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How To HTPC Windows Media Center

Windows Media Center and DVBLink with HDPVR tutorial

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   If you want more than just your local channels in HD within Media Center, you either have to have a generous cable company which doesn’t encrypt their QAM channels, get an ATI CableCard tuner or wait for Ceton’s M-card tuner.  There are other ways but until David took time to write up a tutorial over at Geektonic, these things seemed a little complicated.

Well, this latest guest post has you covered.  David takes time to walk you through the entire process of getting the Hauppauge HDPVR working within Media Center using DVBLink.  With screenshots galore and step-by-step instructions, you should have no trouble getting HD satellite or cable channels into Media Center.  Take a look at the sample below:

Here are the steps I used to obtain DirecTV HD using Windows 7 MCE, but you should be able to use any Set Top Box.  The Hauppauge HDPVR will record from your set top box to an h.264 wtv file.  At the moment the Xbox 360 is the only MCE extender that can play video produced by the HDPVR.  Most of the instructions taken from the 1geek1tool wiki.

Install Windows 7

I did a clean install of Windows 7 Business.  I ran Windows Update and installed all the Important updates.

Install the latest drivers for your graphics card

Windows Update didn’t give me the latest drivers for my ATI HD 2600 XT.  Having a card that has a hardware h.264 decoder is recommended if you plan on using your HTPC to connect to your TV to cut down on CPU usage.  If you plan on using the Xbox 360 as your extender then the h.264 decoder is not needed.

If you want to read the rest, head over to Geektonic and get all the info.  Some of us are willing to wait for Ceton in 2010, but if you’re not one of those people or you have satellite service, this guide should be right up your alley.

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Adam Thursby

Adam Thursby is the founder and creator of The Digital Media Zone.

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