Windows Media Center Edition Troubleshooting notes

What Hauppauge products can be installed on Windows XP MCE 2005 and used with the Microsoft MCE interface?

The Following WinTV PVR models can be use with Windows Media Center.

WinTV-PVR-150 and WinTV-PVR-150MCE

WinTV-PVR-250 and WinTV-PVR-250MCE

WinTV-PVR-350

WinTV-PVR-USB2

A zip file with Media Center Edition drivers for Hauppauge WInTV-PVR products can be found at: http://www.hauppauge.com/pages/support/support_mce.html

The PVR 150 MCE LP (low profile) is also available for low profile systems.

WinTV PVR MCE Kits are also available and compatible. The Kits include the Microsoft IR Blaster remote control.

What else will I need to get TV on my PC with Windows Media Center?

WinTV PVR is a hardware MPEG encoder and needs a software decoder in order to function. Microsoft requires an approved DVD decoder to be installed on any MCE system with a TV tuner in order to view TV.

A Microsoft approved VGA card with the latest VGA drivers is also required.

Here is a link to Microsoft's Designed for Media Center Master List.

If you will use a Cable Box or Satellite box with the Composite or Svideo inputs, you will need a Media Center remote control kit, otherwise it will not let you proceed.

System requirements for a TV tuner card in Windows Media Center.

MEMORY: 256 MB of PC133 Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (SDRAM) is recommended

HARD DISK: 4 gigabytes (GB) of available hard disk space required for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 operating system. Total hard disk capacity for non-mobile systems should be at least 60 GB. Total hard disk capacity for mobile systems should be at least 30 GB.

DRIVE: A DVD-compatible drive is required, and the Media Center computer must have built-in “Designed for Windows XP DVD playback" MPEG/DVD decoder. The DVD drive must read DVDs at 4x and CDs at 16x speed.

GRAPHICS CARD: 64MB graphics card using DDR with 4x AGP and Direct X 9 support (recommended to have "Designed for Windows XP Media Center Edition" logo).

DISPLAY: A minimum of 1024 x 768 pixels for a 4:3 aspect ratio and 1280 x 720 pixels for a widescreen aspect ratio is recommended.

What other software can be used with the WinTV MCE models on MCE?

You may use Sage TV or Beyond TV with this hardware. These programs allow you to have similar Media Cemter functions.

If you simply want to watch TV, our WinTV software can also be used. This software is available on our web site in the Support section for the Personal Video Recorders.

How many tuners are supported by MCE 2005?

Two tuners total can be installed and configured for use in Media Center. If you are using a set top box, then you would need two set top boxes connected to two separate WinTV cards (or the dual tuner PVR 500MCE with the A/V connector) to configure them in MCE.

How do I configure my TV tuner once the drivers are installed in Media Center?

From the main menu in the Media Center application, go to Settings. Then choose "TV", and "Set Up Your TV Signal". Choose yes to continue, and then choose Next to proceed. MCE should indicate your correct region/country. Select yes if it is correct, and next to continue. Choose no to select a different region and next to continue to choose your region from the list.

It is recommended to configure your signal automatically. Choose this and select next. MCE will then scan for your connected input and should indicate if you have a cable TV line, antenna, or set top box connected to your WinTV card.

Choose yes if the results found are correct, and you wish to use these results for your TV signal.

You may now either set up your local TV guide listings in MCE or return to your TV settings. TV Signal setup is complete. Click Finish.

How do I configure my Microsoft IR Blaster remote control?

Connect the IR "beanbag" to an open USB port on your PC. The drivers should automatically load. Check your device manager for a "Human Interface Devices" listing, which should contain: HID-Compliant consumer control device, HID-Compliant device (3 instances), and Microsoft eHome Infrared Transceiver. If the device does not get detected or fails to install, try a different USB port(s) on the PC or refer directly to Microsoft. Also try installing Microsoft's "Rollup Update 2"

How can I record video from my VCR or camcorder?

Media Center does not offer you the ability to capture from the external inputs using a VCR or a camcorder unless you trick it by telling it that you are attaching a satellite receiver or a cable box to the external input at which point the tuner is then disabled. After capturing from your VCR you would then need to set up the tuner again in Media Center in order to use it.

A different PVR program such as BeyondTV or SageTV does not have this limitation built into them. You can also load up the WinTV software intended for the retail PVR-150 which you can find here:

http://www.hauppauge.com/pages/support/support_pvr150.html

NOTE: If you have a PVR-500, you would use the same software (the PVR-500 is essentially two PVR-150s on the same card)

After you have loaded this software you will be able to run the WinTV2000 application which will allow you to capture from either the tuner or the composite and S-Video inputs.

The two other benefits to this arrangement, you can still use Media Center when you wish and when you capture using the WinTV2000 application the files will be in MPEG format so they can be easily imported to other applications rather than the DVR-MS format that Media Center uses which cannot be used anywhere else unless it is converted.

Can I use Movie Maker with the WinTV PVR products?

The PVR devices are not properly recognized by Windows Movie Maker. Movie Maker is looking to attach to an AVI capture device. The PVR products do not do AVI capture; it is an MPEG capture device only.

There is no Radio option/button appearing in Media Center:

This is apparently an issue within Media Center, which you should be able to solve by going to start/set program access and defaults. Choose custom, and go to the ‘default media player’ section.

In here it will have Media center radio listed. If it is not checked for “enable access to this program”, put a checkmark here, and click OK. Start Media Center and see if radio has been added.

If “enable access to this program” was already checked, uncheck it, click OK, and go into Media Center. Then close Media Center, go back to these settings, and check it, click OK, and return to Media Center again, and you should now have the radio option.

"Access Denied" error when attempting to install the drivers?

Run the HCWCLEAR utility and choose the "removal all WinTV files and registry entries" as well as the "search INF files" option. Click ok and wait for the screen to disappear. Next go to start/search/for files and folders. Choose all files and folders. For the file name enter: *.INF for a word or phrase in the file enter: Hauppauge Be sure the look in directory is your C:\ drive and in the advanced options that Search System Folders, Search hidden files and folders, and Search Sub Folders are all selected. Delete any of the .INF files (with Hauppauge text) that are found, and reboot the PC. The drivers should now install correctly.

"Decoder error - Decoder has malfunctioned or is not installed” error in MCE?

These errors are not related to the TV tuner, but either to the DVD Decoder application installed on the system (be sure you have one of the Microsoft approved DVD decoder programs installed), or a VGA driver issue. Try reinstalling updated VGA drivers for the graphics card in the system.

Here is a link to Microsoft's Designed for Media Center Master List.

"Tuner Not Found" error after installing roll up 2 for MCE?

"Tuner Not Found" error after installing roll up 2 for MCE?

Microsoft has addressed this issue, which can be found here.

Pause/skip sync issues within MCE with AMD X2 Dual Core processor PC?

AMD X2 Dual Core processors only. AMD has a Dual Core CPU Driver which can be found here.

The May 2005 version driver is known to correct this.