Using the DVD Library in Windows Vista’s Media Center

There are a few tips and tricks when using the DVD Library in Microsoft’s Vista Media Center. It doesn’t simply recognize a folder with all of the contents copied to it. At least it does not display the information and the picture well.

What you will need to do:

1. First things first, Media Center in Vista comes BY DEFAULT with the DVD Library disabled. So you will need to run “RegEdit” from your run menu (Windows Key + R).
2. Navigate to \HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media Center\Settings\DVDSettings
3. Double click on the “ShowGallery” key and change “Play” to “Gallery” and reboot. That will enable the DVD Library.
4. When you have a DVD you own and want to copy it to your Media Center, create a folder to store all of your DVDs in.
5. For each DVD create a folder with the name of the movie that you will be copying. Next you will need to get a DVD copying software such as DVD Shrink or DVD Decrypter.
6. Put in the DVD you own and open up the application. You will then choose to backup or copy the DVD to the folder you specified. I’m not going to go into details as to how each application works because there are many different applications to accomplish this and for the purpose of this article we are talking about Windows Vista Media Center.
7. Ensure that after copying you have both a VIDEO_TS and an AUDIO_TS folder. Some applications do not create an AUDIO_TS folder, if it’s missing, just create an empty one.
8. Media Center uses an XML file to identify the DVD (also known as DVDid) and either pull the information off the Internet or pull it off your DVDCache area. I have found the best way to identify a DVD’s XML to be a website called http://www.dvdxml.com/ . There you can search for your DVD and download the appropriate DVDid XML file. You need to save that file to the root of the DVD’s folder. (not in the AUDIO_TS or VIDEO_TS folders)
9. Next you will need the picture of the DVD. Probably the best way to do this is by going on Google and searching the Image Search Engine for the DVD cover you are looking for. Save it to the Root folder again but ALWAYS call it “Folder.jpg”

After all of this is done, you should be able to navigate to your new DVD Library by going into Windows Media Center and choosing “DVD Library” off the main TV + Movies menu.

Building a Microsoft Windows Media Center - Vista PVR (DVR)

Why build your own Media Center PVR/PVR?
I currently pay $4.50 a month to Comcast for my HD DVR box, $9.95, Digital Plus $11.20, coming to a total of $25.65 that I am paying into a pit that goes no where. I have never been a fan of renting ANYTHING because when all is said and done you own nothing relating to your rental.

So... I wanted something that would not only act as a DVR but also give me added benefits as well. I decided to build myself a Windows Vista DVR box. Now I have built hundreds of computers in my days as a network administrator and general "tinkerer". So this I thought should not pose a major issue. I would be using Windows Vista Ultimate as it comes with Media Center as well as some added bonuses.

Although you can choose anywhere to buy your equipment, I chose NewEgg.com. Mostly because I've bought a LOT of things through them and their prices are reasonable and they don't hassle you when you need to return something for no reason at all.

Now when planning this out I knew I wanted it to match some criteria. I have a server that has 1.6TB of drive space. So I wanted to copy over my collection of approximately 250 DVD's, be able to listen to my MP3's that I had ripped from all the CDs I own and also be able to view the thousands of digital photos we have of the family. So I knew that passing that kind of data I would want a VERY robust connection and it would help to have a good amount of RAM as a buffer.

So here is what I bought:
I already had a copy of Windows Vista Ultimate
SilverStone's LC19B 1U case: $209.99
SpecResearch's 01027 Black Wireless Keyboard with built in Trackball: $59.99
GigaByte's GA-MA69GM-S2H Motherboard: $79.99
Sony's Optiarc DVD Burner (slim): $61.99
Hiper HFC-20820 80mm CPU cooler: $39.98
A-Data 2GB (2 X 1GB) SDRAM: $64.99

AMD Athlon 2.1 GHz Dual Core CPU: $65.99
AverMedia AverTV ASTC/NTSC Dual tuner TV Card: $103.99
I already had a Seagate 500GB SATA Drive

So my total cost was: $686.91 (plus shipping)

The Advantages?
So I know it will take me 26 months to recoup the costs, BUT there are a TON of advantages here:
I have a young child, so DVDs get destroyed ALL the time. Having them on a hard drive in a secure location and being able to pull all of them up instantly at the touch of button on the remote is awesome. Being able to pull up all of the photos and play them to music through the Photo Library is wonderful when family is visiting and they want to see some pictures. Being able to cue up any music at any time is wonderful. We can of course DVR television shows, but here is a really nice feature. We can BURN the show to DVD to give to someone else or take to a friend's house. MAJOR bonus!

Best of all? I OWN it. So I never have to return it, risking losing shows that I enjoy re-watching. I never have to worry about losing cable service and having nothing to watch.

Now there is one important thing to remember with all of this though. ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS back up your data. Again, something that could never be done with a cable provider.