In past Hardware columns, we've explained how to build your own Media PC running Microsoft’s Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 software.
MCE 2005, as we’ll refer to it from here on, was never designed to be installed by end users, but if you bought the compatible hardware and followed our instructions, you could get it running at home.
I’ve been running my own home-made MCE 2005 system now for over a year, and so far it’s behaved pretty well. Judging by the emails we’ve received at the Hardware HQ, many of you have also taken the plunge.

Over the past year, MCE 2005 has received several official updates and patches.
Some fix minor TV channel issues while others implement a whole batch of enhancements, and we'll go over the best and most important ones so far, along with any specific issues related to each.

Official updates
During the summer of 2005, Channel 4 switched E4 from being a subscription channel to one which any terrestrial digital TV owner could enjoy free of charge. But while a quick rescan subsequently revealed E4 to almost any Freeview set-top box, MCE 2005 systems just refused to see it.
The reason MCE 2005 systems refused to list E4 even after its change of status was because Microsoft had previously excluded it in a Registry entry – so even when Channel 4 made it free-to-air, MCE 2005 wouldn’t show it. Luckily a quick edit of the appropriate Registry entry will sort it out.

Open the Registry Editor by typing regedit in the Run menu, then navigate to My ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionMedia CenterServiceGLID.
Next, double-click on the ExclusionList value, delete E4 from the Value Data area then click OK.
Before you get too carried away though, deleting the references to the other channels listed won’t allow MCE to view them – unless they also become free-to-view in the future.
After restarting the system you’ll need to rescan for services in the Setup TV Signal section of MCE’s Settings, before then adding E4 to the channel line-up in the Edit Channels section of the Guide settings.
This process is fully documented in article 902761 .

Another small but handy update concerns MCE 2005’s ability to create standard video DVDs of TV recordings.

This feature first requires the Sonicencoders.msi file to be installed on the system. This comes on the third disc of the MCE OEM triple-pack, and is normally installed by most system integrators as standard. If it has been installed, you’ll see the option to Create Video DVD in MCE.
If you installed MCE 2005 yourself, you probably have the two-disc OEM pack supplied by companies such as Ebuyer.
This does not come with the required Sonicencoders.msi file, thereby preventing MCE from making standard video DVDs of TV recordings – the best it can do is simply copy the dvr-ms file onto a data DVD for playback on other PCs only.

If your system does have the Sonicencoders.msi file installed though, you may have found the process of creating a video DVD either took forever, or didn’t work at all.
You can download a patch from Microsoft's site that greatly improves the process, especially on UK Pal systems, although it has to be said, it’s still far from perfect.
If you want to create video DVDs but don’t have (or can’t find) the Sonicencoders.msi file, all is not lost. You can create video DVDs of recorded TV shows using Sonic’s MyDVD Studio Deluxe package (outside the 10-foot MCE interface).

Microsoft on Friday is set to deliver new software that will more closely link its forthcoming Xbox 360 gaming console into the company's plans for delivering digital entertainment.
The company said that as part of an update to its Media Center Edition of Windows, it will add the capability to stream digital media — music, videos, photos, television and films — from Media Center PCs to any television or device via Xbox 360. The move has been expected. Company executives discussed plans to build the software earlier this year.

Microsoft already allows customers to stream media through devices it calls Media Center Extenders, and it has in the past sold a kit to make Xbox work with Media Center PCs. But the new software will make Xbox, Microsoft's high-profile game machine, a peer in such arrangements and will for the first time include the ability to stream high-definition content. Xbox 360 consoles with special Media Center Extender technology will ship later this year, said Brad Brooks, senior director of product management in Microsoft's Windows client division.
The move could help promote sales of both Xbox and Media Center PCs, as Microsoft continues to link its products into a larger home entertainment plan, which still relies on the PC — and the company's Windows franchise — as its centre of gravity. Competitors include Apple, which continues to build a franchise around its iPod lineup, Sony, the longtime consumer electronics heavyweight, and others.

“The strategy here is quite simple. We want to create an environment based on Windows that will give consumers… the ability to take their content to any device that was connected back to a Windows PC. Adding the Xbox 360 is just the next evolution of that vision,” Brooks said.

“In past extender experiences, we haven't been able to bring over the full navigation, 3D graphics and user interface experience on a Media Center. With an Xbox 360 you get all of that,” he said.

The software update, called Update Rollup 2 for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, will support DVD changers, so that users can manage up to 200 movies through Media Center, Brooks said. In addition, a new feature, called Away Mode, adds a consumer electronics-like on-off function to Media Center PCs. Microsoft will also add new DVD-burning capabilities and will add support for additional high-definition TV tuners.

Microsoft also plans to announce new deals with US content providers to develop programming available to Media Center users. New to the list are additional MTV and VH1 content, along with MTV Overdrive and a broadband video channel, the AOL Pictures digital photo service and AOL Radio featuring XM, the Akimbo Service, which offers more than 5,000 programmes from the BBC, National Geographic and Discovery, as well as Major League Baseball playoff games, and two gaming services, Game xStream and Discover Games.
Brooks said the software update will be available as a free download for Media Center users on Friday from the company's Windows Update site. New PCs with the updated software installed should arrive at retailers by this weekend, he said.
It's unclear what role Media Center will play after the release of Windows Vista, a new version of Windows expected to launch next year. Brooks said no final packaging decisions have been made for Vista.

The company released a 'community technology preview' of Vista in September. The final version of Vista, which has also been known by its Longhorn code name, is due out in the second half of next year. Microsoft has not said when it will release a second test version of Vista.

Microsoft has issued a Media Center update for Windows Vista. Here's the details:
Microsoft has released the April 2007 Cumulative Update for Media Center for Windows Vista. This update contains several improvements, and it resolves several issues. This cumulative update is intended for computers that are running Windows Vista Home Premium or Windows Vista Ultimate.

Issues that are resolved by this update
In addition to the fixes that are contained in the updates that are listed in the “Hotfix replacement information” section, the April 2007 Cumulative Update for Media Center for Windows Vista resolves the following issues:

* The video may appear to freeze when the movie begins in some DVDs.
* When you rotate a picture during a slide show in Windows Media Center, the wrong photo may be rotated.
* The cover art for recorded TV movies may not appear in the DVD library view.
* When you delete a picture in Windows Media Center, you may receive an error message that resembles the following:
AUDIO ERROR
The Url contains one or more invalid characters.
* When you try to play a DVD by using Autoplay, you may receive an error message that resembles the following:
Tuner not installed

Improvements that are in this update
The update also provides the following improvements:

* Online Media support has been added for Windows Media Center on 64-bit versions of Windows Vista Home Premium or Windows Vista Ultimate.
* Video Playlist support has been added for Windows Media Center Extenders.
* Improvements have been made to Online Media caching.