Hacking Windows7 MediaCenter

Windows 7 introduces some additional functionality to a feature that was added in Windows Vista, Windows Media Foundation. The goal of the Windows Media Foundation is to ease control of media playback for developers. The idea is to remove the need for individual codecs and instead rely on a single Windows package for media playback, much like DirectX does for game platforms.

In Windows 7, as noted on Microsoft MSDN, there have been some additional changes made to the Windows Media Foundation framework.

What's New in Windows 7

Microsoft Media Foundation was introduced in Windows Vista as the replacement for DirectShow. Of course, DirectShow is still supported in Windows 7, but developers are encouraged to use Media Foundation in their new digital media applications.

The improvements to Media Foundation can be summarized as follows:

• Better format support, including MPEG-4
• Support for capture devices and hardware codecs
• A simplified programming model
• Improvements to the platform

We are all fairly well aware that Windows 7 includes native support for certain formats, such as H.264, and it does this through the use of Windows Media Foundation. Media Center and Windows Media Player have both been updated to use this new framework in Windows 7. The benefit is added support for a number of codecs out of the box.

There is, however, a downside to this new implementation. The protected pipeline used in this new framework doesn’t allow outside access to user installed codecs for native formats by default. For instance, if you wanted to use FFDShow to decode avi files, which are natively supported by WMF. This means much like the (often indefinite) wait for x64 codecs and splitters users will once again be put to the sidelines to wait for updated decoders that use WMF.

Current work-arounds for this situation have led users to renaming system files and other chicanery in order to get their favorite codecs working through Media Center. In more recent versions of Windows 7’s beta, however, the ability to accomplish this hack has been crippled. The consensus seems to be that as of beta 7057, the rename hack no longer works.

It seems that once again users may be forced to wait on new solutions to the codec problem that have already been hard suffered for Windows Vista Media Center users. It seems we may once again be at the whim of those gracious programs who take it upon themselves to better Microsoft’s meager implementations and give us a little more control of our media.

Expect updates on Windows Media Foundation and Windows 7 Media Center in the near future. Keep up to date on the situation by subscribing to the Hack7MC RSS Feed or by following on Twitter.

Written by MHealy | 6 comments

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Tagged As: ac3filter, codec, ffdshow, windows 7, windows media foundation

The ability to backup and restore your recording schedule and guide listings in Media Center is something that will be necessary at some point for almost anyone. Unfortunately, up to this point Media Center doesn’t make it easy for the end user. On the bright side it isn’t very complicated either, you just need to know where to look.

Back ‘Em Up!

To begin with, Media Center creates backup files every time you schedule a new show or make modifications to the guide listings, you just need to find them. To get to the files you will need to enable the viewing of hidden folders, then open Windows Explorer and navigate to C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\eHome (by default). Inside you will find a folder, or series of folders, for each tuner you have installed marked “mcepgX-X-X”. Inside each of these folders you will find a backup folder containing backup files for listings, recordings, and subscriptions.

For each type of backup there will be a number of files inside named with a timestamp. The timestamp format is as follows:" “year month day – hour minutes seconds”. This makes it very simple to locate your most recent files. Luckily the files aren’t large at all however and you could easily backup the whole lot in most cases. For restoring the recording schedule only the latest file in recordings is needed.

Put ‘Em Back!

Once you’ve completed your reinstall of Windows 7, open Media Center and run through the setup as usual. Assuming no hardware changes or driver changes between reinstalls we should be set to continue. Retrieve your backup recordings file and copy it to your hard disk.

The file doesn’t need to be anywhere specific but placing it in the backups folder in your new “C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\eHome\mcepgx-x-x\” directory is probably a best practice. Now we will need to tell Media Center we’d like to load the information from the file. This is done through a program included in Windows 7 called “loadmxf” located in the “\Windows\ehome\” directory.

You can either open a command prompt by typing “cmd” into the start menu box or create a shortcut with the following text: “C:\Windows\ehome\loadmxf.exe –i FILELOCATION”. Replace the FILELOCATION with the location of the file to be loaded.

If using a shortcut, double-click to execute the command before continuing. Otherwise the recording schedule should be loaded into Media Center now. Loading lineup and subscription data from previous installs breaks things currently, so don’t do it!

Load ‘Em Up!

Once you’ve loaded the files back into Media Center you can see that your shows will be listed under series’ in Recorded TV’s Scheduled Recordings but no shows will be scheduled yet. Before we can load these you should be sure to have your channel lineup completed in the Media Center TV Guide. To get the proper times for each scheduled show you will need to reload Guide data.

To do this go to “Tasks > TV > Guide > Get Latest Guide Listings” and wait for the guide data to finish downloading. Then re-check your scheduled shows in Recorded TV. You should now see shows listed on the schedule to be recorded.

Congratulations. You have successfully backed up and restored your scheduled recordings.

Rawhide!

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Written by MHealy | 5 comments

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Tagged As: featured, listing, settings, tv guide, windows 7

  If you’ve been reading Hack7MC regularly you’ve probably noticed that a number of tools are used quite frequently. This quick list will get you on your way to doing some Media Center Hacking of your own in no time.

Find those Hidden Folders

By default, many of the folders Media Center uses to store data are hidden from the user. To get instant access to these folders in Windows Explorer, open Control Panel then Folder Options. On the View tab, scroll until you see the Hidden Files and Folders Section. Set this option to Show Hidden Files, Folders and Drives.

Take Control of Your Files

By default, Windows will lock the user out of access to certain system files, including many of those that affect Media Center. To get around this we can use the “Take Ownership” registry fix which allows us to right-click any file and take control. Just download the fix and double-click to apply it to your machine.

Always Make Backups!

Before getting into the programs used to hack Media Center’s system files it’s important to note you should always make backups. There is absolutely NO REASON to not take the time to place a copy of those files you’re editing in a safe folder. This can save you more time and headaches than all the others Media Center hacks combined.

A Few Good Programs

Now that we have access to all those hidden and locked files and folders let’s get a few programs to let us into the meat of those files. First we need to open a few .dll files to get to the good stuff inside.

Restorator is the perfect program for editing Media Center’s dll files. This program gives you the ability to extract the image and xml files contained inside each dll. Although there are many other choices in resource editing programs, Restorator is a perfect choice for it’s ability to work natively with PNG files used frequently in Media Center.

Once you’ve extracted those files from the dlls using Restorator, you’ll need a few good tools to edit them as well. One of the main types of files besides PNG files, which can be edited in most any image editor, are XML files. These can be edited in notepad but there’s a better way.

XML Notepad 2007 is a program from Microsoft that is free to download from the Microsoft Download Center. This program will simplify the way you work with XML files by breaking them down into an easy to navigate tree view. This setup is perfectly suited for edit Media Center’s XML files and the price tag can’t be beat.

Once you’ve got the tools you’re ready to set out on your own to try out a few Media Center modifications of your own. To find the bulk of Media Center’s files make your way to \Windows\ehome\ in Windows Explorer. The database and packages for Media Center are typically stored in \ProgramData and Users\Username\AppData folders. Just poke around, make sure you’ve got backups and have fun but remember who sent you! Let me know if you come up with a great new hack at mhealy@hack7mc.com and share it with the community.

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Tagged As: featured, install, programs, settings, windows 7

One of our readers, mrmoto, has dropped us a tip on repairing your broken Media Center system files. Since we’re all about hacking Windows 7 Media Center the need to repair what has been broken is sure to come up from time to time. Hopefully, this command line application should help to get you back up fast.

1. Click on the Start menu, choose All Programs, then Accessories, then right-click on the Command Prompt item and select Run as administrator
2. Click Continue to authorize opening a command prompt with administrative privileges
3. Run this command in the cmd prompt: sfc /scannow
4. The cmd prompt should list text stating "Beginning system scan. This process will take some time."
5. Wait for the scan to complete (this can take several minutes so be patient).  This command will scan all protected system files and attempt to replace incorrect versions with correct Microsoft versions
6. When the scan completes, the SFC tool will indicate whether or not it found any problems and whether or not it was able to fix them
7. If any errors are reported that SFC was unable to fix, there are steps in this knowledge base article that explain how to locate and attempt to fix the errors 
8. After fixing any errors that are found, try to use Windows Vista Media Center again

In place of step 7 you can also use the “Take Ownership” registry fix to take control of any files that SFC is unable to fix on a first run. Simply download the registry file and install the registry entry. Then once you’ve got the “Take Ownership” fix installed, right-click the problem file and select “Take Ownership”. Then attempt to run SFC again following the steps above.

As mentioned in mrmoto’s comments these steps originally come from Aaron Stebner on MSDN blogs.

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Tagged As: programs, windows 7

Spring is only a week away, let’s take a look at a few ways your can breathe some new life into your Media Center. These five hacks can put a whole new face on the Media Center interface bringing a sense of renewal to an old box.

Bring new life to the start menu

Digging through the extra programs menu in Windows 7 Media Center can be a hassle. Even when you’ve added items to the Extras menu it’s just not as convenient as it could be. Why not use this guide to Add New Start Menu Strips to Media Center.

Add some flair to the TV Guide with Channel Logos

Staring down the default Media Center TV Guide’s channel numbers and cryptic channel names can wear a person down.  The lack of quickly recognizable stations can even waste valuable time you could be spending on spring cleaning. Spice up your listings with My Channel Logos which will Add Channel Logos to your Media Center TV Guide.

Launch more programs from Media Center

Don’t limit yourself to programs that support Media Center out of the box. Launch any program from Media Center’s Extra Programs (or a custom start menu!) using Media Center Launcher and Configurator. These two little apps can add tons of new usability to your ten foot interface.

Replace Movie Library with a fresh solution

Media Center’s default Movie Library is a decent way to find your movie’s all in one place but let’s face it, it could be better. Replacing the default Movie Library with Media Browser can open up a world of new options. Sort your movies into folders with custom images using the new configuration program or get Encoding Information or Actor Pictures right inside Media Browser.

Add a whole new theme to your Media Center

Sometimes something as simple as just Changing Your Background can improve your whole outlook. Pick your own background to use in Media Center from a site like InterfaceLift.com or use a premade 7MC theme like Homeworld or Road to Nowhere. Even better Make Your Own Theme for Media Center and share it with the world!

Written by MHealy | 2 comments

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Tagged As: featured, install, plugins, programs, windows 7

While being able to skip commercials in your recorded TV shows is a big deal with home DVRs, when your Media Center does it for you automatically that’s huge. This is the kind of feature many previous users of Media Center have become accustomed to using DVRSMToolbox. Unfortunately, with the advent of Windows 7 Media Center there is a change in the format of recorded TV shows from DVRMS to WTV. This has caused a bit of trouble in getting DVRMSToolbox working again.

Luckily, with the latest version of DVRMSToolbox (1.2.1.6) the Media Center Commercial Skipping Plug-in has been  updated to install and work on Windows 7. Now all we have to do is deal with that pesky new file format. The easiest way to do that is to just convert it back into a DVRMS format.

Download the Tools

To get started you will need a copy of DVRMSToolbox 1.2.1.6 or greater installed from Andy VT’s blog. Then you will need to download the WTV to DVRMS profile from right here. Extract the .dpc file to the “Program Files\DVRSMToolbox\Profiles” directory (“Program Files (x86)” for x64 users).

Configure DVRMSToolbox and the Profile

Next open DVRMStoMPEGSettings from the start menu. In the DVRMSToolbox tab scroll down and select the “wtv to dvr-ms” listing and press “Edit Profile”. Find the line marked “Run C:\Program Files\DVRMSToolbox\Applications\todvrms.exe” and double-click to bring up the configure window. Double-click the “ProcessName” input box to bring up a file dialog to select your “todvrms.exe” file.

Now, open the FileWatcher tab in the main DVRMSToolbox windows. Make sure that all the directories you will be recording to are listed under the “Watched Directories” box. If not double-click to add them. Under the “Watched Ext” input box add “,.wtv”.

Depending on the power of your computer you may also want to increase the number of available workers to speed up processing of multiple shows at one time. Conversely, if you have a less powerful PC you may need to increase the “Wait Time” if you notice your DVR-MS files are being scanned for commercials before they are complete. Save your settings then open “ProcessingConditionEditor” from the start menu.

Once inside the ProcessingConditionEditor, press the “New Condition” button on the right. In the Description input give the rule a name such as “wtv to dvr-ms”. Then in the dropbox select the “wtv to dvrms” profile that we downloaded earlier. If you don’t see it listed double check that it’s in the ‘\DVRMSToolbox\profiles\” directory in your Program Files.

Now press the “Add” button on the right of this window. In the first dropbox select “FileExt”, in the second select “equals” then enter “.wtv” in the last box. Press OK then save this new entry. In the main windows select your new entry and press the “Raise Priority” button on the right until it’s at the top of the list.

Now once the show has finished recording (auto-detected when the file’s size has stopped increasing for 10 minutes) it will be converted to dvr-ms. It should then be picked up by DVRMSToolbox as usual and scanned for commercials. To adjust the time to wait after the recording has finished you can edit the profile from DVRMStoMPEGSettings. For more on commercial scanning be sure to check back to Hack7MC soon for another guide.

Now that you’ve got your commercial free content why not share it through-out your network with Sharing Recorded TV Between PCs!

Written by MHealy | 12 comments

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Tagged As: commercial skip, dvrms, programs, windows 7

For whatever reason Microsoft still hasn’t mastered the art of the MP3 tag. Past versions of Windows Media Player contained an “Advanced Tag Editor” that would allow you to edit the mp3 details contained in the ID3 tag. This time around it’s part of Windows Explorer, a change that can be somewhat confusing for those used to WMP 11. Neither solution is optimal, however.

This is where we will turn to a free little program called Mp3Tag. Mp3Tag will allow us to really get into the details of our mp3 files and will even automatically retrieve details and album art from the web. Being able to pull all the album information from a source like Amazon.com is a sure time saver. Once the program has been downloaded and installed getting tag information couldn’t be much simpler.

Start out by going to the File menu and selecting “Add Directory” to bring up a dialog to choose your music folder. Mp3Tag will then go about loading your music collection and displaying any details about your music it can find. Once it’s finished that select the songs or album you want to change the album art (or other details) for on the right.

Notice the missing album art in the screenshot above, this is what we’re looking to fix. To do this open the “Tag Sources” menu at the top and select a location for Mp3Tag to retrieve the new album cover and details from. Choosing Amazon.com will generally return good results. You will need to tell the program what search term to use while finding the album then select the correct one from the next dialog that comes up.

If the correct album isn’t listed in the results go back and try a different search term or a different source from the menu. Once you have found the correct album another dialog will appear showing the details retrieved. Here you are able to edit the information before it’s applied to the files. By default track numbers will not be altered but check to make sure the songs listed on the left are the same ones listed on the right. The order of the songs listed won’t make a difference.

Once the information is all correct and the album cover is shown in the right hand box press OK to save the information to the files. If you would like to store a folder.jpg of the album cover locally there is an option to do so under the “Utils” button on the bottom left. Once you’ve returned to the main window you should see the results of the edit displayed on the left.

Once all your files have been tagged, restart Media Player and the new album information should be displayed. If it doesn’t appear immediately you can try restarting the system or removing and re-adding the folders to the music library. Sometimes the library will still persist despite everything and you may need to follow the directions in Fixing a Corrupt Windows Media Player Database to solve the problem.

Once you’re Music Library is setup try using Media Center to automatically Play Your Favorite Music!

Written by MHealy | 2 comments

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Tagged As: music library, programs, windows 7

Many of us start our movie collection as a group of movies, unorganized into their own folder just laying in a single directory. However, in Media Center and Media Browser this doesn’t quite cut it. Each movie should be in a self-titled directory with any of the subtitle and cover images included.

For those of us with large unsorted movie collections this could present an investment of time we’re not willing to make. This could potentially even prevent us from using Media Center to the full potential. Luckily that doesn’t need to be the case!

Jon, from theHTPC.net, has created a small bat file that can be placed in your unsorted movie folder and used to automatically sort all those movies into the proper folder structure. Any of the extras you might have such as subtitle files will even come along.

To get started, just download the bat file and extract it in the movie directory that needs sorted out. Make sure any files you don’t want moved are hidden (right-click > properties > Hidden checkbox) including the bat file. Make sure each file in the directory is ready to be moved (this will move ALL files in the directory unless they are marked hidden or read-only).

Double-click file2folder.bat and off you go! (If you can’t see the file make sure you can see hidden files by checking Folder Options in the Control Panel) That should be all there is to it. Enjoy your newly sorted movie folder.

Written by MHealy | 2 comments

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Tagged As: movie library, programs, windows 7

Currently, in Windows 7 Media Center, there is no way to edit the default start menu items. In previous versions you were able to add items to the existing strips using a third party program, which made sense when adding a movie or TV plug-in. Unfortunately, Microsoft has gone to some lengths to disable this ability in 7MC. It is still possible to create a couple of custom strips in the start menu though.

The first step to getting your new menu strip is to choose what programs you want to be on it. These programs have to be already entered into the Media Center’s Extra Programs. You can find a guide on adding new entries to the Extra Programs using Media Center Launcher and Configurator right here. Once all the programs you want to launch from your new bar are installed open a registry editor (start > “regedit” > enter).

Once inside navigate to the following location in the left hand tree view:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media Center\Extensibility\Entry Points]

Listed under this key will be a number of id numbers. Each program inside Media Center will have a couple of unique keys to identify that particular program. To find the program(s) you want to add to the menu go through each entry and find the id that matches the title of the program. The title should be listed on the right hand side under an entry named “title”.

Create and Name the New Menu Strip

Once you’ve found the correct program entry select AppId, right-click and select “Modify..”. Now copy the AppId from the text box and close the box without altering anything. Now locate the following registry location:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media Center\Start Menu\Applications]

Then right-click and select “New > Key”. Paste the AppId we copied earlier into the Key name. Next, in the right hand window right-click and create three new strings: “Category, OnStartMenu and Title”. Also create one DWORD named “TimeStamp”.

Right-click to modify each value, setting Category to the name of your new strip and Title to the name to display in Media Center. OnStartMenu should be set to “True” and TimeStamp is a number value determining the position of the new strip in Media Center.

Add New Programs to the Menu Strip

Once this new strip has been created we need to add entries to it. Locate the following key:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media Center\Extensibility\Categories]

Right-click the key and create a new key under “Categories” with the same name as the Category you set in the last steps. Now go back to the proper key under “Entry Points” as we did above and copy the correct key (not the AppId, this time get the key by selecting Rename and copying from the text box). Then create a new key under your new category with the same name as the program’s Entry Point Id number. I know it sounds confusing, take a look at the image below for an example.

Set the Program Information

Under this new key we need to create five new string values: “AppId, Context, Description, Enabled and Title”. Also, create one Dword entry called “TimeStamp. Copy the AppId from the program’s Entry Points listing (AppId value in the right pane) then fill in the Title, Description and Context with any values you want. Title and Description will appear in Media Center while context seems to go unused at this time. The “Enabled” string should be set to “True” so that the item appears in the menu strip.

TimeStamp will control the position of each item in the menu, for example one (1) would be listed before two (2) in the strip. To enter Dword values as a regular number select the “Decimal” option on the right of the dialog.

Then Repeat!

To add more entries to your new menu strip simply add a new key under the category for each program you want to add and repeat the steps above. Each program should have a different AppId, Title, TimeStamp and Description.

If your new menu strip doesn’t appear double-check the Entry Point and App Id numbers for each entry. An improper number in any of these will cause the menu strip to not be shown.

Hopefully someone can create a little program to allow this to be done without all the registry mucking but until then this will do the job. If you do create a program be sure to drop a note in the comments so we can let the rest of the community know!

Stay tuned to Hack7MC for upcoming reviews on plug-ins to add to your new menu strip!

Written by MHealy | 5 comments

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Tagged As: configurator, featured, install, launcher, programs, settings, start menu, windows 7

Although programs like GraphStudio can help us find out what’s going wrong during the playback of our media files, it isn’t really the easiest way to fix the problems.This is where a program like Radlight’s Filter Manager can come in handy. Unfortunately, this tool is no longer in development so no x64 version exists but an x86 version can be found for download here.

Using Filter Manager we can set the merits of DirectShow filters allow us to control what filters are loaded for certain file types. Each time a media file is loaded Windows will search for the filter with the highest merit capable of playing the file. Windows will then use that filter to playback the file. In the case of video files it will do this for both the video and audio streams. Using Filter Manager we are able to set the video stream to one codec such as FFDShow and the audio to another such as AC3Filter.

Once you’ve downloaded Filter Manager, simply extract the zip file to a folder on your hard disk. Running Filter Manager for the first time can be a little overwhelming with so many options. The main thing to look for is the section under the General tab for DirectShow Filters. This will provide a list of all the DirectShow filters installed on your machine.

From here setting the merit values of the DirectShow filters on the system is easy. Locate the filter that needs to have the merit level changed and select it in the list. Below the list of filters is a number of options including a dropbox with available merit values. Select the proper value from the list and press “Set Merit Value”. A system restart may be required before settings will take effect but many time simply restarting the media player will do the trick.

Here we also see that Filter Manager can provide a number of other options for customizing the codecs on the machine. Registering of new DirectShow filters is also extremely easy using Filter Manager, just press the “Register” button and select the file to register. Selecting a filter from the list and pressing “Unregister” will do the opposite, unregistering the selected filter. You can even access the particular codec settings by pressing the “Property Page” button.

It may take some effort but using Filter Manager in combination with GraphStudio you’ll be able to get your codecs straightened out to perform just the way you’d like them to.

For even more on codecs in Windows 7 and Media Center check out this article on Clearing Up The Codec Confusion.

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Tagged As: codec, graphstudio, install, programs, windows 7

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!

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

Presently there is no program to automatically remove commercials from Windows 7 Media Center recorded TV files. With a little bit of manual work though we can get rid of those pesky commercials though. The first step is to convert the WTV files to DVRMS using this guide.

Once you’ve got a DVRMS file it’s much easier to scan and remove commercials from the file using DVRMSToolbox. First, download and install DVRMSToolbox.  Once installed, open DVRMSToolbox’s DVRMStoMPEGGUI from the programs menu. The GUI tool has a very simple interface.

Just like in ToDVRMS’s GUI double-click the Input file dialog box to select the input DVRMS file. Do the same with the output box, naming your new DVRMS file to save. Keeping the DVRMS file format is the simplest solution, allowing the shows to appear under Recorded TV in Media Center.

Next you will need to select a profile from the dropbox to process the file with. Selecting the “Cut commercials out of a DVR-MS file and output DVR-MS” will output a DVRMS file minus the commercials. As you can see there are also a large number of other profile options to suit any needs you might have. At the time of this article, I couldn’t get the DVRMS to transcode to MPEG successfully in Windows 7 however.

Once the correct profile has been selected press the “Run” button and DVRMSToolbox should proceed to scan for commercials and then re-mux the DVRMS file outputting a commercial free version of the recording. All the tools used are available for free from Andy VT’s Blog including DVRMSToolbox 1.2.1.6, the newest version.

That’s all there is to it! It’s not quite as simple as we would all like it to be but there will likely be improvements over time and probably even automatic commercial removal in the future.

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Tagged As: commercial skip, dvrms, programs, windows 7

WTV is the new file type created by Media Center for recorded television shows. The problem with this file format is that it isn’t compatible with older commercial removal tools. It’s also incompatible with DVRMSToolbox, which can be used to convert DVRMS files into other formats such as Mpeg or AVI.

The first step to converting WTV files is to download ToDVRMS, a tool that will convert the files to the older DVRMS format. This is a free tool provided by Andy VT. The file will include both a command line version as well as a GUI version. Extract the zip file to your hard disk and run “todvrmsgui.exe”.

The next step is simple, just double-click the in file dialog box to select the original WTV file you want to convert. Then do the same for the output file, choosing a file name to save the DVRMS file as. The program also gives you the ability to assign some basic metadata to the output file as well, such as title and date. Once the input and output files are set press “Go” to start the conversion.

A command windows will open during processing. Unfortunately, at present, there is no percentage complete display in the command window. Luckily, however, it doesn’t take more than a few minutes to do the conversion.

That’s all there is to converting those WTV files to something more easily manageable. Andy VT’s Blog also has tools such as DVRMSToolbox which can be used to convert DVRMS files to other formats such as MPEG and AVI.

For more on DVRMS and removing commercials from recorded TV shows read this article!

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Tagged As: commercial skip, dvrms, programs, windows 7

This is the second part of a guide on using AC3Filter in Media Center to control SPDIF volume. A common problem among Media Center users with an external digital receiver using SPDIF for output. AC3Filter can solve this problem by controlling the gain on the SPDIF stream before sending it through to the receiver. Now that we have AC3Filter working in Media Center by following this guide, lets get AC3Filter settings ready to control the volume level.

Access AC3Filter’s configuration from the start menu. The first setting to change will be the number of speakers in your setup. Using the drop down box select the correct speaker setup for your system. Then enable SPDIF output to enable AC3Filter to output a digital stream via SPDIF.

Next go to the “Mixer” tab and in the options box make sure that Auto Matrix is selected. Expand Stereo will enable stereo streams to be output as full surround. Normalize Matrix and Voice Control will balance volume output among all the channels and during large volume changes in the stream. You can also control the Bass Output Cutoff from this panel.

Finally, we have to allow the AC3Filter to output a modified SPDIF stream. To do this go to the SPDIF tab and uncheck all SPDIF pass-through options. Pass-through tells AC3Filter to send an unaltered stream directly to the receiver, turning these off allows AC3Filter to alter the gain which will simulate volume changing. If this doesn't work you can try to send a PCM signal through your soundcard or disabling the AC3 Encoder, though in many situations this can break DD and DTS encoding depending on your hardware. Differences in sound card hardware and recievers will alter the viability of this hack.

That should be all there is to enabling your Media Center to control the volume of SPDIF output using AC3Filter! If you experience any problems make sure that AC3Filter is the preferred codec using this GraphStudio guide. More options on enabling AC3Filter to be the preferred codec can be found under the System tab in the AC3Filter configuration.

Troubles, successes, or experiences with AC3Filter you want to share? Leave note in the comments below!

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Tagged As: ac3filter, codec, graphstudio, spdif, windows 7