Guide:Setting up the Vista Media Center

[Ponmayilal]

After the successful clean-install of the Vista Home Premium SP1, I migrated all my audio, picture and video collection to the respective partitions of the HDD in my HTPC and started the Vista Media Center setup. ( I do not have a TV tuner still - so nothing about it now)

What I noticed immediately is that there are subtle differences between the XP Media Center Edtion 2005 (MCE) interface and that of the Vista Media Center (VMC) interface.

The video files are now clubbed with Pictures as Pictures + Videos and DVD playback comes under TV + Movies.

The immediate problem was that VMC will not recognise my ripped DVD (VIDEO_TS) files and .divx files and add them to the video library.(Add Folders in Library setup)

A google search revealed quite a number of relevant articles in resolving the issue.

In this guide I merely reproduce the web-links that resolved the issues so that it will be easy for others to set-up VMC.

1.Playing ripped DVDs:Registry Modification
Microsoft Support: *support.microsoft.com/kb/930526

A pictorial "how to" here

2.Guide to codecs in Vista Media Center :
*msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/archive/2007/07/21/1046591.aspx

After the registry modification as outlined above, the "DVD library" in VMC - which was earlier "Play DVD" - got populated without any problems when I pointed VMC to the location. (Add folders in DVD Library)

As indicated in the "Guide to codecs in Vista Media Center" I installed the latest Haali Media Splitter from *haali.cs.msu.ru/mkv/ and the latest version of the FFDshow (Nightly builds by clsid generic build March 28, 2008 ) from *sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=173941 and populated the VMC's Video Library (Add Folders in the Library setup).

Now I can and you too can play ripped DVD files and DivX video files in Vista Media Center.

Enjoy.

 

[BBThumbHealer]

Thnx for posting....

 

[Roadripper]

thanks for psoting rock on ...

 

[shashank_re]

I have done the above but still iam unable to play .vob files

 

[Ponmayilal]

yep,VMC requires the regular DVD structure and the .ifo files.It cannot play individual .vob files and I am still looking into ways and means of doing it.If anyone has a specific and proven solution, they are most welcome to share it.
In any case it is not a serious problem, atleast for me.I have many music video tracks as individual .vob files.I have selected my favourite .vob files and have reauthored them into a regular DVD using Nero vision, complete with chapter menu and then play them from the HDD.I would still prefer doing away with this extra step and play them directly.

And ya, here is a flash: Simply change the file extension .vob to .mpg and then add the folder containing these renamed .mpg files to the Video library. VMC now recognises them and plays. I tried it and it works.