Set Up a Vista Media Center Extender

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Microsoft Windows’ Media Center Edition has been around for a few years but the latest generation – built into Windows Vista – mated with a new Media Center “Extender” makes significant progress towards bridging the gap between your home office and the living room. Essentially an attractive full-screen application which runs on top of Windows, Media Center allows you to browse your digital photos, listen to music, play a DVD as well as watch and record television – all on your computer. That’s great if you’re sitting in front of your PC, but what if you want to do those same things from the living room sofa? You could get a laptop, but who wants to experience all of that great content on a 14-inch screen when your big, beautiful television is just a few feet away? Enter the Media Center Extender. Connected to both your home network and television/home theater, a Media Center Extender remotely connects to your PC and duplicates the Media Center experience on your TV, substituting a remote control for the traditional keyboard and mouse.

There are several Media Center Extenders on the market today. From Microsoft’s Xbox 360 to units from D-Link, HP, Niveus and Linksys, you have several choices when choosing your extender. For the purposes of this article, I went with the DMA2200 from Linksys. In addition to serving as a Media Center Extender, the DMA2200 features an integrated upscaling DVD player making it an attractive one-box solution.

Before we get started, it should be noted that one of the most appealing features of Media Center is its ability to display and record high definition television content using the Electronic Programming Guide (EPG). This functionality requires a digital TV tuner (Step 3) and it also helps if your PC has a speedy processor with plenty of memory (Step 1) to handle the performance challenges posed by high def video streaming. Finally, please note that the following steps were written for a PC running Windows Vista Premium – the entry point for the new and improved Windows Media Center.

STEP 1: Increase system memory

If you’re interested in watching and recording high def television, you’ll definitely want to make sure your Vista PC is running with at least 2GB of system memory. In my case, I hopped on to Crucial.com and selected 4GB of DDR2-type memory guaranteed to fit my Dell Vostro 400. After snapping in the new chips I was ready to roll. For under $100, this is one performance upgrade I’d classify as, well, crucial. (Note: Vista Premium will only recognize about 3.2GB if you install 4GB; this is the maximum allowed by the 32-bit operating system.)

STEP 2: Plan/upgrade your network

One nice thing about the Linksys DMA2200 is that it’s both wired and wireless. If you have a network router near your TV gear, great – just plug in a Cat5e patch cord and you’re good to go. If you have a wireless router elsewhere in your home, the DMA2200 comes with three screw-on antennas that will allow it to function wirelessly. In my installation, I used Linksys’ awesome dual-band 5GHz “Wireless-N” router, the WRT600N, complete with gigabit switching. Although the DMA2200 performed great using the wireless option, I’m a sucker for hard wire – especially when you’re transporting high def video.

I should point out that gigabit hard wire speeds are not required for a Media Center Extender. In fact, the DMA2200 features a standard 10/100 Ethernet connection. However, on the wireless front, the folks at Linksys tell me a router that provides access to the 5GHz spectrum (like their Dual-Band WRT600N) is highly recommended and tends to yield significantly better performance when compared to a router that only transmits in the traditional 2.4GHz space.

While we’re on the subject, if you’ve started to amass a large number of A/V components requiring a network connection (DirecTV receiver, AppleTV, Blu-ray Disc player), you may want to consider a network “switch” such as the Linksys SD2008. This essentially gives you eight more network ports in addition to the four provided by most home routers.

STEP 3: Install PC tuner(s)

When it comes to TV recording on a Vista PC, you basically have two options: cable and off-air. If you’re a satellite customer, your best bet is to use the DISH or DirecTV HD DVR – both of which are better than most cable companies’ DVR boxes. Windows Media Center allows for two NTSC (standard definition analog) and two ATSC (HD) tuners. If you want to tune standard definition (NTSC) or off-air HD (ATSC), there are many options out there including Hauppague’s WinTV-HVR-1600. Follow the instructions that come with the tuner card and make sure you’re able to scan channels and pick up content with the included software before proceeding to Media Center configuration (step 4).

If you’re trying to tune premium high def cable content, your only option (at press time) is to purchase a system featuring ATI’s TV Wonder Digital Cable Tuner. The TV Wonder requires CableCARD and will allow you to record HD cable channels such as HBO and Showtime. Google “TV Wonder Digital Tuner” for more info, but the most important thing to remember is that, at the time of this writing, the TV Wonder is not sold separately.

QAM channels, or Cable’s Best-Kept Secret as I like to call them, are the digital/HD counterparts to your local networks. Newer televisions will have a QAM tuner (sometimes called DCR, or Digital Cable Ready) but older sets may be out of luck. When performing a QAM channel scan, you’ll typically find your local networks plus any other channels your cable company is able to deliver unencrypted. (For example, here in CT I can get the Game Show Network on QAM. Hooray.) If you’re confused about QAM, here’s an example. Here in CT, if I want to watch CBS using my Charter basic cable service, I tune my TV to channel 3 and get 4:3 standard def CBS. However, if I tune to QAM channel 79-5, I get a 16:9 high def CBS – without needing a cable box. The bottom line: if you subscribe to even basic cable, most (if not all) of your local networks should be available in high def if you use a QAM tuner. Google “QAM” for more info.

If you wish to watch and record QAM channels on Windows Media Center, your only option (for now at least) is Silicon Dust’s awesome HDHomeRun product. Designed as an external peripheral, the HDHomeRun features dual tuners and each one can be used with an antenna for off-air DTV or cable service for QAM. You’ll still need an analog tuner if you want to watch cable’s NTSC channels.

Locate the HDHomeRun near your router or switch since it requires a hard wire connection to your home network. I put mine in the basement with the cable modem and router. The folks at Silicon Dust work closely with Microsoft so the HDHomeRun is both recognized and supported within Media Center. For my installation, I configured both tuners on the HDHomeRun for QAM duty so I could record two local networks at the same time (in high def!) during prime time.



STEP 4: Configure Media Center

Once you have your PC and tuners ready, the next step is to make sure Windows Media Center is properly configured. The menu system is quite easy to navigate and everything is wizard-driven and fairly intuitive. From the “TV” menu, you’ll want to select “Set Up TV Signal” and step through the setup of your EPG. You’ll verify tuners, perform a channel scan and enter your zip code so you can download TV listings from the Internet. WMC will pull down listings automatically once you’ve gone through the set up process and you should always have fourteen days of listings available in your EPG.

At this time, you should also go into the “Music” and Photos” menus and make sure your media libraries are set up and that you’re able to browse your tunes and pics within WMC. Once again, the setup wizards for these sections are quite intuitive and you should have no trouble pointing WMC at your media files provided you know where you’ve saved them!

STEP 5: Install Media Center Extender

The final step is to install your Extender and make sure it can connect to your PC. With the Linksys DMA2200, installation is a snap. After powering up the DMA2200, you’ll proceed through a simple startup wizard and eventually encounter a screen which displays your Extender’s key code – write it down. At this point, go to your PC and you’ll probably see that Vista has detected the Extender – click the message to proceed. If all appears quiet, launch WMC and select “Add an Extender.” During this short wizard, it will ask you to enter that key code. Once entered, WMC will establish its link with your new Extender.

STEP 6: Tune Your Network

To make sure your network and hardware are up to snuff for TV delivery, select the “Tasks” menu and choose “Tune Network.” This will test your Extender’s network connection to your Vista PC and it will also provide a useful graph of your current speed versus what is required for TV and HDTV delivery. If your performance line is above that for HDTV, you’re all set. If it’s below where it needs to be or you’re experiencing video dropouts, visit the Linksys and Microsoft support sites for configuration assistance.



Parting Comments



The DMA2200 installation took mere minutes and before I knew it, I had the Media Center interface filling up my 30-inch LG television. As mentioned above, I opted for a hard wire network connection. In addition to providing a stable, fast connection, a hard wire setup also simplifies the Extender setup. If you go the wireless route, you’ll need to input your wireless “pass phrase” if you’ve enabled network security on your router. Once you get your network configured properly, it should be smooth sailing. Bon voyage!