Hacking Windows7 MediaCenter

The sheer number of media formats and codecs available today is enough to make anyone just turn around and walk away from Media Center for good. Luckily there are a few guides on Hack7MC that can help steer you in the right direction.

Ripping Your DVD Collection

The first step is choosing how to rip your DVDs from those annoying plastic donuts that get scratched up, banged up and lost. The MKV file format is one of the most popular for HTPC users. One of the best programs around for ripping your DVDs to MKV is Handbrake. Handbrake is a free open-source program that will never cost you a dime but is priceless to those of us ripping large DVD collections. Check out the Hack7MC guide on Bringing Your DVDs To Media Center to get started.

The MKV format isn’t playable through extenders however and if you plan to use one you may want to look at another option. Although Handbrake can encode in a number of popular formats, BitRipper can encode your movies into any format you have a codec installed for. This can make it one of the most valuable tools in your arsenal, giving you the ability to encode in any number of formats while future-proofing itself as well. This guide to Ripping DVDs with BitRipper should get you going.

Playing Your Collection – What Codecs?

Once you’ve chosen your ripping method, however, you still need to get those files to play nice with your HTPC setup. Finding the right codecs can be even more difficult than finding the right ripping software. The sheer number of choices is unbelievable. Fortunately, there a few that stand out above the rest.

For people looking for the simplest solution, generally they are looking for a codec pack. Shark007’s Codec Pack has become one of the most popular solutions for HTPC users. The benefit of this solution is that it just works. There is little to configure after installation and it plays all the most popular codecs right out of the box. To get started read the article on Playing MKVs in Media Center and your setup will be running in no time.

Many enthusiasts are adverse to using codec packs however, due to the lack of control over what is being installed. Many less worthy codec packs are bloated and can severely impact performance. The most popular solution to the bloated packs is to use FFDShow Tryouts. These small packages can play nearly every format and you have precise control over what is used. Installing these compact codecs is covered in MKVs for Minimalists on Windows 7. 

Configuring Your Codecs

The next step can be just as daunting as the first two for beginners. Configuring your codecs to perform properly is just as important, if not more so, than choosing the correct codecs.

For those that chose the FFDShow route, there are a few guides here on Hack7MC to get you going. This guide on Simple FFDShow Audio Settings can get your audio playback up to par. After looking that over you can move on to video settings with this guide on Using FFDShow Video in Media Center.

But what if something goes wrong? Well you should Check Your Codecs Using GraphStudio and if that doesn’t work you can always post a comment on Hack7MC!

As Always, Subscribe to the RSS Feed or Follow on Twitter to guarantee you stay on top of the latest tips, tricks and hacks for your Media Center setup.

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Tagged As: codec, dvd, programs, settings, windows 7

Finding the right application to move your movie collection from the shelf to your Media Center can be a difficult decision. Sometimes the best solution is to just keep it simple. There are plenty of applications that will deluge you with various options and settings. BitRipper is another beast altogether.

BitRipper’s interface is minimalistic, showing you just what you need to get the job done. It doesn’t skimp on anything important though. You can still fine tune your encoding to suit your particular needs, whether it be high quality non-compressed transfers or something a little more compact.

Once you’ve got your disk inserted and BitRipper has detected it, you can select the track you wish to copy off the disk from the drop down box. This can be convenient for multi-episode content such as TV series. Typically, single part disks will be the longest track listed.

Entering the settings area, you are presented with the option to encode your files using any of the encoding codecs found on your system. One of the most popular codecs for encoding video files can be downloaded for free at DivX.com. For this encode the latest version of DivX, DivX 7, was downloaded and only the base codecs have been installed.

The default DivX settings provided very good results for this encoding but you can edit the encoder properties by selecting “Configure..” to the right of the codec selection. Each codec will have different settings and you might need to refer to the codec’s website for further instructions. Also, for this run the audio codec was set to “Uncompressed Audio”. Audio won’t take up much room compared to the  video stream so compression isn’t necessarily a big concern.

Once you’ve finished tweaking the codec settings to your heart’s content, return to the main window. After the initial setup simply choose the track, set the output file name and then start ripping. This simple little application has been streamlined to provide a fast and easy interface.

Once the process has completed you’re ready to view your fresh video encode. If the results of your encode are less than you expected you can go back and tweak the codec settings. Using the default DivX settings output very good results on this test file and shouldn’t need much tweaking.

Using BitRipper was a fast and streamlined experience that would be easy for even the most novice of users. The simple interface lends itself to ease of use, with just a few clicks you’re on your way to moving your movie or TV series collection over to your Media Center.

Its hard to go wrong with BitRipper but if you’re looking for something with a few more options and settings you can also check out this guide on Handbrake, another freeware option. Handbrake provides a few more options in a bit more complicated interface.

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Tagged As: codec, dvd, programs

Windows 7 Media Center’s Movie Library is good, certainly much better than it’s predecessors, but still somewhat lacking. Features like fanart and automatic retrieval of metadata have long been standards in other media center applications. While 7MC has come a long way these features are still sorely missed.

This is where a plug-in called Media Browser comes in. Media Browser provides an alternative to the default Movie Library by scanning a your video folders and letting you browse a folder based structure instead of simply piling everything into one section. Just this makes Media Browser a worthwhile download for anyone who has several different types of videos such as Movies and Television Series DVDs.

On the first run there is a prompt that allows you to set some basic options that can also be changed through the user interface later on. Set the startup folder to the base folder for your movie collection and Movie Browser will begin to scan for content. This is where Media Center really begins to kick.

Not only will Media Browser display a list of your movies in several different display formats it will also automatically retrieve information for each of your titles. As long as your folders have the appropriate name for the movie a good amount of metadata including covers, description, fanart, actors, genre and more will be pulled down without having to do any extra work. This setup is much easier than locating dvdid.xml for each of your titles for the default Movie Library. It’s not a perfect system however, small differences in titles can be the difference between getting the correct metadata and getting nothing.

The various display types are easy to cycle through using the menus located at the top of the display. Media Browser can arrange your media on several different criteria from the metadata that has been retrieved. This level of customization ensures each user can find a display that is comfortable and easy to use.

While Media Browser has support for TV series metadata as well the base support isn’t quite as solid at this point as the regular movie sections. A trip to the Media Browser forums and you can find several solutions to finding the appropriate information for your series.

A strong community at present provides even further options for customizing the plug-in. There are several programs provided from forum goers for doing any number of tasks such as retrieving TV Series metadata and even HD movie trailers.

Media Browser is definitely a solid solution for anyone looking to move away from the default Move Library to something a little more robust. Though this plug-in doesn’t currently integrate with the main menu in Windows 7 MC it can still be found under the Extras Library and added to the Extras menu from there.

Head on over to the Media Browser forums to pick up your download of this fine plug-in and give it a run on your Media Center today, you won’t regret it. Be sure to check back to Hack7MC for more coverage of this app in the future as well. Follow on Twitter or subscribe to the RSS feed for even easier access!

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Tagged As: dvd, featured, media browser, movie library, plugins

Acquiring details for your Media Center’s Movie Library can be difficult.  Built-In support for adding this information is slim and complicated, furthermore it can’t be edited by the end user.  You’re stuck with what you get.  There are a few other options like DVDXml.com,  though searching for all those movies on the DVDXml.com website can get tiring. Fortunately, there is another option: DVD Library Manager.

DVD Library Manager allows you to download movie information from Amazon or IMDB then save the movie details and even cover art to your media center.  Even better, you can edit the information once it has been entered into the system.  Managing your movie information with DVD Library Manager is a snap.

Before using DVD Library Manager, however, you should know that it will only pick up movies with a folder named “Video_TS” inside.  You can add this as a blank folder under each movie folder, for example “C:\Movies\Movie Title\Video_TS”. After using DVD Library Manager, however, you will most likely need to go back and remove this folder from wherever it has been added. An easy way to do this is using the Windows Explorer search box at the top right corner of Windows Explorer.

First, download the latest available version of the program from The Green Button forums right here. Once the program is installed give it an initial run, if your movies are stored in the default Media Center locations you should see a list of movies populate the main view.

If your movies aren’t loaded into the main view you may need to change some settings by clicking the settings tab on the main toolbar. Once inside the settings you will see the default media locations and a second area for adding additional folders.  Add your movie locations and save your settings.

Once you’ve got all your movies listed inside the main interface you’ll want to go through all the incomplete entries and scan for information. Doing this is quite simple, double-click on any incomplete entries to bring up the details view.

Your view will most likely contain missing or incomplete information and may or may not have a cover. To rectify the situation you can scan one of two databases to get new information, Amazon and IMDB. At the time of this article the option for scanning IMDB was not working due most likely to changes in the IMDB site.

Once you’ve found the right title and information for your movie you can make edits to the information either in this window or in the previous window.  To save your new information and return to the details window press “Select Movie”. From the details window you can make any edits you wish or select different cover art from another location. Once you’re happy with the results press the “Save” button on the details toolbar.

Windows 7 Media Center also has the ability to pull down further information from the internet for your movies from inside Media Center.  This function seems to work best when your movie’s title contains no additional information such as “widescreen”, “full screen”, “collectors edition”, etc.

Continue on this way until you’re satisfied with your collection’s details.  Each movie will be saved through the details screen and there is no need to save details again in the main view before exiting.  If you’d like to see cover art in the main view as well there is an option under the advanced tab in the main window that will allow this.

DVD Library Manager is a simple way to automate your DVD collection info gathering.  Though it is still somewhat labor intensive it is slightly easier than DVDXml.com.  Whichever method you choose provides much better results than Media Center. Have fun with your newly detailed and polished Movie Library.

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Tagged As: dvd, dvdxml, movie library, programs, synopsis

Hard drive space isn’t necessarily expensive, that is until you consider the amount of disk space required to archive your 300+ disk DVD collection to your Media Center pc. With each regular DVD clocking in at around 4gb, let’s not even mention bluray disks, the cost can add up quickly.

So what we need is a way to compress those movies while keeping the quality but saving some space (and cash!). This is where a little program called Handbrake comes in. Handbrake is an open-source program free to download from their site for a variety of platforms.

At first glance the user interface may seem slightly confusing but it’s actually quite a simple affair to get started with some basic DVD ripping (DVD encryptions are not circumvented by Handbrake and will require a separate program such as AnyDVD from Slysoft).

Step one after you’ve inserted your original DVD is to set Handbrake to the appropriate source. To do this simply click the source button located at the upper left hand corner of the interface and select your DVD from the dropdown menu that appears.

Handbrake will then scan the disk for track information and select what it believes is the main track containing the movie. If you believe for some reason it has selected incorrectly you can adjust the selection under the drop box labeled “Title.” Then under “Destination” hit the browse button to set the location you want your compressed DVD file to be located.

Next we set our video and audio settings, including the amount of compression we want on our disk. These settings will effect the quality of the file we get back, more compression means a lower quality file being output. Picture settings can typically be left at their default settings unless you have a particular reason for changing a setting such as deinterlacing or noise reduction. Selecting the Video tab will bring up the options for video compression that we will be looking at first.

Here we can set either the output size or the average bitrate of the output file we want. Typically a 1/4 compression will result in minimal picture loss, for a typical DVD 850mb-1gb is generally a good range for the target output size. Entering a target size in MB will tell the program to automatically calculate the average output bitrate making our task a little simpler on us. Then we can move on to the audio settings.

On this tab you can select your audio encoding preferences, high quality audio isn’t a problem when encoding DVDs to your hard disk as the audio will only add a few megs to the output size. Selecting AC3 under the Audio Codec drop box will set the output audio to a format that will lose no data from the original DVD and is an optimal setting.

Finally, hit the Start button located at the top and the conversion process will start. A cmd dialog will appear and show you the status of your encoding. This process can take anywhere from an hour to several depending on how powerful your pc and the settings you’ve chosen. Once the dialog has closed your encoding is complete and you can navigate to your destination directory to give it a play and be sure the output is to your liking.

There are a large number of additional options in Handbrake not covered here that you are free to play around with including a number of presets on the right hand side. At this point, however, that is up to your own experimentation, have fun!

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Tagged As: codec, dvd, handbrake, movie library

Adding that extra information to your native Movie Library inside Windows 7 Media Center is currently a cumbersome process for those of us who don’t have the space to store the entire DVD contents to our hard drives. Most of us prefer to use compression such as AVI, MPG or MKV files to store our DVD files to our hard drives saving us both space and money on storage. The problem this presents inside the Movie Library, however, is we lose all that valuable extra information 7MC pulls down from the internet for DVDs.

There is a solution to this problem though. The solution at the moment can be a bit tedious as there aren’t any software solutions that can be used to scrape the proper information to your hard disk automatically like you could formerly do with My Movies. It seems that for now the information that My Movies pulls down isn’t compatible with Windows 7’s Media Center. There is an alternative source for these valuable XML files but it’s a rough ride if you have a big collection.

The best alternative source for the dvdid.xml files that 7MC uses to pull down this extra information is a website called dvdxml.com. As mentioned, however, using this method is far from a simple processes if you have a large movie collection. At present you have to sign up for dvdxml.com then search their database for your movie titles. After locating your movie in their database you simply download the xml file to the folder your movie is stored in. One thing to note with this method is that your movies should also be stored in separate folders, which is generally good practice anyway.

As mentioned, this process can take quite a while for those of us with larger movie collections but at the present it seems to be the only reliable method to collect the proper dvdid.xml files used by 7MC. Hopefully the future will bring us an application to pull down this information automatically and save us some precious time.

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Tagged As: dvd, dvdxml, movie library, synopsis