Windows7How

Windows 7 Media Center

October 12, 2009

Microsoft has improved the Windows Media Center (WMC) in the new Windows 7 operating system release. These changes are rather significant and are different from both Windows Vista and Windows XP. So, let us take these one at a time and see how well this part of the OS has been designed for use. (NOTE: The Windows Media Center is only available in the Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate versions.)

The first major change – and it is major – is that you no longer need to open the Media Center environment and select the task you wish to use. With Windows 7, you can simply go to the Start Menu and select Windows Media Center and then select the appropriate task to your mission. So much simpler!

Also new to Windows 7 is the Window Media Center desktop gadget. This allows Media Center to stay active on your desktop where you can select anything being viewed there and you can see it right through the gadget interface. There is no need to start WMC up again, just leave the gadget up and you will have instant access to whatever WMC task you need available.

Internet TV is also new, at least in the way the Windows 7 Media Center does it. You do not even need to have a TV tuner (hardware) installed on your system. WMC, in Windows 7, is able to let you select ‘virtual’ TV channels. IF you do have a TV tuner, you will have access to both sets of channels.

When playing music in Windows 7 Media Center, you will see the cover art from all of your albums in a scrolling list – much like the iPhone – and it is easier to locate what you are looking for. Though, the interface looks noticeably more crowded, but it is certainly a bit more refined than before.

The Windows 7 Media Center also allows you to play games from Windows 7 itself inside of WMC. There is no need to exit WMC to play installed games anymore.

For Windows 7, the WMC will display more detailed information than before. If you are trying to decide which recorded show to watch, for instance, it will give you all related information about each show including access to a cast list in many cases. They are certainly trying to help make life a bit simpler here.

The new WMC allows you to set Favorites in your Music and Pictures + Video sections. This allows you to play only your favorite music, have a slideshow of your favorite photos or watch only favorite videos.

Pictures Browser in the Windows 7 WMC is also seriously refined. It is setup to display all of your photos in one place and allows you to select a folder, which has a preview photo, and then display all photos in that album. This also allows for easier sorting of photos and we all need help with that.

The new WMC has a nice Slideshow creator as well. You are able to setup Slideshows for any occasion you need them for very simply and quickly. This is very useful for those trips home to show your family the places you have seen.

And, finally, for sports fanatics, you are now able to go to the Leagues section under the Sports heading and it will sort out your games based on leagues (NHL, NFL, etc.). It will even help you track the results from any fantasy league you are participating in.

With these improvements, the Windows 7 Media Center is a huge cut above what was first available in Windows XP and the application which shipped with Windows Vista Business and Windows Vista Ultimate. Microsoft has – again – listened to their customers and produce something much more useful for all of us!

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Tags: iphone, movies, music, onlive tv, photos, slideshows, tv tuner, win 7, windows 7, windows media center, wmc