows 7 as a media center extender?

I have a Vista Ultimate box that I use as my media center. I have a notebook with Windows 7 installed on it that I would like to use as a media center extender. Is this possible?
For the life of me I can't seem to figure it out. My Vista machine hasn't given me the notice of a new media center PC on the network like it does when a new Vista media center shows up...
Appreciate any guidance....

Hi there, I asked the following question over at the Windows 7 beta QnA and got silence, and from what I am reading here, I thought perhaps you could answer. This may be an odd place to post new questions (in mid-discussion) but it seems on topic, and I didn't want to waste readers' time by posting a new topic.
Will Windows 7 stream to another PC or "Play To" recorded TV files that were recorded using WMC?Will
other Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP PCs be able to play
recorded TV streams from a Windows 7 machine over a home network?
If
so, will those PCs be able to get all the show info such as title, time
and date, episode summary, etc in order to navigate and choose the
correct recorded TV episode?
Another, similar question is will Windows
7 be able to act as a software-based media center extender for another
machine (Windows 7, Vista Home Premium or Ultimate, or XP MCE) running
Windows Media Center?
One more question is...is any of this possible in Windows Vista? I have one PC with Vista that I use as my media center/DVR and my other systems in the house are running Xp or Mac O/S. I can share and then access the recorded TV folder via my network and play the files on the other systems in the house (yes, even the Mac) but I don't get any of the fantastic WMC front-end UI, which turns out to be more than just a pretty wrapper slapped on it, because it also gives specific episode names, recording dates, and episode summaries, and groups the episodes per series(if desired). When combing the files via a network share, the naming convention is all convoluted and the experience is not very intuitive. I could use an extender such as the xbox 360 to watch this stuff on tv, but it is more convenient to watching on my computers.

Media Center Deluxe II

I've lost my Media Center Deluxe II Original CD. Will it be possible for me to get a copy of it again.
My GFX is FX5600-VTDR256. I can post out my card serial no. or take a snapshot of my gfx card
for verification purposes. I need to reinstall my HTPC. Thanks.
Regards,
Vincent

Quote from: ltwvince on 27-February-06, 02:41:55
That is the upgrade patch to release 3.. I'm trying to get back the full version installation disc which i'd lost quite sometimes ago.
thanks anyway.
Take a look again, II is there, along with the patches
http://www.msi.com.tw/program/support/driver/dvr/spt_dvr_list.php?part=2&kind=14&CHIP=14&ID=1

Recorded TV - from Windows Media Center to iTunes

Is it possible to import recorded TV from Win Media Center to iTunes?

Sure, if you convert it to a iTunes compatible MP4 file. There are lots of Third Party iPod Video converters. Do a search for Videora, it's free and easy to convert from DVR-MS to MP4

Video Playback Flicker Windows 7/8 Media Center? Disable Intel Dynamic Contrast to stop it

If you bought a Mac Mini for use as a Windows Media Center DVR Computer like me, you'll notice a background flicker on live tv or recorded tv.
Mine is the Mac Mini (Late 2012 Model) with Intel HD 4000 Graphics
If you go into the Intel Graphics and Media Control Panel. (icon in lower right) Go to Graphics Properties, Advanced Mode, Media, Image Enhancement, and UN-check the box for "Adaptive Contrast Enhanscement"
Video will then be flicker free! (aka 29/59 bug)
Here's a video that walks you through it.
http://youtu.be/9g6Z1sWOOIA
Also, if you have white snow, or video blank outs their is a firmware update for the Mac Mini 2012 model itself. I use Boot Camp, so my Mac OS X Mountain Lion side could update things when needed. (but leave the machine running 99% of the time in Windows 8 as my DVR)
I learned this from:
http://www.thegreenbutton.tv/forums/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=4022
http://www.avsforum.com/t/1439885/screen-flickering-in-wmc-during-video-playback -have-intel-hd-4000-graphics

Great tip/post, thanks!

N95 and windows media center..

the 2 don`t seem to like each other .. so i`m now stuck with a laptop that will not talk to my mobile .....the laptop says it is a reconized
has anyone got any ideas how to get round this .. please

I do not think you can do this unless you can convert the Windows Media Center recording to a type of file which is supported by Verizon Media Manager. Media Center files have an extension of *.dvr-ms. Verizon Media Manager ONLY supports .avi, .wmv, .flv, 3gp/3g2, .mpg(non-mpeg 2 videos) and .mp4/m4v files. I have been meaning to try this as well, but have not yet.
Can anyone recommend a good and free video converter for this?
Blame MS for this... that is using a propriety video format...
Let us know if successful.
-oceanx

WET610N and streaming Netflix or Windows 7 Media Center

I am trying to find out if I can use the WET610N to stream Netflix, my Windows 7 Media Center and DirecTV VOD to my HDTV.
Also, what is the best way to configure: 1) use the CD or 2) let the DirecTV HD DVR
Hardware: Linksys Router, wireless PC with WIndows 7 and Media Center, Panasonic HDTV, DirecTV DVR and I'd like to get the above mentioned to work.
Thanks. HmS-PA

The best way to configure your WET610N is to connect the WET to the Router and run the setup disk on your computer and configure all the settings on it (SSID, Channel, Security Key).... Once you are done with all these configuration changes, then you need to Unplug the Power and the Ethernet Cable from the Bridge and then, connect the Bridge to your DirecTV HD DVR and then plug the power to the WET...

Mac + Windows Media Center

I currently have both a pc and a new Macbook. On my pc i use Windows Media Center to record tv shows that i've missed. I'm able to network the two computers to view and share files however i can't play the recorded shows on my Mac. I see them in the shared file but its not opening it. It says "Error opening movie". Can anyone please help me? I'd really like to watch my recorded shows from my Mac laptop and not have to be stuck behind my pc. Please Help???
Thanks

You need to export the Media Centre recordings into a format which will be viewable on the Mac.
Taken from the Media Portal Forums
Here is a quick guide to strip off the ASF wrapper MS use for their DVR-MS file format. This is used in MediaPortal for recording with MPEG-2 capture cards like the Hauppauge PVR-250 / 350 models.
What you need to have...
1. Graphedit http://www.digital-digest.com/dvd/downloads/graphedit.html
2. Cyberlink DirectShow filters MPGMUX.AX & CLDUMP.AX (You'll have to find these)
What you need to do...
1. If not done already register the two filters listed above from the directory where they have been installed.
regsvr32.exe MPGMUX.AX
regsvr32.exe CLDUMP.AX
2. Start Graphedit and the click 'File' then 'Render Media File'
3. Choose the *.DVR-MS file you wish to make into a *.MPG equivalent.
This will automatically build a Graph ultimately providing an output to the Video Renderer and Default DirectSound Device.
4. Remove all filters except the *.DVR-MS output box.
5. Click on 'Graph' then 'Insert Filters' within Graph Edit.
6. Go to the 'Direct Show Filters' section and add 'Cyberlink MPEG Muxer' (MPGMUX.AX) to the Graph.
7. Now add the 'Cyberlink Dump Filter' (CLDUMP.AX) to the Graph and it will prompt for a filename give it a name with a .MPG extension. i.e. Test.mpg.
8. Leave the Filter addition window and connect the DVR Out-1 connector to Audio In on the 'Cyberlink MPEG Muxer' on the Graph.
9. Also connect the DVR Out-2 connector to Video In on the 'Cyberlink MPEG Muxer'
10. Next connect the Output pin from the 'Cyberlink MPEG Muxer' to the 'Cyberlink Dump Filter'
11. You are now ready to get your MPG equivalent file click on 'Graph' and then 'Play' (or click the green play button)
12. You'll notice a green progress indicator moving from left to right. Once complete you will have successfully dumped your MPG file in the same quality it was recorded without re-encoding!!!
Note: The MPG file should be slightly smaller the the original. Don't worry if they are not exactly the same size as we have stripped off the ASF guff.
You can do what you want with the MPEG file. i.e. Convert to AVI, Deinterlace it, Crop It, Resize it, Burn it to DVD/SVCD...etc etc
It worked fine with the two files I tried, but I then ran out of time to try doing something with the resulting MPG files. As I was using RDC to connect into the Media Centre, even playing them wouldn't work as expected. I did try VirtualDub but it didn't like the mpg file, but I am not sure if this was a RDC issue or an issue with the mpg files.

Win7 media center streaming video

Hi, not too sure if this is the right area but the closest i could locate. First off, except for what I'm trying to do, every thing appears to be working fine.
I'll give the hardware 1st-i have a WET610N hooked up to a HD/DVR (directv) the VOD works fine.
A dell XPS400 hard wired to a WRT400N. The wireless computers (both G and N) connect and work fine and connects with ATT DSL fine.
I set up the 610N using the CD and following directions(hardwired to router 1st then connected to the HD/DVR.
All currently used computers are using Win7 (and so far working fine)
What I'm trying to do is watch the recorded programs on the DVR on the computer(XPS400). When I run media center it locates the DVR and even lists the recorded programs but they all have zero times listed. If I click on one the computer appears to be downloading them, then I get a wrong file format error. Is this saying directv stores their files in a funky format and media center can not play them? Is there a fix for this or a different way besides media center to play them. Haven't tried going from the computer to the tv yet but I have a feeling it'll work-I looked over (quickly) directv's media share in the HD/DVR and looks like if i have the files in the correct dir that the dvr will find them.
Hopefully I explained what I'm trying to do-watch recorded programs from the HD/DVR on the computer.
thanks

as far as i know i'm up to date on the codecs. i've beel looking and also have win updates set.
i loaded that program and it finds and works with the other networked computers but it does not list the directv (media center) or list any of the computers as a media server (like win media center does)
i saw there was a network setup in the program but have no idea what to put in the blanks. it looks like it's more for use with the internet although it might be able to use on a personal network but i have no idea how to go about setting it up.
i did check to see if the directv media server will work with the computers and it does(atleast the music on my desktop)
there is a program out there from directv called directv2pc but it checks the computer and on the dell xps400 or the hp g60-441 neither passed their test(video, although they passed the requirements for win7 -- i did have to update a video crd in a different desktop) and i have the most current drivers on both of them. seems like they require top of the line equiptment although these computers seem to work for other video streaming and as far as i can tell it doesn't load anything if it doesn't pass.
i know i can't be the only one that wants to stream from the dvr to the computers and there has to be a way to do it.

Mac Mini - Media Center and Multiple HDTVs

I am interested in using the Mac Mini as my Media Center and would like to have it output to 2 HDTV's. One in the family room and one in the bedroom for instance. However, I want to play different content at the same time on both TV's. What is the best way to accomplish this?
2 Mac Minis - 1 for each TV?
1 Mac Mini and an AppleTV - Networked?
Software or Device that I am unaware of that could stream different content to different TVs simultaneously?
Thanks for your help!
JM

All my itunes music and videos, Netflix Streaming, Hulu, Amazon VOD etc., over the air HD content, any of my stored photos, DVD's that are on my hard drives.
That lets out the Apple TV, then, without hacking the box. Running a couple of Mac minis with third-party software such as Boxee might be an option.
I want preferably one device that can access everything the internet has to provide as far as TV and Movies.
Not possible since there are so many different providers and formats, but you can come close.
I want it to also take my over the air signals from the rooftop HDTV antennae and act as a DVR.
That would require a system such as the units from El Gato or Miglia.
I then would like for it to be able to network to my air, iphone, etc. so that I can then access all of this content remotely from anywhere in the world or take it with me.
For that you'd probably need a Slingbox, unless someone here knows of software that would do the same job.
Then, if it could all be controlled by one remote.....perfect.
That probably will take one of the higher-end AV control systems to be able to control multiple devices, particularly multiple computers, all stored in an AV closet, from a single remote.
I hope this helps some. If you do a web search for "mac mini media center", you'll find a number of sites and articles from people who've been doing the same sort of thing you're talking about, though perhaps not in such a complex setup. Those experiences might be useful to you.
Regards.
Message was edited by: Dave Sawyer

Media in CD / DVD drive not writeable by Media Center

I have a Qosmio F20 laptop running Windows XP Media Center 2005 edition, when I try and record my recorded tv program onto a DVR+RW I get the following error message,
Media in the CD/DVD drive is not writeable by Media Center
I have update rollup 2 installed.
Rgds

Many thanks for the info above. Ive looked at those pages but was not able to find the solution.
I can record using the installed Sonic recording package onto all of my discs, CDR CDRW DVD+RW with no problem.
I just wanted to record via Media Center in the hope that it would play on my DVD player attached to my TV.
My CD drive model is UJ-840S so I hoped I woudnt have the problem. As the info from Microsoft says that its
the UJ-846S that may not work without installing Update Rollup 2 for Media Center.
I saw the following explanation on the Microsoft page http://support.microsoft.com/kb/909083
The computer is using a DVD-RAM drive that was not supported in the initial release of Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005. For example, the problem is known to occur when you use the Matsu****a DVD-RAM drive model UJ-846S. This drive was not supported in the initial release of Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005.
Update Rollup 2 for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 adds support for additional drives, including the Matsu****a DVD-RAM drive model UJ-846S. Without these updates installed, the UJ-846S drive will correctly recognize DVD-R, DVD-RW, and DVD-RAM discs. However, the drive will not recognize CD-R, CD-RW, and DVD+RW discs.
To determine the model of optical drive that is installed in the computer, follow these steps:
1. Click START click RUN type MSINFO32 and then click OK
2. In System Information expand COMPONENTS
3. Click CD-ROM The mode of the optical drive is displayed in the NAME section.
I will keep trying various Microsoft solutions and come back If I find the answer.
Thanks again.
Mike
Message was edited by: miketurner201

Media Center DVR vs plain HD DVR

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