One major advantage to be had when using a Windows 7 Media Center over your standard cable DVR is the ability to scan and remove commercials from Recorded TV shows. Programs such as Lifextender, which can be setup to use either comskip or Showanalyzer, can arrange for new shows to be scanned and the commercials removed without having to process each file by hand. Unfortunately, Lifextender doesn’t work with the new WTV format so first we’ll need to convert the files using a program such as WTVWatcher.

To get started you’ll need to download and install both WTVWatcher and Lifextender or, if you prefer, we’ve also got a guide on using DVRMSToolbox with Lifextender. Once you’ve got both programs installed you’ll need to setup WTVWatcher to monitor the Recorded TV location. Use the preferences to set the location of your Recorded TV folder, typically C:UsersPublicRecorded TV. WTVWatcher will begin to go to work converting the WTV recordings into DVR-MS files that are readable by Lifextender.

WTVWatcher uses the built-in conversion program provided by Microsoft to convert each WTV file into a DVR-MS file. For even more information on WTVWatcher check out our previous review of this handy little tool right here. Once the files have been converted we can setup Lifextender to automatically scan for and cut commercials from these files. Next, open Lifextender and choose Options by right-clicking the icon in the system tray.

Under the general settings be sure to set the TV Recording path to the same directory as the one you set previously inside WTVWatcher. Also, unless you plan to run the process by hand enable the Automated Library Scanning so that Lifextender will automatically find your new shows for processing. To test your settings you can start a manual processing of the files by right-clicking the Lifextender system tray icon and selecting Scan Media Center Library.

Lifextender’s processing dialog will appear as the program scans each recorded show for commercials. This can take quite a bit of time depending on the length of the show and the complexity of commercial scanning process.

After processing each file will be added to the “blacklist” inside Lifextender’s options. This allows you to check the progress of Lifextender’s processing of files as well as preventing the program from scanning the same program each time the library is scanned for new content. You can find the blacklist under the Options –> Advanced tab. Here you can also add individual files to be excluded from processing, though if you have a certain show or channel you’d like to permanently exclude from processing there is an included Rules feature to allow for easier management.

Unfortunately, there has been some issues reported with Lifextender not accepting the converted files from WTVWatcher and the Lifextender program is no longer in active development. If you experience the same issue your only option may be to use the DVRMSToolbox method in this guide using an alternative program for converting the WTV files to DVR-MS. Also, be sure to drop a line in the comments below with as much detail as you can provide including which version of Windows 7 you’re using, Lifextender log info and anything else noteworthy. Perhaps we can sort out the issue with more information.

For most people, however, this method should provide a simple solution to easy commercial removal from Windows 7 Media Center recordings. Hopefully the future will bring us an alternative to Lifextender and more active development (and hopefully more open source projects as well!).

Source Article:
Using WTVWatcher and Lifextender to Cut Commercials from Recorded Shows

The latest version of Media Browser, code named “Phoenix”, includes the addition of a parental control option. This much requested feature enables the locking of content of a certain rating and requiring a pin number to be able to view the media. Much like the common cable DVR this is enacted to prevent younger audiences from getting access to content that’s inappropriate for their age. The new parental control options inside Media Browser allow you to define a maximum rating above which users will be required to enter the pin number before being able to play the media.

To use this new feature make sure you’ve got the latest version of Media Browser, from the forums at mediabrowser.tv, installed. Also, be sure that your content has been properly tagged with the ratings metadata. To do that you can use the popular metadata tool MetaBrowser (or any other tool of your choice that supports the ratings tag). Make sure that each movie or piece of media in the collection contains a proper rating to ensure that your parental control selection will be effective.

Inside MetaBrowser you can set the rating of each listed item by selecting the title in the left hand pane then adjusting the MPAA Rating dropdown to the appropriate rating for each movie. Be sure to press the Save Metadata after each movie has been edited to be certain your selection is saved to the metadata of that movie. Remember, the parental controls will only be as effective as the ratings employed in the collection.

Once you’ve assigned ratings to your media collection it’s time to open up Media Browser’s configuration and setup the parental controls feature. Inside the configuration program be sure to select the Advanced options selection from the top to enable the extra options then open the new parental controls tab. Here you can set the maximum rating allowed to be viewed by everyone in the household as well as the pin number to unlock content.

You also have the option to hide blocked content until the pin is entered. This will remove all titles from the listing that are above the maximum rating until pressing the “lock” button on the main Media Browser window, next to the configuration wrench, and entering the pin number. Unchecking this option leaves the titles in the listing and will prompt for the pin when attempting to play the content. Also included is the option to unlock all content for a period of time once the pin number is entered. This will keep you from having to repeatedly enter the pin while using Media Browser for extended periods but also makes the system vulnerable should you leave the machine unattended in that time.

That’s all there is to it! Just re-launch your Windows 7 Media Center and start up Media Browser to see the new parental controls in effect. There are sure to be many happy parents happy to see this feature added to the Media Browser plugin and the ease of setup makes the system even more effective though the lynch pin here is still in the rating system itself. You need to be certain that your entire collection is properly tagged before the system becomes effective.

Source Article:
Using Media Browser’s Parental Control Features

Many movie enthusiasts prefer to watch content in it’s original resolution and refresh rate. Unfortunately, Windows 7 Media Center doesn’t automatically adjust the refresh rate or resolution of the program to suit content instead resizing and adjusting the content to suit Media Center’s settings. This of course distorts the content from it’s original format. Luckily for purists, Dgaust of the Australian Media Center Community has created a simple plugin to allow users to adjust the resolution and refresh rate of Media Center. Now changing Media Center to suit the content is fairly simple, even if not completely automatic.

To get started download and install the plugin from the Aus. Media Center Community forums. Next you’ll need to edit the settings.xml file and adjust the resolutions and refresh rates to suit your needs. Locate the settings.xml file in “C:Program Files (x86)RRC” and open it up in your favorite text editor.

Next, adjust the resolutions and refresh rates by adding a new line to the resolutions section of the file. For each new resolution add the following WidthxHeight@XXhz. To accomplish changing the resolution and refresh rate the plugin requires a restart of the Media Center application. While this is a somewhat cumbersome method it certainly beats not being able to change the settings at all. You can set the delay in ms of the restart function in the settings file under the section.

Once inside Media Center you’ll find the plugin under the Extra Programs section. You can of course add this to a custom start strip using one of the popular programs available for download such as MC Studio or WMC Custom Configuration Wizard. Also, using the entry point /entrypoint:{3a8e5756-f890-42a4-8d7a-1a4a32242507}{751885da-f449-4c0e-a21c-4fc142240245} you can setup the plugin to launch from a button on your remote using a program such as Intelliremote.

From inside Windows 7 Media Center, select the plugin then choose the proper resolution and refresh rate. The plugin will take care of adjusting the settings and restarting the program with the proper display options. The plugin is still a work in progress but will suit users looking for an easy way to handle refresh rate and resolution switching.

That’s all there is to it! If you’ve got trouble or suggestions be sure to head over to the Australian Media Center Forums post and let the developer, Dgaust, know. Don’t hesitate to let him know if you’ve found this plugin useful either as the community of developers working to improve on and add the features left out of Windows 7 Media Center play an extremely important in advancing Media Center for everyone.