Windows Media Center 7 - manage your multimedia content

Detecting and configuring the TV tuner
When your analogue or digital (PCI, PCI-E) TV card, or USB tuner drivers are correctly installed, Windows Media center will automatically detect the card and suggest you look at the settings. Like with a normal television, you simply have to search the video and radio channels (digital only). To do this, go to Tasks, Settings, TV, TV Signal, Configure TV signal. You will then have to follow the steps to set the reception mode (cable, antenna), and after a few minutes all of the standard and HD channels as well as digital radio stations will be automatically found and sorted.

Simply watching TV!
By selecting the TV menu and Direct TV will allow you to watch all of the available channels. Windows Media center is a lot easier to use then a lot of other programs provided by peripheral TV card manufacturers. You are able to watch the channels in either a window or in full screen, with the options being set in the menus. Like with a digital television, access to an electronic program guide is available, so that you can get information about which shows are currently playing. You will also have deeper access to the guide’s contents, with it possible to see a full guide and the different functions (program details, view categories, record…).

Searching for programs
This function calls on the electronic program guide updated by WMC. By entering TV and search you will be able to use the different functions made available to you including searching text (show title, keywords) and viewing results by clicking on the titles, summaries, actors, etc. It is also possible to search by category (Magazine, Film, Sport, Fiction, Children, News…), by actor or by director.