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Software Reference Guide

HP Digital Entertainment Center

Microsoft Windows XP

Media Center Edition 2005

Reference Guide

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The information in this document is subject to change without notice.

Welcome...........................................1

Experience the Entertainment Fun ............................. 1

Watch and record live TV.................................. 1

The right music for the moment ........................... 1

Share your digital memories .............................. 2

Transform your living space into a theater............ 2

Using Media Center Features...................................2

Using Media Center...........................5

Setting Up Media Center.........................................5

Completing the setup wizard steps...................... 5

Getting the Most out of Media Center ....................... 6

Opening Media Center ..................................... 7

Media Center Start Menu ........................................ 8

Using Online Spotlight ............................................ 9

Using More Programs in Media Center ..................... 9

Navigating Media Center................................ 10

Closing Media Center........................................... 10

Synchronizing Media to a Portable

Media Device ..................................................11

Viewing files on a portable media device .......... 11

Using Media Center Help...................................... 12

Opening Media Center Help............................ 12

Media Center menu bars and control menu .......13

Using Instant Messaging in Media Center................ 14

Logging in to your messenger account............... 14

Changing Media Center Settings............................ 15

Media Center settings categories...................... 15

Changing audio, video, display resolution,

and other settings ........................................... 16

Changing the display resolution .......................17

Contacting HP Support in Media Center.................. 17

Finding Additional Media Center Information........... 18

Using the Remote Control ............... 19

Remote Control Buttons Overview ........................... 20

Begin using your remote control........................ 22

Remote Control Buttons..........................................23

Shortcut buttons .............................................. 23

Standby button ...............................................24

Recording in standby mode..............................25

Remote control LED and the remote

sensor LED .....................................................25

Media playback buttons ..................................26

Navigation and other buttons ...........................28

Alphanumeric Keypad and Print buttons ............29

Watching and Recording

TV Programs .................................. 31

Navigating My TV ................................................ 31

Watching TV........................................................32

Watching Live TV............................................33

Controlling TV playback ..................................34

Using the remote control in My TV ....................35

Using the Television Program Guide........................36

Important information about the

Television Program Guide ................................36

Viewing the Television Program Guide ..............37

Setting up how Media Center downloads

the Guide ......................................................38

Manually downloading the Guide.....................39

Changing a postal code to receive the

correct Television Guide ..................................39

Adding missing channels to the Guide............... 40

Removing channels from the Guide ...................40

Searching for TV Programs ....................................41

Searching for TV programs using categories ......42

Table of Contents

Table of Contents iii

Recording TV Programs ......................................... 43

Recording TV from the Guide ........................... 44

Recording manually ........................................ 44

Recording TV without the Television

Program Guide .............................................. 45

Record by using the Record button.................... 45

Recording TV from Search ............................... 46

The Record icon in the taskbar .........................47

Recording TV tips ........................................... 47

Important information about My TV

and FM radio................................................. 47

Standby mode and scheduled recordings .......... 48

Recording quality and hard disk drive

storage space ................................................48

Copying recorded TV programs to

DVD or CD .................................................... 49

Playing Recorded TV Programs............................... 50

Using the More Information button

with recorded TV programs............................. 50

Playing a recorded program on a

non-HP Digital Entertainment Center.................. 51

Locating recorded TV programs on your

hard disk drive ............................................... 52

Viewing recording errors ................................. 52

About Recording Errors ......................................... 53

Common recording errors................................ 53

Resolving Recording Conflicts ................................ 54

Recording priority rules ...................................54

Resolving a recording conflict .......................... 55

Deleting TV Programs............................................ 55

Deleting a scheduled program or series............. 55

Deleting a recorded program or series .............. 56

Setting Parental Controls ....................................... 56

Blocking unwanted TV programs

and movies.................................................... 56

Setting movie/DVD ratings .............................. 57

Changing parental control access code............. 57

Setting Caption Display................................... 58

Displaying Teletext.......................................... 58

Safeguarding Recorded TV Programs ......................59

Important information about recorded

TV programs .................................................. 59

Preparing the code key files .............................60

Making the backup CD ...................................62

Using the code key backup CD after a

system recovery ..............................................62

Using Two TV Tuner Cards..................................... 63

Recording two programs at the same time..........63

Watching live TV and recording a

different channel at the same time..................... 64

Managing Hard Disk Drive Space ..........................64

Increasing hard disk drive space ......................65

Adjusting TV recording and storage settings.......65

Using the Disk Cleanup utility ...........................66

Adjusting System Restore settings ......................66

Deleting recorded TV programs ........................67

Uninstalling software programs that are

not needed ....................................................67

Content Protection Update .....................................68

Playing Music Files..........................69

HP Tunes .............................................................69

My Music ............................................................70

Using HP Tunes with Media Center .........................70

Adding Music to the iTunes Library .........................71

Adding music files from a CD in iTunes..............71

Adding music files from a CD in HP Tunes .........72

Adding music files from the Internet...................72

Adding music files from your hard disk drive...... 73

Using supported music file types .......................73

Changing song name, genre, artist, or

album in iTunes ..............................................74

Playing CDs with HP Tunes ....................................74

Creating a Playlist with iTunes ................................75

Creating and Editing a New Playlist

with HP Tunes...................................................76

Creating Music CDs with iTunes .............................77

iv Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Reference Guide

Using My Music with Media Center........................ 78

Adding Music to My Music Library ......................... 79

Adding music files from your

hard disk drive ............................................... 79

Adding music files from a CD........................... 80

Deleting music files from the

My Music library ............................................81

Using supported music file types.......................81

Playing Music Files in My Music............................. 82

Playing an album in My Music ......................... 83

Playing a song in My Music............................. 83

Creating a Queue List in My Music......................... 84

Finding and Playing an Album in My Music............. 84

Creating a Playlist in My Music .............................. 85

Copying Music Files to CD in My Music .................. 86

Deleting music files from the

My Music library ............................................87

Editing song and album information.................. 87

Selecting a Visualization.................................. 87

Working with Pictures.....................89

HP Image Zone Plus.............................................. 89

My Pictures.......................................................... 90

Working with Digital Images.................................. 90

Using HP Image Zone Plus in Media Center............. 91

Organizing Pictures in HP Image Zone Plus .............91

Creating your picture catalog in

HP Image Zone Plus ........................................ 92

Creating albums ............................................. 94

Modifying a date assigned to your pictures........ 94

Assigning a keyword to your pictures................ 95

Assigning a place to your pictures .................... 95

Searching for pictures in

HP Image Zone Plus ........................................ 96

Viewing Pictures in HP Image Zone Plus ..................97

Viewing a slide show in

HP Image Zone Plus ........................................97

Viewing a slide show with music in

HP Image Zone Plus ........................................97

Changing view and slide-show options..............98

Editing Pictures in HP Image Zone Plus ....................98

Updating edited picture files in

Media Center.................................................98

Using supported picture file types with

HP Image Zone Plus ........................................99

Printing Pictures in HP Image Zone Plus .................100

Using My Pictures in Media Center .......................101

Organizing Pictures in My Pictures........................102

Adding Pictures to My Pictures .............................103

Adding picture files from your

hard disk drive .............................................103

Viewing Pictures in My Pictures.............................104

Viewing pictures as a slide show ....................105

Viewing a slide show with music in

My Pictures ..................................................105

Zooming into and panning across

your pictures ................................................105

Sorting pictures.............................................106

Changing picture settings...............................106

Turning photo captions on or off .....................107

Using supported picture file types in

My Pictures ..................................................107

Editing Pictures in My Pictures ..............................108

Fixing red eye or contrast ..............................108

Cropping pictures in My Pictures ....................108

Rotating pictures ...........................................109

Printing Pictures in My Pictures .............................110

Setting up your printer ...................................110

Copying Pictures to CDs and DVDs.......................111

Using the Desktop for Some Picture Tasks ..............111

Table of Contents

Table of Contents v

Playing Videos ............................. 113

Playing Digital Videos in Media Center................. 114

Using Supported Video File Types ........................115

Transferring and Recording Video Files ................. 115

Creating a CD/DVD from Video Files ...................116

Organizing Videos ............................................. 117

Playing a Video Stored on

Removable Media ..........................................118

Changing the Display for Better

Image Quality ................................................ 118

Creating a Desktop Background from

a Video File ................................................... 119

Adding Digital Videos to My Videos ..................... 119

Using the More Information Button

with My Videos .............................................. 121

Playing DVDs ............................... 123

Playing DVD Movies in Media Center ................... 123

Changing the DVD Movie Language..................... 124

Changing DVD Audio Settings ............................. 124

About playing DVDs .....................................125

Stopping a DVD movie.................................. 125

Watching DVD in the inset window or

in a resized window ..................................... 125

Playing a DVD movie already in

your drive.................................................... 126

Programming Remote Control Buttons for DVD ....... 126

Listening to FM Radio ................... 127

Playing FM Radio Stations ................................... 128

Organizing Pre-set Radio Stations......................... 129

Using the FM Radio and the TV Signal

at the Same Time............................................ 129

Recording TV Programs.................131

Copying Recorded TV Programs to DVD................131

Copying a TV program to CD/DVD

using Media Center ......................................131

Copy a recorded TV program to a DVD

with other programs ......................................132

Watching Recorded TV Programs on DVD .............132

Digital Media Copy Protection .............................133

Copy protection for DVD movies.....................134

CGMS*....................................................... 134

Macrovision .................................................134

Using Double-Layer Technology and Media ...........135

Playing CDs and DVDs ..................137

Playing Music CDs with iTunes ............................. 137

Setting Media Center as the automatic

CD or DVD player.........................................138

Playing DVD Movies with

InterVideo WinDVD ........................................139

Using country/region codes...........................140

Playing Video CDs (VCD) with

InterVideo WinDVD ........................................141

Creating (Burning) CDs

and DVDs .....................................143

Creating (Burning) CDs and DVDs with

RecordNow! ..................................................143

Creating music CDs with RecordNow!.............144

Creating CDs to play in your car or home

CD players...................................................144

Creating CDs to play on your HP Digital

Entertainment Center .....................................145

Creating a music CD.....................................146

vi Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Reference Guide

Storing Files on a DVD or CD............................... 146

Storing data files on disc ............................... 148

Copying a DVD or CD ........................................ 148

Erasing a DVD or CD.......................................... 149

Removing Files in RecordNow!............................. 149

Removing Files from a Recorded

Data Disc .................................................... 150

Creating an Image File.................................. 150

Saving an Image .......................................... 150

Burning an Image ......................................... 151

Archiving Files on a CD or DVD ........................... 151

Recording Video Files .........................................152

Using Disc Labels ...............................................152

Using Compatibility Information ...........................153

Identifying Disc Feature and Compatibility............. 154

Using the Optical Drive Quick

Reference Table.............................................. 156

Using the Software Quick Reference Table............. 157

Importing, Editing, and

Burning Videos .............................161

Using InterVideo WinDVD Creator ....................... 161

Getting Started with WinDVD Creator................... 162

Using the Preview window in

WinDVD Creator.......................................... 162

Using the Media Library in

WinDVD Creator.......................................... 162

Using the Storyboard in WinDVD Creator........ 163

Identifying Requirements for Capturing Video

with WinDVD Creator ..................................... 163

Capturing Digital Camcorder Video with

WinDVD Creator............................................ 164

Capturing Analog Video with

WinDVD Creator............................................ 164

Capturing a Still Image .......................................165

Editing Video Files with WinDVD Creator ..............165

Adding images with WinDVD Creator.............166

Adding audio effects with

WinDVD Creator ..........................................167

Adding transition effects with

WinDVD Creator ..........................................167

Adding title effects with WinDVD Creator ........167

Adding video filters with WinDVD Creator.......168

Authoring Your DVD with WinDVD Creator ...........168

Making a movie with WinDVD Creator ...........169

Recording VHS Files Direct to DVD with

WinDVD Creator ............................................170

Converting Recorded TV to VCD or

DVD Format ...................................................170

Using muvee autoProducer unPlugged................... 171

Getting Started with muvee autoProducer...............171

Adding Videos to Your Movie with

muvee autoProducer........................................172

Adding Pictures to Your Movie with

muvee autoProducer........................................173

Adding Music to Your Movie with

muvee autoProducer........................................173

Setting the Style in muvee autoProducer.................174

Changing the Settings in muvee autoProducer ........174

Making the Movie with muvee autoProducer ..........175

Recording muvee autoProducer Movie to Disc

with WinDVD Creator .....................................176

Using an HP Personal

Media Drive ................................. 177

Setting Up the HP Personal Media Drive to

Work with Media Center .................................178

Locating the Drive After Installation .......................178

Assigning a Drive Letter to the

HP Personal Media Drive.................................179

Table of Contents

Table o f C on te nts vii

Viewing and Storing Files.................................... 179

Playing Media Files ............................................ 180

Playing Music Files ............................................. 180

Viewing Picture Files ........................................... 180

Playing Video Files ............................................. 181

Watching TV Programs Stored on the

HP Personal Media Drive................................. 181

About Recording TV to the

HP Personal Media Drive................................. 182

Recording TV programs to the

HP Personal Media Drive............................... 183

Changing the TV recording path to the

HP Personal Media Drive............................... 183

Changing the TV recording path to the

local hard disk drive ..................................... 184

Disconnecting the HP Personal Media

Drive Safely ................................................... 184

Changing Disk Allocation.................................... 185

Updating Recorded TV List after Removing

the HP Personal Media Drive............................ 185

System Requirements to View Recorded

TV Programs on Other PCs...............................186

Troubleshooting ............................187

Troubleshooting Problems and

Finding Solutions ............................................187

Hardware and Operating System ......................... 188

Music................................................................190

Television, Guide, Recording TV...........................192

Video/DVD: Video or Display

Problems or Errors...........................................196

Pictures..............................................................198

Burning CDs or DVDs.......................................... 198

Index............................................199

viii Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Reference Guide

Welcome

Experience the Entertainment Fun

Microsoft® Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005 lets you do amazing things with your HP Digital Entertainment Center. With a full range of easy-to-use digital entertainment features, experience TV, movies, music, and photos like never before.

Media Center is simple and easy to use. You can easily find and choose your media. You can play movies, listen to music, view photos, and watch TV with a single remote control. Combine the powerful features of your HP Digital Entertainment Center with a home theater receiver to enjoy an even more dynamic entertainment experience.

Watch and record live TV

With Media Center you can pause, advance frame by frame, skip ahead, or use instant replay to catch every moment of live TV. Use fast-forward to bypass unwanted content. When you are not able to watch your favorite show, you can use Media Center to record it.

The right music for the moment

Browse your entire music library by artist, genre, and song. Select a playlist or a single album, or do a random shuffle from your music collection. You can even play songs from your iTunes music Library.

Record TV with ease by using the Television Program

Welcome

Guide to select the shows you want to record. You can record one show or an entire series and watch it when it is convenient for you. You will never miss a moment of your favorite shows.

Welc om e 1

Share your digital memories

Create personalized slide shows with music for viewing on your TV. Easily edit and create professional-looking home videos from the comfort of your couch with the remote control.

Transform your living space into a theater

Whether you are watching a DVD movie or your own home videos, Media Center delivers a rich viewing experience with a high-quality digital sound system. Sit back and enjoy the show.

Using Media Center Features

You can control the Media Center functions and navigate Media Center windows by using the remote control, the keyboard, or the trackball. You can easily switch back and forth between them by moving the trackball, or by pressing a button on the remote control or the keyboard.

You can run Media Center side-by-side with other Windows software programs. It’s possible to browse through your pictures, watch videos, play music, and even record TV while using other Windows programs

Some of the Media Center features listed are for select models only.

2 Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Reference Guide

When using the remote control and the Media Center program, you can:

■ Watch, record, and play back television programs

on any TV in the house.

■ Pause, rewind, and fast-forward TV programs.

■ Watch an instant replay.

■ Play back your digital videos.

■ View your digital pictures or play them as a slide

show with music. Easily print your photos.

■ Browse, select, and play music CD files with

full-screen visualizations.

■ Record CD tracks to your media library.

■ Play DVD movies. Resume playing your DVDs where

you left off.

■ Listen to FM radio stations.

■ Access streaming music and video subscription

services.

■ Record your TV shows automatically while you are

doing something else.

■ Open specific windows in Media Center by using

the shortcut buttons on the remote control.

■ Communicate with your friends and family by using

instant messaging.

■ Enjoy Media Center remotely (select models only).

■ Easily back up your media files to CD, DVD, or

another hard disk drive such as the HP Personal Media Drive.

The Television Program Guide may not be available in all countries/regions.

Welcome

Welc om e 3

4 Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Reference Guide

Using Media Center

Setting Up Media Center

The first time you start your HP Digital Entertainment Center, a Media Center setup wizard opens. It is best to complete each step in the Media Center setup wizard to be able to use all the features in Media Center. The

Media Center setup wizard may take approximately 10 to 40 minutes to complete. If there are steps you still need to complete, you can go to the Settings menu by following the procedure below.

Completing the setup wizard steps

1 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control.

2 Select Settings. You may need to use the arrow

buttons on the remote control to scroll down to see all the menu items.

3 Select General, Media Center Setup, and then

select Run Media Center Setup Again. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the wizard.

Using Media Center 5

Using Media Center

Listed below are some of the items included in the setup wizard:

■ Check for your Internet connection. An

Internet connection allows Media Center to download and update your Television Program Guide and display information about your music CDs and other media.

■ Configure your TV tuner, TV signal source,

and Television Program Guide. You need to provide information about your TV signal source and your TV signal equipment (set-top box, cables, and so on). This step makes sure your Digital Entertainment Center receives the correct TV signal and Television Program Guide information. If you have a cable box or satellite receiver, the setup wizard programs your remote control to work with them.

■ Optimize how Media Center looks on your

display. You can change display settings such as brightness, contrast, RGB color, and centering.

■ Set up your speakers. Select how many

speakers you have and test them.

You must subscribe with an Internet Service Provider (ISP) to have an Internet connection.

You can change your Media Center settings in the Settings menu.

Getting the Most out of Media Center

To maximize effective use of Media Center and to ensure access to all of its features, complete the following list before getting started. Refer to the Start Here booklet and the User’s Guide that came with your HP Digital Entertainment Center. Before opening Media Center, make sure:

■ The HP Digital Entertainment Center is set up

correctly.

■ The remote control has two AA alkaline batteries

installed.

■ The remote sensor is properly plugged into a USB

connector on your HP Digital Entertainment Center and is placed where you can point the remote control at it.

■ The remote sensor control cable is securely plugged

into the remote sensor and attached to your cable or satellite set-top box, if present.

■ The HP Digital Entertainment Center has a properly

configured and working Internet connection.

■ The HP Digital Entertainment Center is properly

connected to your TV signal source.

6 Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Reference Guide

Opening Media Center

Press the Media Center Start button on the remote control.

Click Start on the taskbar, and then click Media Center.

Using Media Center 7

Using Media Center

Media Center Start Menu

CDE FG

N O

A Access a menu to exit Media Center, to

shut down or to restart the HP Digital Entertainment Center, to log off to end your Media Center session, to put the HP Digital Entertainment Center into standby mode, or to switch users

B Use media playback controls: Play, Stop,

Pause, Skip, Fast-Forward, Replay, Rewind, and Record, Volume Up/Down, Channel Up/Down

C Open the Media Center Start menu

D Go back one screen

E Open the Media Center Help

F Minimize the Media Center window

G Resize the Media Center window

H Close the Media Center window

J Go to the Media Center Web site for the

latest Media Center information

K Watch your home videos

L View digital pictures or play a slide show;

print photos

M Watch, record, and play back TV programs

N Play music files or music CDs, create and

edit playlists, and record music files to CD

O Play FM radio stations

P Find utilities and programs: instant

messaging, video editing, and creating CDs/DVDs, and sync to device

Some of the features listed are for select models only.

8 Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Reference Guide

Other menus not shown:

■ HP Image Zone — View digital pictures, play a

slide show, and print photos

■ HP Tunes — Play music from your iTunes music

Library or from music CDs

Using Online Spotlight

Online Spotlight is a link to the Media Center Web site for the latest Media Center information and for media offers and services.

Music: This area includes links to music service providers, such as Napster and Live365.

Movies: This area includes links to movie service providers such as MovieLink and Cinema Now. You can find information about popular films, view trailers, download movies, and more.

News/Sports: This area lists top stories from news and sports broadcasters such as MSNBC and ESPN.

■ Play DVD — Watch DVD movies

■ Settings — Change Media Center program settings

Tips: This area includes tips from Microsoft on how to use Media Center.

Downloads: This area includes information and services that you can download.

Some features listed for Online Spotlight may not be available for all countries/regions.

Using More Programs in Media Center

More Programs contains links to programs, services, and common tasks.

■ Create CD/DVD is a link to a CD creation wizard

that helps you find the media files you want to copy to CD or DVD. For more information about creating CDs and DVDs, see “Creating (Burning) CDs and DVDs with RecordNow!” on page 143.

■ Messenger opens an instant messaging log on

window. For more information see “Logging in to your messenger account” on page 14.

■ Sync to Device allows you to automatically transfer

your music, picture, video, and recorded TV files from the HP Digital Entertainment Center to a portable device such as a portable Media Center device, a SmartPhone, a pocket PC, or a mass storage device. Select Help in Media Center for more information.

Using Media Center 9

Using Media Center

Navigating Media Center

In the Media Center windows, a selected item such as a folder, file, or menu item is outlined with a green border.

You can control the Media Center functions and navigate Media Center windows by using the remote control, the keyboard, or a trackball.

To select items in Media Center by using the remote control, use the arrow buttons on the remote control, and then use the OK button to enter your selection.

If you have media playing, such as music or television, it appears in an inset window in the lower-left corner. To switch from watching your media in the inset window to watching it in full-screen mode, use the arrows on the remote control to select it, and then press OK.

Closing Media Center

1 Move the trackball to display the Media Center

menu bars.

2 Click the Close icon to close Media Center.

10 Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Reference Guide

Synchronizing Media to a Portable Media Device

Sync to Device in More Programs allows you to automatically transfer your music, picture, video, and recorded TV files from the HP Digital Entertainment Center to a portable device such as a portable Media Center device, a SmartPhone, a pocket PC, or a mass storage device. Select Help in Media Center for more information.

1 Connect your portable media device to the

HP Digital Entertainment Center.

2 Select Yes when the message appears asking if you

want to sync content to the device.

3 If device is connected, press Start on the remote

control.

4 Select More Programs, and then select Sync to

Device.

5 Select the Up arrow or Down arrow on the screen to

move a playlist up or down in the list. The playlist at the top of the list is synchronized to the portable device first.

Select Delete next to a playlist you do not want to transfer to the device.

Select Add More to select other media categories you want to add to the list.

6 Select Start Sync.

Viewing files on a portable media device

1 Connect your portable media device to the

HP Digital Entertainment Center.

2 Minimize Media Center by selecting the

minimize icon.

3 Click Start on the taskbar, and then click

Windows Media Player.

4 Click the Sync tab to view files on the portable

media device.

Using Media Center 11

Using Media Center

Using Media Center Help

When you select the Help icon in Media Center, the Help Center window opens. From here you can access local help files located on your HP Digital Entertainment Center as well as help files found on the Internet.

The help categories are:

■ Help: Find help on using Media Center from files

located on your HP Digital Entertainment Center.

■ Community: Visit Media Center forums and get

help online.

■ Tips: Go to the Microsoft Web site for helpful tips

about using Media Center.

Opening Media Center Help

1 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control.

2 Move the trackball to show the Media Center

navigation bar, and then select the Help (?) icon from any window in Media Center.

■ Hardware: Find support information about your

Media Center HP Digital Entertainment Center hardware.

3 From the Help Center, select Help. 4 When Media Center Help files appear, use your

trackball, keyboard, or your remote control to select a help category.

5 Select a help topic.

When Media Center is open, you can also press F1 on the keyboard to open Media Center Help.

12 Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Reference Guide

Media Center menu bars and control menu

When you move the trackball, the Media Center menu bars appear. When you use the remote control, or when you stop using the trackball (after 5 seconds), the menu bars disappear.

To access the control menu in Media Center menu, move the trackball to display the menu bars. Select the Turn Off icon on the main

Media Center window.

From this menu, you can select icons to perform various actions.

Icon Action

You can use the Minimize and Resize buttons to switch to the desktop or to run Media Center side-by-side with another program.

Log off and end your Media Center session and switch users

Turn off the HP Digital Entertainment Center

Restart the HP Digital Entertainment Center

Put the HP Digital Entertainment Center in a reduced power state — standby mode

Using Media Center

Using Media Center 13

Using Instant Messaging in Media Center

Media Center supports instant messaging so you can communicate with your friends and family while you are doing something in Media Center. You always have the option to turn this feature on or off.

You can use your remote control to log in and type messages. You can even have multiple conversations.

From most areas in Media Center you can press Ctrl + D on the keyboard, or select a media file and press the More Info button on the remote control to access the Messenger login screen.

Logging in to your messenger account

1 First, you must go to http://www.msn.com to set

up your messenger account. You will need a .NET passport to log in to messenger. A .NET passport is an e-mail address, a login name, and a password. Make sure you verify the account with MSN before you try to log in from Media Center.

2 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control to open Media Center.

3 Select More Programs, and then

select the Messenger icon.

4 Select Sign In. 5 Enter your net passport information,

and then select Sign In.

14 Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Reference Guide

Changing Media Center Settings

In the Media Center Settings window, you can change settings for watching television, for viewing your pictures and slide shows, and for controlling sound and the display of all the Media Center windows.

To change your Media Center settings:

1 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control.

2 Select Settings. 3 Select a category. 4 Select one of the settings listed. Then, use the arrow

buttons to select an option or follow the onscreen instructions.

5 Select Save to save your changes.

Media Center settings categories

■ TV to set up TV signal, audio, and closed

captioning. You can download or edit the Television Program Guide, view or clear recording history, set hard disk drive recorder storage space, configure your display, and set recording defaults.

Some settings, such as parental control and caption display settings for TV and DVDs, are included with select models only. Not all channels support closed captioning.

■ Pictures to set slide-show settings.

■ Music to select visualizations or song information to

display when playing a song.

■ DVDs to select a language for subtitles, audio

tracks, and menus of your DVDs, program the remote control buttons for your DVDs, and select closed captioning. You can also access audio settings for your speakers. You must use a trackball or keyboard to select the audio settings.

■ Messenger and Caller ID to allow instant

messages within Media Center and set notifications for caller ID.

■ Radio to organize or delete pre-set radio stations.

Using Media Center

Using Media Center 15

■ General to set:

■ Startup and Window behavior.

■ Visual and Sound Effects to set transition

animations and sounds when navigating in Media Center.

■ More Programs Options to change settings

for other programs on the HP Digital Entertainment Center.

■ Media Center Setup to configure your Internet

connection, TV signal, speakers, TV, or monitor;

■ Parental controls to block unwanted TV

channels and block unwanted TV and movie ratings, change access code, and reset parental controls.

■ Automatic Downloads Options to get

media information about CDs, DVDs, and movies from the Internet and to select how to download the Television Program Guide.

■ Help to find help about using Media Center and

your hardware.

access Windows updates; run Media Center setup again; set up remote desktop; and reset Start Page defaults.

Changing audio, video, display resolution, and other settings

To change your audio and video settings:

1 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control.

2 Select More Programs. 3 Select HP Settings.

■ Front Panel to adjust the brightness of the front

panel display on the HP Digital Entertainment Center.

■ HP Media Drive to set up your HP Personal

Media Drive to access music, pictures, videos, and recorded TV shows from within HP Media

4 Select one of the following settings:

■ DVD to adjust audio and video settings for DVD

playback using InterVideo WinDVD player.

■ Resolution to adjust the appearance of

Center.

5 Use the arrow buttons to select an option or follow

the onscreen instructions.

Windows Desktop for your TV.

16 Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Reference Guide

Changing the display resolution

The desktop display resolution utility changes the viewing experience outside of Media Center. Use this if you have trouble reading programs running from the Windows Desktop. Some programs may not work with the lower resolution recommended for standard definition TVs.

1 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control.

2 Select More Programs, and then select

HP Settings.

3 Select Resolution, and then select OK. 4 Select a resolution that is best for your type of

Resolution settings:

1024 x 768 is best on high definition TVs.

800 x 600 is best for standard definition TVs larger than 32".

640 x 480 is best for standard definition TVs smaller than 32".

display, and then select Apply.

Select the Advanced button to open the display properties control panel where you can select the Settings tab, and then select another resolution setting by moving the slider bar under Screen

resolution. Select OK.

Contacting HP Support in Media Center

You can access a link to HP Support in Media Center by using your remote control. At HP Support you can:

■ Register your product with HP.

■ Learn more about your HP Digital Entertainment

Center and Media Center.

■ Test your hardware with interactive diagnostic

software.

■ Connect to online technical support or access a

telephone number to talk with a technical support agent.

1 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control.

2 Select More Programs.

3 Select HP Settings. 4 Select HP Support. 5 Select an option, and then follow onscreen

instructions. You need to use your trackball and keyboard in this Web site.

HP Support is available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year.

Using Media Center 17

Using Media Center

Finding Additional Media Center Information

To learn more about using Media Center, refer to the online and other Help files located in Media Center. Using your trackball, click the Help icon in the Media Center toolbar.

You can select Online Spotlight from the main Media Center menu to go online for the latest Media Center tips and other information.

Also, you can access the Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Reference Guide when you go online to the HP Support Web site at:

http://www.hp.com/support

To find the online documentation for your product, search for your model number, and then click Manuals.

18 Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Reference Guide

Using the Remote Control

The remote control is designed to work with Media Center. You can use your remote control with Media Center to play CDs and DVDs, to view pictures, and to watch and record television programs.

DVD MENU

This remote control helps you navigate the Media Center windows on your computer just as a TV remote control helps you navigate cable TV options or control the playback of a movie in a VCR or DVD player.

The remote control can:

■ Navigate and control all Media Center windows.

■ Control the video or live TV display.

■ Place the computer in and out of standby mode.

■ Shut down or restart the HP Digital Entertainment

Center.

■ Log off from Media Center or switch users.

The remote control cannot:

■ Navigate the Windows desktop or control other

computer programs outside of Media Center.

■ Be used as a VCR, DVD player, or stereo remote

control.

■ Turn on or off a TV that is connected to your HP Digital

Entertainment Center.

■ Turn on the HP Digital Entertainment Center.

The remote control has a range of about 26 feet.

Make sure there is nothing blocking the pathway between your remote control and the remote sensor.

MUSIC

RADIO

RECORD

REW

REPLAY

BACK

VOLUME

LIVE TV

GHI

PQRS

CLEAR ENTERPRINT

PLAY

PAUSE

MUTE

GUIDE

ABC

JKL

TUV

PICTURES

VIDEOS

STOP

FWD

SKIP

Using the Remote Control

CH/PG

RECORDED TV

DEF

321

MNO

654

WXYZ

987

Using the Remote Control 19

Remote Control Buttons Overview

Features and location may vary

AStandby puts the HP Digital Entertainment Center

into and out of a power-reduced state.

BDVD Menu opens the Play DVD window or opens the

main menu of a DVD movie, if available.

CMusic opens the My Music window.

D Radio opens the Radio window.

ERecord records a selected television program and

stores it on the hard disk drive when in Live TV mode. The Record button is inactive for all other media.

FRew (Rewind) moves the media backward at two

speeds.

GReplay moves media backward 7 seconds.

HPause pauses audio and video tracks and live or

recorded TV programs.

JBack returns HP Digital Entertainment Center to the

previous window within Media Center.

KArrow buttons move the cursor to navigate and select

actions within all Media Center windows.

LStart opens Media Center to the main Start menu.

MVolume increases (+) and decreases (–) volume.

NLive TV is a shortcut to the full-screen view of live TV.

Moves a TV program forward to the end of the pause buffer and resumes playing live TV.

OGuide opens the Television Program Guide.

PClear deletes the last character entered.

G H

DVD MENU

RADIO

MUSIC

PICTURES

VIDEOS

Q R

S T

RECORD

PLAY

REW

REPLAY

PAUSE

STOP

FWD

SKIP

BACK

VOLUME

CH/PG

MUTE

GHI

GUIDE

RECORDED TV

ABC

JKL

TUV

DEF

321

MNO

654

WXYZ

987

LIVE TV

PQRS

CLEAR ENTER

20 Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Reference Guide

QTV opens the My TV window.

RPictures opens the My Pictures window.

SVideos opens the My Videos window.

TPlay plays the selected media.

UStop stops the media currently playing.

V Fwd (Fast-forward) moves media forward at

three speeds.

WSkip moves media forward — for example,

30 seconds in videos and live TV or one music track.

X More (i) displays available information about a

selected media file and displays other menus.

YOK selects the desired action or window option and

acts as the Enter key.

Z CH/PG up (+) and down (–) changes the TV

channels or moves pages up and down, depending on available options. Moves to the next DVD chapter.

AA Mute turns computer sound off. The word Mute is

displayed when Mute is turned on.

BB Recorded TV opens the Recorded TV window

where recorded TV programs are listed.

If you turn off (shut down) your HP Digital Entertainment Center, Media Center will not record a scheduled TV program. The HP Digital Entertainment Center must be turned on or in standby mode to record TV programs.

Using the Remote Control

Make sure you turn off the monitor and turn down or mute the volume; for example, if you have a scheduled recording in the middle of the night and don’t want to be disturbed.

The HP Digital Entertainment Center will not automatically go into standby mode if Media Center is open. It is best to close Media Center before you manually place the HP Digital Entertainment Center in standby mode.

CC 0 to 9, #, * are the numeric keypad buttons to

change channels or enter text into a Media Center search or text box. Each time you press a number button, a different character appears. Press the Enter button to select a character.

DD Enter selects the desired action, menu, or window

option.

EE Print prints your pictures that you select in the My

Pictures window of Media Center.

Using the Remote Control 21

Begin using your remote control

1 Point the remote control at the remote sensor. The

remote sensor should be located near your monitor or in a convenient place. Make sure there is nothing blocking the pathway between your remote control and the remote sensor.

2 To start Media Center and to open the Media Center

Start menu, press the Start button .

3 If this is your first time using the remote control, the

Media Center setup wizard opens. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the remote control setup steps.

If you have completed the Media Center setup wizard, the Media Center Start menu opens. Use the arrow keys on the remote control to select an item, and then press OK to select an option and to begin using Media Center.

22 Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Reference Guide

Remote Control Buttons

Shortcut buttons

(Select models only)

You can use the remote control shortcut buttons to open specific windows in Media Center.

The direct access buttons open the main Media Center windows.

Some older DVDs may not include a DVD menu.

Button Function

DVD Menu Opens the Play DVD main menu, where you can play your DVD movies.

Using the Remote Control

TV Opens the My TV window, where you can watch and record TV, open your Television Guide,

schedule future TV recordings, and find your recorded TV programs.

Radio Opens the FM radio station window, where you can select FM radio stations to listen to.

Music Opens the My Music window, where you can browse and play music CDs and your music

files.

Pictures Opens the My Pictures window, where you can search for, sort, and view pictures and slide

shows that are stored in the My Pictures or the Shared Pictures folder in Windows Explorer. You can also view your pictures on other media such as a digital camera or a memory card.

Videos Opens the My Videos window, where you can search for, sort, and play back your video files

that are stored in the My Videos or the Shared Video folder in Windows Explorer. You can also view your videos on other media such as a memory card.

Live TV Moves a TV program forward to the end of the pause buffer and resumes playing live TV.

When you pause a TV program, you can use the Live TV button to move forward to live TV. Opens Media Center and then begins playing live TV in full-screen mode.

Using the Remote Control 23

Button Function

Guide Opens the Television Guide.

Recorded TV Opens the Recorded TV window where all your recorded TV programs are stored. From this

window, you can search for and play back a recorded show.

Standby button

The Standby button puts the computer into and out of a power-reduced state, called standby, which runs the computer with minimal power until you give it a command. To take the computer out of standby, press the Standby button for at least 1 to 2 seconds on the remote control. It is recommended that you use this button when Media Center is closed.

An LED (light-emitting diode) located under the Standby button blinks when the remote control is transmitting a signal to the remote sensor.

Make sure you turn off the monitor and turn down or mute the volume; for example, if you have a scheduled recording in the middle of the night and don’t want to be disturbed.

24 Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Reference Guide

Recording in standby mode

Media Center can take the HP Digital Entertainment Center out of standby mode just before a scheduled show begins recording. The HP Digital Entertainment Center returns to standby mode when the recording is complete.

Media Center begins recording with the monitor and sound turned on unless you manually turn them off before the scheduled recording.

Media Center cannot record TV programs if the computer is turned off.

Remote control LED and the remote sensor LED

Under the Standby button is an LED that blinks when the remote control is sending a signal to the remote sensor.

The remote sensor displays a red LED when you press a button on the remote control (select models only). Some kinds of lighting may cause the remote sensor to blink without you pressing the remote control.

Using the Remote Control

Using the Remote Control 25

Media playback buttons

These buttons allow you to play back picture slide shows, music files, playlists, music CDs, DVD movies, home videos, and live TV from within the Media Center program.

Press the Rew or the Replay button and then the Play button to watch an instant replay.

Button Function

Record Records TV programs. The Record button works only when My TV is used to play a TV show.

It is inactive when other media is playing.

■ Press Record once to record a TV show while watching live TV or while in the TV Guide.

■ Press Record twice to record a TV series while in the TV Guide.

■ Press Record repeatedly, until the record icon disappears from the TV Guide, to cancel a

recording.

Play Plays selected media.

Stop Stops selected media. When Stop is pressed while you are watching TV, the Media Center

pause buffer continues to record in the background.

Rew Rewinds selected media. Press Rew again to increase the rewinding speed.

■ Moves the video backward.

■ Moves live TV program to the beginning of the 30-minute pause buffer.

■ Moves the TV Guide back 3 hours.

Pause Pauses selected media. Press Pause and then Fwd repeatedly to play media frame-by-frame

in slow motion. To continue slow motion, you must press the Fwd button more than once.

26 Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Reference Guide

Button Function

Fwd Moves selected video media forward. Press Fwd up to three times to increase the

fast-forwarding speed.

■ Moves MP3 music files forward

■ Moves a video forward

■ Moves the TV Guide forward 3 hours

Replay Moves selected video media backward. To move backward in live TV by 7 seconds, press

Replay. You can repeatedly rewind with the instant replay option, but only to the beginning of the pause buffer or recorded program. Allows you to go back 12 hours in the Guide.

Skip Moves selected video media forward. To advance in live TV or in a recorded program by 30

seconds, press Skip once. You can repeatedly skip forward, but only to the end of the pause buffer or the recorded program. Allows you to skip 12 hours in the Guide.

Using the Remote Control

Using the Remote Control 27

Navigation and other buttons

These buttons allow you to play picture slide shows, music files, playlists, music CDs, DVD movies, home videos, and live TV from within the Media Center program.

Button Function

Back Returns to the previous window.

More Information (i)

Arrows Move between menus, windows, or activities. Move the cursor to select actions within the

OK Selects a desired action and works as an Enter button. If you are watching live TV, press OK

Volume (+ and –)

Start Opens the Media Center Start menu if you are in Media Center or if you are at the desktop.

CH/PG (+ and –)

Mute Turns off the sound. The word Mute appears in the window when it is turned on.

Displays available information about a selected media file and displays other menus. Some media may not include this information. This button displays details such as TV program summary or music artist. You may need to be connected to the Internet to receive TV programming or CD artist information.

Media Center windows.

to go to the previous channel. Press OK again to toggle back to the original channel you were watching.

Increases or decreases volume.

Changes channels up and down or moves the cursor to the next or previous page of options. Changes channels for live TV or moves to the next chapter of a DVD movie.

28 Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Reference Guide

Alphanumeric Keypad and Print buttons

The alphanumeric keypad buttons allow you to enter text, change channels, and print your pictures.

Button Function

Using the Remote Control

Numeric keypad (1-9, #, and *)

Clear Deletes the last character entered. Clear works the same way as a Backspace key on a

Print Prints picture files from the My Pictures window of Media Center. This button does not print

Enter Selects a desired action, menu, or window. Enter works the same way as the OK button.

Changes channels and enters text. Each time you press a number key, a different character appears. When you find the character you want, press the Enter button or wait a few seconds.

keyboard.

files from Windows Explorer or from the HP Image Zone Plus area of Media Center.

Using the Remote Control 29

30 Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Reference Guide

Watching and Recording TV

Programs

Watch live TV or record your favorite shows for later playback. Use the Television Program Guide to find the show you want to watch or record. You can also record a show while watching another prerecorded show.

Navigating My TV

From the My TV window you can search for and play your favorite TV shows. Use the following menu items to help you locate what you want to do:

■ Live TV: Watch, pause, fast-forward, or rewind your

favorite TV shows. You can watch recorded TV shows while recording another show. Use the More information button on the remote control to display TV show information.

■ Recorded TV: View a list of recorded programs by

date or title, view a list of programs scheduled to be recorded, play a recorded program, find out why a program wasn’t recorded, or add a TV recording manually.

■ Search: Quickly find a TV program or a series to

watch or record by entering a descriptive word, program title, or program category.

■ Guide: (Not available in all countries/regions.)

Scroll through the free Television Program Guide to find programs to watch and record. You can record specific TV shows or a whole series to your hard disk drive or an HP Personal Media Drive.

■ Movies: (Select models only.) Go online to find

movies to watch now or later. Get the latest information about movies on TV: read reviews, see cast lists, find other times the movie is broadcast, view the DVD cover, browse for related movies, and find other movies with the same cast members.

Digital video recording features and the Television Program Guide are for select models only.

TV Programs

Watching and Recording

The Movies online information feature is available for some countries/regions.

Watching and Recording TV Programs 31

Watching TV

Before you can watch TV by using Media Center, make sure:

■ The computer is set up correctly for your TV signal

source. Refer to the Start Here booklet and the HP Digital Entertainment Center User’s Guide for

more information.

■ You have completed the Media Center setup wizard.

If you have not completed the setup wizard, refer to “Completing the setup wizard steps” on page 5.

You can change the channel by using the remote control while in full-screen mode or when the inset window is selected.

You can go to live TV from anywhere in Windows Media Center by pressing Live TV on the remote control.

You can select a channel to see upcoming programs for that channel.

32 Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Reference Guide

Watching Live TV

1 Press the TV button on the remote control or select

My TV from the main start menu. Use the arrow

buttons on the remote control to select Live TV, and then press OK. The last channel selected or the first channel available begins playing.

2 Select a channel by using the CH/PG (+) or (–)

buttons or by using the numeric keypad on the remote control, and then press Enter on the remote control. The channel number and program information are displayed in the window.

3 Press the More information button to open

another menu with the following options and information:

■ A zoom option.

■ Access to Messenger and Settings windows.

■ Program information such as channel number

and station, title and time period of program, actual time, and a brief summary of the program and TV rating, if available. Recording options are also shown.

4 To exit full-screen mode and return to the previous

window, press Back on the remote control.

TV Programs

Watching and Recording

Watching and Recording TV Programs 33

Controlling TV playback

The personal video recorder functionality lets you record single shows or capture entire series for later viewing.

When you open the My TV window and begin watching live TV, Media Center begins recording the selected program in the background for up to 30 minutes. When you pause a live TV program while watching in full-screen mode, the time-shifting window appears.

You can return to the live broadcast by pressing the Live TV button on the remote control.

When you change the channel, Media Center deletes the previously recorded portion and begins recording again after a short delay.

You cannot use time shifting when recording a TV program. For example, you can’t pause a live TV program and then rewind to the beginning of the pause buffer and then begin recording. You can record a TV program only from live TV.

The 30-minute pause buffer applies only when pausing, rewinding, and fastforwarding live TV. Media Center allows you to record a program for longer than 30 minutes.

The digital video recording features are for select models only.

34 Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Reference Guide

Using the remote control in My TV

Button Action

To freeze the live TV image, press Pause. While paused, My TV continues to record a pause buffer for up to 30 minutes. To resume watching TV where you left off, press Play.

To stop live TV or a recorded program, press Stop once. To resume watching the program, press Play.

To move forward in the live TV program that has been paused, or in a recorded program, press Fast-Forward (Fwd). To speed up the fast-forwarding, press Fwd two or three times. Fwd allows you to skip 3 hours in the Television Program Guide.

To play a recorded TV program or to resume watching a program after pressing the Pause, Fast-Forward, Rewind, Replay, or Skip buttons.

To advance in live TV or in a recorded program by 30 seconds, press Skip once. You can repeatedly skip forward, but only to the end of the pause buffer or the recorded program. Allows you to skip 12 hours in the Guide.

To move backward in live TV or a recorded program, press Rewind (Rew). To speed up rewinding, press Rew three times. To resume watching the program, press Play. Rew allows you to move back 3 hours in the Guide.

To move backward in live TV by 7 seconds, press Replay. You can repeatedly rewind with the instant replay option, but only to the beginning of the pause buffer or recorded program. Allows you to move back 12 hours in the Guide.

Live TV To maximize the TV viewing window to full-screen mode, press Live TV. Also, to advance to

the end of the pause buffer and resume watching the live TV broadcast, press Live TV.

More information

CH/PG To move to the next channel or page in the Television Program Guide, press the CH/PG (+)

Guide To open the Television Program Guide, press Guide. When in the Guide window, press

To see the channel number, station identifier, title of program, time slot, and category of program, press the More information button while in full-screen mode. If you select a recorded show and then press the More information button, you can access more information about a program, stop or delete a program, record a series, change the “Keep Until” setting, copy a selected program to CD/DVD, access the instant messaging dialog box, and access TV settings.

and (–) buttons.

Guide again to view a program categories menu. To filter your Guide to display only programs in a category, you can select a category, such as Drama.

Watching and Recording TV Programs 35

TV Programs

Watching and Recording

Using the Television Program Guide

In the Television Program Guide, you can scroll through a list of the current and upcoming television programs and channels available from your television service provider. The Guide displays the channel and network, as well as the program title, scheduled time block, and a brief

description of the program. The number of days displayed depends on your television service provider; most providers display up to 14 days. By selecting a program title, a detailed description of the program appears at the bottom of the window.

Important information about the Television Program Guide

Television Guide data may not be available in your country/region. You can still record TV programs without a Guide; see “Recording TV without the Television Program Guide” on page 45.

If there is no Guide data available when you try to download or search for Guide information, you may receive one of several error messages. An error can occur because your HP Digital Entertainment Center is not connected to the Internet, guide listings are not available in your country/region, or your TV signal provider and HP Digital Entertainment Center location settings are not supported.

Make sure you are connected to the Internet and check your TV signal and guide settings in the Settings menu of Media Center.

The Television Program Guide is not available in all countries/regions.

36 Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Reference Guide

Viewing the Television Program Guide

1 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control.

2 Select My TV, and then select Guide. 3 Use the arrow buttons to select a channel, and then

use the arrow buttons to scroll through up to two weeks of programming for that channel.

4 Select a program, and then press OK to watch it.

Press the Record button on the remote control to record the program.

Make sure the HP Digital Entertainment Center has a connection to the Internet and that you have completed the Media Center setup wizard before you try to download the Guide or change the settings for the Guide.

When you select a channel and then press OK on the remote control, you can view up to two weeks of programming. Use the scroll arrows at the bottom of the window.

If you press the Guide shortcut button on the remote control while you are already in the Guide, you can select one of the Guide filter categories, such as Movies, to search for a movie.

Press the More information button on the remote control to access another menu for more options of searching the Guide.

TV Programs

Watching and Recording

Watching and Recording TV Programs 37

Setting up how Media Center downloads the Guide

You must select a TV listings provider before you can use and download the Guide. You can set up Media Center to download the Guide when you connect to the Internet or your can select to manually download the Guide.

1 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control.

2 Select Settings, General, Automatic

Download Options, and then select:

■ Connect to the Internet and download:

Media Center connects to the Internet, and then downloads the Guide.

■ Download when connected: Connect to the

Internet, and Media Center automatically downloads the Guide.

■ Manual download: Connect to the Internet

and then manually download the Guide in Media Center TV Settings menu.

3 Follow the onscreen instructions. When the Television

Program Guide starts downloading from the Internet, it can take up to 30 minutes, depending on the amount of data to download and the speed of your Internet connection.

No data available appears next to each channel if the Guide has not been downloaded. This can occur if the HP Digital Entertainment Center does not have an Internet connection or if there is no service available in your country/region.

38 Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Reference Guide

If your HP Digital Entertainment Center has, for example, a DSL connection, your HP Digital Entertainment Center is always connected. The Guide is downloaded at a specified time every few days. This option may not be supported by all providers. The download interval varies, depending on the ISP.

Manually downloading the Guide

1 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control.

2 Select Settings, TV, Guide, and then select Get

Latest Guide Listings.

3 Follow the onscreen instructions. The Guide can take

up to 30 minutes to download, depending on the amount of data to download and the speed of your Internet connection.

Changing a postal code to receive the correct Television Guide

1 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control.

2 Select Settings, TV, Guide, and then select Set

Up Guide listings.

3 Select Next, and follow the onscreen instructions.

4 Enter your postal code, and then select Next. 5 To download your provider information and then

start downloading your Guide information, follow the onscreen instructions.

Watching and Recording TV Programs 39

TV Programs

Watching and Recording

Adding missing channels to the Guide

Some program channels are seasonal and do not appear in the Guide all the time. To add the names and numbers of the television channels you are missing or to change the associations between channel numbers and lineups:

1 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control.

2 Select My TV, Settings, Guide, and then select

Add Missing Channels to add the names and

numbers of the channels you are missing.

3 Select Add Channel.

4 Use the numeric keypad on your remote control or

your keyboard to enter the name of the missing channel, and then select Next.

5 Enter the correct channel number, and then

select Add.

6 Repeat steps 3 through 5 to add additional channels. 7 Click Done when you have added all the channels.

Removing channels from the Guide

You may want to remove some channels from your Guide to prevent users from having access to them.

1 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control.

2 Select My TV, Settings, Guide, and then select

Edit Channels to remove the names and numbers

of the channels you do not want to appear in the Guide.

3 Select or clear a check box to add or remove the

channel.

4 Select Save.

40 Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Reference Guide

Searching for TV Programs

To find a TV program, you can enter a title or keyword or select a category in your Guide by using your remote control.

1 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control, select My TV, and then select Search.

2 Select Title. Use the numeric keypad on your remote

control or your keyboard to enter a program title word, and then press OK on the remote control.

Select Keyword. Use the numeric keypad on your remote control or your keyboard to enter a descriptive word that would appear in a program title or program description, and then press OK on the remote control.

3 To scroll through search results, use the arrow buttons

to select a program, and then press OK. If multiple times for the program are displayed, select a time and press OK.

4 To begin watching the program in full-screen mode,

select the program, and then press OK. If the program is not currently playing, select Record or

Record Series, and then press OK.

TV Programs

Watching and Recording

■ Using Categories to search can help you

find, for example, all football games. A title or keyword search displays every program that has “football” in the title or description.

■ The TV search results do not include

previously recorded TV programs.

Guide filtering features, such as searching by keyword or category, are available for select models only.

Watching and Recording TV Programs 41

Searching for TV programs using categories

You can search the Guide to find a TV program by selecting a category using your remote control.

1 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control, select My TV, and then select Search.

2 Select Categories. 3 Select a category of program types, such as

Movies.

4 Select an option such as Genres or Top Rated. 5 Select a sorting option, such as By movie title. 6 Use the arrow buttons to scroll through

search results and to select a program. Then press OK on the remote control.

7 Select an option to find out more about the

program, to watch it, to schedule a recording, or to view other showings of your program.

42 Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Reference Guide

Recording TV Programs

Media Center allows you to record TV programs so that you can watch them when it is convenient. You can record the program you are watching, or you can record a future program or series from the Guide, the Search, or the Recorded TV window in My TV. You can record two programs at the same time if your HP Digital Entertainment Center has two TV tuners (select models only).

If a recording error occurs, the program will not be recorded unless the conflict is resolved. If you try to schedule a recording and another is already scheduled for the same time, a conflict window appears and gives you the option to record the new program or record the previously scheduled program.

To make sure your program is being recorded, select My TV, Recorded TV, and then select Scheduled. The Record icon also appears next to the program in the Guide while you are recording. The Record icon disappears when the recording is complete.

Recording icons

The Record icon appears in the Television Program Guide next to the program scheduled to record.

The Record Series icon appears in the Television Program Guide next to each occurrence of a program in a series that is scheduled to be recorded.

The Record Conflict/Error icon appears in the Television Program Guide and the taskbar if another program is scheduled to be recorded at the same time.

Record Series means that you select to record each episode of that program from one channel. Media Center won’t record duplicate episodes. Media Center also looks for alternative times to record an episode if a recording conflict arises.

If you turn off (shut down) your HP Digital Entertainment Center, Media Center will not record a scheduled program. The HP Digital Entertainment Center must be turned on or in standby mode to record a TV program. The HP Digital Entertainment Center will not automatically go into standby mode if Media Center is open.

Make sure you turn off the monitor and turn down or mute the volume if, for example, you have a scheduled recording in the middle of the night and do not want to be disturbed.

TV Programs

Watching and Recording

For more information about recording to your HP Personal Media Drive, see “About Recording TV to the HP Personal Media Drive” on page 182.

Watching and Recording TV Programs 43

Recording TV from the Guide

To record a current or future program or series from the Guide:

1 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control, select My TV, and then select Guide.

2 To find the program you want to record, use the

arrow buttons on the remote control, and then select the program. You can also use the numeric keypad on the remote control to enter a channel number. Press the right arrow button in the Guide to select a program that will be broadcast in the future.

Recording manually

Recording a program manually allows you to select a specific date, channel, and recording time period. For some programs, you may want to begin recording before the scheduled beginning and after the scheduled ending of the program.

3 Press the Record button on the remote control.

The Record icon appears next to the program in the Guide. Press Record twice to record a series.

The Record Series icon is displayed to indicate a series. Press Record again to cancel the recording.

4 To return to the previous window, press Back on the

remote control.

5 If there is a recording conflict, Media Center displays

a message and allows you to select which program you want to record.

1 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control, select My TV, Recorded TV, and then select Add Recording.

2 Select Channel and Time. 3 Select the channel number box and enter the

channel number using the numeric keypad on the remote control.

44 Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Reference Guide

4 Select the (+) or (–) buttons, and then press OK on

the remote control to scroll through choices and enter the recording frequency, date, start and stop times, and storage and quality options.

5 To set the recording and return to the Recorded TV

window, select Record in the window, and then press OK on the remote control.

6 To return to the previous window, press Back on the

remote control.

■ Recorded TV programs that have been

copied to a DVD can be played on your HP Digital Entertainment Center and on some DVD players.

■ Recorded TV programs can be backed up as

part of a full system backup and restored to the same HP Digital Entertainment Center, but not to other PCs.

Recording TV without the Television Program Guide

You do not need the Television Program Guide to record TV. You can record a TV program by pressing the Record button on the remote control while watching live TV. You can also select the program you want to record manually. See “Recording manually” on page 44.

Record by using the Record button

1 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control, select My TV, and then select Guide.

2 Select the program you want to record, and then

press the Record button on the remote control.

TV Programs

Watching and Recording

Watching and Recording TV Programs 45

Recording TV from Search

You can find a program to record based on a keyword such as an actor or director name, program title, or a category (select models only). To record a current or future program or series using Search:

1 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control, select My TV, and then select Search.

2 Select Title, Keyword, or Categories. For Title

and Keyword searches, enter your descriptive search words. Media Center starts searching from the first letter you type into the text box. For a Categories search, select the category you want and press OK.

3 Use the arrow buttons to scroll through the search

results to select the program you want to record, select the program, and then press OK.

4 Select Record or Record Series in the window,

and then press OK. The Record icon for a single program or the Record Series icon for a series appears next to the program in the Guide. If there is a scheduling conflict, Media Center displays a message and allows you to select which program you want to record.

Title search

5 To return to the previous window, press Back on the

remote control.

Category search

46 Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Reference Guide

The Record icon in the taskbar

If a program is currently being recorded, the Record icon also appears in the taskbar. If you move your cursor over the icon, Media Center displays which program is currently being recorded. You can right-click the icon to open Media Center and stop recording.

Recording TV tips

■ If your HP Digital Entertainment Center has one TV

tuner and you are watching live TV during a scheduled recording time, you can watch only the program being recorded. If you change channels, recording stops.

■ If you go to another area in Media Center, the TV

channel you last selected will be displayed in the inset window at the bottom of the window.

■ Some channels can be shared by two or more

networks, depending on the time of day. The Guide may display only one network’s programming. This may cause recording options to be unavailable. You may need to manually update the Guide before scheduling a recording.

To copy a recorded TV program to DVD to view on a home DVD player, see “Copying recorded TV programs to DVD or CD” on page 49.

TV Programs

Important information about My TV and FM radio

If your Digital Entertainment Center has one TV tuner, the FM radio shares the use of the single tuner card with My TV. In Media Center, you are unable to watch or record TV and listen to FM radio at the same time. If your system has two TV tuners, you could watch or record TV and listen to FM radio at the same time.

When Media Center is scheduled to start a recording, a warning appears that says FM radio stops when the TV recording starts. If you do not select Cancel recording, Media Center automatically stops radio and begins recording TV.

Watching and Recording TV Programs 47

Watching and Recording

Standby mode and scheduled recordings

You should always close Media Center before you manually place the HP Digital Entertainment Center in standby mode, to avoid file corruption and other recording problems.

Recording quality and hard disk drive storage space

The space available for recording TV programs depends on your hard disk drive size, the percentage of hard disk drive space allocated to recorded TV, and the recording quality setting.

To get the maximum recording time, change the recording quality to Fair instead of the default setting of Best.

Refer to Media Center Help for more information about recording errors, advanced recording features, and My TV settings.

Quality of recording

Best *2.7 GB/hour Better *2.4 GB/hour Good *1.4 GB/hour Fair *1.2 GB/hour

*This table shows approximate sizes of recorded TV program files.

Some files may be smaller or larger.

1 GB = 1 billion bytes when referring to hard disk drive capacity. Actual formatted capacity is less.

Hard disk drive space used

48 Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Reference Guide

Copying recorded TV programs to DVD or CD

You can record TV programs to DVD in Media Center to create a backup copy or to save space on your hard disk drive by using the following procedure. These DVDs can be played from an HP Digital Entertainment Center and from some set-top DVD players.

The HP Digital Entertainment Center includes several other recording software programs for you to create CDs and DVDs. You can use InterVideo WinDVD Creator to record the recorded TV program to format that can be played from an HP Digital Entertainment Center and from some set-top DVD players. See “Using InterVideo WinDVD Creator” on page 161.

For more detailed information about recording CDs and DVDs, refer to information on the HP Support Web site at:

http://www.hp.com/support

TV programs that have been encrypted (protected) by the broadcaster cannot be copied and played back on any player other than the HP Digital Entertainment Center that they were recorded to.

1 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control.

2 Select More Programs. 3 Insert a blank DVD+RW, DVD+R, CD-RW, or

CD-R disc.

4 Select Create CD/DVD. 5 Select the type of CD or DVD you want (Music

or Data).

6 Enter a title for your DVD by using the numeric

buttons on the remote control, and then select OK.

7 Select Recorded TV. 8 Select the Recorded TV programs you want to copy

to CD or DVD.

9 Select View DVD or View CD. 10 Select Create DVD or Create CD. 11 Select Yes. 12 Follow the onscreen instructions to complete burning

your TV show to disc.

TV Programs

Watching and Recording TV Programs 49

Watching and Recording

Playing Recorded TV Programs

Recorded TV is the storage place for all your recorded programs. In the Recorded TV window, you can sort your programs by name, date, or category. You can also delete a recorded program or series of programs and check for any recording errors.

1 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control, select My TV, and then select Recorded TV.

2 To organize all of your previously recorded

programs, select Sort by Date or Sort by Title.

3 To begin watching the program, select the recorded

program you want to watch, and then press OK on the remote control.

Media Center places recorded TV programs in the Recorded TV folder that is located in your Shared Documents folder on your hard disk drive.

Using the More Information button with recorded TV programs

When you select a recorded TV program and then press the More Information button on the remote control, a menu appears with several options you can select.

■ More Information (i) displays details about the

recorded TV show such as the title, the date and time recorded, a summary of the program, and the original date it was aired.

■ Play allows you to play the recorded program.

■ Delete allows you to delete the recorded program.

■ Record Series allows you to record other shows in

that series, if available.

■ Keep Until allows you to change the setting for

keeping the program until space is needed or until a specific date, until you watch it or until you manually delete it.

■ Copy to CD/DVD allows you to record this

program to CD or DVD.

■ Messenger allows you to access your instant

messaging login window.

■ Settings allows you to access the main Settings

window.

50 Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Reference Guide

Playing a recorded program on a non-HP Digital Entertainment Center

1 Make sure the PC has Windows XP Service Pack 1

and DVD player software installed.

a Click Start and then click My Computer.

b Click Help and then click About Windows.

c In the About Windows dialog box, if you see

Service Pack 1 in the version information, go to step 2. If not, you must install Windows XP Service Pack 1. For more information go to:

http://www.microsoft.com

2 Make sure the PC has a media player that works

with Windows XP Service Pack 1, such as Windows Media Player 9 or later. If Windows Media Player is installed, check for software updates.

3 Download and install the update from Microsoft’s

Web site. Search for “Watch television shows recorded by HP Digital Entertainment Centers on other Microsoft Windows XP PCs.”

4 Open the media player program and then open the

digital video recording file (.dvr-ms extension) you want to watch.

Recorded TV shows are stored by default in the Recorded TV folder in the Shared Documents folder on the local hard disk drive of an HP Digital Entertainment Center.

To play recorded TV programs in Windows Media Player, a PC requires:

■ The Windows XP operating system.

■ Windows Media Player 9 or later.

■ A special Media Center codec file that may

be available through Windows Update (for select models only).

TV Programs

Watching and Recording TV Programs 51

Watching and Recording

Locating recorded TV programs on your hard disk drive

1 Click Start on the taskbar, and then

click My Computer.

2 Double-click the Shared Documents folder. 3 Double-click the Recorded TV folder. 4 Double-click your recorded TV program file. 5 Use the playback controls in Windows Media Player

to control the playback of your recorded TV program.

Viewing recording errors

1 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control; select My TV.

2 Select Recorded TV.

52 Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Reference Guide

3 Select Scheduled. 4 Select History.

About Recording Errors

A recording error means that a program scheduled to record is not recorded. This can occur for several reasons. If your HP Digital Entertainment Center is turned off and not in standby mode during the time the program is scheduled to record, or if there is a recording conflict with another scheduled program, a recording error occurs. If you are watching live TV when the program is scheduled to record and decline the prompt to change channels, a recording error occurs.

For more information about troubleshooting the recording conflicts, refer to Media Center Help.

Common recording errors

Recording error Description of error

Redundant Program already exists in Recorded TV library or has been recorded and deleted in the

past eight weeks. Missed HP Digital Entertainment Center was turned off during scheduled recording time. Conflict Another program was scheduled to record at the same time. Canceled You s el ec ted Don’t record on the Program Info menu and canceled the recording. Repeat In Advanced Record, you selected First Run only for a series recording so any programs in

a series that are not first run are not recorded. Error Unknown technical error:

TV Programs

Watching and Recording

Media Center failed to start the recorder.

TV signal was lost.

Failed communication with the set-top box. Not enough space Hard disk drive is too full. Deleted You deleted the program. Not recorded Program was not recorded because of recording conflict or because of other error. Partial Part of the program was recorded.

Watching and Recording TV Programs 53

Resolving Recording Conflicts

Media Center can record only one TV program at a time. If your HP Digital Entertainment Center includes one TV tuner and you schedule two recordings for the same time, a message appears telling you to resolve the conflict. If you do not resolve the conflict, Media Center automatically makes the selection just before the program begins recording. Before the program records, a conflict icon (a red circle with an exclamation point) is listed next

Recording priority rules

Media Center selects which program to record based on the following priority rules:

1 A scheduled program that is not a rerun 2 The program that was scheduled first 3 Manual recordings

Often, Media Center is able to find an alternative date and time for recording one of the programs so that both programs can be recorded. If one recording partially overlaps another, Media Center records to the end of the first and then begins recording the second.

After you resolve a recording conflict, the conflict icon continues to appear for the program that is not scheduled to record so you can return to the conflict and reverse it, if needed.

to the program in the Guide. Press the Media Center Start button on the remote control, select My TV, Recorded TV, and then select Scheduled.

To enable Media Center to resolve recording conflicts, you can set up how program recordings are handled. When you try to record a program and another is scheduled at the same time, Media Center prompts you to choose a program to record.

If you are watching TV while recording a program, you can watch only the channel being recorded. If a recording is scheduled to begin and you are watching a different channel, a message appears giving you the choice to change the channel to begin the recording. If no choice is made, the channel changes automatically.

If two recordings are in conflict, but one is scheduled to air at another time, Media Center displays a message with the option to record an alternate recording of one of the programs.

54 Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Reference Guide

Resolving a recording conflict

1 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control, select My TV, Recorded TV, and then select Scheduled.

2 Select a program you want to change. 3 Select Resolve Conflict and then select the show

you want to record.

Select Record settings, and then Change settings.

Select a recording option: Do not record, Record Series, or Other Showings to find other times it is

playing.

Deleting TV Programs

To select the recording start and stop times and other recording priority settings, select Record settings or Series settings, and then select the option you want.

TV Programs

Deleting a scheduled program or series

To prevent recording conflicts, you may need to delete a program or series that is scheduled to be recorded.

1 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control, select My TV, Recorded TV, and then select Scheduled.

2 Use the arrow buttons to select the program title you

do not want to record, and press OK.

3 To remove a single program, select Do not record

in the window, and press OK on the remote control.

To remove the entire series from the recording schedule, select Series, Cancel Series, and then press OK.

Watching and Recording TV Programs 55

Watching and Recording

Deleting a recorded program or series

To free up hard disk drive space, you may need to delete a program or series that has been recorded.

1 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control, select My TV, and then select Recorded TV. A list of all the programs you have

recorded and saved appears.

3 To remove the selected program from the hard disk

drive, select Delete.

4 Select Yes.

2 To select the program title you want to delete, use the

arrow button to highlight the program title, and then press OK.

Setting Parental Controls

Blocking unwanted TV programs and movies

(Select models only)

If you set Media Center to block unrated channels, an error can occur. It is recommended that you make sure this option is not selected.

To do th is :

1 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control.

2 Select Settings, General, and then select

Parental Controls.

6 Select Advanced to select more restrictive ratings to

block such things as fantasy violence, suggestive dialogue, offensive language, and sexual content.

7 Select Yes, and then select Save. 3 Enter your four-digit code number. 4 Select TV Ratings. 5 Select Turn on TV blocking by selecting the area

next to Turn on TV blocking to display a check mark. Make sure that Block unrated TV programs is not selected.

Parental control and caption display settings for TV and DVDs are included with select models only.

56 Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Reference Guide

Setting movie/DVD ratings

(Select models only)

1 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control.

2 Select Settings, General, and then select

Parental Controls.

6 Select (+) or (–) next to the rating that is currently

selected to change the movie rating.

7 Select Save.

3 Enter your four-digit code. 4 Select Movie/DVD Ratings. 5 Select Turn on movie blocking by using the

arrow buttons on the remote control to select the area to the left of Turn on movie blocking. A check mark appears when it is selected.

Some DVDs do not have ratings assigned to them.

Changing parental control access code

(Select models only)

1 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control.

2 Select Settings, General, and then select

Parental Controls.

3 Enter your four-digit code, and select Change

Access Code.

4 Enter a new four-digit code twice, and then click OK.

TV Programs

Watching and Recording

Watching and Recording TV Programs 57

Setting Caption Display

(Select models only)

If you set Media Center to display captions while in window mode (not full-screen mode), the window or the caption text may flash as the text scrolls in the window. To fix this problem, change the display to full-screen mode or turn off the caption display option.

To turn off the caption display option:

1 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control.

2 Select Settings, TV, and then select Audio.

Displaying Teletext

(Select models only)

To display the Teletext toolbar:

1 While watching TV in full-screen mode, press

the More Information (i) button on the remote control to display the information bar.

2 Select the Teletext button on the information bar.

The Teletext toolbar will also appear at the bottom of the screen so that you can navigate the Teletext pages.

3 Click (+) or (–) next to the current Caption display

setting to change it. You can select:

■ On to view speech as text in a TV program

containing the captioning signal.

■ On when muted to display speech in a muted

TV program.

■ Off to disable caption display.

4 Select Save.

The Teletext feature may not be supported in some countries/regions.

For more information about the Teletext toolbar, refer to the Help menu in Media Center.

58 Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Reference Guide

About Teletext

Teletext is additional information that is broadcast within a TV signal in some countries/regions. You can navigate the Teletext main page and subpages to find information such as the weather, sports scores, or community events. You can turn on subtitles in a specific language for a program you are watching. When a TV show is

recorded, the Teletext subtitles are stored with the recording so you can view the subtitles when you play the recording later.

Teletext may not be available for all the channels you receive. The Teletext button will only display on the information bar if Teletext is available for that channel. If you would like more information about which channels have Teletext available, contact your TV service provider.

Safeguarding Recorded TV Programs

Most television broadcasters do not encrypt programs, so a recording can be played on any HP Digital Entertainment Center. A recording of a broadcasterencrypted TV program, though, can be played only on the PC that recorded it.

When you record TV programs using Media Center, the TV program broadcaster may have an encryption code that Microsoft includes as a special code in the recorded files. This code is keyed to your HP Digital Entertainment Center and is required to play broadcaster-encrypted TV programs previously recorded to your hard disk drive, copied to DVD, or copied to other media. When you perform a system recovery or replace the hard disk drive in your HP Digital Entertainment Center, you lose the special code.

You can safeguard your capability to play recorded TV programs by making a backup CD and using it as described in the procedures provided here. Make the backup CD now, before you need it, so that you can use

the CD after you perform a system recovery or replace the hard disk drive in your HP Digital Entertainment Center. If you do not have the backup CD after you perform a system recovery or replace the hard disk drive, you will not be able to play any previously recorded TV programs that are broadcaster-encrypted.

The procedures that follow describe how to prepare your HP Digital Entertainment Center, make the backup files you need, copy the file to CD, and use the backup CD to restore the files to your HP Digital Entertainment Center after a system recovery.

To safeguard your recorded TV programs you need to:

■ Prepare the code key files.

■ Make a backup CD.

■ Perform a system recovery, if necessary.

■ Use the code key backup CD after a system recovery.

TV Programs

Watching and Recording

Important information about recorded TV programs

When you replace the hard disk drive, you lose any files or software that you created, saved, or installed on the HP Digital Entertainment Center. You also lose a special code that Microsoft includes in the files of the recorded TV

programs.

Without the code, Media Center will not play the TV programs previously recorded to disk or copied to DVD or to other media.

Watching and Recording TV Programs 59

Preparing the code key files

The code key files and backup CD you make can be used in your Digital Entertainment Center only.

1 After you set up your HP Digital Entertainment Center

and turn it on, complete the initial Microsoft Windows setup. Open Media Center and complete its setup.

2 Record at least one TV program. 3 Close Media Center. 4 Open the Microsoft Backup utility: Click Start on the

taskbar, choose All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and then click Backup. The Backup

or Restore Wizard opens.

5 Click the Advanced Mode link near the middle of

the window.

6 At the top of the Backup Utility window, click Tools

and select Options.

7 Click the Exclude Files tab.

60 Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Reference Guide

8 In the Files excluded for all users box, put your cursor

over the vertical line between Filename and Application in the title bar, and then click and drag the line to the right to see the full list of entries.

9 Scroll down the list to see and then click the entry:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\ DRM\*

10 Click Remove, click Apply, and then click OK.

The Options window closes.

11 In the Backup Utility window, click the Backup tab. 12 In the left box, click the plus sign (+) for Local Disk

(C:). The file tree expands. Click the plus sign (+) for Documents and Settings, click the plus sign (+) for All Users, and then click the DRM box so a check mark appears.

13 Scroll down the list and click the System State box

so a check mark appears.

14 At the bottom of the window, beneath Backup media

or file name, click Browse. Because a diskette is too

small to save the backup file on, you will need to save the file to the desktop portion of the hard disk drive before writing the file to CD. If the message

Insert a disk into drive A appears, click Cancel.

15 The Save as window opens. In the Save as type box,

select Desktop from the drop-down list. In the Save as box, use the default name (Backup.bkf) or type a

file name with the extension .bkf and then click

Save. The window closes.

16 Click Start Backup in the Backup Utility window.

The Backup Job Information window opens.

17 Click Start Backup. The Backup Progress window

opens. When the process finishes, the window displays the message The backup is complete.

18 Click Close. 19 Close the Backup Utility window. Continue with the

next procedure.

TV Programs

Watching and Recording

Watching and Recording TV Programs 61

Making the backup CD

1 Click Start on the taskbar, choose All Programs,

RecordNow!, and then click RecordNow!

again. The RecordNow! window opens.

2 Insert a blank CD. 3 Select the Data Projects tab, and then click

Data Disc.

4 Click Continue. 5 Click Add Files and Folders. The Select files and

folders to add window opens.

6 In the Look in box, select Desktop from the drop-

down list.

7 Click the backup file (for example, Backup.bkf) so it

appears in the File name box. Click Add. The window closes.

8 In the RecordNow! window, click the red Burn icon.

If a warning window opens, click OK.

9 Wait while the program writes to the CD and the disc

tray ejects.

10 Remove the CD, label it, and store it in a safe place

for use with the next procedure. Click Done.

11 Close the RecordNow! window. 12 Because you do not need the backup file you

created, drag the file to the Recycle Bin on the desktop. This deletes the copy of the file that was on the hard disk drive.

Using the code key backup CD after a system recovery

1 Insert the backup CD you made into a drive. The

drive window opens and shows the disc contents.

If the window does not open automatically, click Start, My Computer, and then right-click the drive icon to view the contents of your backup disc.

2 Double-click the backup file (for example,

Backup.bkf). The Backup or Restore Wizard opens.

5 When the What to restore window opens, click

Browse, and the Browse window shows the

(A:) drive.

6 Click Browse again, and the window shows Select

file to catalog.

7 Click the drop-down menu arrow, and click the

optical drive with the backup CD.

8 Click the backup file name. 3 Click Next. 4 Choose Restore files and settings, and then

click Next.

9 Click Open and then click OK.

10 In the Items to restore box, click the plus sign (+) for

the backup file name. The file tree expands. Click the

C box so a check mark appears. Click the System State box so a check mark appears.

62 Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Reference Guide

11 Click Next. 12 The Backup or Restore Wizard window shows the

message You have created the following restore settings. In the window, click the Advanced button.

Click Next.

15 Wait until the process completes, and then click

Close in the Restore Progress window.

16 A Backup Utility message window opens. Click Yes

to restart the HP Digital Entertainment Center. Wait until the restart completes.

13 A warning message window opens. Click OK in the

Warning window.

Open Media Center and complete the setup. You can now play previously recorded TV programs that are broadcaster encrypted.

14 Select Replace existing files and then click

Next. Click Next again. Click Finish. The Restore

Progress window opens.

Using Two TV Tuner Cards

(Select models only)

Your HP Digital Entertainment Center can support two analog antennae (NTSE, PAL, or SECAM), two analog cables (no set-top box), two cable set-top boxes, or two satellite TV set-top boxes. You cannot set up the tuners to different TV signal sources, such as satellite and antenna. Both TV tuners must be connected to the same signal

source. For example, you must use an antenna, cable, two cable boxes, or two satellite set-top boxes for both tuner inputs.

With two TV tuners, your HP Digital Entertainment Center can record two programs at the same time. You can also watch live TV while recording a program on another channel.

TV Programs

Watching and Recording

Recording two programs at the same time

(Select models only)

1 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control.

2 Select My TV, and then select Guide. 3 Use the arrow buttons to select a show to record, and

then press the Record button on the remote control.

4 Select a second show to record at the same time,

and then press the Record button again.

5 Follow any onscreen instructions.

Watching and Recording TV Programs 63

Watching live TV and recording a different channel at the same time

(Select models only)

1 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control.

2 Select My TV, and then select Guide.

4 Select a second show to watch, and then press the

OK button to begin watching it.

5 Follow any onscreen instructions. 3 Use the arrow buttons to select a show to record, and

then press the Record button on the remote control.

Managing Hard Disk Drive Space

The space available for recording TV programs depends on your hard disk drive allocation, drive size, and default recording quality selections. The HP Digital Entertainment Center requires a certain amount of space to run your Windows XP operating system, run software programs, and store data files. If your hard disk drive becomes full, it may affect the HP Digital Entertainment Center speed and performance. You may need to free up storage space to record more programs or to optimize the performance of your HP Digital Entertainment Center. There are several things you can do to optimize and increase your available hard disk drive space.

The size of your HP Digital Entertainment Center hard disk drive depends on your model.

64 Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Reference Guide

Increasing hard disk drive space

■ Adjust TV recording and recorder storage settings.

See “Adjusting TV recording and storage settings” on page 65.

■ Use the Disk Cleanup Utility. See “Using the Disk

Cleanup utility” on page 66.

■ Adjust the System Restore settings. See “Adjusting

System Restore settings” on page 66.

■ Delete recorded TV programs from the Recorded TV

folder in Shared Documents. See “Deleting recorded TV programs” on page 67.

■ Uninstall software programs. See “Uninstalling

software programs that are not needed” on page 67.

■ Archive TV programs to a DVD if your HP Digital

Entertainment Center has a DVD Writer drive. See “Copying Recorded TV Programs to DVD” on page 131.

■ Archive TV programs to an HP Personal Media Drive.

See “Recording TV programs to the HP Personal Media Drive” on page 183.

Adjusting TV recording and storage settings

1 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control.

2 Select Settings, TV, and then select Recorder. 3 Select Recorder Storage to change your Disk

allocation and Recording quality settings. Increase the percentage of hard disk drive space available for recorded TV programs in Default Settings.

TV Programs

Select Recording Defaults to change your recording storage settings. Select Fair as the default recording quality. The better the quality of the recording, the more space the file takes. Select Until I watch as the Keep setting for each recorded program.

The storage space for your Digital Entertainment Center may differ from the amount listed here.

Watching and Recording

Watching and Recording TV Programs 65

4 Use your arrow buttons on the remote control to

select the (+) or (–) next to the recording default setting to change your options. Press OK on the remote control to change the setting.

5 Select Save.

Using the Disk Cleanup utility

1 Click Start on the taskbar.

3 Select the drive you want to clean up, and then 2 Choose All Programs, Accessories, System

Tools, and then Disk Cleanup.

4 Select the type of files you want to delete, and then

Adjusting System Restore settings

1 Click Start on the taskbar. 2 Right-click My Computer. 3 Click Properties. 4 Select the System Restore tab.

5 Select a drive, and then click the Settings button.

6 Move the slider under Disk space to use to a lower

7 Click OK, and then click OK again.

click OK.

setting to save disk space.

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Deleting recorded TV programs

1 Click Start on the taskbar, and then click My

Computer.

2 Double-click Shared Documents, and then

double-click Recorded TV.

3 Right-click recorded TV files, and then select Delete.

To delete a recorded TV program from within Media Center, see “Deleting a recorded program or series” on page 56.

Uninstalling software programs that are not needed

1 Click Start. 2 Click Control Panel. 3 Double-click Add or Remove Programs, if it is

present.

4 Click the program, and then click the Change/

Remove button.

5 Click Yes when the confirmation window opens. 6 Repeat steps 4 and 5 for each program you want to

remove.

7 Click Close.

TV Programs

Watching and Recording TV Programs 67

Watching and Recording

Content Protection Update

Media Center will protect content based on all widely known flags delivered in NTSC, PAL, DVD, and other formats. All protected programs are encrypted to the HP Digital Entertainment Center via time-limited Digital Rights Management (DRM) based licenses.

Some DVD movies and other programs that are broadcast are copy-protected. A Copy Never message may be displayed if the content cannot be recorded or archived to disc.

For more information about protected content and other restrictions about transferring or copying digital media, refer to Media Center Help or go to the Microsoft Web site at: http://www.microsoft.com

68 Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Reference Guide

Playing Music Files

The HP Tunes and My Music areas in Media Center are great ways to play, organize, and back up your music files. HP Tunes is designed to work with the Apple iTunes program in your All Programs menu, and My Music is designed to work with the Windows Media Player program.

HP Tunes

With HP Tunes, you can play your favorite music you have added to your iTunes music Library. For more information about using HP Tunes, see “Using HP Tunes with Media Center” on page 70.

When a CD is in your drive, it takes longer to open HP Tunes. Also, you must be in HP Tunes to play your iTunes music files from within Media Center. If you leave this area, your music files stop playing.

HP Tunes is designed to work with Apple iTunes

Playing Music Files 69

Playing Music Files

My Music

With My Music, you can find and play your favorite music files and CDs you have added to the Windows Media Player Library. For more information about using My Music, see “Using My Music with Media Center” on page 78.

My Music is designed to work with Windows Media Player.

Using HP Tunes with Media Center

iTunes is an Apple-developed software program located in your All Programs menu that works together with the HP Tunes area in Media Center. HP Tunes is linked to your Apple iTunes music Library. Both programs work together to organize and play back your favorite music files, CDs, and created playlists.

HP Tunes menu in Media Center

70 Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Reference Guide

Some tasks you must do in the iTunes program with your trackball and keyboard, and some tasks you can do from within Media Center with your remote control. For example, you must add music files to the iTunes music Library before you can access them in HP Tunes in Media Center. Also, you can record your playlists to CDs in the iTunes program but not in Media Center.

For more information on using the iTunes program, refer to the HP support Web site at: http://www.hp.com/support

Adding Music to the iTunes Library

To create your iTunes music Library, you can import music files from a CD, download iTunes music files from the iTunes Music Store or the Internet, or import them from your hard disk drive.

If your songs don’t appear in HP Tunes, make sure your songs are added to the iTunes Library. You may need to close and open Media Center to update your display.

Adding music files from a CD in iTunes

1 With your trackball, click Start on the

Windows taskbar, choose All Programs, iTunes, and then click iTunes.

2 Insert an audio CD. 3 Select your CD under the Source menu.

4 Make sure the songs you want to add to your library

are selected. A check mark appears next to the song when it is selected.

5 Click the Import icon in the toolbar to

bring the songs into the library.

Playing Music Files

Playing Music Files 71

Adding music files from a CD in HP Tunes

1 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control, and then select HP Tunes.

2 Insert a CD.

4 Under CD Playlists select your CD title.

5 Select Copy CD. Your CD is copied into the iTunes

Library and is accessible in HP Tunes.

3 Select Playlists.

Adding music files from the Internet

For more information about downloading music from the iTunes Music store, refer to the Help menu in the iTunes program.

1 Connect to the Internet. 2 Follow the online instructions to download your

songs. If songs are downloaded from the iTunes Music Store, they appear in your iTunes Library.

3 If songs are downloaded to your desktop, drag them

into the iTunes Library. If the files are in an unprotected .wma format, they are encoded into .aac files by default (or into the importing format you select from the Preferences menu) and placed into the library.

4 To change your import format:

5 Select Library. Songs are listed alphabetically or by

the sort order of the library column heading you select.

If your songs are listed as track numbers instead of names, make sure the HP Digital Entertainment Center is connected to the Internet so iTunes can look up the song and album names.

a Click the Edit menu, and then select

Preferences.

b Select the Importing tab.

c Select the Import Using drop-down menu, and

then select an import format.

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Adding music files from your hard disk drive

If the music files are in another format, iTunes will automatically convert most files to the .aac format before it adds them to your iTunes Library.

1 Click Start on the taskbar, choose All

Programs, iTunes, and then click iTunes.

2 If your music file is on the desktop, select the file and

drag it into the iTunes Library.

Using supported music file types

You can play the following types of digital audio files in iTunes. By default, iTunes converts several file types to .aac files when you import them into the iTunes Library.

Some file types, such as protected .wma files and other proprietary file types, cannot be played in iTunes.

Media Center cannot play .aac files from My Music.

With iTunes, you can share .mp3, .aiff, .wav, and .aac files between other computers on a local network.

File extension File type .aac Apple Lossless Encoder .aiff Apple Compressed Encoded .wav Windows audio file .mp3 Audio files

Click the File menu, and then select Add File to Library. Click the drop-down arrow to browse

for your music files. Select your file, and then click Open.

MP3 files are the most compatible music file format for playing back on most PCs and other audio playback devices.

You can select Media Center as the default player for any of the listed file types. Refer to iTunes Help for information about supported file types.

Playing Music Files 73

Playing Music Files

Changing song name, genre, artist, or album in iTunes

For more information about changing name, genre, artist, or album information with iTunes, refer to the Help menu in the iTunes program. It is not possible to make these changes from within HP Tunes in Media Center.

Playing CDs with HP Tunes

When you insert a CD that has not been added to your iTunes music Library, it will be listed under Playlists or Albums. If it has been added to your library, it will be displayed under Songs, Albums, Artists, or Genres.

1 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control, and then select HP Tunes.

2 Insert a CD. 3 Select Playlists or Albums. 4 Scroll through the displayed playlists or albums, and

then select your CD title. If the songs on this CD weren’t added to your iTunes music Library, this playlist or album will disappear when you eject the CD.

For more information about music file compatibility with iTunes, go to the iTunes Help menu.

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Creating a Playlist with iTunes

A playlist is a customized list of songs that you saved together and can play later or record to CD. Using playlists, you can group various digital music files together and determine the order in which you want the files to play.

You can create a playlist that includes several tracks from various CDs or even a playlist that contains background music for a slide show.

You can use iTunes or HP Tunes in Media Center to create playlists.

1 Click Start on the taskbar, choose All

Programs, iTunes, and then click iTunes again.

2 Click File, and then select New Playlist. 3 Type a name for your playlist. 4 Select Library. 5 Drag your music files from the library to your

Playlist icon.

6 Select the Playlist icon to check whether your songs

were added. Your playlist is now available in the HP Tunes area of Media Center.

If your playlist doesn’t appear in HP Tunes, make sure your songs are in your iTunes library. You may need to close and open Media Center to update your display.

Playing Music Files 75

Playing Music Files

Creating and Editing a New Playlist with HP Tunes

A queue (or Now Playing) list is a temporary list of songs that are scheduled to be played in the order they were selected. A queue list acts like a group of songs you select to play on a jukebox. You can continue to add songs, or you can delete songs from your queue list. You also have the option of saving your queue list as a playlist.

1 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control, and then select HP Tunes.

2 Select Songs. 3 Use the arrow buttons on the remote control to select

a song, and then press OK on the remote control to place a check mark next to the song.

4 Select Add to Queue. 5 Press the Back button on the remote control to return

to the queue list. Click View Queue and then Edit Queue to select songs to move or delete.

Repeat steps 2 through 4 to add more songs to your queue list.

Once you create a queue list, you can save it as a playlist that you can play again and again.

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Creating Music CDs with iTunes

To create a music CD using iTunes:

1 With your trackball, click Start on the Windows

taskbar, choose All Programs, select iTunes, and then click iTunes.

2 Click the Edit menu, and select Preferences. 3 Click the Burning tab, and choose Audio CD as

the disc format.

4 Click the Use Sound Check check box if you

would like all songs on the CD to play at the same volume level, and click OK.

5 Click the File pull-down menu, and select New

Playlist.

6 Enter a name for your new playlist, and an empty

playlist window opens.

7 Drag and drop selected songs from your source to

your new playlist.

8 Click the Burn Disc icon in the toolbar

area. When the disc is finished recording, the Burn Disc icon disappears.

9 Insert a blank CD-R disc into your drive

(double-layer DVD+R discs are not compatible).

For more information about creating music CDs with iTunes, click the Help menu in the iTunes menu bar. For help online, go to: http://www.hp.com/support

iTunes music files cannot be recorded to double-layer DVD media.

IMPORTANT: HP supports the lawful use of technology and does not endorse or encourage the use of our products for purposes other than those permitted by copyright law.

10 Click Burn Disc to begin recording your playlist.

Playing Music Files

Playing Music Files 77

Using My Music with Media Center

You can copy digital music files and organize a music library by using My Music in Media Center or by using the Windows Media Player program.

Music files that are added from within My Music in Media Center are copied into the Windows Media Player Library and are then accessible from within Media Center.

In My Music you can:

■ Play CDs or selected music tracks from your created

Windows Media Player Library that you access in Media Center.

■ Select and edit a personalized queue list of songs

from your library.

■ Delete songs from a music library or queue list.

■ Burn your favorite songs to CDs.

■ Back up your music tracks to a DVD or to an

HP Personal Media Drive.

My Music menu in Media Center

You can store your music files in the My Music folder or in other folders on your hard disk drive, but you need to add those files to the Windows Media Player Library for Media Center to be able to find and play them.

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Adding Music to My Music Library

When you add music files to your My Music library, they are placed into the music library in Windows Media Player. The added music files can immediately be found and played back by using My Music in Media Center.

You can also add music files to your music library from within the Windows Media Player program. For more information about adding and deleting music files to the library, use the Windows Media Player Help menu.

Adding music files from your hard disk drive

1 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control, and then select My Music.

2 Press the More Information button on the remote

control, and select Add Music.

3 Select Add folders, and then select Next. 4 Select Add folders on this computer, and then

select Next.

5 Use the arrow buttons on the remote control to

select a location. Press the OK button to expand a folder. When you find the folder that contains your music folder, select it by making sure an arrow appears next to the folder. Repeat this step to add additional folders, and then select Next and then select Finish.

Playing Music Files 79

Playing Music Files

Adding music files from a CD

To add the CD tracks to your Media Center music library:

1 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control, and then select My Music.

2 Insert a CD into the CD drive. 3 Select Albums. 4 Select the Album CD you want to add to your music

library.

5 Select Copy CD. The first time you copy a music

CD you must select your copy-protection option, and then follow any onscreen instructions.

6 Select Yes to begin copying tracks to your music

library. This process may take several minutes, depending on the length of your music tracks.

7 Click OK.

Each time you add music files outside of Windows Media Player, you must use the Tools menu to add music files to your Windows Media Player Library for Media Center to find them.

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Deleting music files from the My Music library

1 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control, and then select My Music.

2 Select Songs.

Using supported music file types

You can play the following types of digital audio files in My Music. Refer to Windows Media Player Help for more information about supported file types.

File extension File type .cda CD audio .wav Windows audio file .mp3, .m3u MP3 .asx, .wm, .wma,

.wmv, .wmp, .wmx

Windows Media audio files

3 Use the arrow buttons on your remote control to scroll

through your songs. Select the song you want to delete, and then press OK on the remote control.

4 Select Delete, and then select Yes.

For more information about music file formats, use Windows Media Player Help and Media Center Help.

Only supported audio file types are displayed in the My Music window. Unsupported files won’t play.

Playing Music Files 81

Playing Music Files

Playing Music Files in My Music

When you first open Media Center and open the My Music window, you may not find any music files listed unless there is a music CD in your CD drive or unless you have already added audio files to your Windows Media Player Library.

When you copy music files using Windows Media Player and your computer is connected to the Internet, the CD information is copied and displayed in Media Center and in the Windows Media Player Library.

If you insert a music CD when Media Center is not open, a message appears asking what you want to do. You can select Windows Media Player as your default audio player. If you have another program set as the default audio player, Windows opens the program and begins playing the CD.

You can place all your music files into the My Music folder or into other folders on your hard disk drive, but you need to add those files to the Windows Media Player Library for Media Center to be able to find and play them.

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Playing an album in My Music

1 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control.

2 Select My Music. 3 Insert a music CD into the CD drive. 4 Select Albums. 5 Select the album you want to play. 6 Select Play.

Playing a song in My Music

You can play a song from anywhere in My Music. You can select it from the View Song list, or from the Album, Artist, and Genre lists. You can also play a single song from a playlist:

1 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control.

2 Select My Music. 3 Select Songs. The list displays all the songs in your

library.

4 Use the arrow buttons to select a song, and then

press OK on the remote control to play it.

You can select Visualize in the Now Playing window to see a visualization while you play a music track.

Playing Music Files

Playing Music Files 83

Creating a Queue List in My Music

A queue list is a temporary list of songs that is created in My Music as you select songs, albums, or playlists to play. You can continue to add songs or you can delete songs from your queue list.

You can create a queue list and save it as a playlist that you can access in Media Center.

1 From the My Music window:

■ Select Songs, and then use the arrow keys to

select a song you want, and then select Add to Queue.

■ Select Albums or Playlists, select an album or

a playlist, and then select Add to Queue to add the entire album or playlist to the queue.

2 Use the Back button on the remote control to go back

to the Songs, Albums, or Playlists menu if you want to select more songs to add to your queue list. Repeat step 1.

3 After you add the last song for your queue list, select

Play. All songs in your queue list are played in the

order you have selected them.

Finding and Playing an Album in My Music

1 In the Media Center Start menu, select My Music,

and then select Albums.

2 Use the arrow buttons to select an album, and then

press OK on the remote control. You can also press Play on the remote control to play the album. The Now Playing window opens, and the album starts playing.

3 In the Play window, you can also select:

■ Buy Music to connect to the Internet, find CD

information, and buy music CDs. To go back to Media Center, press Start on the remote control.

■ Visualize to view a picture while listening to

asong.

4 To return to the previous window, press Back on the

remote control.

■ View Cover to view cover art and play one

track.

■ View Queue to view an ordered list of all

tracks that will be played on the album.

■ Shuffle to rearrange the play order.

■ Repeat to play the album again.

■ Copy CD to copy an album into your Media

Library.

When you select Buy Music, your Internet browser opens the Microsoft Web site. Here you’ll find information about the artist or album you’re currently listening to or similar artists. You have the option to purchase CDs.

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Creating a Playlist in My Music

A playlist is a customized list of songs you can keep to play later or record to CD. Using playlists, you can group various digital music files together and determine the order in which you want the files to play.

You can create a playlist that includes several tracks from various CDs or even a playlist that contains background music for a slide show.

You can create playlists in Windows Media Player or from within Media Center.

To create a playlist:

1 Select My Music, and then select either Albums,

Artists, Playlists, Songs, or Genres.

2 Use the arrow buttons to navigate to the music you

want to add to your playlist.

3 Press OK to select a song. 4 Select Add To Queue. A confirmation displays that

the music was added to the list of music in the queue.

5 Select the inset window in the lower-left corner to go

to the Queue.

6 On the Queue screen, select Edit Queue, and then

select Save As Playlist.

7 Use the numeric keypad to enter a name for the

playlist, and then select Save.

If your HP Digital Entertainment Center is connected to the Internet, the CD track titles and cover art appear in Media Center.

Playing Music Files 85

Playing Music Files

Copying Music Files to CD in My Music

To copy your music files to CD:

1 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control, and select More Programs.

2 Insert a blank CD-R disc. 3 Select Create CD/DVD. 4 Use the arrow buttons on the remote control to select

the Untitled text box.

5 Use the numeric keypad buttons on the remote

control to enter a name for your CD, and then select OK.

6 Select Music. 7 Select the music files to record. A check mark

appears next to the song when it is selected. Use the Back button on the remote control to select more songs from different menus.

8 When you are finished adding songs, select View

CD to see the songs you have selected. If you want

to delete songs, use the arrow buttons on the remote control to select the X next to the song you want to delete. Press OK on the remote control to delete the song from your list of songs to be recorded to CD. This does not delete the song from your library.

9 Select Create CD.

10 Select Yes.

IMPORTANT: HP supports the lawful use of technology and does not endorse or encourage the use of our products for purposes other than those permitted by copyright law.

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Deleting music files from the My Music library

To delete your music files:

1 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control, and then select My Music.

2 Select Songs.

3 Use the arrow buttons on your remote control to scroll

through your songs. Select song you want to delete and then press OK on the remote control.

4 Select Delete. 5 Select Yes.

Editing song and album information

1 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control, and then select My Music.

2 Select the song or album you want to edit. 3 Select Edit Info.

4 Use the arrow buttons and the numeric keypad on

the remote control to enter new information about the song or album.

5 Select Save.

Selecting a Visualization

To select which visualization to display when you play asong:

1 Press the Media Center Start button on the

remote control, select Settings.

2 Select Music. 3 Select Visualization Options.

4 Use the arrow buttons to select the visualization

settings you want, and then press OK on the remote control change the setting.

5 Select Save.

Playing Music Files

Playing Music Files 87

88 Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Reference Guide

Working with Pictures

Use the HP Image Zone Plus and My Pictures areas in Media Center to view and print your pictures.

HP Image Zone Plus

HP Image Zone Plus is a software program located in your All Programs menu that works together with the HP Image Zone Plus area in Media Center. Both programs work together to organize, search for, and display your digital images. It is designed to organize your photos, scanned images, and video clips by date, keyword, or place. For more information about using HP Image Zone Plus, see “Using HP Image Zone Plus in Media Center” on page 91.

Working with Pictures

Work in g wi th Pic tures 89

My Pictures

With My Pictures, you can view and print your pictures from the folders you create in the My Pictures directory in Windows Explorer. For more information about using My Pictures, see “Using My Pictures in Media Center” on page 101.

Working with Digital Images

You can connect a digital image source, such as a digital camera or a digital video camera, directly to the HP Digital Entertainment Center or through a docking station. Most digital picture files you copy or download from the device appear in the My Pictures folder.

You can copy digital picture files from the memory cards used by digital cameras and other digital imaging devices by using the memory card reader (select models only).

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HP z540, z545-h, z545, z552, z555 Software Guide

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Table of Contents

Welcome

Experience the Entertainment Fun

Watch and record live TV

The right music for the moment

Share your digital memories

Transform your living space into a theater

Using Media Center Features

Using Media Center

Setting Up Media Center

Completing the setup wizard steps

Getting the Most out of Media Center

Opening Media Center

Media Center Start Menu

Using Online Spotlight

Using More Programs in Media Center

Navigating Media Center

Closing Media Center

Synchronizing Media to a Portable Media Device

Viewing files on a portable media device

Using Media Center Help

Opening Media Center Help

Media Center menu bars and control menu

Using Instant Messaging in Media Center

Logging in to your messenger account

Changing Media Center Settings

Media Center settings categories

Changing audio, video, display resolution, and other settings

Changing the display resolution

Contacting HP Support in Media Center

Finding Additional Media Center Information

Using the Remote Control

Remote Control Buttons Overview

Begin using your remote control

Remote Control Buttons

Shortcut buttons

Standby button

Recording in standby mode

Remote control LED and the remote sensor LED

Media playback buttons

Navigation and other buttons

Alphanumeric Keypad and Print buttons

Navigating My TV

Watching and Recording TV Programs 31

Watching TV

Watching Live TV

Controlling TV playback

Using the remote control in My TV

Using the Television Program Guide

Important information about the Television Program Guide

Viewing the Television Program Guide

Setting up how Media Center downloads the Guide

Manually downloading the Guide

Changing a postal code to receive the correct Television Guide

Adding missing channels to the Guide

Removing channels from the Guide

Searching for TV Programs

Searching for TV programs using categories

Recording TV Programs

Recording TV from the Guide

Recording manually

Recording TV without the Television Program Guide

Record by using the Record button

Recording TV from Search

The Record icon in the taskbar

Recording TV tips

Important information about My TV and FM radio

Standby mode and scheduled recordings

Recording quality and hard disk drive storage space

Copying recorded TV programs to DVD or CD

Playing Recorded TV Programs

Using the More Information button with recorded TV programs

Locating recorded TV programs on your hard disk drive

Viewing recording errors

About Recording Errors

Common recording errors