Get Windows Media Center Running On Windows 10

ollowing Windows 7, home-theater Linux built to support home-theater cobble, and kludge it back into working F PC fans haven’t gotten much love applications; run an old version of order—eventually. from Microsoft. When Win8 launched, Windows that still supports WMC; We’ve actually been testing out various many were dismayed that in order to get choose an alternative DVR utility such Win10 Windows Media Center fixes for Windows Media more than a year, Center onto the but we finally feel OS, they would confident that have to pay for the we’ve found one Media Center Pack, that will work for which was a $9.99 a majority of users. add-on unless you It probably won’t managed to snag work for everyone a free copy within (we’ve heard that, at a relatively short least in some cases, time frame. As of cable card users about this time last may not be able to year, however, the get some features Windows 8 and 8.1 to work), but this Pro Pack (which let fix has worked for you upgrade to Pro us on three separate versions of the OS) Win10 installations. and Media Pack Want Windows Media Center on Windows 10? Let’s do this. Read on to see if it’ll (which includes the work for you, too. all-important Media Center functionality) were taken down as Plex, Kodi, NextPVR, or one of those But First, Some Tuner Talk and are no longer available for purchase. awful bundled utilities that some TV Admittedly, there are plenty of reasons Citing Media Center’s declining usage tuners ship with; or go all-in on the to have a PC connected to your TV, numbers (hang on, people don’t like Apple ecosystem. Having spent varying including for video-streaming services, paying for stuff that used to be free?), amounts of time with each of these gaming, Web browsing, and more. In this Microsoft decided to completely scrub alternatives (except the last one), we can article, we’re most concerned with using WMC’s existence from Win10 and has say that none of them ever quite worked Windows Media Center to interface with offered no alternatives for those looking like WMC did on its native platform. a TV tuner for the purpose of accessing to take advantage of TV tuner-enabled Until now. OTA (over the air) ATSC (Advanced time-shifting, scheduling, and DVR Television Systems Committee) functionality that essentially defines the WMC Lives Again! broadcasts and clear QAM (Quadrature home-theater PC experience. To add One of the great things about Amplitude Modulation) content. The insult to injury, Win10 doesn’t even Windows, or the x86 platform as a first standard lets you connect an HDTV include support for DVD playback. whole, is the fact that software is fully antenna to get local channels and a democratized. If there’s a utility that a handful of public-access channels. Clear A Wasteland Of Alternatives large enough group of people want to QAM refers to channels that are broadcast In light of these developments, support, even if the original developer of over the cable line that’s likely already fellow HTPC fanatics, cord-cutters, that utility has abandoned it to the cruel installed in your home. Your local cable and OTA-aholics have a few options. whims of obscurity, that small army of provider makes this content available We can dump Windows altogether independent developers and rabid forum “in the clear”; however, the rest of the in favor of one of the many flavors of goers will often (but not always) patch, cable provider’s content is encrypted and requires a cable box to view. For us cord item and click Update Driver Software, cutters, this is what we refer to as “free then click Browse My Computer For TV” these days. The number of channels Driver Software. Next, click the Browse you get will vary based on your antenna button and navigate to the folder where strength, geographic location, and local you downloaded the driver and click availability of content. OK, then click Next to complete the That being said, there are a couple of installation. If you’re lucky, the process hardware constraints you need to consider will complete and Windows will properly if you are thinking of buying a TV tuner recognize the device. If not, you may find to give this tutorial a shot. The version success with another driver search online. of Windows Media Center that we’ll be If all else fails, you may need to spring working with is based on the one that was for a new TV tuner, which you can find offered as an add-on to Win8, so if you’re starting at about $50. shopping for a TV tuner, look for one that is compatible with that operating system at PCI/PCIe TV tuners and USB stick models both Antenna Advice minimum, and the existence of a Win10- work with Windows Media Center in Win10. If you’re new to the world of ATSC compatible driver would be a nice touch. TV tuners, there are a couple of useful Before pulling the trigger, do yourself a resources you can access to get a list of favor and check out the manufacturer’s local channels that you are likely to pick support page or browse forum posts from up, advice about what kind of antenna users of the device to read about how the you should buy, and where you should tuner performs in Win10. position your antenna for the best results. Keep in mind that these results may not An Oldie But Goodie be perfectly accurate, and factors that may If you’re repurposing an old TV tuner, impact your actual broadcast reception your options will be a little limited, but include the location of the antenna in your you might be surprised to find it performs home, the size and layout of your home, just fine in the unofficial Win10 Window as well as nearby obstacles and geographic Media Center. We tested this procedure features. Generally speaking, you can with two different TV tuners, neither of expect better reception if your home is which were currently being supported by located on a hill, without too much nearby their respective manufacturers. We used tree cover or too many large buildings. If an AVerMedia A188C PCIe Pure ATSC your home is within a low-lying area and/ and a Pinnacle PCTV HD Pro Stick, or surrounded by tall obstructions, you model 800e. For the latter, after some may have access to fewer OTA channels. intense internet sleuthing, we found a Even weather can interfere with reception. beta version of the latest driver, designed One option is from Mohu, a company to be used in Windows Vista 64-bit. that manufactures and sells HDTV After we downloaded it and unpacked Finding the right driver can be a time-consuming antennas. To see a list of channels the compressed driver inside our trial-and-error process. available in your area, visit gomohu.com DOWNLOADS folder, there was no /xbox and put in your street address or ZIP built-in installer, so we needed to use the code to see a list of available broadcasts Device Manager to accomplish the task. Sound, Video, and Game Controllers. If using a handful of Mohu HDTV antenna If you find yourself with what appears to your tuner is there, you can skip ahead models. But you don’t need to use one of be the proper driver, but no clear way to and start working on getting WMC Mohu’s antennas to get similar performance. install it, follow this procedure. installed on your Win10 PC. The Leaf Metro, Leaf 30, Leaf 50, and Sky First, press Windows key + X and click If your device does not have a driver 60 that appear on the results page are about Device Manager. From here, if you have installed, it’ll usually show up right away equivalent to any similarly-designed HDTV a TV tuner installed, either in a PCI or as flagged and lacking a current driver. antenna with a 25-, 30-, 50-, and 60-mile PCIe slot or via an external USB port, These devices are typically in the Other range, respectively. The results page tells it’ll show up in one of two places. If Devices list, so expand it if it is not you the number of stations you’ll likely be the device magically installed itself and already expanded and locate the item that able to pick up as well as the channel names is working fine, then it’ll appear under refers to your tuner. Next, right-click the and numbers. that we’ll be using was based on the Win8 version of the plug-in, and its current status as a viable and highly functional download is largely due to the herculean efforts of a forum user named T-S on the My Digital Life Forums (forums .mydigitallife.info). Other forum users credited in the Readme.txt file as having had a hand in making WMC work include Graznok, abbodi1406, dejong12, and SuperBubble. To manually locate the discussion featuring the pertinent download, scroll down from the My Digital Life Forums landing page to the series of Computing Life posts, click the Windows 10 category, and then click “[DISCUSSION] Patch WMC To Run On Windows 10 Final & The “mud flap” HDTV antenna is perfect for receiving ATSC over-the-air channels. Possible Alternatives.” The post should be easy to find (as we went to press, it was A much more detailed source of dissatisfied with the results. By scanning, stickied to the top of the thread). If you channel information comes courtesy of we’re referring to one of the steps involved can’t find it, use the search box and type AntennaWeb. Although this website’s in setting up Windows Media Center, so in the name of the thread. results are optimized for users of outdoor we’ll cover that in more detail later. But before you can access the antennas, you may find the scan results One of the best HDTV antenna download, or even read any of the helpful. Start by visiting www.antennaweb types to use with a TV tuner is the flat details about the installation, you’ll .org/Address, then input your ZIP code square-shaped “mud flap”-style antenna, need to register as a My Digital Life or full address, click the Antenna Height and the best position is usually in a Forums user. Visit bit.ly/2f6KNg1 and check box or leave it empty as necessary, window with direct exposure to the fill out the username and password then click Submit. The results page desired nearby tower(s). The most ideal fields and confirm your email address. displays the number of channels from option is generally a window without Once you’ve logged in with your new nearby OTA broadcasters that you’re any obstructions and as high above the account, navigate back to the thread. The likely to receive, a map of the broadcast ground as you can tower locations, and a color-coded list manage. If this type of of channels. These colors give you lots of antenna doesn’t work clues about the best types of antenna to well for you, you might use to receive the corresponding channel, have better luck with and even where to place the specified an indoor/outdoor antenna to get the best results. For attic-based or roof- instance, yellow channels can generally mounted multidirectional come through to your tuner via a small antenna. A detachable multidirectional antenna, blue and violet amplifier can also boost channels will require signal amplification, the number of channels and light green channels can come your antenna is able through with a small directional antenna to receive. pointed at the tower or a large multi- directional antenna. To The Forums! Although knowing where the local Now that you have broadcast towers are in relation to your the requisite hardware home can be helpful, there’s something to lined up, it’s time to sort be said for setting your chosen antenna up out the software. Earlier, Be sure to uncheck the box on the download page before you click in the most convenient spot, scanning for we mentioned that the the Download button. channels, then trying another spot if you’re Windows Media Center you will need to restart your PC and try again. Now right-click the InstallerGREEN. cmd or InstallerBLUE.cmd icons, then click Run As Administrator. The green and blue in the file names refers to the back- ground color used in WMC’s menus, so it’s entirely cosmetic. After clicking OK on the UAC prompt, the Command Prompt utility will proceed to install WMC on your system. Once complete, you can press any key to close the window. The application will now be in Start. Scroll through the applications until you get to Windows Accessories and click it, then click Windows Media Center. Click Continue at the WMC welcome screen and then click Express to get to the main menu.

Set Up The TV Tuner Getting your HTPC ready for prime The installation occurs via the Command Prompt utility. time involves tweaking the DPI, altering the zoom or text size on your web browser of choice, and a handful of other little UI post we’re looking for is dated July 6, before you proceed. The compressed file adjustments, but we’ll save those tweaks 2016, but it has been edited each time is named WMC-V8.8.1_x64_by_T-S.7z, for another article. Our current top an update has been released, so the best and you’ll need a file compressor utility priority is getting the TV tuner to receive way to find it is to navigate directly to the such as WinRAR (www.rarlab.com) or ATSC channels so we can start recording forum post here: bit.ly/2eYezAM. 7-Zip (7-zip.org) to proceed. With either and time-shifting our favorite shows. Hashtags separate each version, and of these utilities installed, you should be In the Windows Media Center menu, there are several notes explaining what was able to double-click the compressed file scroll down to the Tasks row of commands, changed and why. At press time, the latest to initiate the unpacking process. When click Settings, TV, and then click Set Up version, v8.8.1, was dated Aug. 12, 2016, complete, open the folder and drag and TV Signal. By default, your region should and it solves a handful of minor Registry drop the WMC-V8.8.1 value mistakes from the previous version. subfolder to the C:\ drive, Next, scroll down to the Download V8.8.1 which will make it easy to hyperlink toward the bottom of the post locate and tweak if you run and click it. This URL brings you to a into issues. (NOTE: The download page that features what looks remainder of the installation like a straightforward Download button, instructions we’ll describe are but—and this is important—do not click also located in the ReamMe. the Download button yet. If you do, you’ll txt file, so check there to start to download a third-party installer, make sure the procedure which may contain malware. Instead, hasn’t changed since we went there is a small shield icon below the to press.) large Download button. This is actually a Right-click the file named checkbox; you need to click it to disable _TestRights.cmd, then click the third-party installer and download the Open. If the command utility directly. Now you can safely click executed properly, a the Download button. Command Prompt As always, run an updated virus scan window should appear. on anything you download from the Just close it and proceed. We’re partial to the blue background. internet and try to verify that it is clean If no window appears, show up as United Tuner Tuning States, so click the Windows Media radio button on the Center’s Signal Yes option and click Strength scanner is an Next, or click No and essential tool as you click Next to choose a work toward fine- different region. Now, tuning your antenna type in your ZIP code location. It will and click Next. Click scan every detected the I Agree radio channel available button to agree to the in your region and Terms Of Service and report a series of click Next. Do the one to six bars that same to move past the indicate channel Microsoft PlayReady signal strength. PC Runtime EULA, Channels with one, and the utility will two, or three bars proceed to download will generally not and install PlayReady, come through or download TV setup You’ll use Windows Media Center’s TV Setup menu to perform the initial configuration of the TV tuner. will intermittently data for your region, cut out. Channels and examine your with four, five, or TV signals. After a six bars will tend to minute or two, you provide a clear picture should see the list of a majority of the detected tuners, and time. To access this if yours is detected, scanner, use WMC’s then you know the UI to navigate to driver you installed is Tasks, Settings, TV, working as intended. TV Signal, Digital If not, hunt down TV Antenna Signal another driver or swap Strength, and then your tuner. click Yes to stop If you’re ready playback and begin to proceed, Click the looping scanner. the radio button If moving the antenna for Yes, Configure results in more green TV With These signal bars than red, Results, and then you’re getting warmer. click Next. The region that WMC Hello HTPC, is able to scan for You can use Windows Media Center’s built-in Signal Strength test to fine-tune your antenna location. My Old Friend channels appears on For some users, the following screen, there are plenty of so click Next to confirm. WMC then We tested this procedure on Win10 perfectly serviceable alternatives to WMC downloads the next two weeks of the PCs both with and without the currently available. But for those of us program guide, which lets you look Anniversary Update installed. In the case who have actively avoided Windows 10 ahead to schedule recordings. Click of the former, cable card functionality and because of its lack of Windows Media Finish and then click the Back arrow some DRM-protected content no longer Center, or who have lost access to WMC in the upper left of the screen to return works. If those features are important following an upgrade to Win10, this is to the main menu. Click TV, then to you, you may want to hold off on exactly the thing we’ve been waiting for. click Live TV to begin watching ATSC installing the Anniversary Update or roll Let’s celebrate by binging on nature shows broadcasts on your television. it back, if it’s not too late. and football. ■