Absolute Beginner's Guide to Microsoft Windows® XP Media Center®

The problem is that these devices are limited in how they allow you

to access these advanced features. Generally, a dedi-

cated button is required for each feature, from

Menu to Skip. As a consequence, their remote

controls are bristling with buttons, and most con-

sumers will never take the time to ascertain the

functions or learn the use of most of them.

Media Center has the upper hand in this design

conundrum. Simple playback tasks are assigned

to dedicated buttons on the remote control, but

because that remote is communicating with a

sophisticated multipurpose multimedia machine,

it also gives you access to underlying layers of

software menus that let you thoroughly cus-

tomize your viewing experience. The result is that

it’s much easier to unlock those hidden features

that are often difficult to fathom and configure

using today’s standalone DVD players.

Of course, you can also climb into the “cockpit”

of your Media Center and manage your DVD

playback with mouse and keyboard. It’s just a

matter of personal preference, and how much

control you want to exert over your home theatre

experience.

Basic DVD Playback

One of the admirable qualities of the Media

Center design is that it knows when to lay back

and keep a low profile. You just want to relax

and watch a movie? Slip the disc into the DVD

drive and let Media Center do the rest.

Watching Full–Screen

When you put a DVD in the drive while Media

Center is displayed, it will automatically begin

playing. The entire Media Center screen will be used

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ABSOLUTE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO WINDOWS XP MEDIA CENTER

If you insert a DVD disc

when the Windows XP

desktop is displayed,

such as when the Media

Center interface is not

running or has been minimized,

Windows should open an option

window and ask whether you want

to play the disc. More insidiously,

the disc manufacturer may have

included a DVD player application

of its own that automatically opens

a setup window and asks whether it

can begin installing the software.

Choose carefully! For one thing, you

already have a very capable default

DVD player application within

Media Center, so there’s really no

need to install an additional one.

Also, that third-party DVD player

application may turn your machine

into a remote “client” for the DVD

maker, including launching Web-

enabled applications designed to

entice you into a marketing relation-

ship with the manufacturer. Unless

you want to register with the com-

pany that made the movie you’re

about to watch, and participate in

its online promotions and marketing

plans, it may be that you should

“just say no.”

caution

to display the DVD movie. If you are using Media

Center in a window on your Windows XP desktop,

you may want to switch to full-screen viewing

mode to maximize the visual playback quality.

If you insert a DVD when Media Center is not run-

ning, Windows XP will prompt you to see what

you want to do with the disc (see Figure 11.1).

Choose Play DVD Video Using Media Center.

What do you do if you inadvertently make the

wrong choice in the What Do You Want

Windows to Do dialog box and, for instance,

choose to always have Windows open a DVD

movie disc using Windows Media Player? If you

want to change your AutoPlay choices at any

point for any reason, it’s not hard to do. Just open

My Computer from the Windows XP Start menu,

and right-click on the DVD drive icon. Choose

AutoPlay from the menu (see Figure 11.2), and

make your new selections.

CHAPTER 11 WATCHING DVDS ON AN XP MEDIA CENTER PC

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tip

If you want Media Center

to be launched every time

you insert a DVD movie disc,

check the box for Always Do

the Selected Action in the

What Do You Want to Do

dialog box that Windows

XP displays when you insert the

disc. (This occurs only if Media

Center is not running when you

insert the DVD.)

FIGURE 11.1

In this pop-up

window, you can

select Media

Center to watch

your DVD.

Playing a DVD That Is Already in the Drive

To launch a previously loaded DVD, follow this simple procedure:

1. Press Start on the remote.

2. Select Play DVD to display the default DVD menu.

3. Select Play to begin viewing the DVD.

Controlling DVD Playback with the Remote Control

In addition to the Media Center remote control’s basic transport features—play, stop,

fast-forward, rewind, skip forward, and skip back (for details, see Chapter 4, Table

4.1)—there are a few special functions you may want to use when operating your

Media Center DVD player with the remote control. Table 11.1 lists them.

Table 11.1 Remote Control Commands for DVD Playback

To Press

Access the DVD’s on-disc feature menu DVD Menu

Display the “chapter” or section of the DVD that is currently playing More Info

Advance to the next chapter Skip

Reverse to the last chapter Replay

Zoom More Info

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ABSOLUTE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO WINDOWS XP MEDIA CENTER

FIGURE 11.2

Right-clicking on

the DVD icon

shown here lets

you reconfigure

your AutoPlay

choices.