As anyone who has used a set top box (STB) with infrared (IR) blasters can attest; while they work most of the time even a minuscule failure rate is not acceptable with spouse acceptance factor (SAF) on the line. So when something besides IR is available to execute channel changes is available, the additional reliability is a welcome addition. So […]
Read more
Welcome to the Beginner’s Guide to HTPC Software. This will be an in-depth look at the software options available to you to build your HTPC. If you haven’t already, make sure you read our Beginner’s Guide to HTPCs for other topics. We’re going to cover only full home theater PC applications which can handle the following tasks: Music Videos Movies […]
Read more
Please Read The script has been updated. The following now works properly: multi cmd line switch Home Premium Non-English Operating Systems, no need to change the script Sorry for any inconvenience caused. If you’ve been following MissingRemote for a while, you know one of our most popular series of guides is Enabling Concurrent Remote Desktop sessions. Continuing that trend we […]
Read more
* * * Disclaimer * * * I do NOT recommend using the DCA override other than the circumstances listed below. The following files and instructions are provided to you at your OWN RISK!! Understand that it is circumventing a quality assurance test. That being said, if you do have a problem, we have a fantastic community here to help […]
Read more
Continuing our series of Beginner’s Guides for HTPC and Home Theater, this guide offers ten basic tips for getting your HTPC up and running smoothly. Most of these were learned the hard way, hope that sharing means you don’t have to 🙂 1. Dedicate a physical drive for recording TV: Recording and scanning big TV files for commercials hits a […]
Read more
We hope you’ve been enjoying our series of Beginner’s Guides for HTPC and Home Theater. As part of the series, we’ve previously discussed video resolutions and how video information is displayed on a screen for a frame of video in our guide, Video Resolutions for Beginners. What we didn’t delve into much was the rate at which video frames are […]
Read more
Disclaimers This is a work-in-progress. I’ll be releasing updates every few days. I wanted to wait and release it in its entirety but I’ve had enough requests for it that I’ll be releasing as each part is tested. Media Center Valve or Valve for Windows Media Center (WMCVALVE) is licensed for personal non-commercial use only. Please do not redistribute the […]
Read more
In continuation of our Beginners guide series, this guide is all about controlling your HTPC. One thing that sets a “computer connected to your big screen” and it being a HTPC is how we interface with the system. Controlling your HTPC is all about the hardware and software combination you are using. Depending on if you are using the plethora […]
Read more
Continuing our series of Beginner’s Guides for HTPC and Home Theater, this guide will take a closer look at Video Resolutions–what it means, why’s it important and how to make your picture as good as possible for your particular environment. What does 1080p/720p/1080i/480p mean? The numbers 1080, 720 and 480 refer to the lines of vertical resolution in the picture […]
Read more
Codecs? File types? Oh my! If you have ever tried to watch a video you downloaded from the internet only to find it unable to be played (or maybe just audio but no video), then this is the guide for you! We’re going to try to do our best to cover most of the more common file types that are […]
Read more