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

Ripping CDs

Possibly the safest and most rewarding way to get audio into your Media Center PC

(so you can enjoy it using the My Music interface) is to import music directly from

your personal CD collection. This copying process, commonly called ripping, is per-

fectly legal as long as you do not share the resulting files with others who have not paid

for the content.

One of the things that has contributed to the abuse of sharing CDs is how very easy

it is to rip them. Simply insert an audio CD into your Media Center machine and

watch what happens. If you are in the Windows XP desktop, a pop-up screen will

appear with a list of options (see Figure 13.5). The first item on the list is Copy Music

from CD Using Windows Media Player.

Ripping a CD from the Windows XP Desktop

If you select the option to copy the CD using Windows Media Player, you’ll be asked

whether you want to add copy protection to the audio files you are about to create.

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ABSOLUTE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO MICROSOFT WINDOWS XP MEDIA CENTER

FIGURE 13.4

The Not

Designed for

Media Center

error screen is

shown when

you are being

directed to a

Web site that

doesn’t support

the “10-foot”

interface.

If you choose not to, you’ll be forced to check the box next to a

not-so-subtle reminder of Microsoft’s interpretation of

the DMCA. If you choose to make copies without

adding copy-protection code to the files, you’ll

need to check the box indicating that you are

aware of your responsibility to ensure “the appro-

priate use” of the copies, with respect to copyright

law.

Ripping a CD from the My Music

Interface

If you place a CD in your computer while the

Media Center My Music interface is being dis-

played, the audio will immediately begin to play.

Select the CD’s listing from the My Music main

screen, and one of the prominent options you’ll

find is Copy CD (see Figure 13.6).

Choosing the Copy CD option from within My

Music will conjure up a screen offering to allow

Media Player to add anticopying code to prevent

unauthorized use--and advising you of your

responsibilities if you don’t choose the copy-pro-

tection option.

CHAPTER 13 PREPARING YOUR MUSIC COLLECTION FOR XP MEDIA CENTER

187

What about sharing the

tunes you ripped with a

few friends? Or with a

few strangers? There is a

rather ambiguous law on

the books called the Digital

Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA),

which has been generally inter-

preted as making it legal to copy

material for personal use. However,

distributing that copied material

free or for money to strangers--

whether you post the files on a

peer-to-peer file-swapping service or

start stamping out counterfeit CDs

in your basement--is generally

viewed as a violation of the copy-

right law. Suffice it to say, this can

get you into hot water--possibly

even into jail. Proceed at your own

risk!

caution

FIGURE 13.5

To rip a CD, you

simply choose

Copy Music

from CD Using

Windows Media

Player. What

could be sim-

pler?

Next, you’ll be advised of different codecs you can choose, and how to change your

encoding options within Media Player (see Figure 13.7). The Windows Media Audio

Variable bit rate codec makes files smaller but may skimp a bit on the audio quality.

The Windows Media Audio Lossless codec preserves every nuance of the audio,

though you’ll pay a higher price in disk capacity required to store the file. Choose

Finish, and then confirm that you want to copy the disc into your Media Library by

selecting Yes.

After you’ve navigated past these screens--which won’t be repeated the next time

you choose to copy a CD--My Music will display a progress screen (see Figure 13.8)

showing you each track as it is stored to the My Music folder on your hard drive. In

fact, My Music creates a new folder for each album you copy, bearing the same

name of the album, and stored in your My Music data directory.

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ABSOLUTE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO MICROSOFT WINDOWS XP MEDIA CENTER

FIGURE 13.6

From the Now

Playing screen

in My Music,

ripping the

entire CD is a

simple matter.

CHAPTER 13 PREPARING YOUR MUSIC COLLECTION FOR XP MEDIA CENTER

189

FIGURE 13.7

This screen lets

you know that

Media Player

offers you a

choice of codecs

for encoding the

CD Audio.

FIGURE 13.8

This Now

Playing screen

displays a spin-

ning disc next to

the track being

copied, and a

check mark next

to the completed

tracks.