# Who has windows media center and uses it? **URL:** \ **Category:** NYSpeed Off Topic\ **Created:** [May 9, 2006, 7:57pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/who-has-windows-media-center-and-uses-it/11837 "2006-05-09T19:57:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tunerfreak](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/tunerfreak/32/7427_2.png) [@Tunerfreak](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Tunerfreak)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2006, 7:57pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/who-has-windows-media-center-and-uses-it/11837/1 "2006-05-09T19:57:18Z")
on my new computer i have windoes media center and i recorded that bird flu movie that ABC showed today and im trying to watch it but it freezes every 10 seconds or so and stays like that untill i hit the skip button which it starts up at the spot again and freezes 10 seconds later. at that rate it will take me forever to watch it anyone know whats wrong or how i can fix it, it annoying. i have regular cable if that matters any ---
**Author:** ![Onyx\_Z32](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/onyx_z32/32/7581_2.png) [@Onyx\_Z32](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Onyx_Z32)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2006, 8:28pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/who-has-windows-media-center-and-uses-it/11837/2 "2006-05-09T20:28:21Z")
If you’re running Windows Media Player in the background or have it open, sometimes it screws with it. If this computer is new, check for updates (there are a few for Media Center) and make sure you’re video drivers are up to date. I had a few quirks with mine that were fixed with some Microsoft patches. ---
**Author:** ![Tunerfreak](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/tunerfreak/32/7427_2.png) [@Tunerfreak](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Tunerfreak)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2006, 8:42pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/who-has-windows-media-center-and-uses-it/11837/3 "2006-05-09T20:42:18Z")
yea im updating it now from the windows site but i had it set to where it optimizes itself i thought that meant updates itself but i guess not ---
**Author:** ![Tunerfreak](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/tunerfreak/32/7427_2.png) [@Tunerfreak](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Tunerfreak)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2006, 8:53pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/who-has-windows-media-center-and-uses-it/11837/4 "2006-05-09T20:53:52Z")
oh also where do the video files get saved to usually? ---
**Author:** ![Onyx\_Z32](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/onyx_z32/32/7581_2.png) [@Onyx\_Z32](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Onyx_Z32)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2006, 10:37pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/who-has-windows-media-center-and-uses-it/11837/5 "2006-05-09T22:37:51Z")
I dunno… I’ve never looked. ---
**Author:** ![Tunerfreak](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/tunerfreak/32/7427_2.png) [@Tunerfreak](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Tunerfreak)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2006, 10:54pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/who-has-windows-media-center-and-uses-it/11837/6 "2006-05-09T22:54:22Z")
downloaded the updates and it still does it so i resorted to _gasp_ emailing microsoft ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Stevil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/da6949/32.png) [@Dr.Stevil](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Dr.Stevil)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 6:42am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/who-has-windows-media-center-and-uses-it/11837/7 "2006-05-10T06:42:13Z")
honestly… dont even bother with media center IMHO. I never had much luck with it, not to mention it’s kind of a PITA. what kind of tuner card are you running? Honestly… the BEST program I’ve found for “tivo” type of viewing is Snapstreams Beyond TV. Full program guide, can rewind/fast forward TV, set scheduled recording (even remotly… can pick from ALL of a certin show, or only new episodes, ect), fully compatible with most remotes, WAY more compression/video options, HDTV support, can compress clips automatically to save space (gotta set it up though) GREAT image quality (better than wintv IMO) and just a bunch of small features that you dont even notice until you dont have them anymore. no subscription fees for program guide data, only got to pay one flat price (I hink it’s around 70.00… but worth every penny). Orrrrr, you can get the pirated one… but you wont be able to download new guide data (which screws with some of the other nice features of the program). go try it out… you get like a 21 day free trial… as soon as my trial is up, I’m buying it 🙂 [http://www.snapstream.com/products/beyondtv/default.asp](http://www.snapstream.com/products/beyondtv/default.asp) ---
**Author:** ![Tunerfreak](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/tunerfreak/32/7427_2.png) [@Tunerfreak](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Tunerfreak)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 8:23am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/who-has-windows-media-center-and-uses-it/11837/8 "2006-05-10T08:23:29Z")
i have no clue what tuner card i have its just one that came with the computer so its probably nothin spectacular. would that be y the picture is so crappywhen i watch it on the monitor cause my tv gives a better picture than my computer does ---
**Author:** ![MaximaSE98](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/maximase98/32/7600_2.png) [@MaximaSE98](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/MaximaSE98)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 8:25am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/who-has-windows-media-center-and-uses-it/11837/9 "2006-05-10T08:25:44Z")
i use it all the time…mostly for watching DVDs though…can u make it ur default video player. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Stevil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/da6949/32.png) [@Dr.Stevil](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Dr.Stevil)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 9:29am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/who-has-windows-media-center-and-uses-it/11837/10 "2006-05-10T09:29:49Z")
I bet that you probably have an ATi all in wonder does the coax connector come out @ the same spot that the VGA does? like I said… give it a try :tup: you wont be dissappointed. Just got to go thru and set it up the way you want it (you can use your 3dfx card for de-interlacing aswell). buuuut… unless you go back and clean the video up POST recording, the picture will never “look” as good as it does on a TV (especially running it on a monitor thats native resolution is ALOT higher than a TV’s)… atleast in full screen, in a window (atleast on mine) it looks fantastic. ---
**Author:** ![BuickGN](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/buickgn/32/7200_2.png) [@BuickGN](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/BuickGN)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 10:04am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/who-has-windows-media-center-and-uses-it/11837/11 "2006-05-10T10:04:40Z")
i use it combined with my 360, works great. media extender\> ---
**Author:** ![Tunerfreak](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/tunerfreak/32/7427_2.png) [@Tunerfreak](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Tunerfreak)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 11:57am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/who-has-windows-media-center-and-uses-it/11837/12 "2006-05-10T11:57:23Z")
> [@SC\_Steve](#): > > I bet that you probably have an ATi all in wonder > > does the coax connector come out @ the same spot that the VGA does? > > like I said… give it a try :tup: you wont be dissappointed. Just got to go thru and set it up the way you want it (you can use your 3dfx card for de-interlacing aswell). > > buuuut… unless you go back and clean the video up POST recording, the picture will never “look” as good as it does on a TV (especially running it on a monitor thats native resolution is ALOT higher than a TV’s)… atleast in full screen, in a window (atleast on mine) it looks fantastic. what do u mean coax? the thing i plug the cable wire into? no it dont come out at the same spot its a card that it comes out of. also how do i clean the video up? and there is no way to get the pictuer better when watching live tv cause it like u said it looks great then in a window but all pixely/blury when full screen ---
**Author:** ![Tunerfreak](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/tunerfreak/32/7427_2.png) [@Tunerfreak](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Tunerfreak)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 9:12am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/who-has-windows-media-center-and-uses-it/11837/13 "2006-05-11T09:12:00Z")
i got an email back and they said that it could be an “installation error” and want me to reinstall windows and im not goin to do all that and lose everything on my computer so it looks like ill be buying that program u suggested. so how do u clean up recorded video like u said? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Stevil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/da6949/32.png) [@Dr.Stevil](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Dr.Stevil)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 10:12am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/who-has-windows-media-center-and-uses-it/11837/14 "2006-05-11T10:12:08Z")
> [@Tunerfreak](#): > > what do u mean coax? the thing i plug the cable wire into? no it dont come out at the same spot its a card that it comes out of. > > also how do i clean the video up? and there is no way to get the pictuer better when watching live tv cause it like u said it looks great then in a window but all pixely/blury when full screen yeah, that is what I meant. So I take it you bought the PC with the card already in it? well… depends on the signal/station, as well as it’s de-interlacing settings (basiclly… combines scanlines/frames that are normally not noticible on regular tv), filters applied, if the tuner has harware decoding (or if it uses software), ect, ect. honestly… drivers can cause it to look poor aswell. on my 20" CRT… @ full screen, it really doesnt look bad at all (maybe a little “grainy” at times)… but from a foot or two away, you dont even really notice it ---
**Author:** ![Tunerfreak](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/tunerfreak/32/7427_2.png) [@Tunerfreak](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Tunerfreak)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 10:49am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/who-has-windows-media-center-and-uses-it/11837/15 "2006-05-11T10:49:45Z")
> [@SC\_Steve](#): > > yeah, that is what I meant. So I take it you bought the PC with the card already in it? > > well… depends on the signal/station, as well as it’s de-interlacing settings (basiclly… combines scanlines/frames that are normally not noticible on regular tv), filters applied, if the tuner has harware decoding (or if it uses software), ect, ect. > > honestly… drivers can cause it to look poor aswell. on my 20" CRT… @ full screen, it really doesnt look bad at all (maybe a little “grainy” at times)… but from a foot or two away, you dont even really notice it yea i have a 20" screen too and its the same for me it looks good from a distance and yes the card was already in it. maybe im expecting to much out of the picture but i just figured better HD monitor that the picture would be way better than my tv’s ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Stevil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/da6949/32.png) [@Dr.Stevil](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Dr.Stevil)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 11:14am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/who-has-windows-media-center-and-uses-it/11837/16 "2006-05-11T11:14:52Z")
oh, I see what your saying… yeah, deffinity wont get hd quality (unless of course you get a HD tuner card) I’ve been thinking about picking one up myself, so when I do I’ll shoot ya some screen shots if ya want. Plus having a seperate tuner is nice so you can record one show, while watching another