What are the advantages of W10 Media Center?

Discussion of getting WMC to work on Windows 10 (unsupported)
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lachape_one

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#21

Post by lachape_one » Mon Jun 06, 2016 5:46 pm

from my perspective, WMC10's user interface is just more beautiful
apart from that, as said above, WMC10 is just the same as you have in W8/W8.1 with exactly the same pros and cons

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lachape_one

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#22

Post by lachape_one » Mon Jun 06, 2016 5:54 pm

dgre057 wrote:Media Center is "always on top" (I actually find that a bit annoying), without any registry hacks.
how is it possible? my WMC, despite my registry key EnableAlwaysOnTop set to 1 refuses to stay "on top": Windows set it automatically to 0 again and again, i had to delete the registry key and create it once again and change the security settings in order to deny any change for the SYSTEM account, now it works great but it was not a funny game

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Crash2009

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#23

Post by Crash2009 » Mon Jun 06, 2016 10:47 pm

Run it in full screen it'll always be on top.

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lachape_one

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#24

Post by lachape_one » Mon Jun 06, 2016 11:08 pm

And how can I read your useless post if i run it in full screen, seriously its ok for a tv but not for desktop display used to do another things at the same time

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Crash2009

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#25

Post by Crash2009 » Tue Jun 07, 2016 1:46 pm

lachape_one wrote:And how can I read your useless post if i run it in full screen, seriously its ok for a tv but not for desktop display used to do another things at the same time
Definition of Useless.....Not fulfilling or expected to achieve the intended purpose or desired outcome. Oxford English Dictionary.

I would disagree with you for saying the previous post was useless. In fact, based upon the definition of the word useless, in the Oxford English Dictionary I would say quite the opposite... The post was useful, in the sense, that now you have declared what your intended purpose or desired outcome is.
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Crash2009

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#26

Post by Crash2009 » Tue Jun 07, 2016 2:01 pm

lachape_one wrote:And how can I read your useless post if i run it in full screen, seriously its ok for a tv but not for desktop display used to do another things at the same time
Now it is my turn to ask you a question. What "other apps" do you want to run at the same time, and on the same display as WMC?

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Crash2009

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#27

Post by Crash2009 » Tue Jun 07, 2016 3:39 pm

lachape_one wrote:
dgre057 wrote:Media Center is "always on top" (I actually find that a bit annoying), without any registry hacks.
how is it possible? my WMC, despite my registry key EnableAlwaysOnTop set to 1 refuses to stay "on top": Windows set it automatically to 0 again and again, i had to delete the registry key and create it once again and change the security settings in order to deny any change for the SYSTEM account, now it works great but it was not a funny game
When editing the registry for the above reason, WMC must be closed (possibly even services temporarily disabled). Otherwise Dword:00000001 will automatically revert to Dword:00000000.

You made a useless adjustment to the registry.

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Crash2009

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#28

Post by Crash2009 » Tue Jun 07, 2016 5:01 pm

lachape_one wrote:
dgre057 wrote:Media Center is "always on top" (I actually find that a bit annoying), without any registry hacks.
how is it possible?
In answer to your original question....How is that possible? Previous versions of Windows used different versions of WMC. Somewhere along the line between Win7, Win8, and Win8.1 the "On Top" feature was removed. The MDL version of WMC which was used in v11 and v12 is the same version that was used in Win8.1 Previous MDL versions such as v10, v9, and v8 used the older version of WMC that still had the "On Top" feature.

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lachape_one

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#29

Post by lachape_one » Wed Jun 08, 2016 7:15 am

Crash2009 wrote: Previous MDL versions such as v10, v9, and v8 used the older version of WMC that still had the "On Top" feature.
Very useful information

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#30

Post by Crash2009 » Wed Jun 08, 2016 12:25 pm

I was unable to think of a reason to use Always on Top (AOT) prior to this conversation. In the past, AOT could have been helpful.
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#31

Post by go45cvi » Sat Jun 18, 2016 3:08 pm

Here's one. You can change inactive title bar color in W10, you can't (for all practical purposes) in W8. So if you run WMC on an extended desktop you can change the inactive title bar to black so it can't be seen while you're working on the primary desktop. But that's just my use case.
Still looking for a replacement for WMC that isn't $1000 Tivo

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#32

Post by SpencerC » Tue Jun 21, 2016 6:28 am

lachape_one wrote:And how can I read your useless post if i run it in full screen, seriously its ok for a tv but not for desktop display used to do another things at the same time
I use WMC in a dual monitor set up. WMC runs in full screen mode on my secondary monitor, while I use my primary monitor to do web browsing, etc. The only downside to running WMC on the secondary monitor in full screen mode, it locks the mouse into that monitor. Several years ago I found a utility called "The Maxifier" to run it in full screen mode on the secondary monitor without locking the mouse into that monitor and it still works in Win10.
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#33

Post by Crash2009 » Tue Jun 21, 2016 12:26 pm

Sweet.... and then for single monitor setup's, there is a software called ActualMultipleMonitors (AMM). You can divide the host desktop into tiles and assign a window to a tile. Up in the upper right corner of any window, (Put in Divider Tile) you can quickly add a window to the pre-configured grid.

Similar but Opposite to Win10's TaskView, AMM is completely adjustable.

I was trying out AMM to get WMC in full screen via RDP. RDPfullScreen001 is an RDP session using Microsoft's RemoteDesktopConnection on a Win7 client, pulling from a Win10 host. AMM, RdpWrapper, and a couple HexEdits on the Win10 host, can enable the client to have 4 channels playing at once. Similar to the Sports Bar software. Notice the Full Screen Controls up in the top right.
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#34

Post by Crash2009 » Tue Jun 21, 2016 3:18 pm

On the client, I haven't actually got this next part working as I want it, but the plan is full screen WMC/RDPsession for each of windows 1-4 (on the left screen) something else on window 1 on the right screen.
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Crash2009

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#35

Post by Crash2009 » Wed Jun 22, 2016 2:36 pm

Here is the progress so far...

I can get WMC to fit full screen in the large window on the right.

I have been unable to create mini-versions of WMC full screen on the 4 windows on the left
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#36

Post by DStr » Wed Jun 22, 2016 6:04 pm

One thing I haven't seen covered yet is length of support (mainly upgrades/fixes) for your OS. Win 7 is already out of mainstream support, and the end of extended support is on January 14, 2020, basically 3 1/2 years away. At that point, running Win 7, at least on any kind of network, would be a bad thing as there won't be any more fixes for virus/hacker loopholes, and it quickly can become an attack haven, like XP.

However, if you don't think you will care about the machine or Media Center after 3.5 years, then none of that matters.

Also, if you go to Win 8.1 you would at least have 3 additional years (Jan 10, 2023).

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#37

Post by Crash2009 » Wed Jun 22, 2016 7:08 pm

It appears Win10 will be supported until 2025

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/lifecycle

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#38

Post by Crash2009 » Thu Jun 23, 2016 7:20 am

Crash2009 wrote:Here is the progress so far...

I can get WMC to fit full screen in the large window on the right.

I have been unable to create mini-versions of WMC full screen on the 4 windows on the left
Actual Multiple Monitors will not do RDP Full Screen in a Virtual Monitor, which is what I was trying to do by dividing the left screen into 4

What it will do, and I expect we could call this an advantage is it will go Full Screen on ALL your Actual Monitors, without stealing the mouse.

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#39

Post by DavidinCT » Fri Jun 24, 2016 12:00 am

Crash2009 wrote:
Crash2009 wrote:Here is the progress so far...

I can get WMC to fit full screen in the large window on the right.

I have been unable to create mini-versions of WMC full screen on the 4 windows on the left
Actual Multiple Monitors will not do RDP Full Screen in a Virtual Monitor, which is what I was trying to do by dividing the left screen into 4

What it will do, and I expect we could call this an advantage is it will go Full Screen on ALL your Actual Monitors, without stealing the mouse.
Am I hearing you right ? Did you get a WMC running inside RDP in full screen ?

Were are talking holy grail type crap if you did... The so ever wanted softsled...

A $30 Rasberry PI running RDP in full screen.... Play everything including MKV and other content with flawless results (depending on network of course)
-Dave
Twitter @TheCoolDave

Windows Media Center certified and WMC MVP 2010 - 2012

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#40

Post by Crash2009 » Fri Jun 24, 2016 3:06 am

DavidinCT wrote:
Crash2009 wrote:
Crash2009 wrote:Here is the progress so far...

I can get WMC to fit full screen in the large window on the right.

I have been unable to create mini-versions of WMC full screen on the 4 windows on the left
Actual Multiple Monitors will not do RDP Full Screen in a Virtual Monitor, which is what I was trying to do by dividing the left screen into 4

What it will do, and I expect we could call this an advantage is it will go Full Screen on ALL your Actual Monitors, without stealing the mouse.
Am I hearing you right ? Did you get a WMC running inside RDP in full screen ?

Were are talking holy grail type crap if you did... The so ever wanted softsled...

A $30 Rasberry PI running RDP in full screen.... Play everything including MKV and other content with flawless results (depending on network of course)
T-S found this AMM thing last week. I been playing with it since then. I actually got 2 RDP WMC running on a dual monitor setup with no mouse stealing.

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