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Here's a brief Guide/diary of my recent experience building a basic media centre. I'll also include the some of the links i found and the files used. I will probably forget some steps i did so i might come back and add them at a later date. and correct my ropey spelling.
Hardware
I've got my TV wall mounted with HDMI/DVI cables already in place leading to a cupboard built into the wall and some active stereo speakers. I've got a HP dc6005 SFF PC (AMD64 Athlon II, 4GB RAM, 250GB HD) as the PC itself with a Nvidia 315 GFX card (any card to free up a bit of memory) - it's not a low profile card so i just took the metal plate off the card and had the ports poking thru the hole. My aim was cost, so far it's cost me nothing as i was able to get this stuff from work.
Operating System
Ran thru a clean build of Windows 7 Pro 32bit. Ultimate can be bloated with stuff you don't need so Pro is my favourite choice. Also, i've not got used to using 64 o/s yet and as the main advantage is the extra memory, i don't need more than 4GB. However, Media Centre is designed to run on 64bit windows, i could never get the codecs to work 'just right' so i stuck with 32bit. Make sure there's nothing left in device manager to install, but don't install any of the bloatware that might come with it - update managers, restore tools, etc. Just the basic correct drivers for everything.
Account Set up
I called my account 'media' with no password. First, get all the updates to date. Install them then turn off auto updates completely. Turn off the notifications in the 'Action Centre' - you can always update manually every so often but i prefer it not to be doing stuff of it's own accord in the background when i'm watching! Personally, i also turn off 'System Restore'. IMPORTANTLY - Start > User Accounts > User Account Control. You need to turn this OFF so anything that we grant admin rights to later, can run when it needs to. We're not browsing on it so security isn't as important.
Also, go into Personalisation and set it to Windows 7 Basic - you don't need all the flashyness turned, the quicker it boots and more memory and processing are available the better.
Your Media
Depending on your setup depends on how this bit works. Mines on my server so i set up the share with a 'media' account as full read/write access then mapped the drives as normal. Yours could be local. For Movies i have D:\Movies\Film Name\file.avi How it populates this information i'll explain later. For TV Shows, it's sort of the same i.e. TV Show D:\TV\Show Name\Season Number\file.avi
Audio
Important little step, check where your audio is being output. By default when connected via HDMI your sound should/might be routed via the HDMI lead and TV. i didn't want this so had to disable the HDMI output and switch it to the on-board audio. I'm using the active speakers connected via the onboard 3.5mm - i'm not bothered for surround sound but these active speakers i have are neat, retro and have a really nice loud base - better than the TV. Some motherboards need to be connected via SPDIF to the GFX card, some do it automatically. Either way, check here so you know!
Codecs
Generally, the less the better. Some people recommend K-lite, some CCCP - personally, after reading around most people seem to recommend the Shark Code Pack for media centres : Shark007's FREE Codec solutions - Windows 7 codecs - there are 32 and 64bit versions so get the right one (i've included the 32bit in the applications zip attached). When you install it, make sure you "Run as Administrator.." and then run the ''Shark Suggested Settings" also as administrator - otherwise they won't work properly.
Personally, i then also installed the Haali Media Splitter : Haali Media Splitter (in the zip too) - this is fixed a few audio problems with mkv PLUS it disables bloody subtitles by default that are encoded in some .MKV's are i could never seem to turn off. There is a way with some commands - but this way worked for me
Next the AC3 Filter : AC3Filter so playback is fine for stereo outputs otherwise you get some channels missing! Thats the codecs and everything installed now so it should play anything, now onto the aggregator
Media Browser
media browser annd get the most recent build (it's in the zip along with a load of older ones) install it and configure the initial settings. Make sure the configurator runs with admin rights. To start with all you need to set up are you media folders, these are what will appear on the Mdia Browser Menu so for example have "Movies", "Kids", "TV Shows" etc. Add the folder then rename it. At this point you can also add a picture. In the zip attached are 2 lots of often used icons - XZeners. Choose the ones you want to use in advance and put them in a folder easy to find. Once done save and exit. Next, Click the Windows Button, Go to All Programs > Start up. There should be the Media Browser Service. Right Click on it, Go to Properties > Compatability and set it to "Run As Administrator".
MetaBrowser
meta<browser/> - Overview - meta<browser/> 2.0 This is what you'll use to retrieve all the meta data, film/TV information, covers, backdrops etc. MediaBrowser does retreive it's own art but you have to make sure the folder names, season folders, etc are SPOT ON with their spelling. Personally, i find it too slow so i prefer to manage it myself. Basically point Metabrowser at your media collection and let it do it's thing. In the zip file, get metabrowser 0.9 (after this they start charging for it but this works great!!) and install it. Next, run the "Create_ibn_folders.cmd " as administrator (this will create the actors images folders that mediabrowser doesn't create)
Now, you'll need to point Metabrowser at your media library, Open Metabrowser and click the 'Options' button at the bottom. On the General tab, add the following location "C:\ProgramData\MediaBrowser\StartupFolder" - this will pick up ALL the locations u added AND any changes you make. Also, further down the page, add the ImagesbyName folder path as "C:\ProgramData\MediaBrowser\ImagesByName". Now, click the refresh button and it will start to read everything in. Now you'll have to spend time maing sure it finds the correct movies/TV Shows, downloading covers, etc and saving them. There is a ''Process All Movies" button to it might not always get your film title right.
This is the basics you'll need to have Media Browser playing all file types and getting covers, From here on it's more about those finishing touches
-----------------------------------------------------
Stark Covers
While some themes for MediaBrowser canjazz up covers, it can be easier to 'photoshop' the cover you've downloaded yourself : StarkCovers does this. Basically, add frames, dvd covers, soft edges - give them a real professional look. Basically, download your covers first then run this. I find i do Movies and TV Shows as sperate processes.
Media Centre Studio
(Use the link in the zip file) This directly installs a plugin MSI for windows, it allows you to directly edit the Media Centre menu bars. Don't like the 'Extras' menu? Remove it. Want to rename 'MediaBrowser' ? rename it. Good for cutting down the stuff you don't want, once you've got the hang of it.
Restorator 2007
This is a system editor for Windows. Basically you use it once to extra the image from Media Centre to use it as the icon for MediaBrowser (see the Minty White link for further info)
All the info i've got from a few threads, This Minty White one was my Fav :
Customise Windows 7 Media Center (Part 1) | Windows 7 Customization | Windows Tools, Help & Guides
Guide: Setting up HTPC after fresh Win7 install with Mediabrowser | AVForums.com - UK Online
They'll explain in further details things i've glanced over, mainly the file structure of your folders AND how to name them. Movie Titles comes from : TMDb and TV Shows come from : Online TV Database - An open directory of television shows for HTPC software and i'll often check these first to make sure the folders are correctly named. TV Shows are the most work to upkeep!
Any errors or questions - post in here and i'll answer them best i can!
Download MCE Files.zip from Sendspace.com - send big files the easy way
Hardware
I've got my TV wall mounted with HDMI/DVI cables already in place leading to a cupboard built into the wall and some active stereo speakers. I've got a HP dc6005 SFF PC (AMD64 Athlon II, 4GB RAM, 250GB HD) as the PC itself with a Nvidia 315 GFX card (any card to free up a bit of memory) - it's not a low profile card so i just took the metal plate off the card and had the ports poking thru the hole. My aim was cost, so far it's cost me nothing as i was able to get this stuff from work.
Operating System
Ran thru a clean build of Windows 7 Pro 32bit. Ultimate can be bloated with stuff you don't need so Pro is my favourite choice. Also, i've not got used to using 64 o/s yet and as the main advantage is the extra memory, i don't need more than 4GB. However, Media Centre is designed to run on 64bit windows, i could never get the codecs to work 'just right' so i stuck with 32bit. Make sure there's nothing left in device manager to install, but don't install any of the bloatware that might come with it - update managers, restore tools, etc. Just the basic correct drivers for everything.
Account Set up
I called my account 'media' with no password. First, get all the updates to date. Install them then turn off auto updates completely. Turn off the notifications in the 'Action Centre' - you can always update manually every so often but i prefer it not to be doing stuff of it's own accord in the background when i'm watching! Personally, i also turn off 'System Restore'. IMPORTANTLY - Start > User Accounts > User Account Control. You need to turn this OFF so anything that we grant admin rights to later, can run when it needs to. We're not browsing on it so security isn't as important.
Also, go into Personalisation and set it to Windows 7 Basic - you don't need all the flashyness turned, the quicker it boots and more memory and processing are available the better.
Your Media
Depending on your setup depends on how this bit works. Mines on my server so i set up the share with a 'media' account as full read/write access then mapped the drives as normal. Yours could be local. For Movies i have D:\Movies\Film Name\file.avi How it populates this information i'll explain later. For TV Shows, it's sort of the same i.e. TV Show D:\TV\Show Name\Season Number\file.avi
Audio
Important little step, check where your audio is being output. By default when connected via HDMI your sound should/might be routed via the HDMI lead and TV. i didn't want this so had to disable the HDMI output and switch it to the on-board audio. I'm using the active speakers connected via the onboard 3.5mm - i'm not bothered for surround sound but these active speakers i have are neat, retro and have a really nice loud base - better than the TV. Some motherboards need to be connected via SPDIF to the GFX card, some do it automatically. Either way, check here so you know!
Codecs
Generally, the less the better. Some people recommend K-lite, some CCCP - personally, after reading around most people seem to recommend the Shark Code Pack for media centres : Shark007's FREE Codec solutions - Windows 7 codecs - there are 32 and 64bit versions so get the right one (i've included the 32bit in the applications zip attached). When you install it, make sure you "Run as Administrator.." and then run the ''Shark Suggested Settings" also as administrator - otherwise they won't work properly.
Personally, i then also installed the Haali Media Splitter : Haali Media Splitter (in the zip too) - this is fixed a few audio problems with mkv PLUS it disables bloody subtitles by default that are encoded in some .MKV's are i could never seem to turn off. There is a way with some commands - but this way worked for me
Next the AC3 Filter : AC3Filter so playback is fine for stereo outputs otherwise you get some channels missing! Thats the codecs and everything installed now so it should play anything, now onto the aggregator
Media Browser
media browser annd get the most recent build (it's in the zip along with a load of older ones) install it and configure the initial settings. Make sure the configurator runs with admin rights. To start with all you need to set up are you media folders, these are what will appear on the Mdia Browser Menu so for example have "Movies", "Kids", "TV Shows" etc. Add the folder then rename it. At this point you can also add a picture. In the zip attached are 2 lots of often used icons - XZeners. Choose the ones you want to use in advance and put them in a folder easy to find. Once done save and exit. Next, Click the Windows Button, Go to All Programs > Start up. There should be the Media Browser Service. Right Click on it, Go to Properties > Compatability and set it to "Run As Administrator".
MetaBrowser
meta<browser/> - Overview - meta<browser/> 2.0 This is what you'll use to retrieve all the meta data, film/TV information, covers, backdrops etc. MediaBrowser does retreive it's own art but you have to make sure the folder names, season folders, etc are SPOT ON with their spelling. Personally, i find it too slow so i prefer to manage it myself. Basically point Metabrowser at your media collection and let it do it's thing. In the zip file, get metabrowser 0.9 (after this they start charging for it but this works great!!) and install it. Next, run the "Create_ibn_folders.cmd " as administrator (this will create the actors images folders that mediabrowser doesn't create)
Now, you'll need to point Metabrowser at your media library, Open Metabrowser and click the 'Options' button at the bottom. On the General tab, add the following location "C:\ProgramData\MediaBrowser\StartupFolder" - this will pick up ALL the locations u added AND any changes you make. Also, further down the page, add the ImagesbyName folder path as "C:\ProgramData\MediaBrowser\ImagesByName". Now, click the refresh button and it will start to read everything in. Now you'll have to spend time maing sure it finds the correct movies/TV Shows, downloading covers, etc and saving them. There is a ''Process All Movies" button to it might not always get your film title right.
This is the basics you'll need to have Media Browser playing all file types and getting covers, From here on it's more about those finishing touches
-----------------------------------------------------
Stark Covers
While some themes for MediaBrowser canjazz up covers, it can be easier to 'photoshop' the cover you've downloaded yourself : StarkCovers does this. Basically, add frames, dvd covers, soft edges - give them a real professional look. Basically, download your covers first then run this. I find i do Movies and TV Shows as sperate processes.
Media Centre Studio
(Use the link in the zip file) This directly installs a plugin MSI for windows, it allows you to directly edit the Media Centre menu bars. Don't like the 'Extras' menu? Remove it. Want to rename 'MediaBrowser' ? rename it. Good for cutting down the stuff you don't want, once you've got the hang of it.
Restorator 2007
This is a system editor for Windows. Basically you use it once to extra the image from Media Centre to use it as the icon for MediaBrowser (see the Minty White link for further info)
All the info i've got from a few threads, This Minty White one was my Fav :
Customise Windows 7 Media Center (Part 1) | Windows 7 Customization | Windows Tools, Help & Guides
Guide: Setting up HTPC after fresh Win7 install with Mediabrowser | AVForums.com - UK Online
They'll explain in further details things i've glanced over, mainly the file structure of your folders AND how to name them. Movie Titles comes from : TMDb and TV Shows come from : Online TV Database - An open directory of television shows for HTPC software and i'll often check these first to make sure the folders are correctly named. TV Shows are the most work to upkeep!
Any errors or questions - post in here and i'll answer them best i can!
Download MCE Files.zip from Sendspace.com - send big files the easy way
