Frequently Asked Questions - Media Center Extenders

What is a Media Center Extender?

A Media Center Extenderⁱ is a device that gives you the Media Center interface and access to your content from your TV. Extenders connect through a network (wired or wireless) to a PC running Windows Media Center and give you access to your pictures, music, recorded, and live TV. Extenders can take many forms - some are small set top boxes similar in size to a DVD player, while others are even built into the TV itself; the Xbox 360 is one device that can also be used as a Media Center Extender.

Will a v1 extender work with Windows Vista?

No.

Version 1 Media Center Extenders are only compatible with MCEⁱ 2005. They are not compatible with Vista Media Center. The only exception to this is that a Xbox 360 can act as a v1 or a v2 extender - it is the only device that can do this.

What is the difference between v1 and v2 extenders?

Version 1 Media Center Extenders were compatible with Media Center 2005.

Version 2 Media Center Extenders are compatible with Media Center on Windows Vista.

Can I use another computer as an extender?

No.

Do a search on http://www.thegreenbutton.com for "Softsled" and you will find a lot of discussion about this. To sum up, there is no way to do this... some third party applications can get close (check out Orb & WebGuide), but nothing will let you actually use a computer as an extenderⁱ.

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Quick Tip

While in the guide press the Record button on the remote twice to do a series recording.

Use the channel +/- buttons on the remote to browse the guide a page at a time.

With a picture on screen, press "Info" (or "More") on the remote and select "Rotate" to rotate it.

In the Guide, press FF/REW on the remote to skip forward/back 3 hours at a time.

Pressing "OK" on the remote while watching Live TV will go to the previous channel.

Press "Clear" on the remote to delete the media that is currently highlighted (works for Recorded TV, Videos, Music, and Pictures).

In the picture library, highlight the folder or tag you want, then press "Play" on the remote to start a slideshow.

In the Guide, press Skip/Replay on the remote to skip forward/back 12 hours at a time.

You can enhance your Media Center experience through 3rd party applications. Click here to see some.

Almost any menu strip can be hidden with a simple registry tweak. Click here for details.

With an album, video, or recorded show highlighted, simply hit "Play" on the remote to start it playing immediately - faster than pressing "OK" and then selecting "Play" on the menu.