Professional Documents
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Paul Thurrott
PC Magazine Windows XP Digital Media Solutions Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc. 10475 Crosspoint Boulevard Indianapolis, IN 46256 www.wiley.com Copyright 2005 by Wiley Publishing Published simultaneously in Canada ISBN: 0-7645-7953-3 Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 1B/QT/QT/QV/IN No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Legal Department, Wiley Publishing, Inc., 10475 Crosspoint Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46256, (317) 572-3447, fax (317) 572-4355, e-mail: brandreview@wiley.com. Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: The publisher and the author make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales or promotional materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every situation. This work is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. The fact that an organization or Website is referred to in this work as a citation and/or a potential source of further information does not mean that the author or the publisher endorses the information the organization or Website may provide or recommendations it may make. Further, readers should be aware that Internet Websites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read. For general information on our other products and services or to obtain technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at (800) 762-2974, outside the U.S. at (317) 572-3993 or fax (317) 572-4002. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Thurrott, Paul B. PC magazine Windows XP digital media solutions / Paul Thurrott. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 0-7645-7953-3 (paper/website) 1. Multimedia systems. 2. Digital video. 3. Microsoft Windows (Computer file) I. Title: Windows XP digital media solutions. II. PC magazine. III. Title QA76.575.T4924 2005 006.7dc22 2004030556 Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates, in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. PC Magazine and the PC Magazine logo are registered trademarks of Ziff Davis Publishing Holdings, Inc. Used under license. All rights reserved. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.
Credits
ACQUISITIONS EDITOR Katie Mohr DEVELOPMENT EDITOR Tom Dinse TECHNICAL EDITORS Todd Meister Ed Rich COPY EDITOR Michael Koch EDITORIAL MANAGER Mary Beth Wakefield VICE PRESIDENT & EXECUTIVE GROUP PUBLISHER Richard Swadley VICE PRESIDENT AND PUBLISHER Joseph B. Wikert GRAPHICS AND PRODUCTION SPECIALISTS Carrie A. Foster Lauren Goddard Denny Hager Heather Ryan Amanda Spagnuolo QUALITY CONTROL TECHNICIANS Leeann Harney Jessica Kramer Joe Niesen Carl William Pierce PROOFREADING AND INDEXING TECHBOOKS Production Services
This book is dedicated to my son, Mark. I love you, Mark, though you are Poopie no longer!
Preface
PC Magazine Windows XP Digital Media Solutions is your end-to-end solution for discovering the digital-media experiences in Windows XP exclusively available in a portable, wood-based format we call a book. It is possible that, within our lifetimes, this venerable artifact may go the way of DOS, the Soviet Union, and rotary telephones but in the meantime, here it is and I hope you enjoy it.
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drive in MP3 format and lock those CDs away in the cellar (like valuable backups). And we would get a digital camcorder and archive our home movies on the computer, with the eventual goal of sharing them via DVD. It was all coming together, right there, under the tree. I thought about who to contact about doing a digital-media book. You have to sort of imagine what it was like at the time: Microsoft was getting ready to release Windows Millennium Edition (Windows Me), the first version of Windows that would include integrated digital-media solutions. It was fairly obvious at the time, however, that Windows Me wasnt going to be a gangbuster release, and I didnt expect anyone to be too interested in a Windows Me book. In the end, I decided it would have to be Windows-based, but not Windows-Me-specific. The christening finally ended and, almost simultaneously, Mark woke up. But by then, my mind was set: I would write this book. I would write something fun. I would have fun doing it, and people would have fun reading it, because it would open them up to possibilities that they had perhaps never considered. On the way back to Daves house, I excitedly explained my grand plan to Stephanie, and she nodded along politely as you might expect. (Shes cute like that.) Then she asked how much this was all going to cost. A week later, the two companies that suddenly found themselves sans books from me were not particularly excited about taking me on for something completely different. I dont blame them, but I think they missed the boat on a popular trend. In the meantime, things were heating up with my day job at Windows 2000 Magazine (since renamed to Windows IT Pro Magazine), and I ended up spending the rest of the year being pretty busy traveling and writing. But I bought a digital camera as promised and took it halfway around the world, literally, to Israel, on a business trip I will never forget. It took months to record all my CDs onto the computer, and by the time I was done, I had literally destroyed one drive in the process. And we finally got a nice digital camcorder, which Mark insists be used so he can see himself in the side-mounted LCD display. Months later, at LinuxWorld 2001 in New York (of all places), I ran into Debra Williams Cauley, who had been bugging me for months to write some kind of a book. We sat down and I finally told her about my ideas for a digital media title and how I thought the then-beta Whistler project (which became Windows XP) would be a perfect subject, because of its integrated (and surprisingly powerful) digital-media experiences. Write up a TOC [table of contents], she said. Lets make this happen. And happen it did. My first book in two years. A couple of stories about the writing process for this book: Because of my busy travel schedule, much of this book was written on airplanes, trains, and in hotel rooms all over the United States. This required me to cart around a bizarre variety of hardware, including portable music devices, USB video splitters, FireWire-equipped camcorders, and a Pocket PC, among other things. I can only imagine what hotel house cleaning thought of me. My favorite form of travel is train and fortunately I get to go this route fairly often: On Amtrak between Boston and New York you can often get a table and really spread out, and I travel this route about once a month. On one trip to New York for the Office XP launch in late May 2001, I believe I was sitting at a table on the train across from a woman who was painting watercolors and eating a granola/yogurt mixture that actually looked pretty good. I unpacked a monstrous Dell laptop with integrated FireWire, a Canon digital camcorder, various USB and FireWire cables, and proceeded to record, edit, and produce a digital video. The woman across from me was extremely
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curious about what I was doing and kept looking up to catch a glimpse of the setup. Finally, she couldnt stand it anymore. Sorry, but do you mind if I ask you what youre doing? she asked. And I replied, Im capturing video from the camera, editing it on the computer, adding titles and background music, and then Im going to save it back to the computer. When I can afford one, Im going to buy a DVD recorder so I can record versions of this for my parents and other relatives. Or something like that. She took this in for a few seconds, clearly amazed, and not fully comprehending what it was that I had said. And then she said something that will probably stick with me forever. You must have a wonderful life. She was met by a blank stare. How do you answer that? Im not sure that I ever did, to be honest, but I do remember fumbling over an appropriate response. I sort of took this stuff for granted, in a way. But I think this underscores how liberating and exciting this technology can be. How fun it is. And, frankly, how much of it can be had fairly cheaply. We live in a time of great riches when it comes to technology. Its time we had some fun with it. And I want you to have a wonderful life, too. Think of this book as the tour guide.
Preface
MUSIC
Windows XP makes it easy to copy music CDs to your computer, create personalized music libraries, and copy music to portable audio devices. You can even make your own audio mix CDs.
PICTURES
Users with scanners can easily copy their traditional photographs onto the computer, and digital camera users can download images quickly and easily. In either case, you can edit, view, and share those photographs with other users via the Internet.
VIDEO
You can record family events on an analog or digital camcorder, copy them to the computer with low-cost hardware, and edit those movies into short films you can share with others (whether over the Internet or by using a Pocket PC device). TEAM LinG - Live, Informative, Non-cost and Genuine !
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GAMES
Windows XP utilizes the latest version of Microsofts DirectX multimedia libraries and is compatible with the most popular Windows-based games on the planet. You can play games online and easily add gaming hardware to your system without having to go through complex setup procedures.
MOBILE USE
Windows XP lets mobile users work anywhere and link back to the office and network-based files upon return. Windows XP supports the latest power-management technologies, ensuring that your laptop stays up and running as long as possible.
MEDIA CENTER
A special version of Windows XP, dubbed Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, also includes a 10 foot user interface, accessible via remote control, that provides handy access to the music, pictures, and video content on your PC as well as digital video recorder (DVR) features that let you record and pause live TV.
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Okay, that doesnt look too bad. Until you realize that its completely unrealistic (that is, too small and too slow), especially if you want to take advantage of digital media. My recommendations for readers of this book are as follows: CPU 2 GHz or higher RAM 512 MB or more Hard drive space 160 GB or more Dont be discouraged by this list. RAM and hard drives are extremely cheap these days, and theres little reason to not take advantage of this fact. Windows XP will take advantage of whatever hardware you can throw at it. I recommend letting it do so.
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Firewire-based video input If youve got a digital camcorder, go with a FireWire-based solution, which will give you higher resolutions approaching DVD quality and programmable controls in Windows Movie Maker. Scanner No digital camera? Scan your existing photos with a USB- or FireWire-based scanner. Good USB scanners are available for well under $100. Digital camera These days you can get a nice 4- or 5-megapixel (MPX) digital camera for less than $300 and the quality will shock and amaze you. Online photo services even let you get traditional prints. Digital audio receiver Roku, Linksys, and various PC makers sell component devices that let you pipe your PC-based digital audio through your stereo system using your homes built-in phone jacks. Its a nice way to leverage your PC-based music collection in the living room or den. Media Center PC For the ultimate experience, get a Media Center PC running Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005.
I cover each of these solutions in more detail in the appropriate places in the book. Your mission, should you decide to accept it: Dig into what you want to know, and have some fun. Its your PC!
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audio CDs, and ways to make your own mix CDs and backup data CDs. Then we turn it up a notch and look at acquiring music from analog audio sources and how you can use the many online digital music services to purchase and subscribe to your favorite songs.
CD-ROM? NOPE
This book also contains zero (0) CD-ROMs, or coasters. Youd lose it anyway, and I wasnt in the mood to make something that was going to be obsolete the second you opened it up. So in lieu of the AOL strategy, I decided to include a ...
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank Wileys Debra Williams Cauley for putting the original version of this book together, and Katie Mohr for putting up with me all year. Thanks, too, to Tom Dinse, for his patience. These things always take a lot longer than I imagine they will. Maybe Ill figure it out some day. Special thanks to Microsofts David Caulton, who helped me figure out which topics to cover and graciously fielded questions at all hours. Microsoft has been doing a kick-ass job of getting digital media to the masses for several years now, and every time I seem to forget that fact, David steps in and reminds me. Special thanks, too, goes to Tom Laemmel, another good friend at Microsoft, and Craig Cincotta, who handles PR for the eHome folks at Microsoft. As usual, Tom and Craig were instrumental in getting me early access to various Media Centerrelated technologies. Its very much appreciated, guys, thanks. Very special thanks, of course, to my wife, Stephanie, my son Mark, and my daughter Kelly, each of whom gave up precious time so I could get this book finished. As Mark suggested recently, this book required a lot of hard thinking, which required me to sit, troll-like, alone in front of my PC wondering where it all went wrong. But both of my children have an instinctive understanding about when to come rushing in to the office for hugs and when to leave Daddy alone. They always bailed me out when the going got tough.
Contents at a Glance
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvii
Part I
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6
Part II
Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10
Part III
Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15
Movie Making
Playing and Managing Digital Videos. . . . . . . . . . . . 301 Raw Footage: Making Home Movies . . . . . . . . . . . . 323 Acquiring Digital and Analog Video. . . . . . . . . . . . . 331 Creating Home Movies on Your PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349 Burn It: Creating Your Own DVDs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
Part IV
Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18
Contents
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvii
Part I
Chapter 1
Listening to Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Playing Audio CDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Playing Digital Audio Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Having Fun with Media Playback: A Guide to the Best Windows Media Player Add-ons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Using Visualizations to Put a Mesmerizing Face on Your Music . . . . . 31 Geek Out with Plus! Dancer (Windows Dancer in MCE 2005). . . . . . 33 Have a Party with Plus! Party Mode (Windows Party Mode in MCE 2005) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Chapter 2
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Configuring and Tuning Windows Media Player . . . . . 37 Using the Media Library and Playlists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Taking a Closer Look at the Media Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Using the Contents and Details Panes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Working with Playlists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Understanding the Now Playing List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
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Understanding the Burn List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Understanding the Sync List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Chapter 3
Updating Windows Media Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Managing and Sharing Digital Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Using the My Music Folder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Introducing My Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Customizing Folders in My Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Chapter 4
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 Rip: Copying Music from Audio CDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 Understanding Digital Audio Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Windows Media Audio vs. MP3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 Enter Microsoft, Stage Left . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Contents
Configuring Windows Media Player to Rip CDs . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Configuring Your CD Devices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 Configuring Audio Format and Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 Choosing a Location Where Music Will Be Stored . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
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Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Chapter 5
Acquiring Music from Cassettes, DVDs, and Other Analog Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
From Analog to Digital: Understanding the Issues . . . . . . . . . 143
Making the Connection: Hardware You Need to Make It Work . . . . 144 Tools of the Trade: Software You Need to Make It Work . . . . . . . . . . 144
Recording Audio from an Analog Source with Windows Movie Maker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145 Editing an Analog Recording with Windows Movie Maker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Saving the Audio File to Disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 Editing the Audio Files Metadata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Recording Audio from an Analog Source with Plus! Analog Recorder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Chapter 6
Subscribe to Online Music Subscription Services . . . . . . . . . . 174 Access Online Music Services from a Media Center PC. . . . . . 179 Take Purchased and Subscribed Music on the Road . . . . . . . . 181 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
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Part II
Chapter 7
Getting the Most from Windows Picture and Fax Viewer . . . . 202 Editing Images with Microsoft Paint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203 Editing Photos with Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205 When XP isnt Enough: A Quick Look at Other Photo-Editing Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Adobe PhotoShop Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209 Microsoft Digital Image Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209 A Free Option: Paint .NET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Printing Photos with the Photo Printing Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . 211 Printing Photos with Media Center. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214 Ordering Prints Online . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 Electronically Sharing Photos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Sharing Photos on the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217 Sharing Photos at Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Chapter 8
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227 Acquiring Photos with a Scanner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229 Understanding Flatbed Scanners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229 Choosing a Scanner for Windows XP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Thinking about Scanner Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230 Understanding Color Depth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Using a Film Scanner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242 Not Done Yet: What to Do After You Scan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Editing Scanned Photos with Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244 Commonly Needed Photo Editing Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Contents
Chapter 9 Acquiring Photos with a Digital Camera . . . . . . . . . . . 249 Understanding Digital Cameras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Megapixel? Whats a Stinkin Megapixel? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250 A Look at Media Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250 Understanding Techie Camera Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251 Making the Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251 Understanding Batteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251 Using Your Digital Cameras in the Real World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
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Detecting Your Camera in Windows XP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252 Acquiring Images from a Digital Camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254 Acquiring Pictures with a Media Center PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261 Image Acquisition for Real Men (and Women) . . . . . . . . . . . . 264 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Chapter 10
Part III
Chapter 11
Movie Making
Playing and Managing Digital Videos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301 Managing Digital Videos with My Videos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
Managing Digital Videos. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302 Change the Location of My Videos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
Sharing Videos with Other Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312 Renting Digital Videos Online . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
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Contents
Playing Digital Videos and DVD Movies in Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
Accessing My Videos in Media Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317 Finding Movies on TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319 Playing DVD Movies with Media Center. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322 Accessing Online Movie Services from Media Center . . . . . . . . . . . . 322
Chapter 12
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322 Raw Footage: Making Home Movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323 Understanding Home Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323 Choosing a Camcorder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324
Analog Camcorders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324 Take the Plunge: Digital Camcorders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326 Digital Camcorder Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326 Buying a Camcorder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
Chapter 13
Go Forth and Shoot Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330 Acquiring Digital and Analog Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331 Acquiring Digital Video from a Camcorder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331 Acquiring Analog Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337 Recording Live TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341 Accessing Online Movie Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342
Buy, Rent, or Subscribe? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342 Understanding Your Sharing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343 Downloading a Movie Rental from an Online Movie Service. . . . . . . 343 Downloading a Movie Purchase from an Online Movie Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346 Accessing Online Movie Services from Media Center . . . . . . . . . . . . 346
Chapter 14
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347 Creating Home Movies on Your PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349 Understanding Windows Movie Maker. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350
Exploring the Windows Movie Maker User Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . 350
Contents
Final Product: Putting It All Together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381
Saving a Movie to Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381 Saving a Movie to CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383 Saving a Movie to DVD (Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383 Sending a Movie to Others via E-mail. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385 Saving a Movie to the Web . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385 Sending a Movie to a DV Camcorder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386
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Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387
Chapter 15
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 398
Part IV
Chapter 16
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 422
Chapter 17
Digital Media Throughout the Home: Using Media Center Extenders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 423
Introducing Media Center Extenders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 423
Media Center Extender Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 424 Choosing a Media Center Extender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425
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Contents
Managing a Media Center Extender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 428
Managing Media Center Extender Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 429 Managing Network Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 432
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 433
Chapter 18
Take It On the Road: Working with Portable Media Centers and Other Portable Devices. . . . . . . . . 435
Working with Portable Devices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 436
Integrating Portable Devices with Windows Media Player . . . . . . . . 436
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 450
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 451
Part I
Music to Your Ears
Chapter 1
Chapter 1
On the Web
WMP10 is available for download from Windows update (www.windowsupdate.com). You can also download this release directly from the Microsoft Web site at www.microsoft.com/windowsmedia.
Available exclusively to Windows XP users, WMP10 is whats known as an all-in-one media player because it works with a variety of media types all from a single interface. The all-in-one design means that WMP10 is conceivably (but not literally) the only program youll need for listening to music and other audio, watching movies, recording music and video, managing locally stored media, listening to Internet radio stations, moving music to portable digital audio devices, creating audio CDs, playing DVD movies, and more. In the past, much of this functionality was broken out into separate products from a variety of vendors, and Microsofts decision to create a single program that does it all has triggered the development of a variety of similar products from its competitors. Today, WMP10 builds on the basic design of its predecessors, while incorporating changes based on extensive usability studies and customer requests. In short WMP10 is more full-featured, and yet simpler to use than previous versions. OK, thats all well and good from a marketing perspective. To you, the user, its now possible to use WMP10 as an end-to-end product that is suitable for just about any audio or video media task you might have. So in this way, WMP10 really does deliver. As always, however, there are small gaps in functionality that will require you to turn to other solutions in some situations. In this chapter, you first look at the player and see how it interacts with the Internet, CD audio, and locally stored music files. If youve harbored any sort of anti-Microsoft feelings regarding their endless integration strategies, WMP10 might just turn you around. Its that good. But Ill also highlight a few competing solutions that might be of interest.
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Figure 1-1: Three views of WMP10 in Full Mode, where all of its features are available and the window is almost fully resizable.
Figure 1-2: A sample skin, which generally provides the most commonly used functionality in a smaller package.
Figure 1-3: The new taskbar-based toolbar mode gets WMP10 out of your face, but still lets you access your music and videos.
Figure 1-4: A shortcut for Windows Media Player will always appear in the All Programs menu, but you might have one in the Start Menu as well.
What you see here will vary depending on your system, of course. I have my Start Menu configured to display small icons, for example, but you may have kept yours on the default large icon mode. Also, the most recently accessed section will vary depending on which application you use. Apparently, I spend a lot of time in Word, Notepad, and Microsoft Paint. TEAM LinG - Live, Informative, Non-cost and Genuine !
You might want to place shortcuts to WMP10 on your desktop or Quick Launch bar as well. This is fairly easy to do and will give you ways to start WMP from a variety of locations that wont change, as the Start Menu can.
Figure 1-5: Microsoft is a bit sensitive about your private information because of complaints its received in the past.
Click Next again and youre presented with a screen (Figure 1-6) that enables you to determine which file types WMP10 will be configured to handle. Unless you really know what youre doing and have a very strict desire to use other media player programs for the default types, my advice is to let WMP10 handle all of the media types it supports. After youve completed the introductory setup, WMP10 will launch for the first time and display a screen similar to Figure 1-7. Here WMP10 provides you with links to Web content that describes the products features. The next time you launch WMP10, you will be directed to the Media Guide, as described later in this chapter. How WMP10 behaves after that will depend on how its configured.
Figure 1-6: Optionally, you can configure WMP10 to handle all or some of the common media file types youre going to run into.
Figure 1-7: Take a good look, because you wont be able to display this screen again after youve started using WMP10.
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Figure 1-8: The Media Guide provides Web-based music, movie, and radio content updated daily.
Basically a Web site thats piped into WMP10, the Media Guide is obviously accessible only if youre connected to the Internet. Microsoft has it set up to display by default when the player starts, but if you turn off that functionality or want to view it manually, select the Guide taskbar button and youll be there in no time. Unsurprising, you can navigate the Media Guide like a Web site: You can click hyperlinks to view new pages, and the page scrolls if theres more information than can be seen inside the window.
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Listening to Music
OK, you can start and stop WMP10, navigate around the Web-based Media Guide, and are at least aware that you can discover new music and video content using various online media services. As you may have guessed, this is only the tip of the iceberg, so dont start patting yourself on the back quite yet. One of the more common tasks you might want to accomplish is to play some music or other audio with the player. Lets take a look at the ways in which you might do so.
Note
Regardless of which media type youre playing, the standard Play/Pause, Stop, Previous, Next, Mute, and Volume transport controls found at the bottom of the player will be used to control playback. These controls work just like their counterparts on a CD or DVD player, and theyre always visible in WMP10.
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If you do that in Windows XP, an auto-play dialog box will pop up and recommend that you play the CD with WMP10, as shown in Figure 1-9 (it actually defaults to Media Center, not to WMP10, if you are using Windows XP Media Center Edition).
Figure 1-9: When you insert an audio CD, an auto-play dialog box appears.
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If you select Play audio CD using Windows Media Player, WMP10 will start up (or come to the front if its already running) and begin playing the CD, as shown in Figure 1-10. Note that WMP10 will not move from the current mode when it does so. In other words, if youre looking at the Media Guide when you insert a CD, WMP10 will still display the Media Guide as it plays the CD.
Figure 1-10: Its subtle, but WMP10 is, in fact, playing an audio CD, even though it hasnt moved from the Media Guide.
Of course, for a variety of reasons, you might not see any of this. You might be running WMP10 in Skin Mode, for example. This isnt a problem: WMP10 can play audio CDs in Skin Mode as well.
Note
Sadly, Windows Media Player 10 cannot play (or record) DVD Audio.
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Cross-Reference
The procedure for copying your audio CD library to your hard drive is covered in Chapter 4.
Figure 1-11: The Add to Library by Searching Computer dialog box will find any digital media files on your system.
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However you tinker with the options, eventually, youre going to click Search and go for it. This brings up another dialog box confusingly, also titled Add to Library by Searching Computer that displays a progress bar while it searches. If you dont touch any of the search options, and havent created any audio files yourself (again, see Chapter 4 for how to do this), the search should end relatively quickly and find only a handful of files. So where are they? First you have to close the dialog box by pressing the Close button.
Figure 1-12: The Media Library displays all of the media files you have registered with WMP.
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Figure 1-13: You can select one of a number of online services for use within WMP10.
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Now, select the Radio button on the WMP10 taskbar. This launches the MSN Radio service within WMP10, as shown in Figure 1-14.
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Figure 1-15: Like local radio stations? How about local radio stations with no DJ chatter? Now were talking.
To play a radio station, click the small Play button next to its name. If you arent logged into the service, youll be prompted to do so. The logon youll need is a standard Passport account, which you probably created when you opened a Hotmail or MSN account. If you dont have one, MSN Music will walk you through the process of creating one. In any event, once youre logged on, WMP10 will navigate to the Now Playing view and begin playing the radio station you selected (Figure 1-16). WMP10 will buffer the content coming from the station so that it is storing several seconds of audio before it begins playing. This way, the player is always behind a few seconds, but it can compensate for slowness in the connection or a low-quality connection that peaks and spikes.
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Tip
By default, you can only access the free radio stations that are part of the base MSN Radio service. To access higher-quality radio stations with no ads, you can optionally subscribe to MSN Radio Plus for a low monthly fee. You can find out more about this service at http://radio.msn.com/.
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Figure 1-17: Adding a new radio station to your My Stations list is as easy as clicking a link.
Alternatively, you can add stations to your My Stations list by navigating to the MSN Radio home page and clicking the + button found to the right of each station description. As you add stations to your My Stations list, they appear at the top of the MSN Radio home page, as shown in Figure 1-18. This is one of the reasons Microsoft wants you to log on when you access the service.
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Figure 1-18: As you add radio stations to the My Stations list, MSN Radio displays them right at the top of its home page.
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If streaming media sounds a bit like the Internet radio stations you examined before, theres a reason, as the technology is similar. The difference, however, is that streaming media deals with individual files, like a single song, rather than a 24/7 sound source, such as a radio station. And streaming media is more of an on-demand technology than Internet radio: You choose the media file to play back, click a link, and it happens. Streaming media quality is dependent on the quality of your Internet connection. For this reason, many sources of streaming media will offer this media at a variety of quality levels, so that low-bandwidth dial-up users can choose to stream a lower-quality file, while cable modem users might choose a higher-quality file that consumes more bandwidth. And of course, there are streaming video files as well as audio files.
Figure 1-19: The Media Guide offers a variety of streaming media clips.
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The Media Guide also enables you to find music by category or artist name, while linking to record company Web sites that provide streaming and downloadable music. In Figure 1-20, a link to a streaming media file was launched in WMP10 and is now streaming.
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For a variety of reasons, Microsoft doesnt offer the ability to play RealNetworks or Apple formats through WMP. So if you want to take advantage of these formats, which are quite prevalent on the Web, youll need to download the RealNetworks RealPlayer and Apple QuickTime players. Theres just no way around it, at least not until Microsofts formats become more pervasive or WMP incorporates the technology from these other players.
REALNETWORKS REALPLAYER
RealPlayer is available from the RealNetworks Web site (www.real.com) in two versions, a free basic player, and a Plus version for which you must pay about $20. Like WMP, RealPlayer is an all-in-one media player that offers a host of media playback, recording, and organizational features. RealPlayer 10.5 is shown in Figure 1-21.
Figure 1-21: RealPlayer is similar to WMP10, but doesnt offer access to the wide range of online services you can find in Microsofts offering.
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Figure 1-22: Until Microsoft supports the QuickTime format, youll need to download Apple Computers QuickTime Player.
26 Note
Unlike Windows XP Home Edition or Professional Edition, you cannot purchase Windows XP Media Center Edition in a retail store. Instead, you can only obtain this version of Windows by buying a new Media Center PC. Companies such as Dell, Gateway, and HP market these PCs, which typically feature a remote control and TV interface card.
Figure 1-23: Whats blue and green all over? Its Media Center.
My Music integrates with WMP and accesses the same Media Library that you have set up in that application. So whatever digital audio files you have in WMP10, you will see in Media Center as well. As you increase your collection of digital music, the Media Center interface gets more attractive and useful. In Figure 1-24, you can see what my familys Media Center PC looks like. To play an individual song, select an album, or navigate through the Artists, Songs, or Playlists sections. For purposes of this demonstration, Ill select the album Achtung Baby by U2, as shown in Figure 1-25.
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Figure 1-24: My Music presents different views to your music collection, including Album view, shown here.
Figure 1-25: In Album Details view, you can see all of the songs on the album, and access different music-related tasks.
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To play the album, just click the Play button. The Now Playing view is shown in Figure 1-26.
Figure 1-26: By default, Media Center displays the current songs album art when playing.
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Figure 1-27: From Media Center, you can play back or even rip (or copy) your audio CDs.
Note
One cool feature of Media Center is how well it integrates with WMP10. For example, if youre playing music in WMP10 and decide youd like to enjoy that same music in Media Center instead, you can just launch Media Center and the music keeps playing, without a hitch or pause.
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Figure 1-29: Napster is just one of many online services to offer streaming Internet radio services.
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Having Fun with Media Playback: A Guide to the Best Windows Media Player Add-ons
In addition to the basic audio playback features discussed throughout this chapter, a number of playback features such as playlists and queues are covered in future chapters. But there are also a number of things you can do to have a bit of fun when playing back digital music, regardless of the source. In this section, youll examine some of those features.
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However, you can also display pretty animated visualizations, which dance across the screen in various patterns, colors, and geometric shapes. WMP10 ships with a wide number of visualizations, but unfortunately theyre a bit hidden. Heres how you turn them on. First, start playing back some music. This can be a local file, a streaming file, or even a song from an Internet radio station. Then navigate to Now Playing and click the Now Playing Options button, which can be found to the left of the text that reads Info Center View, as shown in Figure 1-31.
To display a visualization, choose Visualizations and then the name of the visualization you want. For example, if you choose Visualizations, then Battery, and then Randomize, WMP10 will resemble Figure 1-32. Experiment with the various visualizations you have and find the one you like the most. Better yet, check out full screen mode, which is particularly nice for visualizations. To enable this mode, either click the View Full Screen button near the top of the WMP10 window or press Alt+Enter. To leave full screen, strike the Esc key.
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Tip
Media Center users can display visualizations too and, as you might expect, the visualizations you can access from Media Center are identical to those offered by WMP10.
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Have a Party with Plus! Party Mode (Windows Party Mode in MCE 2005)
Another neat feature thats available in both Plus! Digital Media Edition and Windows XP Media Center Edition is Plus! Party Mode (Windows Party Mode in Media Center). Party Mode provides a fun full-screen front-end for WMP10 that turns your PC into a digital jukebox thats perfect for parties. Heres how it works. You run Party Mode and configure it using a settings page, shown in Figure 1-34, which determines how much access your party guests will have to the song selection, what skin to display, and other options.
Figure 1-34: Party Mode lets you use your PC as an entertainment center during parties and other events.
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Then press Start Party to ...ahem... start the party. In its full screen display, Party Mode offers access to the playlist youve selected, lets guests modify the playlist (if you set up Party Mode to allow that access), lets guests optionally add text to a scrolling marquee, and provides large onscreen knobs for controlling the music. Party Mode is shown in Figure 1-35.
Figure 1-35: Party Mode: Fun or lame, depending on your age, I guess.
Summary
Windows XP with Windows Media Player 10 and, optionally, Media Center Edition 2005, provides a rich environment for playing back music from a variety of sources, including local files, audio CDs, streaming audio, Internet radio, and others. With WMP10, you can listen to music, find radio stations on the Internet, and perform other related tasks. Add Media Center to the mix, and your choices get more visual, with cool TV-based interfaces to popular digital music tasks. Finally, digital media add-ons, like WMP10 Visualizations, Dancers, and Party Mode, can help you take your enjoyment of digital music to the next level. Now that you can use the most basic features of WMP10, its time to turn it up a notch. In Chapter 2, you examine how to configure and tune WMP 10 with playlists, the Now Playing list, skins, plug-ins, and other features.
Chapter 2
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Figure 2-1: The WMP10 Media Library aggregates all of the digital media content you have on your PC.
So whats going on here? Well, the Media Library, by default, is divided into three sections, or panes, as you move from left to right: The Contents pane (a tree view control that displays a hierarchical view of your media), the Details pane, which displays the contents of the currently selected node on the Contents pane, and the List pane, which displays the Now Playing List by default, though it can be toggled with other similar lists like the Burn List and the Sync List. Oddly enough, theres actually one more pane, which isnt normally displayed, probably because the Media Library display is messy enough as it is. That pane is called the Media Information pane, and its designed to display more information about the currently selected media file in an attractive way. Most notable, third-party developers who build products on top of WMP10 (like Napster and MSN Music) customize the Media Information pane to provide you with their own information about the currently selected media file. The Media Information pane is shown in Figure 2-2. To display the Media Information pane, click the More Info button, which is found just above the Details pane, to the left of Library Options.
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Figure 2-2: The Media Information pane displays information about the currently playing clip, delivered by the content creator of your choice.
Tip
To enable the All Pictures node, right-click the topmost part of the player, choose Tools Options, and then navigate to the Player tab in the Options dialog, which is displayed by default. Select the final option on that tab, which is titled Enable picture support for devices.
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Anyway, you can expand each node of the Contents pane to display different types of media in the Details pane. By default, when you enter the Media Library, WMP10 will display the All Music node, which is the topmost node in the Contents pane. This node, naturally, displays all of your currently configured music files in the centermost Details pane. You can scroll through this list, double-click songs to play them, and perform other tasks, such as rating songs, and editing song metadata such as artist name, song title, or album title. For now, however, the following table gives you a look at the different nodes available from the Contents pane.
What it displays
Displays a list of all of your music and audio files. Displays an alphabetical list of the artists who are credited with being the primary artist on one or more albums. Displays an alphabetical list of the artists who are credited with being a contributing artist on one or more albums (for example, soundtrack albums). Displays an alphabetical list of people who are listed as having composed one or more songs on one or more albums. Displays an alphabetical list of album titles. Displays an alphabetical list of music genres (Pop, Rock, Soundtrack, and so on). Displays a chronological list of years for which your Media Library has one or more albums that were released in each year. Displays a list of songs that have received 5, 4, 3, 2, or 1 star ratings, and songs that are unrated. Displays a list of songs you have purchased from online music services, broken down alphabetically by service name (see Chapter 6). Displays a list of all recorded TV shows. You examine recorded TV shows in Chapter 16. Displays a list of the recorded TV shows you have not yet viewed. Displays an alphabetical list of shows for which you are recording a series, and not an individual show (The Simpsons or The Sopranos). Displays an alphabetical list of recorded TV genres (Animated, Kids; Comedy, Series; Educational, Kids; and so on). Displays a chronological list of all of the TV shows youve recorded. Displays an alphabetical list of all of the actors who are listed as being in all of the TV shows you have recorded.
All Music - Composer All Music - Album All Music - Genre All Music - Year Released All Music - Rated Songs All Music - Purchased Music
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What it displays
Displays a list of recorded TV shows that have received 5, 4, 3, 2, or 1 star ratings, and those that are unrated (the latter is the norm; unlike songs, its unlikely that many people will take the time to rate TV shows). Displays a list of all digital video. Displays an alphabetical list of all of the actors, who are listed as being in all of the digital video you have. Displays an alphabetical list of digital video genres (Plus! Photo Story, and so on). Displays a list of digital videos that have received 5, 4, 3, 2, or 1 star ratings and those that are unrated (as with recorded TV, the latter is the norm). Displays a list of digital videos you have purchased or subscribed to from a service such as CinemaNow (see Chapter 13). Displays a list of all photos and other digital images. Displays a list of all photos sorted by event (based on your own organizational style, as described in Chapter 7). Displays a list of all photos sorted by date taken (using the time and date stamp supplied by a digital camera, or the time and date that a paper-based photo was scanned). The list is sorted by year and then photo. Displays a list of photos that have received 5, 4, 3, 2, or 1 star ratings and those that are unrated (as with recorded TV, the latter is the norm). Displays a list of other media types that arent natively supported by WMP10. Displays a list of the playlists youve manually created, not Auto Playlists, which are discussed below. Displays a list of the playlists that WMP10 automatically generates (such as Favorites 4 and 5 star rated, Fresh tracks, Music tracks I have not rated, and so on). Displays the Now Playing list in the Details pane (you examine the Now Playing List later in this chapter).
All Video All Video - Actors All Video - Genre All Video - Rated Video
Now Playing
Navigating the Contents pane is pretty straightforward: You can expand and contract nodes by clicking the little plus and minus signs you see next to each node, and if you display a sublist in the Details pane, you can double-click it to navigate further in. However you do it, youre essentially TEAM LinG - Live, Informative, Non-cost and Genuine !
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filtering the list of media files that you will display in the Details pane. Sometimes as with All Music the list will be quite large. Other times (Other Media comes to mind), it will be quite small or even empty.
Figure 2-3: When you create a new playlist, the List pane changes to display a new, empty playlist.
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Then navigate through the songs in the Details pane and drag any songs that youd like in the playlist over to the List pane, just as you would when dragging and dropping files in Windows Explorer. As you add songs to the List pane, they are added to the new playlist, which, as of now, doesnt have a name (Figure 2-4).
Figure 2-4: As you drag songs from the Details pane into the List pane, they are added to your new playlist.
After youre done dragging and dropping songs, you can save your playlist by clicking the New Playlist button at the top of the List pane and choosing Save Playlist As. A standard Save As dialog box will appear, pointed to the My Playlists folder under My Music (inside of My Documents), allowing you to give the playlist any name youd like. Playlists are saved with a .wpl (Windows Playlist) extension which, by default, is opened with WMP. Click Save to save your playlist. Then notice that the playlist has been added to the My Playlists node in the Contents pane.
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Figure 2-5: When you right-click songs and choose Add to Additional Playlists, you can access the Add to Playlist dialog.
RENAMING A PLAYLIST
To rename a playlist youve created, find it under the My Playlists node in the Contents pane, select it, and press F2. This will highlight the name of the playlist, as shown in Figure 2-6, allowing you to type a new name or edit the existing name, just as you do with folders, files, and shortcuts in Windows Explorer.
Figure 2-6: You can rename playlists just as you do files and folders in Windows Explorer.
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Alternatively, you can perform a delicate double-click maneuver to rename the playlist. As before, find the playlist youd like to rename, click it once to select it, wait a second, and then click it again. If you do this too fast, youll double-click it, which will load that playlist into the Details pane (and to the Now Playing List, described below, if thats selected in the List pane) and begin playing it. But if you do it just right, youll get the same highlight effect discussed in the previous paragraph. You might be wondering whether renaming a playlist renames the file you saved. Its easy enough to check: Simply navigate to My Music and then My Playlists. Survey says ...Nope. The original name remains. However, you can rename this file as well, if youd like. WMP10 will always pick up whatever playlists are found in My Music\My Playlists.
Figure 2-7: You can access a wide range of options for the Now Playing List from this handy dropdown menu.
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Here you can choose from the following playlist options (other options are available as well; however, these are not related to playing back playlists): Clear List This clears the Now Playing List, as described later in this chapter, but does not erase or change the contents of your saved playlist. This option can be handy if you want to create or select a new playlist. Repeat This is a toggle option that can be on or off. Its off by default, meaning that each song in your playlist will play just once. When every song has played, playback stops and you get to listen to silence for a while. If its on, songs will repeat and the playlist wont stop playing until you stop it manually. Play Shuffled This option plays back the songs in your playlist in a random order. Like Repeat, it can be on or off, and is off by default. When you choose this option, the order of the songs in your playlist doesnt change, but playback no longer progresses linearly, moving instead from song to song in a random fashion. Shuffle List Now This option shuffles the order of the songs in your playlist visually in the List pane, so you can see the new arrangement of songs. Then, playback occurs normally, moving from song to song in the new order. Note that this option wont save the song order changes back to your playlist: If you clear the list and reload it into WMP10, the original order will be retained. However, you can always save a reshuffled playlist if you want by choosing the Now Playing List button and then selecting Save Playlist As and saving it as the same name. Sort This option lets you sort the playlist by name, artist, album, rating, or filename. (Yeah, that last choice makes a lot of sense, eh?) As with Shuffle List Now, no changes are made to the saved playlist, only to the live version currently occupying the Now Playing List. Edit Using Playlist Editor This option brings up WMP10s Edit Playlist dialog, which gives you an alternative approach to editing a playlist, as shown in Figure 2-8. Basically, the editor is divided into two panes, the View Library pane on the left and the Playlist pane on the right. You choose songs from the View Library pane and copy them into the Playlist pane (and, thus, the playlist) by selecting them. You can also select songs in the Playlist pane and click the Delete button (the red X) to remove them from the playlist (but not from the Media Library). To rearrange the order of songs, select a song in the playlist and click Move Up (the blue up-pointing arrow) or Move Down (the blue down-pointing arrow). Click OK when youre done.
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Figure 2-8: The Playlist Editor is a sort of redundant way to edit playlists.
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With the song still playing, find some more songs and drag them over too. Instead of replacing the existing list, they are queued up, or added to the end of the Now Playing List, as shown in Figure 2-9. In this way, you can keep adding songs to your hearts content.
You can also drag songs to specific points in the Now Playing List (as you can with any other playlist thats currently playing); you dont have to drag them to the end of the list. When you drag the songs over, simply position them where you want them in the list: A small line will appear, indicating where the songs will be placed (Figure 2-10). Likewise, you can drag and drop songs within the Now Playing List (or other currently playing playlists) to rearrange their playback order. From here, you can perform a number of actions. You can use any of the playlist options described in the previous section, like shuffle or repeat. You can burn or sync the Now Playing List (described later). You can also save the Now Playing List as a playlist, or edit the list with the Playlist Editor. In the end, the Now Playing List is just another playlist, albeit a special one that youll work with regularly.
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Figure 2-10: You can also place new songs discretely within the Now Playing List, wherever youd like them.
50 Tip
You can also access your Media Library, and any saved playlists, using the Quick Access Panel, which is available by clicking the small arrow button found to the right of the Now Playing button in the WMP10 toolbar. This presents a dropdown list version of the Media Library, which is generally useful only if youve resized the main WMP window to be so small that you cant see the Media Library. That way, your Media Library is always available, no matter what the window looks like. Interestingly, this Quick Access Panel is also available when the player is minimized to a taskbar toolbar, as described in Chapter 1.
Tip
Each of the menu items has a similar keyboard shortcut. To access the View menu, choose Alt+V. To access the Play menu, choose Alt+P. To access the Tools menu, choose Alt+T. And to access the Help menu, choose Alt+H.
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OK, so maybe youre not the keyboard shortcut kind of person. Thats just fine: WMP10 supports a more visual approach to enabling the menu as well. Next to the standard Minimize, Maximize, and Close window buttons in the upper right corner of the WMP10 window, WMP10 sports a unique fourth button that resembles a downward-point arrow. This button, dubbed the Access Application Menus button, lets you access the standard menu system through a cascading pop-up menu. When you click it, the menu appears (see Figure 2-11).
Figure 2-11: Even though the menu bar is turned off by default in WMP10, you can still access it through the handy new Access Application Menus button.
Still not good enough? OK, fine. If you simply must go old-school on me and display the menu system permanently, you can do so, though frankly I think the clean look of the default player is much nicer. There are two ways to permanently enable the menu system. First, you can place the player in full screen mode, which always displays the menu. Or, you can choose View, then Menu Bar Options, and then Show Menu Bar, using one of the methods highlighted above to actually find the menu in the first place.
Note
In Windows Media Player 9 Series, the default was Autohide Menu Bar, which was more annoying than anything. I like the Hide option the best.
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Figure 2-12: Now you see it, now you dont: WMP with and without the PlayList.
Note that you can also adjust the width of the List pane by grabbing its leftmost border with the mouse and dragging it left or right. This is shown in Figure 2-13. Combined, each of these options makes it easy to customize the Full Mode window as you see fit. In the next section, you look at other ways in which you might customize WMP10.
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Figure 2-14: The Enhancements pane provides access to many cool WMP10 features.
Figure 2-15: The Color Chooser enables you to modify the color of the WMP10 user interface.
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You can also move through a series of preset colors by using the Next preset link, and make WMP10 more visually resemble previous WMP versions by selecting Use black as Player background color, which I dont recommend.
Figure 2-16: This Enhancement enables you to configure crossfading and automatic volume leveling.
Here, you can turn on crossfading and then determine how many sections of overlap there will be between songs. I usually set this at 3 to 5 seconds. You can also set a volume leveling feature. This feature is handy, because many media files are recorded at different volume levels, and it can be jarring sometimes when you move from song to song. Two caveats to this feature: First, it works only with MP3 and WMA audio files. Second, it can make some songs sound a bit muddy in my experience. I usually just leave it off.
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To show you how this works, Im going to access a file stored on a different desktop computer on my home network, a process thats a bit beyond the scope of this book. However, consider the following basic information: When you click F3 in WMP to find media files, you can point the player at local files, sure, but also at remote files found in My Network Places. In this case, Ive set up a share on a different PC that contains music and other audio files. Then Ive used F3 in WMP10 to find those files. When you select such a file in WMP10, you can use the Media Link for E-Mail Enhancement to send a link to that file to someone else via e-mail (see Figure 2-17). In the case of a file stored on my home network, that person will need to have access to the network share as well.
Figure 2-17: If you can locate a network- or Internet-based clip, you can send a link to it via e-mail to a friend.
To send a link to the file through e-mail, simply click the Send media link in e-mail link. This will launch your e-mail application, open a new mail window, and attach a link to the media clip in ASX format, as shown in Figure 2-18. You can fill out the name of the recipient and add any other information you want, and then send it along.
Figure 2-18: WMP10 enables you to send linked clips through your favorite e-mail program.
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If you open the Media Link.asx file in Notepad, youll see an XML-like file that includes a lot of information about the file youre linking to, including the location on the network where the file can be found. This information is shown in Figure 2-19 in case youre morbidly curious.
Figure 2-19: The ASX file is an XML-like document that identifies the location of the clip youd like to send.
But you can do more than just send a link to the whole file. You can also just send a link to part of the file via e-mail, and edit down the original using video editing-like controls called Mark In and Mark Out. Heres how it works. You begin playing the clip and then click the Mark In link where you want the edited file to begin. Then, you click Mark Out where you want playback to end. You can change the speed of playback, to make this editing more precise, using the Slow, Normal, and Fast links. Now, when your recipient gets the Media Link.asx file via e-mail, they will only hear the portion of the file you want them to hear. And the original file wasnt changed at all. Well, that was a lot of work for a feature that virtually no one will ever use. Ah well.
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Figure 2-20: Even though youre speeding up or slowing down playback, the audio is still perfectly understandable.
Play Speed Settings includes presets such as Slow, Normal, and Fast, but you can also move forward (or backward) through a clip at any speed from -16 to 16, where 1.0 is normal. Common speeds like 1.4 (that is, almost half again as fast as normal speed), 2.0 (double speed), and 0.5 (half speed) are called out nicely on a sliding scale.
In other words, SRS WOW is going to have a big impact in the small speakers that are typically used by most headphones, portable computers, and even many desktop computers. However, SRS WOW also makes a difference with larger speakers as well.
Figure 2-21: SRS Labs WOW effects enhance the bass and stereo effects on two speaker systems.
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When you enable SRS WOW, you need to configure your speaker type (normal speakers, large speakers, or headphones) to get the best sound quality. Then, you can determine how much TruBass and WOW Effect to add, using sliders. TruBass enhances bass, while WOW Effect enhances the overall stereo effect.
On the Web
For more information about SRS WOW, please visit the informative SRS Labs Web site at www .srslabs.com.
Figure 2-22: Here you can configure the hue, saturation, brightness, and contrast of video playback in WMP10.
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Figure 2-23: A typical WMP skin, which offers a smaller size than Full Mode, but with reduced functionality. This particular skin comes with Windows Media Center 2005.
CHOOSING A SKIN
To choose a skin, select View and then Skin Chooser. The list of available skins will appear, with the current selection highlighted, as shown in Figure 2-24.
Figure 2-24: The Skin Chooser enables you to pick a skin, delete skins, and find more skins on the Internet.
There are a couple of ways to test the new skin. Double-clicking a skin name in the list will automatically change the player to Skin Mode, using that skin. You can also select a skin and then press the Apply Skin button.
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Skin name
9SeriesDefault
Aquarium (Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 and Plus! for Windows XP only)
Atomic
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Skin name
Bluesky
Canvas
Classic
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Corporate
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Skin name
Goo
Headspace
Heart
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Miniplayer
Optik
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Skin name
Plus! Bionic Dot (XP MCE 2005 and Plus! Digital Media Edition for Windows XP only)
Plus! Hard Boiled (XP MCE 2005 and Plus! Digital Media Edition for Windows XP only)
Plus! HueShifter (XP MCE 2005 and Plus! Digital Media Edition for Windows XP only)
Plus! Mecha (XP MCE 2005 andPlus! Digital Media Edition for Windows XP only)
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Plus! Professional (XP MCE 2005 and Plus! Digital Media Edition for Windows XP only)
Plus! Pulsar (XP MCE 2005 and Plus! Digital Media Edition for Windows XP only)
Plus! Slimline (XP MCE 2005 and Plus! Digital Media Edition for Windows XP only)
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Skin name
Pyrite
QuickSilver
Radio
Revert
Roundlet
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Splat
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Skin name
Toothy
Windows Classic
Windows XP
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Figure 2-25: The WMP Properties menu is available in Skin Mode so that you can find options that might be hidden by the skin.
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DELETING A SKIN
To delete a skin from the list of available skins, select that skin and then press the Delete button, which is curiously unlabeled. It looks like a red X and is found to the right of the More Skins button in the Skin Chooser.
Figure 2-26: The Player options tab lets you customize updates and general player settings.
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You can also determine whether the player downloads and installs codec updates automatically, which is the default, or whether it should notify you if a new codec becomes available. A codec is a data file that tells the player how to work with particular media types. For example, WMP ships with a codec for Windows Media Audio (WMA) format, among many others: This codec allows the player to record and play audio in that format. The Player settings section includes a few basic options regarding the player itself. The first option determines whether WMP is always displayed on top of other windows, which I dont recommend. An odd option determines whether an anchor window is displayed when the player is in Skin Mode; this is on by default. The anchor window is the small square box you might see when in Skin Mode; it sits at the bottom right of the screen. Microsoft added this as a default because its possible that the skin youre using doesnt include a Return to Full Mode button. While this is indeed possible, Ive never actually seen a skin like this, and I find the anchor window to be annoying, so I recommend that you leave this option unchecked. The Add music files to library when played option is a crucial one. I recommend leaving this option checked, if only because there is no easy way otherwise to add media to the Media Library without manually searching your system for new media every time you buy a new CD or digital music online. However, the Include files from removable media and network folders option should probably remain unchecked. Removable media includes CDs, PocketPC devices, USB flash disks and portable audio devices like the Rio Carbon. Its unlikely that media on such devices will be attached to your system permanently, so its better to leave them out of your Media Library and avoid any nasty error messages. The Prompt me to back up my licenses option refers to the various Digital Rights Media (DRM) licenses that WMP10 can acquire as you purchase music and other media online. In general, its a good idea to let the system back these up automatically. You should probably leave the Connect to the Internet option checked; this will make it easier for WMP to identify audio CDs and DVD movies you insert into your PC, and to find software updates. The final option on this tab, Enable picture support for devices is unchecked by default, because most people still dont have portable audio devices, let alone more powerful portable devices like Portable Media Centers that can display photos as well as play music. However, if you have such a device, you should check this option. When you do, the All Pictures node is added to the tree view in the List pane of WMP10.
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Figure 2-27: The Rip Music options tab enables you to specify where music is stored on your system and change ripping options.
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Figure 2-28: The Devices tab enables you to configure CD drives, speakers, portable devices, and other digital media-related hardware that you attach to your PC.
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Figure 2-29: The Performance options tab is all about networking and video performance, not the general performance of the player.
CONNECTION SPEED
In the Connection speed section, you can determine whether the player automatically detects your speed which is recommended, both by Microsoft and me or through a manual setting. The manual settings include such choices as 28.8 Kbps modem and 768 Kbps DSL/cable. Just leave it set to the default, as theres absolutely no reason to be tinkering with something that can be far more accurately determined by the technology.
NETWORK BUFFERING
Like the connection speed, Network buffering is something best left alone: Buffering determines how much of a streaming media file is downloaded before it begins playing. Buffering is what makes streaming media work otherwise, network glitches and downtime would cause streaming media to stutter and skip far more often than it does. If you dont like the way buffering is working that is, youre experiencing all kinds of skipping and pausing you might want to manually set this option. You can enter a value of up to 60 seconds. But generally, its best to just leave it as is.
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VIDEO ACCELERATION
The Video acceleration option determines how the player works in full screen mode, which is generally best used for DVD movies, as explained in Chapter 10. It can be set to three options: No video acceleration, Some video acceleration, or Full video acceleration. In general, you will want this set to Full video acceleration, unless youre experiencing video playback problems. If this happens, try moving the slider to the middle choice, Some video acceleration. If that fails, youre probably using an older or unsupported 3D card, and you should select No video acceleration. Video acceleration includes an Advanced button, which launches the Video Acceleration Settings dialog, shown in Figure 2-30. This dialog box enables you to set more advanced options for streaming and WMV format video, and DVD video.
Figure 2-30: The Video Acceleration Settings dialog box allows you to configure how video files and DVDs are played back.
The Video Acceleration section enables you to control whether the player can go into full screen mode while playing video files. And the DVD Video section includes an option for choosing a hardware or software decoder. Both of these options are generally best left to their defaults, as WMP will auto-detect the capabilities of your system. But if you have a hardware DVD decoder (more and more uncommon these days) and the system hasnt automatically detected it, this is the place to go. Changing any of these settings will require the player to be restarted.
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Figure 2-31: The Library options tab lets you configure how the Media Library interacts with external applications and Web sites.
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Figure 2-32: You can configure visualizations from the Plug-ins options tab.
On the Web
There are also other sources of excellent WMP10 plug-ins. And one of the best, www.WMPlugins.com, is owned and operated by Microsoft. The Web site offers plug-ins, skins, visualizations, developer resources, and other information. Its a fantastic place to visit for extending the functionality of your favorite media player assuming, of course, that player is Windows Media Player.
DELETING PLUG-INS
To delete a plug-in, simply select it and click the Remove button.
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CONFIGURING A PLUG-IN
Some plug-ins enable you to configure certain options. For example, you can select Visualization and then Ambience, and then click the Properties button to configure its full screen and player settings through the Properties dialog, as shown in Figure 2-33.
Figure 2-33: Some plug-ins can be configured, like this visualization, which enables you to control its full screen mode and off-screen buffer size.
The options you can configure are dependent on the plug-in and some, such as the Alchemy visualization plug-in, dont offer any configuration at all.
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Figure 2-34: It took a few complaints, but Microsoft now cares about your privacy.
In the Enhanced Playback and Device Experience section, you can determine whether WMP10 interacts with data found on the Internet. Unless youre truly paranoid, I recommend leaving all of these options checked. Otherwise, youll get a severely stilted experience, as suggested by the section name. Besides, none of these options require you to send any unique information about you or your player to Internet servers. However, in the Enhanced Content Provider Services section, you must deal with these issues. If you choose to allow content providers to uniquely identify your player, WMP10 will send compatible Web sites a unique number that is generated by your player. This identifier doesnt betray any private information about you to the Web site, however. Instead, the identifier is used to monitor (and optionally store) the quality of your connection as you receive streaming media files, and its implemented as a cookie, just like those that you use in Internet Explorer.
On the Web
You can view the WMP10 privacy statement on the Web at www.microsoft.com/windows/windows
media/mp10/privacy.aspx?locale=409&geoid=f4&version=10.0.0.3646&userlocale =409. You can also use this shorter URL: http://snipurl.com/bm6k.
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Figure 2-35: Its not much to look at, but the Security tab helps you configure Internet security options, including the way in which WMP10 interacts with IEs security settings.
On the Web
You can find out more about how WMP10 implements security on the Web at www.microsoft.com/
windows/windowsmedia/mp10/security.aspx?locale=409&geoid=f4&version=10.0.0 .3646&userlocale=409. You can also use this shorter URL: http://snipurl.com/bm6n.
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Figure 2-36: The File Types options tab determines which file types are associated with the player.
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Figure 2-37: The DVD options tab provides options only for parental controls and language settings.
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Figure 2-38: You can update WMP over the Internet to get the latest features and security fixes.
Generally speaking, its probably a good idea to let the player update itself automatically. But if you hear about a new security update possibly from my WinInfo Daily Update mailing list (www .winformant.com) this is the place to go to download the fix.
Summary
Windows Media Player 10 features a deceptively simpler user interface, but underneath that highly polished chrome is a full-featured, multifunction multimedia playback and management application just waiting to be customized to your hearts content. In this chapter, you examined many of the ways in which you can configure WMP10, including using the Media Library, playlists, and the Now Playing List; methods of changing and enhancing the WMP10 user interface; WMP10 Enhancements like crossfading, volume leveling, and playback speed; using skins and Skin Mode; and all the myriad of ways you can work with the WMP10 Options dialog to fine-tune the product. At this point, you should be comfortable using the player and be able to move on to more advanced tasks. In Chapter 3 you examine some of those tasks, including those that you perform outside of the player, using the Windows XP shell. Windows XP, in sharp contrast to previous operating systems, provides a wealth of task-oriented user interface in its shell, through which you can manage your music collection, burn CDs, and perform other tasks.
Chapter 3
he notion of digital music management is simple: Digital music files, like any documents, must be stored somewhere on your computer so they can be readily accessed, either by WMP or by some other application. And each of these files has properties, or attributes, that describe their contents. A properly formatted music file, for example, will contain a song, of course, but it will also contain information about that song, such as the artist, the name of the song, and the album from which it originated. In addition to managing your digital music files, you might also want to share them with friends and family, using the Internet or CDs. Or perhaps you have a home network and would like to provide a central share from which all computers on the network can access your digital music files. In todays increasingly connected world, home media servers are becoming more common. And theyre not hard to set up. So in this chapter, you look at these management and sharing tasks and the different ways they can be accomplished in Windows XP.
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Cross-Reference
You look at My Pictures in Chapter 7.
Introducing My Music
You can access My Music directly from the Start menu, as shown in Figure 3-1. But you can also get to My Music from My Documents. Thats because My Music is, by default, a subfolder within My Documents (later in this chapter you learn how to move one or both of these special folders). If youve ripped audio CD-based music to your system as described in Chapter 4 you should see folders in My Music that correspond to artist names. These folders will each contain one or more subfolders as well, each representing an album by those particular artists.
Figure 3-1: If youve ripped audio CDs, you will see a number of Artist folders in My Music.
The folder icons in My Music (and many other folders that contain music) are shown in Thumbnails view by default. This allows each artist folder to display up to four thumbnail images of contained album copies. So, for example, if youve ripped four CDs by solo pianist David Lanz, you will see a David Lanz folder in My Computer with four thumbnail images on it. If you rip only one CD for any particular artist, that artists folder will contain one thumbnail image. Figure 3-2 shows a variety of folder thumbnail examples. TEAM LinG - Live, Informative, Non-cost and Genuine !
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Figure 3-2: Inside each Artist folder is at least one Album folder.
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Figure 3-3: By default, Artist folders should be set up with the Music Artist folder template.
Figure 3-4: Its easy to change the image used by folder thumbnails.
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If you find that youre no longer fond of the customized icon view youve created, simply re-open the Properties sheet and choose Restore Default: The automatically generated album cover thumbnails will return. And if youre not using Thumbnail view for some reason (shame!), you can also choose to modify the icon image used to display the folder. Click the Change Icon button and find an icon youd like to use instead.
Cross-Reference
Chapter 4 explains how to rip CDs.
By default, each of these folders uses the folder template titled Music Album (best for tracks from one album), assuming you ripped them with WMP. If you didnt, you can change them to this template by customizing each folder and choosing this from the folder template drop-down list box, as shown in Figure 3-5.
Figure 3-5: Each album folder should be using the Music Album folder template.
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If you open a Music Album folder such as Sacred Road (to beat my David Lanz example to death), you will see one or more media files. These files each represent one song on an album, as shown in Figure 3-6, and they are displayed in Tiles view by default. Tiles view is new to Windows XP. It is a standard icon view that also displays a sampling of metadata, or data that describes the file. So, for example, a file named David Lanz - 08 - Nocturne (remember that the .wma or .mp3 file extension is generally hidden by default) will display two additional lines of metadata next to its icon in Tiles view: The artist name (David Lanz in this case) and the album title (Sacred Road in this example).
Figure 3-6: Album folders display files in Tiles view by default, with selected metadata shown along with each files name.
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Figure 3-7: A yellow tooltip window, shown when you move your mouse over an icon, can display more metadata.
Figure 3-8: The Summary tab lets you actually edit metadata, right in the shell.
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From here, you will be able to modify the artist name, album title, year, track number, genre, title, or comments. Other metadata, such as license, duration, bit rate, audio sample size (in bits), number of channels (where 2 is stereo and 1 is mono), and audio sample rate cannot be edited. Whats nice about this is that youre editing the metadata of the file directly, regardless of the file type. For WMA files, metadata is part of each file. For MP3 files, the ID3v2 tag is modified. But youre not limited to editing single files at a time. If you want to edit the metadata for the year for every song in a folder, for example, just select the entire group of icons, right-click, and choose Properties. Navigate to the Summary tab again, and this time youll see something a bit different: Those metadata that are file specific, such as track number and title, indicate that they represent multiple values, as shown in Figure 3-9. But those that are applicable to all the files, such as album title, artist, and year, can, more logically, be modified. You can change the year (or whatever), click Apply, and be sure that youve made the change for all of the files in the folder, in one step. Nice!
Figure 3-9: You can edit the metadata for a group of files too.
Cross-Reference
One thing missing from the shell method of modifying metadata is song lyrics, which is a type of metadata found in Windows Media Audio files. You can add lyric information to any WMA file, but you have to do it through WMP using the Advanced Tag Editor, which is described in Chapter 4.
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Figure 3-10: You can tell WMP where your music files are or let it search the whole hard drive.
Cross-Reference
Searching for media files on your system is covered in more detail in Chapter 1.
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What you see there will be dependent on the users youve set up on the system: There will be one folder for each of these users (like Paul, shown in Figure 3-11) and one called All Users. Old hands at Windows NT and Windows 2000 will be familiar with the concept of all users, but most Windows 9x/Me users (that is, most people in general) will not. This folder contains documents and settings that are common to all users on the system. And its got a structure thats identical to your own documents and settings folder. Open it up to see what I mean.
Figure 3-11: User accounts can be found in the Documents and Settings folder.
Inside C:\Documents and Settings\All Users, you will find folders for the Desktop, Favorites, Shared Documents, and Start Menu. If you want an icon to appear on every users desktop, place it in the Desktop folder under All Users. If you want an IE Favorite to appear in the Favorites menu of every user on the system, the All User Favorites folder is the place to go. And so on. But the Shared Documents folder works a bit differently. Shared Documents and its subfolders, Shared Pictures and Shared Music emulate the My Documents, My Pictures, and My Music folders, respectively, that each user has. But if you place a file in Shared Documents, it wont show up in your personal My Documents folder, even as a link. Shared Documents (and Shared Pictures and Shared Music) are separate, little islands in a sea of folders. And you thought Windows was consistent.
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So you might want to use Shared Music as the dumping ground for all of your ripped CDs, instead of the default, which is My Music. To do this, open up WMP and navigate to Tools Options. On the Rip Music tab, click Change and then select C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Shared Documents\Shared Music as the location to which music will be copied. And if youve already started copying music to another location (C:\Documents and Settings\[your user name]\My Documents\My Music probably), just move all those files and folders to the new location. This method of organizing music files is good for families with one PC: You want your kids to be able to log on, play games, and maybe even get some schoolwork done, but you dont want them accessing your private documents (which you might have marked as private thanks to the Windows XP security features). However, you dont mind them accessing your music. Now that its public, thanks to the Shared Music folder, they can.
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Figure 3-12: Moving My Documents is easy: Just right-click on the My Documents, choose Properties, and then tell it where to go.
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Now, navigate to My Computer and then Special Folders in the Tweak UI tree view. The application will now resemble Figure 3-14.
Figure 3-14: Drilling down into Tweak UI, you will find the section that enables you to modify shell folder locations.
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Click the Folder drop-down list and select My Music. Then, click the Change Location button to find the location to which youd like to change My Music. When youre done, click the OK button to close Tweak UI. Youre done!
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2. On \\Media, create a directory structure to store your media files. You might create a directory called D:\Media\Music, for example, to store your music files. To share this location, right-click the Music folder and choose Sharing and Security. Then select the checkbox titled Share this folder on the network, and provide the share with a name. Youll use Media for this example. 3. On your Windows XP machine, connect to the network share with a Network Drive by choosing Tools Map Network Drive in My Computer. This will launch the Map Network Drive Wizard (Figure 3-15), allowing you to choose a drive letter and path for that network drive. I use the drive letter M: for my media drive, but you can choose any available letter. In the Folder text box, either browse to the location or type it in; in our example, M: would be mapped to \\Media\Media. Leave the Reconnect at logon option checked, as you want this to be a permanent thing.
Figure 3-15: The Map Network Drive wizard enables you to use network resources as if they were local drives.
4. Open My Computer and you should see a new drive listed under Network Drives called Media on Media (M:). 5. Now, copy or move all of your media files to the appropriate folders in M:. For example, you might copy all of your music files to M:\Music. 6. Now, you can optionally redirect the My Music, My Pictures, and My Video folders, as described above. Or not. It really doesnt matter. 7. Start up Windows Media Player and press F3 to bring up the Search for Media Files dialog. Point the Look in box to M:\Music, or wherever the share is you created, and let it search. Now your Media Library will be updated with the new location for you media files.
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Tip
Technically speaking, you dont have to map a network drive or search for media files to access the music on your media server from WMP. Instead, you can simply instruct WMP to monitor the music folder on your media server. To do so, open the WMP Options dialog box and navigate to the Library tab. Then click the Monitor Folders button to display the Monitor Folders dialog box. Here, click Add and navigate to My Network Places, then Music on Media (or whatever your music share is called). Now, WMP will automatically load the music files from that location into your Media Library, and monitor any changes. However, while this process is automatic, its not immediate. Sometimes it will take a while for new content in a monitored folder to show up in WMP.
You can use any PC as a media server, of course, but its nice to have one that wont be used by a human being all day long, as interactive users tend to consume the machines resources pretty easily. Though I do this, it isnt realistic for most people. A few years back, my media server served double duty as my wifes PC. She didnt use it that much, so it was perfect for this role. Today, I have a PC dedicated to our documents, music, photos, and videos. That reminds me. I need to backup my music files. So, probably, do you!
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Figure 3-16: Many common playlist tasks are now available from the WMP10 Now Playing List heading.
A standard Save As dialog box appears. Here, you can give your playlist a name and save it (with a .wpl extension) in whatever location you want. By default, however, WMP will attempt to save the playlist in the My Playlists folder under My Music (and if this is the first time youve attempted to save a playlist, it will create the folder for you). Once you save a playlist, you can load it later from WMP by expanding My Playlists in the WMP tree view and then selecting the appropriate saved playlist, as shown in Figure 3-17. Now, the obvious question at this point is: Why bother doing this? WMP automatically creates a playlist, of sorts, called All Audio, which is already available in the Media Library. True. But there are two good reasons why you might want to create your own. First, you can now edit this playlist down to whittle out the songs you dont like, which is impossible with All Audio, unless you want to permanently delete them from the Media Library. And second, this technique can be used to create more personalized playlists. Lets take a look.
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Figure 3-17: Saved playlists are available from the Media Library.
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Figure 3-18: The Folders option lets you display a folder list in place of the Web view.
Figure 3-19: You can drill down into the folders list to find the exact location you want.
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Figure 3-20: The Shop for music online option launches IE 6 and brings you to the WindowsMedia.com Web site.
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I write by default because this behavior can change depending on how WMP is configured. For example, if you choose Napster as your online music store in WMP, and then click the Shop for music online link somewhere in the XP shell, chances are youre going to be redirected to Napsters site, and WMP will open with Napster displayed, as shown in Figure 3-21. The idea is that someone who took the time to configure an online music service would likely want to visit that service and not purchase an actual CD.
Figure 3-21: If you configure an online music service in WMP, the Shop for music online link in XP behaves very differently.
At this point, the original purpose of the Shop for music online link to get people connected with online merchants that offer audio CDs for sale is somewhat antiquated. Were very much in the world of online music services now, and as discussed in Chapter 6, WMP offers a wide variety of music (and video) services from which to choose. For that reason, I recommend checking out Chapter 6 and kissing the traditional CD goodbye: Its day in the sun is officially over. On the other hand, its likely that you have quite a few audio CDs in your collection already. So well examine how to digitize that music in the next chapter. And audio CDs can be handy for car stereos and other places where you have a CD player but not a way to play back digital music files. For that reason, you examine how you can make your own CDs next.
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Today, most recordable CD devices are in fact CD-RW devices, though most people continue to use normal CD-R discs in lieu of the more expensive CD-RW substitutes. There are a variety of reasons for this, but for the most part cost is the issue. That, and the fact that audio CD-RWs cannot be read by mainstream CD players, has really slowed the adoption of CD-RW media. And coming down the pike, though it still remains a distant possibility at this point, is DVD-RAM, which will bring recordable capabilities to the much higher capacity DVD disc. DVD-RAM is natively supported in Windows XP, though only as a removable data disc: Currently, there is no PC-oriented technology to bring homemade DVD movies to the PC, as there is on the Macintosh. This will come in time. So what are the differences between CD-R disc and CD-RW discs? CD-R disks are write-once devices, in the sense that you can only write once to any given area of the disc, and you cannot erase something after its been written. But data CD-Rs can be written to multiple times until they are full. Each subsequent write must, however, take place on a previously unsullied portion of the media. And once its full, its full. Theres no going back. CD-RW, meanwhile, works like CD-R, and can use CD-R media. But with special CD-RW media, you can write to the disc a virtually unlimited number of times. So these days, most recordable CD devices are indeed CD-RWs.
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Figure 3-22: Playlists can be accessed from the WMP Media Library.
Figure 3-23: You can add a song to a playlist or create a new playlist.
And, of course, theres another way. You can also select a song for inclusion in a playlist and then click the Now Playing button, which is located at the top right of the WMP window, and then choose New List and the Playlist, as seen in Figure 3-24. The nice thing about this option is that it doesnt open a dialog box. Instead, it provides a drop-down list of the available playlists, while also providing a way to add a new playlist if desired.
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Figure 3-24: Using the Add to Playlist button is probably more convenient than other methods.
If you view the playlist, as in Figure 3-22, it will tell you how many songs are in the playlist, the amount of space they will occupy on a disk, and the estimated total running time for all of the songs. This is exactly the information you need if you intend to copy that playlist later to an audio CD, which can hold 74 minutes of music, or a portable audio device, which can vary in size from about 128MB to 60GB.
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Figure 3-25: The Devices tab of the WMP Options dialog contains information about all of the devices that can interconnect with the player.
Depending on which devices you have connected to your system, the Devices panel on this page should contain at least your recordable CD or DVD drive. Select this drive, and then click the Properties button to finally display the Properties dialog for the CD drive. Youll note that there are two main sections, Playback and Rip, as shown in Figure 3-26. Youre worried primarily about Rip right now. When you rip, or copy, music from your computer to a recordable CD, you can do so in digital or analog mode. Digital mode is generally superior to analog for this purpose, assuming youve got a fairly modern system and a supported CD drive. Digital mode ensures that the bits making their way from the computer to the disk dont need to be rerouted through the analog outputs on your sound card, which can lead to sound degradation and extraneous background noise getting into the recording. However, if you experience pops or hissing using digital mode, and error correction doesnt help (see the following), or you are using a slower PC, you might want to consider analog. In general, digital is the way to go.
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Figure 3-26: The Properties dialog box for the CD drive enables you to determine how information is read from, and copied to, the device.
You might notice another option in the Rip section of the CD Drive Properties dialog box, Use error correction. This choice can be enabled (its off by default) if you are experiencing problems while creating audio CDs, such as unexpected glitches, skips, pops, and clicks. Error correction attempts to digitally correct errors as they occur during the recording process. So you might wonder why this option isnt on by default. The reason is that error correction dramatically slows down the audio CD creation process. I recommend turning it on only if you hear abnormalities in the audio CDs you create. On the Recording page of the CD Drive Properties dialog, you can set options for recording speed and the like. In general, you will want to leave this set to the defaults.
NOTE
In Windows Me, WMP could only burn audio CDs at 2X. In Windows XP, this limitation is completely bypassed, and you can now create audio (and data) CDs at the full speed of your recordable CD device. At the time of this writing, that means that Windows XP can write CDs at speeds up to 25 times as fast as Windows Me.
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grade CD players cannot read CD-RW discs for some reason. Also, Windows XP will typically launch an Auto Play window when you insert a blank CD; you can close or ignore this window. Now, launch Windows Media Player and click the Burn choice in the Windows Media Player taskbar. In the left pane of this window, as shown in Figure 3-27, you will see the currently selected playlist (remember, that you can only copy music from playlists onto a CD). In addition to the list of songs in the playlist, this pane contains the length (in minutes) and size (in MB) of each song, along with the total length of the music, in minutes.
Figure 3-27: The Burn option enables you to burn an audio CD.
In the right pane, you can see the audio files that are present on the current device, which should be set to your recordable CD or DVD drive (if it isnt, choose your recordable CD drive from the drop-down list box). If a blank disk is inserted, the right pane should simply read, There are no items on the CD, along with 74 or 80 minutes free, depending on the type of media youre using. Now, you can select the correct playlist for copying. To do so, pull down the drop-down list box in the left pane and navigate to the playlist youd like. This can be a playlist youve created (which are conveniently displayed right at the top), a music genre, or a CD album. Interestingly, artist is not one of the choices. When youve chosen the correct playlist, youre ready to start. Click the Start Burn button, which, as shown in Figure 3-28, is located near the left top corner of the player window, to begin creating your audio CD. This process involves first converting the audio for transfer to CD, and then the actual copying, and it could take a few minutes, depending on the length and number of songs youre copying and the speed of your recordable CD device. If youre performing a digital copy, you can listen to the music as youre copying, or listen to other music in your media library if youd like. Whats interesting here is that the player maintains two separate TEAM LinG - Live, Informative, Non-cost and Genuine !
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playlists. Theres the playlist youre copying, and the Now Playing playlist, which can be accessed from the far top-right corner of the player window. So you could play Van Halen while copying some serene New Age music if you like. Weirdo!
Figure 3-28: Once youre ready to burn, simply click the Start Burn button (which changes to Stop Burn), sit back, and watch it happen.
When the copy process is complete, the disc will be ejected by default and youre good to go. The resulting disc should work fine in any portable, auto, or component stereo-based CD or DVD player.
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Figure 3-29: In the bad old days, youd have to create data CDs from the Windows XP shell.
When you make this choice, WMP10 prompts you to warn you that the disk youre creating may not work in certain home or car stereos. Click Yes if youre sure this is the kind of disk you want to create. Then click Start Burn as before to make the CD.
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Summary
In this chapter, you looked at the ways in which you can manage digital music using the Windows XP shell. These capabilities include the My Music and Shared Music folders, album folders with customizable album art, song file metadata, and the like, as well as the ability to store and find music on other machines on your home network. You can also use the Windows XP music task lists to interact with WMP, creating playlists, shopping for music online, and burning both audio and data CDs. In Chapter 4 you examine how you can copy music from audio CDs to your PC in order to start your digital music collection. You also look more closely at some of the digital music file metadata issues first raised in this chapter, and see how this information can be used to make your digital music collection more useful.
Chapter 4
ost people are probably comfortable with the concept of popping an audio CD into the PCs CD drive and playing some favorite tunes while browsing the Web, sending email, or getting other work done. But simply playing audio CDs only hints at the digital audio possibilities that are probably now built into your computer. In the same way that home CD jukeboxes and car-based CD changers expand your choices, Windows XP expands these choices almost exponentially by allowing you to copy music from audio CDs onto your computer. So you can organize your music as you see fit, copy it to portable audio devices, and even make your own audio mix CDs. The first step, of course, is to get this music onto your computer. The process of copying songs from an audio CD to the computer is referred to as ripping music. You rip music from a CD to the computer with the help of an application, such as Windows Media Player, where the resulting files can then be moved around, organized, and managed. And once you get music onto your computer, you might never need those CDs again, though you should keep them around for legal reasons and backup purposes. In this chapter, you take a look at the technology that makes this music copying possible, and see how you might rip music from audio CDs, organize it on your computer, and manage those files you create using the tools that are built into Windows XP. Not surprisingly, Windows XP was the first operating system to offer such full-featured capabilities out of the box, so you wont need any additional software.
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audio at only 64 Kbps. But perhaps more important, you can get near-CD quality at just 48 Kbps, which really saves on the space. The company then upped the bar with Windows Media 9 Series, released in 2002 and now included by default in Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) and newer. In addition to supplying slightly better compression, Windows Media 9 Series includes new lossless (non-compressed) and vocal-friendly WMA formats that should meet just about any audio need. In my own evaluation of these formats, the quality of WMA has made me a believer: However, I still do all my own CD encoding at 160 Kbps in MP3 format. But Ive found that 128 Kbps WMA format offers the same quality with smaller file sizes. I stuck with a high resolution MP3 format because I like my master copy of audio to be of high quality, and I dont mind using up the disk space. Also, with the proliferation of portable audio devices like the iPod, its important to consider the compatibility of audio formats. Specifically, the iPod isnt compatible with WMA, so MP3 is a better choice in that case. You look at other issues surrounding portable audio devices in Chapter 18. WMA, of course, also offers digital rights management features, which allows you to secure any files that you rip with a digital license that prevents them from being distributed illegally. You look at this a bit more in the next section.
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ensure that your system isnt making any other sounds during the copy process. And with analog mode copying, you cant listen to the CD while you rip it. The second option, error correction, will attempt to fix automatically small flaws that can crop up during ripping. If you hear faint scratches or pops while ripping CDs, you should turn on error correction, though it slows down the ripping process. Heres some advice: I set up my drives for digital copying and no error correction, and you can safely do the same if your equipment is less than a year old. Otherwise, you might need to experiment with analog recording and error correction. Heres how you set up these options: 1. Open Windows Media Player and choose Options from the Tools menu. 2. Navigate to the Devices tab, as shown in Figure 4-1. Note that this page might take a while to render, depending on how many compatible devices (speakers, display, CD drives, portable audio devices, Pocket PC devices, and the like) you have connected to your system.
Figure 4-1: The Devices tab lists each of the multimedia devices you have attached to your system.
3. Select a CD-type device from the list and click the Properties button. As shown in Figure 4-2, the Properties dialog box for that device will display. 4. In the Rip section, ensure that Digital is chosen. If you experience problems later, you can try switching to analog or turning on error correction as well.
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Figure 4-2: The CD Drive Properties dialog box lets you determine how audio is copied to your computer.
Tip
I prefer to use 160 Kbps MP3 files, which you may have noticed isnt a choice for some reason. Fortunately you can make it an available option if youre a power user and dont mind tooling around in the Windows Registry. Note that editing the Registry can be dangerous, so proceed with caution. To do so, open the Start menu, then select Run, type regedit, and press the Enter key to launch the Registry Editor. Then, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ MediaPlayer \ Settings \ MP3Encoding. Youll see keys like LowRate, MediumRate, and HighRate. Double-click MediumRate to display the Edit DWORD Value dialog, and then change the Base to Decimal. In the Value data, change 192000 to 160000 and then click OK and close the Registry Editor. The next time you start WMP10, youll have 160 Kbps encoding available as an option.
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Figure 4-3: The Rip Music tab determines how and where CD audio is copied to your system.
2. In the Format drop-down list box, choose mp3. 3. Choose an encoding rate on the Audio quality slide bar. My recommendation is not to use an encoding rate below 128 Kbps, but obviously its up to you.
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Why would you want to do such a thing? Well, the recording industry would certainly like to see this option be mandatory, since it would aid it in its quest to abolish music piracy. But I find the content protection features to be difficult to work with, and I dont recommend using this feature, well intentioned though it may be. If youre interested in this more, please refer to the Windows Media Player help file, which will explain in gruesome detail what you will go through while working with licensed files. You didnt really just look at Windows Media Player help, did you? Seriously, youll regret it if you turn this feature on.
Figure 4-4: The Browse For Folder dialog box allows you to select a location where CD audio files will be copied.
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To change how your digital audio files are named when theyre created: 1. Click the File Name button. The File Name Options dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 4-5. This dialog box determines how the file names generated by Windows Media Player will look. I prefer the Arists-Album-Track number-Song title format myself, but there are arguments to be made for various file-naming techniques, so feel free to experiment.
Figure 4-5: A number of file naming options are available in the File Name Options dialog.
2. Choose a separator type from the Separator drop-down list box. 3. Click OK when complete.
Tip
If you feel constrained by the file-naming options WMP10 offers you, help is on the way. Microsofts cool TweakMP PowerToy, available from the www.WMPlugins.com Web site, enables you to perform a number of cool tweaks to WMP10. But chief among them is new file-naming options. So, for example, if you want both spaces and dashes between the details you include in a file name (for example, Arists - Album - Track number - Song title.mp3 instead of Arists-Album-Track number-Song title.mp3, this is the place to which you should turn.
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Cross-Reference
Ive sort of glossed over the important issues here, but file management is actually a pretty important topic. It is covered in detail in Chapter 3, so check that chapter if you havent already.
Figure 4-6: By default, audio CDs trigger an Auto Play dialog box when you insert them in a Windows XP machine.
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If you dont see an Auto Play dialog box, or some other application launches when you insert an audio CD, just cancel whatever XP is doing and launch WMP. Then navigate to the Rip section of the player and proceed.
Figure 4-7: When connected to the Internet, WMP can automatically supply information about the current CD.
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Figure 4-8: Ripping CDs while offline is not a good idea, as each CD would require a lot of information to be manually inputted.
Generally speaking, its a lot easier to rip CDs when youre connected to the Internet, because WMP10 will auto-populate the album information, or CD metadata, for you. But of course, not everyone has a 24/7 Internet connection yet, so it is possible to manually enter this information if youre offline. And you have a death wish: I strongly advise against this if it can be avoided.
Copying that CD
In the Rip view, by default, you will see a list of each song on the CD, along with a check mark next to each song title, indicating that those are the songs that will be copied. If youd like to exclude certain songs, click the checkbox next to their names, and those files will not be copied. You can alternatively uncheck or check the entire list by clicking the checkbox in the top column header, on the left, as shown in Figure 4-9.
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Figure 4-9: Clearing that top checkbox will deselect all of the songs on the CD.
GETTING CD NAMES
If WMP10 didnt automatically get the name of the CD, its artist, and the songs on that CD, you can click the Find Album Info button in the Rip view to do so manually. You should also do this if the CD was incorrectly identified.
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Figure 4-10: The Album Details view provides more information about the current CD.
Figure 4-11: You can edit information about each track before you rip it to your hard drive.
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LET ER RIP
OK, enough dawdling. Its time to rip that CD. Press the Rip Music button. The display will change a bit, as shown in Figure 4-12, to show you the copy progress of each song under the Rip Status heading. If you need to stop the copy at any time, press Stop Rip. When the copy is complete, navigate to the My Music folder. You should see a new folder using the name of the artist that recorded the CD you just ripped, as shown in Figure 4-13.
Figure 4-12: While ripping, a copy progress bar is shown in the Rip Status column to show you where the status of the ripping process.
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Figure 4-13: When you rip a CD to your system, an artist folder will show up in My Music.
If you open this folder, you will see another folder, this one representing the CD album you just ripped. This is shown in Figure 4-14. Open that folder, and you will see a list of files, each corresponding to the individual songs you ripped; this can be seen in Figure 4-15. When you rip a CD to your hard drive, it is automatically added to your Media Library as well. So you should see new entries under both Artist and Album that correspond to the CD you copied. Play the songs, create playlists, and enjoy yourself. Easy, eh? Now, just repeat the process for your other 300 CDs and call me in six months. Windows Longhorn will probably be out by then. But seriously, folks. Once you see how easy it is to rip CDs, and the high quality of the resulting files, you may never use an audio CD again.
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Figure 4-14: Each Artist folder will contain at least one Album folder, including one for the CD album you just ripped.
Figure 4-15: And finally, each Album folder will contain individual audio files.
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Tip
Folder art named folder.jpg must not exceed 200 KB in size. If the image youre renaming to folder.jpg does exceed this size, Windows will display a default image instead of the correct album art. You can use an image editor like Paint, included in Windows, or PhotoShop Elements, to shrink the image.
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Figure 4-16: WMP automatically creates playlists such as Album Artist, which displays all of the albums youve ripped.
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2. Click once on a song title, as shown in Figure 4-17. This will highlight the entire line.
Figure 4-17: Clicking once on a track name will select that title.
3. Now, click again on the song title. This should show just the title as highlighted, but now in an edit box, indicating that you can rename the title, as shown in Figure 4-18. Do so, if its incorrect. 4. Repeat this process for the artist, album, composer, and genre fields to see how it works. You can use this technique to find songs that have metadata holes: Maybe you have an entire album where the genre is missing or incorrect. Or maybe theres a misspelling here or there. These things happen all the time. Fortunately, you can fix them, directly from within the media player. Another time this will come in handy is if youd been using another program such as Real Jukebox or MediaMatch to rip CDs before you had WMP. These programs work well enough, but often leave out or provide incorrect metadata (Real Jukebox, for example, uses the current year for the Year field when you rip MP3 files. Nice). With WMP, you can clean up your digital music collection in no time.
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Figure 4-18: Click again and you can edit the title or other information about that track.
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Figure 4-19: If you select multiple files, you can still perform actions on them as a group.
Figure 4-20: In the Advanced Tag Editor, you can edit the metadata from one or more song files simultaneously.
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Figure 4-21: Media Center presents a much richer environment for dealing with digital music.
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Figure 4-22: The Album Details screen enables you to listen to CD music or copy that music to your hard drive.
Figure 4-23: Better safe than sorry: In a system accessed through a remote control, its easy to press the wrong button, so Media Center makes sure you know what youre doing.
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Figure 4-24: As the CD is ripped to the hard drive, Media Center keeps you up-to-date on the copy progress.
When the copy is complete, you can access this album through Media Center or the WMP10 Media Library.
Summary
In this chapter, you learned about ripping, or copying, CD music to your PC using Windows Media Player, the various audio formats that are available to you to do so, and the trade-offs of each, and ways in which you can configure WMP10 for recording. You also looked at the file locations to which you will store ripped music, some interesting WMP10 add-ons that let you better manage the files youll create, and the metadata behind those files that makes them more useful. In Chapter 5, you look at ways you can acquire music from non-digital sources, such as cassettes and videos, and examine the tools you can use to make such recordings. Between these two chapters, you should be able to digitize all of the audio and music content you have, and then move on to purchasing music digitally in the future, which you look at in Chapter 6.
Chapter 5
Cross Reference
For more information about moving analog movie content onto your PC, see Chapter 13.
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an analog fashion to a PC, youre going to need three things, a way to connect analog devices to your PC, software that will allow you to record analog content, and then software that will take the raw unedited files you record and turn them into honed, final recordings you can enjoy as you do any other digital content.
On the Web
Plus! Digital Media Edition is also included as part of a package called the Plus! SuperPack for Windows XP. Both Plus! Digital Media Edition and the Plus! SuperPack can be ordered from the Microsoft Web site at www.microsoft.com/plus/.
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On the Web
Make sure you have the latest version of Windows Movie Maker, which is 2.1 at the time of this writing. You can find the latest version on Windows Update or download it manually from the Microsoft Web site: www.microsoft.com/moviemaker.
To record audio from an analog source, youll need to first set up the hardware. This involves running the appropriate cabling between your analog source and your PC, as described previously. In my home office, Ive got a complete home stereo system set up with a receiver, VHS player, DVD player, and cassette recorder. These devices are there specifically for converting my huge library of analog content to digital formats, which Ive been doing over time. On my main workstation, Ive added a Canopus ADVC-50 digital video converter, which converts analog video and audio to digital formats you can use on a PC. However, you dont have to install an internal device like the ADVC. Many companies make USB-based analog-to-digital converters as well. Any of these should work fine for audio work. With the cables connected, its time to fire up Windows Movie Maker, which is more fully described in Chapter 14 if youre not familiar with the interface. In Movie Maker, select File New Project to create an empty new project. Then, select Capture from video device in the Capture Video section of the Movie Tasks pane. (If you dont see the Movie Tasks pane, select View and then Task Pane.) This launches the Video Capture Wizard, as shown in Figure 5-1. Now, you may logically be wondering why were using a Video Capture Wizard to capture audio content. Turns out there are two reasons. First, there is no Audio Capture Wizard in WMM, which is lame, but thats what were stuck with. Second, in cases where youre recording the audio portion of a DVD, VHS, or other video source, it helps to be able to see the actual video, so you can navigate to the right place; the wizard lets you do that. In the first phase of the wizard, supply a name for the capture video file (and the project). Then, click Next. In the next section, shown in Figure 5-2, you will typically want to choose Best quality for playback on my computer (recommended), which is the default, or Digital device format (DVAVI), if youre using an analog-to-digital converter, like I am. In either case, this format will only be used for the raw recording. After you edit that down to a usable song, youll save it in a format thats accessible from WMP.
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Figure 5-1: The Video Capture Wizard enables you to record video as well as audio.
Figure 5-2: Here, you pick the quality level for the raw footage. Choose the highest-quality format available on your PC.
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If you selected the DV-AVI format, youll need to select Capture parts of the tape manually in the Capture Method phase. In the Capture Video phase of the Video Capture Wizard, you will actually perform the capture process. If youre using a video source, like a DVD disc or VHS tape, you can use the Preview display to navigate to the appropriate place in the recording. For a purely audio source, you will have to listen to the source to navigate to the appropriate place. Lets say youre recording a single song from a DVD disc or VHS tape. After navigating to the appropriate place, rewind a few seconds to give yourself some lead time. Then, clear the checkbox titled Create clips when the wizard finishes and then click the Start Capture button to being capturing the audio (and video). Press the Play button on the appropriate device to start the playback. When the song ends, wait a few seconds, again for some lead time, and then click the Stop Capture button. Then, click Finish and pause playback on the analog device. WMM will then import the content. When its done, youll see a new clip in the Details pane in the center of the WMM window, as shown in Figure 5-3. You can double-click on the clip to play it in the Monitor pane and see how things came out. Remember, you still need to edit the song before it should be moved into your audio collection.
Figure 5-3: Its unedited, but as soon as recording is done, you can play back the song you recorded.
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Figure 5-4: Now you can get rid of that video track and start editing.
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The next step is to separate the video and audio tracks of the source file, thus removing the unneeded video portion. To do so, simply grab the audio portion of the clip in the Audio well of the Timeline, and drag it to the Audio/Music well. When you do so, the Video portion disappears, as shown in Figure 5-5. Then, drag it as far to the left as you can within its well, so that the audio clip bumps up with the beginning of the Timeline.
Figure 5-5: When you drag the audio portion of the clip into the Audio/Music well, the video portion disappears.
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Now, you need to trim the unnecessary dead space off the beginning and end of the clip. Using the playback controls, experiment with where youd like the clip to begin and drag the beginning of the clip to the right until its at the appropriate place, as shown in Figure 5-6. This action is nondestructive: If you screw it up, you can resize the clip again and regain any removed material. When youre sure its right, drag the clip back to the left again so that it bumps up against the beginning of the Timeline.
Figure 5-6: You can non-destructively trim the beginnings and ends of audio clips.
Now, apply a fade-in effect to the audio clip so that the start of the song isnt jarring. To do this, right-click the clip and choose Fade In. With the beginning of the clip edited, its time to repeat the editing process for the end of the clip. This process is almost identical to that of trimming the beginning of the clip. The only difference is that youll be grabbing the end of the clip and dragging left. When youre done, right-click the clip and choose Fade Out. Now, play back your masterpiece and make sure it begins and ends properly.
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Figure 5-7: Even though it says Save Movie, this wizard can also save audio files.
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Figure 5-8: Time to get busy. Here, you can enter the metadata that will uniquely identify this file.
In the Summary page of the Properties dialog box, enter the information for Artist, Album Title, Year, Genre, and Title. Then, click OK to save the information, which will be encoded as part of the file. Copy it into an appropriate folder under My Music, and then drag it into WMP to play the file. Congratulations! Now you just have to convert the other 1100 songs you have on VHS and cassette and youll be done. Well, thats how my situation feels anyway.
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Figure 5-9: Plus! Analog Recorder isnt free, but it almost completely automates the process of recording analog audio to your PC.
In the first phase of the wizard, you will need to choose the recording device and, depending on the device, the input channel. If youre recording directly to a sound card, the device will be the sound card and the input channel will likely be Line In. You should ensure that youre recording at an acceptable level before starting. To do so, on the analog device, start the playback of the song youd like to record. Then, click the Start button in the wizard to analyze the sound levels. It will automatically move the recording level to an appropriate level in order to ensure the best recording, as shown in Figure 5-10. When youre done, press Stop and then rewind the analog recording to the appropriate place. In the next phase of the wizard, you will trigger your recording by clicking the red Record button in the wizard and pressing Play on your analog device. As the music is recorded, Plus! Analog Recorder will count down the elapsed time and visually display the recording level (see Figure 5-11). When the song has completed, click Stop and then click Next.
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Figure 5-10: Before you begin a recording, you should detect the levels to ensure that the volume of the recording is correct.
Figure 5-11: As Plus! Analog Recorder records the audio, it provides feedback about the progress of the recording.
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In the next phase of the wizard, you can edit the tracks youve recorded and provide metadata information for their Name, Artists, Album, and Genre, as shown in Figure 5-12. If youve recorded an entire concert or CD, for example, you can split it up into individual tracks here; buttons in the center of the wizard enable you to split and combine tracks, delete tracks, and preview each recording. But these buttons are also useful for trimming the beginning and end of a single song, so you can perform some of the same edits here that you did in WMM in the previous section.
Figure 5-12: In this phase, you edit the tracks you recorded and add metadata.
After making any edits, press Next to navigate to the Clean your tracks phase of the wizard. Though it sounds like an attempt at covering up illicit actions, this phase of the wizard actually helps you remove the pops and hisses that are common with analog recordings. You can experiment with removing both or either, as shown in Figure 5-13, to see which gives you the most desirable results. When youre done, click Next again. Here, the wizard prompts you for a location to which to save the track(s) youve created and the quality level to use for the files youre saving, as shown in Figure 5-14. As with most Microsoft tools, the Plus! Analog Recorder only lets you save in WMA format, but you can choose from a wider range of quality levels than you get in WMM, all the way from 32 Kbps to 320 Kbps. You can also optionally add the saved song(s) to a playlist in WMP from this phase of the wizard.
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Figure 5-13: This part of the wizard helps you remove the most noticeable artifacts that typically hamper analog recordings.
Figure 5-14: Options, options, options: The wizard gives you a wide range of quality levels from which to choose.
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After you click Next again, your songs are saved to disk. Then the wizard completes and optionally allows you to start another recording.
Tip
If you have a video card that supports this feature, you can actually use Plus! Analog Recorder to record from the WAV Out Mix input channel, which is basically the sound channel on your PC through which all sound passes. That means you can record Internet radio stations or even streamed music to which youve subscribed over the air in a manner similar to what us old-timers used to do when we recorded FM radio to cassette. I should note that recording subscribed content in this manner is questionable at best, though Ive heard that these so-called analog hole recordings, as theyre called, actually bypass digital copyright laws. I dont recommend you taking the chance, of course, but its interesting that Microsoft ships a tool like this.
Summary
In this chapter you looked at the ways you can acquire analog music from cassettes, DVDs and other sources. As you move further into the digital age, youll often find music recorded in older formats that you want to bring along with you. Windows XP provides Windows Movie Maker, which can handle your analog capture needs. However, because it isnt an automated process, if you have a large amount of audio to convert, you should consider the automation features in the Plus! Analog Recorder, which is part of the Plus! Digital Media Edition pack (sold separately). In Chapter 6 you examine the growing world of online music services, from F .Y.E Download Zone to Wal-Mart Music Downloads. Youll look at the offerings of these and other services, how to buy music from them, and more. Also discussed is Digital Rights Management and how it affects the choices you make when working with your music files.
Chapter 6
n the late 1990s, pirated music stored in the MP3 music format clogged Internet servers as college students and other people eagerly downloaded and traded these illicit files. The time was dominated by services such as Napster, which grew to infamy when they embraced the free trade of pirated music and then fell easily underneath an obvious and devastating legal attack from the major record labels. As the new millennium began, Napster and most other dubious file-sharing services were shut down, though pockets of less-organized resistance can still be found to this day. For a few years there, however, it looked like the spread of illegal music would doom the recording industry to ever-lowered profits and, eventually, to obsolescence. Then something unexpected happened. On April 28, 2003, Apple Computer introduced its iTunes Music Store, and digital music hasnt been the same since. The iTunes Music Store wasnt the first online service to offer legal digital music for sale, but it was the first to garner the cooperation of all of the major music labels, and it was the first to offer uniform pricing: All tracks would be sold for 99 cents each, and most complete albums would sell for $9.99. Combined with Apples incredible iPod portable audio player (see Chapter 18), and Apples iTunes application, the iTunes Music Store has revolutionized the music industry. Naturally, it was only a matter of time before Microsoft responded. Microsofts initial reaction to iTunes was somewhat muted. Part of the reason was that Apple had chosen to go with its own proprietary Protected AAC format for songs sold through iTunes: Because Apple refused (and continues to refuse) to license the Protected AAC format, which is based on the proprietary Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) format, music purchased from iTunes cannot be used in other media players, like Windows Media Player, and cannot be played back on non-iPod devices. These limitations makes Protected AAC and thus, Apples service much less interesting and capable than solutions based on Windows Media Audio (WMA), a Microsoft format that is widely licensed and used by virtually all other online music services today. As iTunes grew in acceptance, however, Microsoft came to realize that its own WMA format was in jeopardy. And today, there are numerous services many of which are hosted directly from within Windows Media Player that take advantage of Microsofts audio formats and the infrastructure the company has created with its media player. Because of this, Windows XP users like yourself have an unprecedented level of choice when it comes to choosing which online music services to
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use. In this chapter, you look at these choices and examine how you can use them and indeed mix and match them to best effect.
On the Web
To take advantage of most of the services mentioned in this chapter, you will need the latest version of Windows Media Player, which was, at the time of this writing, Windows Media Player 10. You can download the latest version from Windows Update, or through the Microsoft Web site: www.microsoft.com/ windows/windowsmedia/.
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Figure 6-1: WMP offers access to a wide range of online music services and other services.
In the following sections, Ill highlight the services that shipped with the initial release of Windows Media Player 10 in late 2004. By the time you read this, more services will likely have been added. To see a complete list of services, select Browse all Online Stores from the Online Stores button in WMP.
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MSN MUSIC
Microsofts offering, MSN Music (see Figure 6-3), will likely emerge as one of the key rivals to iTunes. Today, MSN Music offers one of the strongest music collections available online, and a wealth of exclusive content, but only provides it via a la carte song downloads (typically very high quality 160 Kbps WMA format, but certain classic tracks utilize variable bit rate, or VBR, WMA format at up to 256 Kbps for the ultimate in audio quality). Future versions of MSN Music may offer a subscriptionbased offering similar to Napster, which is described below, but MSN Music does integrate with the subscription-based MSN Radio Plus service, which may be of interest (but does not allow you to download music to disk or to devices).
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MUSICMATCH DOWNLOADS
Though its often overlooked, MusicMatch Downloads (see Figure 6-4) offers very high-quality music downloads (160 Kbps WMA), which should make it appealing to discriminating music buyers. MusicMatch also offers a nice streaming service called MusicMatch On Demand, which has garnered many loyal fans.
MUSICNOW
MusicNow, shown in Figure 6-5, offers 99 cent downloads (128 Kbps WMA) and $9.99 albums like most services, but it also offers two premium subscription services, MusicNow Premium Radio and MusicNow Full Access. MusicNow Premium Radio costs just $5 a month and offers over 40 channels of commercial-free Internet radio stations, while Full Access, at $10 month, adds on-demand playing of tracks and albums from MusicNows a la carte download library.
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NAPSTER
As the brand that brought the recording industry to the brink of destruction, Napster has a lot of baggage, but the current company is actually an offshoot of digital media giant Roxio, makers of Easy CD Creator, which purchased the Napster name and relaunched the service as a legitimate, legal download and subscription service. Today, Napster, shown in Figure 6-6, offers the most extensive set of services available to music lovers. Like many other services, it offers 99 cent songs and $9.99 albums (128 Kbps WMA). But Napster also offers a Napster Premium service, for about $10 a month, which enables subscribers to stream any of the services songs. Furthermore, the trendsetting Napster To Go service, for about $15 a month, lets subscribers download songs to compatible portable audio and media devices, like Portable Media Centers. That means you can load up a 20 or 40 GB device with thousands of tracks to which youve subscribed, and not purchased, and listen to them whenever (and wherever) you want: All you have to do is keep your subscription active.
PURETRACKS
Though Puretracks is a little-known service, it offers some of the highest-quality downloads on earth, with most tracks using a superior 192 Kbps WMA format. Puretracks, shown in Figure 6-7, is a la carte only, and doesnt offer a subscription service. Unlike many services, however, Puretracks also enables you to download purchased songs up to three times, which can be quite handy if youve inadvertently deleted a file or need to access a previously purchased song from a different computer.
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Figure 6-9: Apple iTunes got the ball rolling, but my bet is that it will be left behind.
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The RealNetworks option, the RealPlayer Music Store, meanwhile, is highly recommended despite being based on the otherwise incompatible AAC format. Thats because Real has done the work to interoperate its purchased music with the iPod and hundreds of WMA-compatible portable audio players. The only sticking point of the RealPlayer Music Store, in my mind, is that it requires a separate download of Reals RealPlayer 10 software. Another interesting option, Virgin Digital, is actually based on WMA but doesnt (yet) integrate with WMP10 for some reason. Virgin Digital is a cool store, with 128 Kbps WMA downloads and a Digital Music Club subscription offering. The free service also offers over 60 low-quality Internet radio stations. My big beef with Virgin is the oddness of its standalone player. Theyll get there.
Pick a service
First, of course, youll need to pick a service. Actually, thats a bit of a misnomer: Because the music from all of these services is interoperable, you can purchase music from any or all of these services at any time. For that reason, I think you should shop around each time you want to buy something. First, go by quality: Puretracks, MSN Music, and MusicMatch typically offer the highest quality downloads, unless of course youre a classical fan, in which case MSN Music is a league of its own. Regardless, look around: If you dont see a song or album you want in one store, move along to the next.
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That said, for purposes of this example, were going to purchase a song from MSN Music, which is Microsofts online music service. But dont take that as an endorsement: Most of the services you can find inside of WMP 10 are quite good. Im just using MSN as a representative service.
Figure 6-10: To find music you already know exists, the handy Search box will come in handy.
On the Search Results page, shown in Figure 6-11, you will see a number of results that match your search. In the song listing at the bottom of the page, there is a list of songs that contains the text Summer Sunshine.
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Figure 6-11: While some of the results can be surprising, you should be able to find what youre looking for.
To preview the song, press the small blue Play button next to the song Summer Sunshine by The Corrs, as shown in Figure 6-12. When you do so, a 30-second preview of the song will play, so you can ensure that its the song you want. As the song plays, the Play button changes to a green Stop button so you can stop playback if desired. To purchase the song, click the Buy $0.99 button next to that song, and the button changes into a green Confirm button; a new red Cancel button lets you back out. Click that button, and a few things happen. First, the button changes yet again, this time to a blue Purchased button. Second, a unique alert window appears in the lower right corner of your screen, alerting you when the download is complete, as shown in Figure 6-13. And third, your new song has been added to your Media Library, congratulations! To access it, navigate to the Media Library by clicking the Library tab. Then expand the tree view on the left to display All Music, Purchased Music, and then MSN Music. You should see your purchased song and be able to play it normally like any other song.
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Figure 6-12: Though its subtle and small, the Play button enables you to preview songs before you buy them.
Figure 6-13: This handy alert will let you know when your download is complete.
Obviously, you can also do other things at an online music service like MSN Music. If youd like to find more songs by a particular artist, simply click their name. In Figure 6-14, you can see the artist page for The Corrs, which lists all of the songs and albums MSN Music sells by that artist. You can also find lyrics, concert tickets, links to similar groups that other MSN Music customers like, and read a biography of the group. Other services offer similar functionality and offer a similar buying experience.
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Figure 6-14: MSN Music, like some of the other online music services, provides a number of ways to discover new music and information about bands.
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were taking the next step here. A new generation of subscription services transcends the PC and enables you to listen to subscribed music on other connected devices in your home and on compatible portable devices. There are two underlying technologies that make this possible. For connected devices, that technology is called Windows Media Connect (WM Connect), and its basically just a standardized way for connected devices like digital media receivers (DMRs) and digital audio receivers (DARs) to communicate with a Windows-based PC that includes digital media content. For example, consider the powerful Roku line of SoundBridge digital media receivers (www.rokulabs.com), one of which is shown in Figure 6-15. These devices sit anywhere in your home and, when connected to speakers and, through Ethernet or wireless networking, to your home network, can play back music stored on your PC. That music can be unprotected MP3 and WMA songs, but it can also be music you purchased at any WMA-compatible online music service. Suddenly, the music youre buying online is much more accessible, and it can be accessed from the best stereo in your home, or, perhaps, from convenient locations from which you like to listen to music, such as bedrooms and the kitchen.
Figure 6-15: Roku offers a line of WMA-compatible digital media receivers that enable you to listen to purchased and subscribed music.
Most WMA-compatible portable audio players already support music thats been purchased from the WMA-compatible online services. But a new generation of devices, most obviously typified by the Portable Media Centers (shown in Figure 6-16, and further described in Chapter 18), also supports a new version of the Microsoft DRM scheme, codenamed Janus, which enables them to play back music youve subscribed to. Lets try to fully understand what that means. A Janus-compatible device, with a 20 or 40 GB hard drive, can store several thousand songs. To purchase those songs online would cost many thousands of dollars. But for just $10 to $20 a month, you can subscribe to a service that offers several hundred thousand, or even millions, of tracks, and you can then download any of those songs to your device at any time, and listen to them wherever you are. As your musical tastes change, you can rotate the content. Theres no reason to hold onto that 80s schlock that seemed so compelling at the time but hasnt aged well with you.
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Figure 6-16: A Janus-compatible portable audio player, like this Portable Media Center, offers unique subscription-based functionality.
At the time of this writing, only Napster offers a Janus-based service. Napsters online music service offerings are split into three tiers. At the bottom is Napster Light, which is free, and allows members to download songs for 99 cents each. In the middle of the Napster line is Napster Premium, which costs $9.99 a month and lets subscribers access any of the hundreds of thousands of songs Napster carries, at any time, from any PC. And at the top is the Janus-compatible service, Napster To Go, a $14.95 per month service, which provides all the benefits of Napster Premium, but lets you take your music with you on Janua-compatible devices like a Portable Media Center. Napster Premium and Napster To Go also offer other benefits; for example, subscribers can purchase songs for download and CD burning at a discount over Napster Light members. Lets see how this works. Fire up Windows Media Player and navigate to the Napster service via the online stores button. The Napster interface, shown in Figure 6-17, is among the busiest of the WMA-compatible online music services, but theres a lot there, so it pays to spend the time learning your way around.
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Figure 6-17: Napster: It aint pretty, but it does offer a number of advantages over other services, especially if you have a Janus-compatible portable device.
Like other online music services, Napster lets you discover new music in various ways. For the purposes of this example, however, lets assume that you want to go find music from a favorite band and then copy all of their music from Napster to a compatible portable device. Now remember, youre not actually buying any of this music. Instead, youve subscribed to Napster To Go and have legal access to all of Napsters tracks while youre a paying subscriber. I think we can all agree that Britney Spears is a musical genius (ahem). So lets navigate to her greatest hits collection (My Prerogative). In the Napster user interface, once youve selected an album or artist, youre presented with a split view like that shown in Figure 6-18. On the left is a tree view showing the albums available by a particular artist. And on the right is a list of the songs in the currently selected album.
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Figure 6-18: Napster logically lays out artist, album, and track information so you can find the music you want easily.
First, you must copy the songs to your PC. To do so, select all of the songs, or just the songs you want, right-click, and choose Add To Library. When the copy process is complete, Napster will alert you (though you can turn off that notification if youd like). Now, navigate to your Media Library and find the tracks you just copied. There are a number of ways to do this of course, but Ive found that the quickest way is to navigate to All Music, Purchased Music, and then Napster. Then find the songs in the list. To sync them with your portable device, select the songs and then change the Now Playing List to the Sync List. Then, drag the songs over to the Sync List, as shown in Figure 6-19. Those songs will then be copied to the device at the next synchronization. You can initiate the sync process by clicking Start Sync in the lower right of the player.
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Figure 6-19: Once the subscribed songs are in the Sync List, you can copy them to your portable device.
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Figure 6-20: Media Center users can access the Online Spotlight section to see which Media Center-compatible online services are currently available.
To see how online music services work in Media Center, lets take a look at MSN Music. As you can see in Figure 6-21, the Media Center front-end to MSN Music is quite different looking than the version thats hosted inside of Windows Media Player. Thats because MSN worked to provide Media Center owners with a version of the service that works well with a remote and looks good on a TV. Its this sort of attention to detail that makes the Media Centerhosted services such a pleasure to use: Theyre quite accessible to someone sitting on a comfortable couch with a just a remote in their hand. You can do anything from this interface that you can do from the normal MSN Music: Browse and search music, listen to previews, listen to Internet radio stations, and purchase music. And because Media Center is so thoroughly integrated with WMP, you can even access all of your purchased music directly from the Media Center user interface. And yes, even that Janus-compatible subscription content works fine in Media Center, so you can keep the Britney playing all night long, you little masochist.
Tip
All of these services will also work with a Media Center Extender, which is described in Chapter 17. However, because many online music services require some sort of download, its best to set them up on the Media Center first, before trying to access them from an Extender. Once you do that, everything should work fine.
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Figure 6-21: Though the Media Center version of MSN Music has been specially tailored to work well in that environment, it offers all of the features and functionality of the normal version.
On the Web
Microsoft also maintains a list of compatible portable devices on its Windows Media Web site. (www
.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/devices) and maintains a Web site called Plays For
Sure that details its work ensuring compatibility between WMP and various devices (www.playsforsure
.com).
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Summary
This chapter showed you some of the growing list of online music services available today, and your options for enjoying the music you can get from them. From the well-known Napster to the smaller services such as Puretracks, your choices are vast. You can purchase music online, create mix and match playlists, and burn your purchases to CD. Additionally, you can take your music on the road using devices like the new Portable Media Centers. In Chapter 7 you turn your attention to managing photos and images. You learn how to create customized image folders and do cool stuff such as creating slideshows and more. You also look more closely at editing images using various software tools and sharing these photos at home and on the Internet.
Part II
A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words
Chapter 7
Chapter 7
f you consider the various experiences that Microsoft has built into Windows XP, the ability to work easily with digital photos and other images has to be one of the most exciting. Digital photography is one of the fastest-growing consumer electronics markets, with even professional photographers now turning to digital photography as the ideal solution for most occasions. For the average user, digital photography has many advantages. But if youre on the fence, or a fan of traditional filmbased photography, you dont have to decide now: Windows XP will work equally well with traditional photos, using a scanner, as it does with digital photos. However you acquire your images, the goal is to get them on the computer. From there you can manage your photographs and archive, view, edit, and print them, and share them with others via photo CD, photo books, email, or the Web. When your photographs are in digital format stored on your computer the sky is the limit. In this chapter, you look at the digital photo management tasks that are common to both scanners and digital cameras. In other words, no matter how you acquire your images, the management issues are the same. You can organize your images with the My Pictures folder, view images and perform simple editing tasks with the built-in Preview application, and edit images with Microsoft Paint. And new to Windows XP is a Photo Printing Wizard that will have you printing professional-looking prints in no time. There are also various add-on tools that let you create easily nice photo CDs and DVDs, or even professionally bound photo books. Subsequent chapters in this part of the book look at those issues that are specific to scanners and digital cameras.
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From a technical standpoint, My Documents is a special shell folder. That is, it has a physical location on the hard drive (C:\My Documents in Windows 95, but C:\Documents and Settings\ [Your user name]\My Documents in Windows XP) but it also has a location in the Windows XP shell hierarchy. You can see this when you open Windows Explorer or My Computer and turn on the Folders view, as shown in Figure 7-1. For each user, the top of the shell is marked by the My Documents folder. Other special shell folders in the top level of the shell hierarchy include My Computer, My Network Places, and the Recycle Bin.
Figure 7-1: In Explorer view, you can see the shell hierarchy.
In Windows XP, Microsoft has elevated two other folders to the special shell folder status. These include My Music, which is designed to manage and organize digital music files, and My Pictures, which does the same for digital photographs and other images. Both My Music and My Pictures are located inside the My Documents folder by default, although you can change this if you desire. But because they are special shell folders that you will likely want to access frequently, both My Music and My Pictures are also available directly from the Start menu, as shown in Figure 7-2. You look at My Music in Chapter 3, but this chapter, naturally, focuses on the My Pictures folder.
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Figure 7-2: In the Start Menu, you can see special shell folders on the right side.
My Pictures is designed as the central repository for all of your digital still images, be they digital photographs or other images. As you discover in the next two chapters, Microsoft has built wizards into Windows XP that will store automatically images obtained from digital cameras and scanners into this folder, or subfolders within this folder. But since I cant assume that youve acquired any images yet, lets grab a few sample images before proceeding. Navigate to the C:\WINDOWS\Web\Wallpaper folder. In here, youll see a number of images files that can be used to decorate your desktop. But you can also use them to see how the My Pictures folder can work; so copy them (copy, not move) over to the My Pictures folder.
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Figure 7-4: Windows Picture and Fax Viewer provides simple viewing and image manipulation options.
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Figure 7-5: To get metadata for any file, simply mouse-over its icon.
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Figure 7-6: The Summary pane of an images property sheet displays basic information about that file.
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Whats interesting about this information is that some of it can be edited. You cant change the width or height, obviously, but you can add a title, an author, or some comments if you like. To do so, click the area to the right of the Title, Comments, or Author field, respectively, and type in an appropriate value. Then click OK to close the dialog box and save this information known as metadata as part of the file.
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Figure 7-8: Folder thumbnails are new to XP, and they help you quickly determine whats contained within.
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Figure 7-9: Filmstrip view provides an image preview right in the window.
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USING ICONS VIEW IF YOURE A WINDOWS OLD-TIMER WHO CANT CHANGE YOUR WAYS
If youve been using Windows for a while, Icons view will be familiar; this is the view style that was used by default in every release of Windows since Windows 98. Icons view (formerly called Large Icons) displays simple, large icons with no metadata information. An example is shown in Figure 7-11.
Figure 7-11: Icon view is analogous to Large Icons in previous versions of Windows.
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Note that the view style Small Icons was removed from Windows XP; this view style was present in Windows 95 through Windows Me, Windows NT 4.0, and Windows 2000. Microsoft says that Small Icons view was removed because so few people used it. I suspect a deeper conspiracy is afoot.
USING LIST VIEW IF YOU HAVE GREAT EYESIGHT AND THE FOLDER CONTAINS A LOT OF FILES
Suitable for folders with numerous files, List view offers smaller icons that automatically sort themselves by file name, which is nice, but can be hard on the eyes if your PC runs at high resolution. List view is shown in Figure 7-12.
Figure 7-12: List view is the way to go if youre dealing with a folder that contains many files.
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Figure 7-13: Details view has been enhanced with color so you can tell more easily by which column the folder is sorted.
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Figure 7-14: You can customize individual folders using the Customize tab.
In the Folder pictures section of this page, you can also determine whether the folder icon displays a set of thumbnails while in Thumbnails view, or a picture of your choosing. Click the Choose Picture button to select a picture if youd like. If youre not using Thumbnails view, you can choose to change the icon of the folder instead. This is accomplished by clicking the Change Icon button.
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Figure 7-15: To display the Details section, you must click its header.
Figure 7-16: If no file is selected, Details will provide information about the entire folder.
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If you select a file in the folder, the Details section will change to give you information about that file, as shown in Figure 7-17. Detailed information includes file name and type, dimensions, size, and the date and time it was last modified. Note that this information can be obtained by mousingover the icon for each file as described previously, but you might find this method easier to work with.
Figure 7-17: When a file is selected, Details provides a thumbnail when appropriate and other metadata.
You can also select multiple files. Doing so will diminish the amount of information that is shown in the Details section. Now, it will display the number of files selected and the total amount of disk space occupied by these files.
Doing Cool Stuff with Images: Making Slide Shows, Screensavers, and Desktop Backgrounds
Up in the top section of the Web view for any folder containing images is a section called Picture Tasks. You look at some of the options in this section throughout the remainder of this chapter, but two worth mentioning now are View as a slide show and Set as desktop background.
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Figure 7-18: The slide show feature enables you to view all of the images in a folder.
This toolbar enables you to start or pause the slide show, manually navigate to the previous or next image in the slide show, or stop the slide show (which closes the application). The buttons are drawn to resemble VCR controls, so their use is pretty obvious.
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1. Open Display Properties (the quickest way is to right-click an empty spot on the desktop and choose Properties) and navigate to the Screen Saver tab. 2. In the Screen saver drop-down list box, choose My Pictures Slideshow. 3. Click Settings to display the Screen Saver Options dialog box, as shown in Figure 7-19. In this dialog box, you can determine how often the pictures change and other options. But the important one enables you to choose which folder to use for the slide show. Click the Browse button to choose a folder. Also, be sure to play with the other options a bit: You can use transition effects and choose stretch smaller images, among other options. Click OK when youre done setting options.
Figure 7-19: You can determine the behavior of your slide show screensaver with the Screen Saver Options dialog box.
4. In the Display Properties dialog box, click Preview to test your creation. As needed, return to the Options dialog box to tweak the options until youre happy with it. 5. Click OK to close the Display Properties dialog box.
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Close this program and open the image for editing If you want to edit this picture in the Microsoft Paint program, click this button. Get help Click the Help button (or press F1) to view the Windows Picture and Fax Viewer help file.
Figure 7-20: The Windows Picture and Fax Viewer application offers simple editing tools and viewing options, accessible from the toolbar at the bottom of the window.
So what cant this little beauty do? Well, it cant edit image files. But Microsoft supplies a simple Paint program, described in the next section, which offers some basic editing functionality. But youre going to want more than this if youre editing digital photographs or scanned photographs. Commercial image editing programs, like Adobes excellent Photoshop Elements or Microsoft Picture It! overcome the limitations of the basic Paint program with such features as red eye removal and more. You look at these packages briefly in an upcoming section.
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In Windows 95, 98, NT 4.0, and 2000, Microsoft Paint was the application that opened when you doubled-clicked on a bitmap file, but in Windows Me and XP, this has been changed so that Windows Picture and Fax Viewer loads instead. If you want to open an image file with Paint, youll need to select its icon and choose Edit from the File menu in My Computer (or, right-click it and choose Edit from the pop-up menu). Either way, Paint will open; maximize the window if necessary and your screen should resemble Figure 7-21.
Paint is a fairly simple image-editing program, with a toolbox for frequently used image-editing tools and a color box for selecting foreground and background color. Paint can be used to flip or rotate images, and this feature works a bit more elegantly than the similar feature in Windows Picture and Fax Viewer. You can stretch and skew an image, but it doesnt do a very good job of this, and this is a typical area where a third-party application such as Photoshop Elements would do a much nicer job. Paint can invert the colors of an image, which gives an interesting, if rarely needed, negative effect. And of course, Paint can be used to add text, paint in various ways, draw shapes, and cut and paste between images. And thats about it. But it works as advertised, and its nice to have in a pinch. Again, commercial photo-editing applications will offer many more photo-specific tools, so shop around for prices and features. You look at a few of these options in the next section. TEAM LinG - Live, Informative, Non-cost and Genuine !
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Figure 7-22: The Picture Options overlay lets you access advanced functions for the selected picture, or perform other tasks.
Now, select Picture Details, and the Picture Details screen, shown in Figure 7-23, appears. From here, you can rotate the image, print it, touch it up in various ways, delete it, or navigate to other pictures in the same folder.
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Figure 7-23: In Picture Details, you can edit the current photo.
Select Touch Up. Now, you can fix red eye, adjust the contrast, crop the picture, and preview any changes youve made (see Figure 7-24).
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Figure 7-24: Using Touch Up, its possible to adjust red eye and contrast or crop a photo.
Since the picture Ive selected has a red eye issue, Ive selected Red Eye; this causes the computer to work for a bit (see Figure 7-25). When its done, the picture is fixed and a checkbox appears next to Red Eye. After youve made any changes to a photo, select Save to save those changes, or Cancel to abort the operation.
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Figure 7-25: Media Center displays a unique busy cursor while its working, but you dont have to manually select the subjects eyes in order to fix red eye problems, which is nice.
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There are many, many photo editors out there, and most of them are pretty good. That said, I use and recommend both Adobe PhotoShop Elements and Microsoft Digital Image Pro. Why not just pick one? Unfortunately, neither one does everything I need, so I use each application for specific purposes. In the sections that follow, Ill highlight the strengths of these two powerful and inexpensive applications.
On the Web
You can find out more about Adobe PhotoShop Elements on the Web at www.adobe.com/products/ photoshopel. At the time of this writing, Elements costs about $100.
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On the Web
For more information about Microsofts digital imaging products, visit the Microsoft Web site at www .microsoft.com/products/imaging/default.mspx. Digital Image Pro typically costs about $80.
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Figure 7-27: Paint .NET is what Microsoft Paint should and could be.
On the Web
You can find out more about Paint .NET at www.winisp.net/rbrewster/pdn.html. Oh, and its free.
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Figure 7-28: The Photo Printing Wizard is one of the coolest digital image tools in Windows XP.
In the next page of the wizard, you can select which images youd like to print. You can select all of the images in the current folder or manually select only the image or images you want, as shown in Figure 7-29. In the next page, Printing Options, you can select the printer youd like to use and any applicable printing preferences. If you have only one printer, you can pretty much skip over this step, but if you have two or more, this is where you can select the correct one (hopefully, a nice color inkjet). Note that the Printing Preferences button is going to be particularly important for printing photos: Since most photo printers include a bizarre variety of settings you can configure, youre going to want to click this button and set up the paper type, the quality level, and so forth. These instructions will vary from printer to printer, but my photo printer, an Epson Stylus, has a custom-made printing preferences dialog that resembles Figure 7-30.
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Figure 7-29: You can easily choose which images youd like to print.
Figure 7-30: Make sure you configure the paper size, type, and print quality for photo prints.
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The next page is where things get exciting. In Layout Selection, you can choose the type of photo layout youd like, as shown in Figure 7-31 (what you see here will vary depending on how many images youve chosen to print). As you scroll down the list of available layouts, the Print preview pane will change to show you a preview of how the selected images will look printed.
Figure 7-31: The Photo Printing Wizard offers a number of nice layouts that enables you to choose the way your photos will print.
In the next step, your photos are printed, and then you can close the wizard.
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Figure 7-32: In Media Center, high-quality photo prints are just a button-click away.
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Figure 7-33: Online photo printing services enable you to obtain prints from your digital photos.
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Finally, you will choose shipping information and the type of shipping youd like. Shipping costs are determined by geographical area and the type of shipping you choose. Then, you can enter credit card information and finalize the order. Note that the exact path taken by the wizard will vary depending on the service you choose.
Figure 7-35: Online storage providers such as MSN Groups can be used to archive data on the Web.
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You may be required to log on at this point, although the Passport feature in Windows XP can be used to automate this process. Then youll be asked to choose where youd like to store your files at MSN Communities. Specifically, youll have to make a new MSN Group, or you can choose an existing one if youve made one in the past. This is shown in Figure 7-36.
Figure 7-36: MSN requires you to make a group in which to store your files.
Then, MSN will prompt you to resize the images automatically before theyre uploaded, which might be a good idea; the defaults are small (640480), medium (800600), and large (1024768). After youve made that choice, the images will be uploaded. This could take time based on the size and number of images and the speed of your connection. In Figure 7-37, you can see the progress of the upload. When the wizard completes, you will be given a Web address (what the geeky guys call a URL) that will display the contents of the online folder that contains the images you uploaded. Such a folder is shown in Figure 7-38. You can click any image name to display it in the browser.
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Figure 7-37: Image uploads can take a long time, but the Web Publishing Wizard will keep you up to date during the transfer.
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Figure 7-38: An example Web site that has had content uploaded from Windows XP.
Figure 7-39: When sending image files via email, its possible to make the pictures automatically smaller.
If you select the option titled Make all my pictures smaller, the image(s) will be resized to 800600 if necessary (any images that are 800600 or smaller will not be resized). However, you can click the Show more options link to fine-tune this, and choose other resize options, like those shown in Figure 7-40.
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Figure 7-40: You can fine-tune the way that Windows XP shrinks images before sending them.
At this point, a new email message will be created, using your default email program (typically Hotmail, Outlook Express, MSN Explorer, or perhaps Outlook if youve installed Microsoft Office) with a subject of Emailing: [image name(s)] and the selected images included as attachments. The body text has been filled in with a message, as shown in Figure 7-41, but you can change this as you like. Youll need to add a recipient to the To line as well.
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Figure 7-42: To share a folder, simply set up a share and determine whether users can alter any of the files it contains.
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When you check the option to share the folder, a share name is created. This is the name that will be seen when other users navigate to their My Network Places folder. So for example, if you create a share called My Pictures, then users browsing the network will see a share with the name My Pictures.
Figure 7-43: Files ready to be copied to the CD are displayed in ghostly faded-out icons.
When youre ready to begin burning the CD, click Write these files to CD in the CD Writing Tasks area. This will launch the CD Writing Wizard (of course), which enables you to name the CD and get busy (see Figure 7-44).
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Figure 7-44: The CD Writing Wizard makes it easy to burn photos to a data CD.
When the wizard completes, youre prompted to make a duplicate CD or close the wizard. And when you insert this CD into a Windows XPbased PC, you should see a standard Auto Play dialog box, which will let you copy or view the pictures on the other system. On Media Center PCs, you can view the photos with Media Center and use the Import option to add them to the PCs hard drive.
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Figure 7-45: In Media Centers Settings area, you can determine picture slideshow features.
Then pick some music to serve as a backdrop to your slide show by navigating to My Music. I usually choose a genre like New Age, or the complete works by a single artist, but thats up to you of course. When the music is playing, navigate to My Music and select the pictures youd like in the slideshow. You can display all of your pictures by simply clicking Play Slide Show, or navigate into specific folders to select the exact group you want. As the slide show plays, each image will animate slowly across the screen and transition cleanly into the next image. Also, as songs start and stop, a subtle overlay appears, displaying the song title, artist, and album name, as shown in Figure 7-46. The effect is somewhat stunning.
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Figure 7-46: Arguably, the photo slide show feature in Windows XP Media Center Edition is that products nicest feature.
Figure 7-47: It may be small and cute, but a Portable Media Center can duplicate much of the functionality of a full Media Center PC.
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Summary
In this chapter you looked at the ways in which you can manage digital images using the Windows XP shell, Windows Picture and Fax Viewer, and the Microsoft Paint program. Combined, these have capabilities to create customized image folders, edit images, and more. You also discovered that you can share your images at home, on the Internet, by using todays portable devices, and you can even take the photos on the road with you. In Chapter 8 you examine how to acquire photos with a flatbed or film scanner so that you can move your favorite photos and negatives onto your PC. You also look more closely at what editing options exist after scanning, and, if you have a Media Center 2005 PC, how you can take advantage of basic photo editing using a remote control.
Chapter 8
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Most scanners you pick up these days are USB-based; they feature a flatbed design that enables you to scan, or image, paper-based pictures and text. Although other types of scanners are available such as handheld versions that are good for smaller images flatbed scanners are more useful, and they are relatively cheap and readily available. The differences among models typically come down to a few factors (detailed in the next section): Size of the scanning bed Some are fine for 8.5 11-inch paper (and smaller); other models offer larger sizes. Degree of resolution This is another term for the possible quality of images scanned with the device. Additional features Some flatbed scanners include a way to scan negatives and slides, while others offer a top-mounted slot for stacking up 4 6 photos which can be scanned in a batch mode.
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important photos, then high resolution is probably the way to go. But if you want to publish images on the Web, a more reasonable (and yes, less costly) 150 dpi scanner might be a better deal. Likewise, any scanner should be capable of scanning at rates lower than its maximum: A 300-dpi scanner can scan at 100 or 150 dpi, for example. As with many things in life, a compromise in this case, between quality/size and speed/convenience is probably the most practical approach. I recommend 150 dpi for images intended for use on the Web; even then you may want to size them down a bit. I scan all of my own photos at 300 dpi or higher, depending on the image.
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Figure 8-1: In the first phase of the new hardware detection, only the type of device is detected.
Note
Sometimes, of course, its not that easy. Some scanner makers have foolishly decided to ignore Windows XPs innate scanner compatibilities and require you to install drivers and if theyre particularly mean other software in order for their products to work on your PC. If this is the case with your scanner, follow the manufacturers instructions for getting the device to work properly on your system. After that, ignore the software gunk they made you install and follow the instructions below to get the most out of your scanner with Windows XP.
To test that the scanner was properly installed, you should see evidence of its existence in a few locations. If you open My Computer, you should see an icon for the scanner listed under a new group called Scanners and Cameras. This is shown in Figure 8-2.
Figure 8-2: When you install a new scanner in Windows XP, it shows up as a shell object in My Computer.
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You can also open Control Panel and navigate to the Printers and Other Hardware category to start the Scanners and Cameras applet, which displays any related devices inside the shell window. This is shown in Figure 8-3.
Figure 8-3: You can also access the scanner from the Scanners and Cameras applet, available in Control Panel.
The next section shows how to scan a photograph. (About time, right?)
Scanning a Photo
Acquiring images from a scanner is almost as simple as the installation procedure. First, place a photograph on the scanner and check the documentation for your particular piece of hardware to see exactly how this process works. (Thats usually good practice anyway.) Typically, youll want to line up the photo on one edge of the scanner, or against a corner, for best results. When you have the photograph lined up correctly and youre ready, double-click the scanner icon in My Computer (or the one in Control Panel). Depending on your setup, this should display the XP Auto Play dialog box. Choose the option titled Scanner and Camera Wizard: Download pictures from a camera or scanner. This launches the Scanner and Camera Wizard, shown in Figure 8-4, which identifies the hardware device to which it is attached. Note that this wizard is generic to a variety of imaging devices for example, it works with digital cameras as well but its behavior depends on the capabilities of the device you are currently using.
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Figure 8-4: The Camera and Scanner Wizard provides a friendly front-end to the Windows Image Acquisition technologies in Windows XP.
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Figure 8-5: In the first phase of the wizard, you choose general scanning preferences.
Figure 8-6: The Advanced Properties dialog box enables you to determine the scan resolution, as well as the brightness and contrast.
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On the right side of the Choose Scanning Preferences step of the Scanner and Camera Wizard is a preview pane that allows you to preview the photograph before it is scanned. Its a good idea to do this by clicking the Preview button (as shown in Figure 8-7) because the wizard is designed to autoselect an area that matches the dimensions of the photograph you are scanning. Although the wizard usually gets this right, nothing is perfect, so Microsoft lets you adjust manually the area to be scanned as well.
Figure 8-7: Click the Preview button to preview your scanned image and have the wizard auto-select the area to scan.
You adjust the area manually by selecting the guidelines in the preview pane and dragging them until they enclose the area youd like to scan, as shown in Figure 8-8. You can also enlarge the selection area so it occupies as much space in the preview pane as possible; this makes it easier to manually edit the area youd like to scan. You do this by clicking the small Enlarge icon below the preview area, as shown in Figure 8-9. As an alternative, you can click the Show the entire image button to go back to the normal full view and re-edit the selection area if you want. Whichever method you chose, click Next to continue.
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Figure 8-8: You can resize the area to be scanned with the guidelines in the preview pane.
Figure 8-9: Enlarge the scanned area to occupy the entire preview pane.
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Figure 8-10: You can choose a name for the scanned image, a file format, and a destination folder where it is saved.
The first step is to choose a name for the image. Note that when you do this, the destination folder in Step 3 is automatically changed so a folder with the same name is created under My Pictures (as shown in Figure 8-11). Thus, if you want to save the scanned image as Test, the wizard auto-creates a folder named Test that sits inside My Pictures. You can change this arrangement if you like (in fact, I recommend it). Automatic creation of folders makes sense if youre using a digital camera or have a number of images to download at once. For the most part, however, you probably dont need a new folder for every image you scan in. Sometimes the user really is smarter than the machine. Ive briefly discussed a few image-file formats previously, and by the time you hit Step 2 of this dialog box, youd better be up to speed. The Scanner and Camera Wizard can save images in JPEG (the default), Bitmap, TIFF , or PNG format (but not GIF , which is limited to 256 colors). The format
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you choose is a balancing act between practicality and personal preference: JPEG features small file sizes but uses lossy compression; images saved in these formats can have artifacts (extraneous graphical junk that results from compression) and other possible problems. Bitmap and TIFF images, conversely, create humongous files, but their compression-free images have clearer detail and no visual artifacts. PNG is sort of a happy middle ground: It offers much better clarity than JPEG but smaller files sizes than Bitmap or TIFF . That said, I recommend scanning personal photos in JPEG format.
Figure 8-11: When you enter a file name, the destination folder is automatically generated.
Tip
Remember: You dont have to accept the default destination folder that the wizard gives you in Step 3. Feel free to change the destination to fit your needs.
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Scan It
In the next page of the wizard, the actual scanning occurs a hands-off affair, as shown in Figure 8-12. A picture progress bar keeps you up-to-date during the process (which should only take a few seconds at 150 dpi, maybe more if youre using higher resolution).
Figure 8-12: During scanning, a progress bar keeps you up-to-date, but the process takes only a few seconds.
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Figure 8-13: The wizard provides access to other wizards for uploading your scanned image to a Web site or online photo printing service.
Figure 8-14: When the scan is complete, the wizard will close, and the destination folder appears with the new image highlighted.
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Figure 8-15: Dedicated film scanners are designed specifically to scan negatives and slides.
Because Windows XP doesnt include any built-in way to scan negatives or slides, youll need to refer to the documentation that came with your film scanner in order to get the best results. But a few common-sense tips might make things easier: Film scanners are often overkill, especially for personal photos Even though its true that working from source material like a negative should theoretically provide better results than scanning a photo such scanners often provide much better resolution than flatbed scanners thats often not the case in reality. Thats because negatives and slides are often mishandled and scratch easily. If you have a set of photos in both paper and negative-based forms, my advice is to scan one of each and compare the results. Oftentimes,
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for the types of personal photos youll be working with, the advantages of a film scanner are indeed theoretical. Film scanners are slow While a modern flatbed scanner can whip through a photo or set of photos in just a few seconds, scanning negatives and slides takes a lot of time, often several minutes per image. For this reason, you should only use a film scanner for those photos for which you dont have paper-based copies. Film scanners often offer a choice between FireWire and USB connections If your PC can handle it, go FireWire: FireWire is faster than USB and will help overcome some of the inherent slowness of film scanner hardware.
Figure 8-16: Some flat-bed scanners include an add-on that lets you scan in negatives and slides.
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Sadly, scanning in a photo is only the beginning of the process. After youre done with that, youll still have a lot of work to do. Unfortunately, most versions of Windows XP dont include very sophisticated photo-editing tools. For most of you, that means youll need to invest in decent third-party tools in order to make your scanned photos look acceptable. There is one partial exception to this rule. Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 includes some basic photo-editing functionality, though youll still need third-party tools to perform more sophisticated edits. In the next two sections, you look briefly at the Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 photo-editing capabilities and then examine the types of features youll want in a thirdparty tool.
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Figure 8-17: New to Windows XP Media Center 2005 is a system-wide pop-up menu that provides access to additional functionality related to the currently selected object.
Figure 8-18: In the Touch Up screen, you can fix red-eye, contrast, cropping, and rotation problems.
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Summary
In this chapter, you looked at the ways you can acquire photos with a flatbed or film scanner so you can digitize your favorite photos and negatives and move them onto your PC. You also learned about what editing options exist after scanning, and, if you have a Media Center 2005 PC, how you can take advantage of the basic photo editing tasks using a remote control. In Chapter 9 you examine the world of digital cameras and how you can copy pictures from your camera to your PC. Since youve taken the time to shoot these pictures, its time to enjoy them in your home on your existing PC. If you are lucky to own one of the new Media Center PCs, you can even listen to music while viewing slide shows of your photos.
Chapter 9
sing a scanner to obtain photographs digitally is nice, especially when you have a library of existing prints and youd like to get them into the computer. But scanning photographs is slow and monotonous. And if you intend to archive your photographs digitally, youll have to scan them in manually, one at a time, each time you get a roll of film back from the drugstore or photoprinting service. There are alternatives such as Photo CDs and services that will scan negatives but a simpler and arguably more efficient solution is to simply purchase a digital camera. Digital cameras are cheap and surprisingly powerful these days, and its only a matter of time before they completely replace film-based cameras. In the meantime, youll probably discover that a digital camera can fulfill just about all of your photography needs, even if youre a professional photographer. For weekend birthday parties and trips to Europe, nothing beats the convenience of a digital camera, especially if your ultimate goal is to share your snapshots with friends, family, and other people. If youll pardon the not-so-smooth transition from one sell job to another, it should also come as no surprise that Windows XP was designed from the ground up to work well with digital cameras. The Scanner and Camera Wizard examined in the previous chapter is actually severely limited when used with a scanner, but it comes to life when you attach a digital camera, offering many more features. And if you have a Media Center PC, its now possible to acquire digital photos directly from within the Media Center environment as well. In this chapter, you look at some of the general issues about these wonderful devices and then see how they interact with Windows XP. If youre like me, you will discover that the combination of a digital camera and Windows XP is just too good to resist. Its time to say goodbye to film.
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MemoryStick and MemoryStick Pro media). Regardless of the format, most media comes in various sizes, from 32 MB up to 1 GB and beyond. Some cameras can even use high-capacity hard drives, which are typically based on the CompactFlash format. Today, I use 128 MB MemoryStick cards with my Sony camera, and I can fit 80 images on a single memory card in Best mode (JPEG high quality). I generally bring two or three of these with me just in case when Im away and want to take pictures. By the time you read this, 256 MB and 512 MB cards will probably be reasonably inexpensive, however, so youll want to review your options if youre in the market for a new camera. But most cameras continue to ship with extremely small memory cards for some reason; the Sony came with a 16 MB card, which is somewhat ludicrous. In any event, theres little reason to choose a camera because of the media format it uses. One possible exception is the MemoryStick, which is proprietary to Sony. If you need to buy additional cards or adapters, such as PC drives that work with the media directly, youre stuck with Sony. However, Sony generally makes great imaging equipment; just keep the memory-card issue in mind.
Understanding Batteries
Digital cameras burn through batteries like theyre going out of style, so youre going to want to think about this one a bit. Most digital cameras these days will work with standard AA batteries, but will also accept rechargeable, AA-sized Ni-MH batteries, which last a lot longer. My advice: Get two or more sets of these rechargeable batteries and bring along a charger on long trips.
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Note
If your camera is not recognized, you will be prompted to install the appropriate driver, usually found with the software that came with your camera.
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Then, the bubble changes to read Your new hardware is installed and ready to use. And thats literally all there is to it. At this point, the Auto Play dialog box for your camera appears. What you see here depends on which applications you install, but it will resemble Figure 9-2.
Figure 9-2: The Auto Play dialog box enables you to determine how you will interact with the hardware you just plugged in.
To start the Scanner and Camera Wizard, select Microsoft Scanner and Camera Wizard and then click Next. The wizard is shown in Figure 9-3.
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As with a scanner, you can also access a digital camera from the My Computer window. And if you dont see the Scanner and Camera Wizard appear when you turn on your camera, open My Computer, right-click the camera icon, and choose Auto Play.
Figure 9-4: In the first stage of the Scanner and Camera Wizard, you can choose which pictures to download and perform simple actions on those pictures.
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But wait; theres more. You can highlight individual images and, while theyre still in the camera, rotate them clockwise or counterclockwise using a small toolbar below the thumbnail preview area, as shown in Figure 9-5. You can also bring up a properties window for any individual image by clicking the Properties button (shown in Figure 9-5). This window, shown in Figure 9-6, will show you when the photograph was taken, what the file format is, and how much space it takes up on the memory card.
Figure 9-5: Before you download an image, you can rotate it.
Curiously, you can also take a picture with the camera from this dialog box, if this feature is supported by your camera. Simply click the Take a picture button (shown in Figure 9-7), and the camera will snap a photo and, after a slight delay, that new picture will be added to the selection of photos that will be copied to the PC.
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Figure 9-7: By clicking this button, you can actually take a picture with the camera that is currently attached to the system.
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When youre ready to copy the selected photos to the PC, click Next and move to the Picture Name and Destination page, shown in Figure 9-8.
Figure 9-8: The Picture Name and Destination page enables you to choose where the photos will be downloaded and what they will be called.
This is similar to the page you see when youre working with a scanner, with some interesting camera-specific differences. First, you can choose the name that will be given to the group of photos that is being copied from the camera: With a scanner, only one image is acquired at a time. The name you give to this group will form the basis of the name of each of the files that will be created during the photo-copy phase. So the first photo in the collection will be saved as Name 001.jpg, the second as Name 002.jpg, and so on. So if youre importing photos from your sons birthday party, you might name the group of photos Marks birthday party, Pictures of the house, or whatever. When you do so, the destination folder will be changed to match, as shown in Figure 9-9. By default, the Scanner and Camera Wizard saves your photos to a subfolder under My Pictures. Another interesting feature thats specific to digital cameras: You can choose to delete automatically all of the images from the camera after theyre copied to the PC. To do so, just select the option box. After you click Next, the photos are copied to the destination youve chosen (see Figure 9-10). This happens rather quickly, especially if youre using a USB 2.0-compatible camera or are used to using a scanner.
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Figure 9-9: Changing the name of the picture group will also change the name of the destination folder to match.
Figure 9-10: Copying pictures to the camera is a quick affair; if you have only a few images, it will happen very quickly.
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If you requested that the wizard delete the photos after the copy process is completed, this will happen next, as shown in Figure 9-11.
Figure 9-11: If youve chosen to delete the images, this phase occurs after they are copied to the hard drive.
Then, youre presented with a rather dubious set of options (see Figure 9-12): You can publish the pictures to a Web site, order prints from a Photo Printing Web site, or simply skip this and move on, which is thankfully the default. If youre interested in the other two options, however, theyre covered in Chapter 8. At this point, the wizard completes (see Figure 9-13).
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Figure 9-12: After the images are deleted from the camera, you have choices to make.
Figure 9-13: The final page of the wizard tells you how many pictures were copied and where to find them.
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When you click Finish, Windows XP opens the directory that contains the images you just copied (see Figure 9-14).
Figure 9-14: The group of downloaded pictures is presented after the wizard quits.
Note
Versions of Windows XP Media Center Edition prior to 2005 (that is, the original version and XP Media Center Edition 2004) do not provide any way to acquire photos from the Media Center interface. To take advantage of this functionality, you will need Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 (or newer).
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Heres how it works. If you plug in your digital camera while navigating the Media Center interface, youll see a dialog box asking if youd like to copy the pictures. You can also navigate directly to My Pictures; from here, your digital camera will show up as a folder from which you can copy images (see Figure 9-15).
Figure 9-15: Media Center 2005 can display pictures directly from your attached camera.
To copy pictures from the camera, select the Import button. Here, you will see a number of choices (see Figure 9-16), including the location to which youd like to copy the pictures (My Pictures or Shared Pictures), the folder name (and resulting file names) to create, and whether the wizard should delete the pictures from the camera after copying them.
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Figure 9-16: Importing photos from your camera is a snap with Media Center 2005.
After the copy is complete, Media Center will display a dialog box indicating that and then display the photos it imported, as shown in Figure 9-17. From here, you can perform any of the photorelated Media Center tasks to which youre accustomed, including playing an animated slide show or creating a CD/DVD that contains the photos.
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Figure 9-17: The imported photos are now ready to be enjoyed in Media Center.
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Figure 9-18: You can navigate your camera as if it were a hard drive, using standard shell skills to copy, move, and delete images.
Summary
In this chapter, you learned the fundamentals of digital cameras from megapixels to storage media to battery considerations, you can now make an informed purchase and replace, if you choose, your old film-based camera. You discovered the benefits of digital photography, and how easy it is to copy photos from your digital camera to your PC. You also saw how Windows XP makes organizing your photo collection a snap. In Chapter 10 you examine how you can bring your photos to life by creating slide shows using Windows Movie Maker. You also look more closely at how you can use Plus! Photo Story to create stunning photo slide shows that you will be proud to share with your friends and family.
Chapter 10
he next part of this book focuses on digital movie making, the process of acquiring, editing, and creating your own digital home movies. But you dont have to have a digital camcorder, video editing skills, or any of the other expected accoutrements to make compelling movies featuring your friends and family. Instead, you can take the one type of source content you probably have in excess your digital photos and turn them into exciting home movies called photo slide shows that come complete with a soundtrack, narration, or special effects. In this chapter, Ill show you how.
Tip
Make sure youre using the latest version of Windows Movie Maker. The original version of Windows XP shipped with Movie Maker 1.1, but Microsoft released a major update called Windows Movie Maker 2. Its available to all Windows XP users from Windows Update and the Microsoft Web site (www.microsoft .com/windowsxp/downloads/updates/moviemaker2.mspx). Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, which shipped in October 2004, includes Movie Maker 2.1, which was the newest version available when I wrote this book. By the time you read this, newer versions may be available.
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TEAM LinG - Live, Informative, Non-cost and Genuine !
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WMM can be found in the Start Menu under All Programs. If you dont see it there, you dont have the latest version, so head on over to Windows Update and grab a copy. The main WMM window, shown in Figure 10-1, is divided into various sections, or panes. The leftmost pane, which is optional, can display the Movie Tasks list (as shown in Figure 10-1) or the Collections view. If you dont see the Movie Tasks list, click the Movie Tasks button on the toolbar or choose View and then Task pane from the WMM menu. In the center of the window is the Contents pane. This area will show you the contents of the current collection, which represents a movie project. Each collection can contain video clips, still images, audio files, and other content. On the right side of the WMM interface is the Monitor pane. Here, WMM presents a video display that is used to watch and edit video clips. On the bottom of the window is the Storyboard/Timeline pane, which is used to contain the edited movie you will eventually save as a finished work. You examine the WMM interface in more detail in Chapter 14, but hopefully this short overview will help you understand where everything is.
Figure 10-1: Windows Movie Maker 2 presents an interface segregated into various sections or panes.
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Figure 10-2: To import photos into WMM, you can use this Import File dialog box.
Navigate to a picture or pictures youd like to import. You can use your Windows file management skills to Ctrl-click files, or simply import them one at a time, relaunching the dialog box each time you want to grab a new one. As you import pictures into WMM, they appear in the Contents pane, shown in Figure 10-3.
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Figure 10-3: Content you import into WMM, including photos, appears in the Contents pane.
Figure 10-4: WMMs Timeline view is complicated but more powerful than the Storyboard view.
The Storyboard view, shown in Figure 10-5, is simpler to look at and perfect for working with photos. It features a well for each clip (or, in our case, each photo), along with smaller wells in-between for adding transitions. You can switch to the Storyboard view by clicking the Show Storyboard button just above the timeline (conversely, you can switch back to the timeline by selecting Show Timeline if the Storyboard view is already enabled).
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Figure 10-5: Storyboard view is perfect for the big picture view of your WMM project.
Now, switch to Storyboard view. Select all of the photos in the Collections pane and drag them into the storyboard. WMM automatically positions one photo in each well in the storyboard (see Figure 10-6). You can rearrange the order of the photos, if you like, by simply dragging individual photos left or right inside the storyboard. To preview your masterpiece, click the Play button in the Monitor pane (see Figure 10-7). This will play the entire contents of the storyboard, which currently consists of five photos with no transitions between them. Each photo is displayed for five seconds, which is the WMM default. However, you may find this length to be too short or too long. Fortunately, you can change it.
Figure 10-6: When photos are deposited in the Storyboard view, they can be arranged as required.
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Figure 10-7: OK, Ken Burns has nothing to be worried about quite yet, but I believe were on the path to our first motion picture masterpiece.
Adding Transitions
Now that your pictures are arranged in the order youd like and youve decided that the picture display duration is acceptable, its time to add some transitions between each photo. WMM ships with a wide variety of transitions, but in the same way that using too many fonts in a word processing document can give that document the look of a ransom note, using too many different transitions in a slide show can often be distracting when the point of the movie should be the content, and not the transitions. That said, youre free to do what you will of course, but its better to use your powers for Good and not for Evil. To add transitions to the slide show, select View video transitions from the Edit Movie section of the Movie Tasks list in the Tasks pane. This displays a number of transitions in the Contents pane, shown in Figure 10-9.
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Figure 10-8: In the Advanced tab of the WMM Options dialog box, you can set slide show options.
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On the Web
If you want more than the built-in transitions, Microsoft makes a number of free transitions and other add-ins available for WMM 2 in various Fun Packs. Check out the following downloads for some fun WMM add-ons: Windows Movie Maker 2 Creativity Fun Pack (www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/ powertoys/mmcreate.mspx) Windows Movie Maker 2 Winter Fun Pack 2003 (www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/ powertoys/mmfunpack.mspx) Digital Video with WMM 2 Winter Fun Pack (www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/ powertoys/mmholiday.mspx)
For this sample project, you use the basic Fade transition effect, which fades out the first photo as it fades in the next. Scroll down to the Fade transition effect and then drag it to the small box between the first two photos in the Storyboard, as shown in Figure 10-10.
Figure 10-10: To add a transition between two clips simply drag the transition to the box between those clips.
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When you release the mouse button, the small box between the clips changes to visually resemble the transition graphic, and you can mouse over it to verify which transition is there. Now, drag the Fade transition to the small box between each picture in the Storyboard. When youre done, WMM should resemble Figure 10-11.
Figure 10-11: Now, each photo transitions nicely into the next.
Now, click the Play button in the Monitor pane again to preview your newly edited slide show. This time, each picture fades nicely into the next, and youre starting to see how well its going to work.
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To fade in at the beginning of the slide show, right-click the first photo and choose Fade In, as shown in Figure 10-12. Then right-click the final photo and choose Fade Out. You can remove either of these effects by reselecting them; you notice the next time you right-click these photos that the Fade In and Fade Out options, respectively, are checked.
Figure 10-12: You can add a subtle intro and ending to your slide show with the Fade In and Fade Out options.
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Figure 10-13: The WMM Contents pane can hold audio clips in addition to photos.
Cross-Reference
Chapter 4 shows you how to acquire music from audio CDs, which you can then add to your slide shows if you like.
Now, to add an audio clip to your slide show, you drag it down to the storyboard, just as you do with photos. However, WMM doesnt let you work with audio clips in Storyboard view, so it pops over to Timeline view and gives you a little warning (see Figure 10-14). As you can see, the audio clip has been added to the Audio/Music well in the timeline. Because the song youve selected is likely longer than the slideshow, youll need to do some editing. First, ensure that the beginning of the song clip is lined up with the beginning of your photo slide show by selecting it with the mouse pointer and dragging it all the way to left within the Audio/Music well.
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Figure 10-14: Songs and other audio files can be added only to a movie in Timeline view.
Tip
Its possible that the song youve chosen is shorter than your slide show as well. In such a case, you can drag a second song, or a second copy of the same song, into the Audio/Music well and position it after the first. Then you can fade between them just as you do with other clip types.
Next, locate the end of the song clip by scrolling in the timeline to the right. Position the mouse pointer over the end of the song and youll see the pointer change as shown in Figure 10-15. This enables you to drag the end of the song clip to trim it, or reduce its length.
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Figure 10-15: To trim the clip, drag the cursor to the left.
Drag the end of the clip left until you can line it up with the end of the slide show (see Figure 10-16), which is contained in the Video well. You may need to magnify the view, by clicking the Zoom Timeline In button in the Timeline view (it looks like a magnifying glass with a plus sign on it).
Tip
You can also trim the beginning from a song clip and then trim the end to meet your needs. And because youll be fading the song in and out in a moment, this kind of edit wont be too jarring, especially for instrumental pieces.
When everything is lined up, right-click the song clip and select Fade In. Then, right-click it again and choose Fade Out. Now, you can preview your movie again in the Monitor pane. This time, your masterpiece is set to music.
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Figure 10-16: Try to line up the end of the song clip with the end of the slide show.
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Figure 10-17: The Narrate view enables you to use your PCs microphone to add an audio narrative to your slide show.
Tip
You can also set narration options by clicking the Show more options link in the Narration view. This lets you determine which microphone to use, which audio output device to use, and whether to mute any other audio playback while youre narrating.
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Like transitions, effects are added to your movie by dragging them to the Timeline/Storyboard pane. However, youve already added two effects to your movie without realizing it. To see them, change into the Storyboard view if you havent already, and notice that the first and last photos in the Storyboard have a little blue star displayed in their lower left corners. This area is used to denote which video effects have been added to the picture. And unlike transitions, you can apply more than one video effect to each clip. As for those blue stars, you previously added Fade In and Fade Out effects to the first and last photos, respectively. Microsoft added them to the right-click menu for clips because theyre needed often, but in truth, theyre no better or worse than other effects. And you can add effects to each clip again, photos in this case by simply dragging those effects to the appropriate photos. While Ill leave it to you to dive deeper into the wild and wooly world of video effects, I will call out some effects that I think are interesting for photo slide shows. As you scroll down the list, youll see effects with names like Zoom In, to Lower Left and Zoom Out, from Upper Right, and many others that are similar. These effects are similar to the photo panning effects documentary genius Ken Burns applies to old Civil War and baseball photos in order to give them new life. You can add the same effects to your own photos, and the effect is actually pretty mesmerizing. To add one of these effects to each photo, again, just drag them on down. When you do, each photo will display a blue star to indicate youve added an effect. Or, you can use another handy WMM feature to add effects: Right-click any photo clip in the Storyboard and select Video Effects to display the Add or Remove Video Effects dialog box, shown in Figure 10-19. TEAM LinG - Live, Informative, Non-cost and Genuine !
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Figure 10-19: The Add or Remove Video Effects dialog box lets you . . . well, you know what it does.
As its name implies, this dialog box can also be used to remove effects. So if you find yourself overwhelming your pictures with effects, you can use this method to clean them up. Other effects you may want to experiment with for photos include Fade In, From Black; Fade In, From White; Fade Out, to Black; Fade Out, to White; Grayscale (for a black and white photo effect); Pan, Upper Left to Upper Right; Pan, Upper Right to Upper Left; Pixelate; and Sepia Tone.
On the Web
As with transitions, Microsoft makes a number of free effects available in various Fun Packs. It also includes a number of nice effects in its Plus! Digital Media Edition for Windows XP, which is available for order online for just $19.95. For more information, visit www.microsoft.com/windows/plus/dme/dmehome.asp.
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Figure 10-20: The Save Movie Wizard walks you through the steps needed to turn your slideshow into a movie you can view in Windows Media Player.
In the first phase of the wizard, you give your slide show a name and choose where to save it (My Videos by default). Click Next to display the Movie Setting phase of the wizard, shown in Figure 10-21. Here, you choose the video quality of the movie youll create. This is a crucial phase, and youll want to think seriously about how to proceed. By default, the wizard chooses Best quality for playback on my computer, which will vary based on the speed and performance characteristics of your PC. However, Best quality isnt really the best quality WMM is capable of. Instead, its the best quality that the Microsoft Windows Media Video (WMV) format is capable of (the best quality is uncompressed DV-AVI format). WMVs best quality is generally a 2.1 Mbps 720 480 WMV video at 30 frames per second (FPS). Confused? Dont sweat the tech stuff. Thankfully, Microsoft provides simple English explanations of each format. Regarding the aforementioned WMV format, WMM refers to it as Video for local playback (2.1 Mbps NTSC) which is almost easy to understand. However, its likely that WMM may be prompting you to save your movie in a lesser format, or in a format you dont want. Fortunately, you can change the output. To do so, click the Show more choices link. This reveals two more choices: Best fit to file size and Other settings (see Figure 10-22).
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Figure 10-21: It looks simple enough, but this phase of the wizard is actually awash in hidden options.
Figure 10-22: The Save Movie Wizard lets you further customize the formats to choose when saving your movie.
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Which to use? Well, if you know the video needs to fit within a certain file size, maybe because you think you might eventually need to copy it to a CD or other size-limited media, the Best fit to file size option is for you. However, Ive never found myself needing to use that option. Instead, select Other settings. A drop-down list appears. When expanded, it reveals a wide range of choices, as shown in Figure 10-23.
Figure 10-23: The Save Movie Wizard enables you to output the movie for use on Pocket PCs, your PC, or other devices.
With the exception of DV-AVI, all of these formats are some derivative of WMV. The Pocket PC options will naturally create smaller movies that are appropriate for portable devices. The two Video for local playback options will create the largest and the highest quality versions WMV is capable of. Generally speaking, I like to choose DV-AVI if I know the movie will be used later in a DVD movie (see Chapter 15). Otherwise, I choose Video for local playback (2.1 Mbps NTSC). Your needs will dictate which choice you make, but you may want to experiment a bit with different formats to see how they look and sound.
Tip
One important concept to remember is that saving your movie in a particular format has no effect on the WMM project on which the movie is based. Your source materials digital photos and an audio file in this case will always retain their initial quality, so you can save many different versions of the movie if you want and not worry about compressing or dumbing down the source material.
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For this example, choose Video for local playback (2.1 Mbps NTSC) and then click Next. Now, the wizard will save your movie to disk. This process could take several minutes depending on the size of your movie. When the movie is completed, the wizard will end and prompt you to view it in Windows Media Player. Enjoy!
Figure 10-24: The Save Movie Wizard prompts you for the file name and name for the movie CD.
Here, you can enter a file name and name for your CD, and because the wizard auto-fills these values, in many cases you can simply leave them as is and move along. When you press Next, youre presented with the Movie Setting phase as discussed in the previous section. As with the Save to computer option, youre free to futz with this as you will, but the wizard will generally do a good job of optimizing the output for a CD. Click Next to continue and the CD will be created (see Figure 10-25).
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Figure 10-25: The Save Movie Wizard creates CDs in HighMAT format.
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to have a DV camcorder connected to the PC via FireWire (IEEE-1394) cabling and a blank tape at the ready. Copying a video this way is a 1:1 transfer. That is, a 60-minute video will take 60 minutes to copy to tape.
Tip
If you want to skip the Movie Tasks list all together you can launch the Save Movie Wizard by choosing File Save Movie File.
On the Web
You can purchase Plus! Digital Media Edition, which includes Plus! Photo Story and a host of other cool digital media tools, from the Microsoft Web site at www.microsoft.com/windows/plus/dme/dmehome .asp. At the time of this writing, Plus! Digital Media Edition for Windows XP costs just $19.95. Its worth it just for Plus! Photo Story.
Plus! Photo Story steps you through the process of making a photo story, which is essentially the combination of an animated photo slide show with music or narration. You can also save Photo Story projects for later editing and create a movie CD that contains your photo story. The Plus! Photo Story interface is shown in Figure 10-26. Heres how it works. Click the Begin a Story link on the first page of the Plus! Photo Story user interface to start a new project. In the second page, shown in Figure 10-27, you click the Import Pictures button to select the photos you want.
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Figure 10-26: Plus! Photo Story makes quick work of photo slide shows.
Figure 10-27: Click Import Pictures to select the photos for your slide show.
Using the File Browser window provided by Plus! Photo Story, you can repeatedly navigate into your file system and find the photos youd like to add to the slide show. When youre done, Plus! Photo Story should resemble Figure 10-28. You can also arrange the order of the pictures here using the Move Forward and Move Back buttons found at the right side of the timeline. If you discover youve imported a photo you didnt intend to use, select it and click the Delete button. When youre done organizing the photos, click Next. TEAM LinG - Live, Informative, Non-cost and Genuine !
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Figure 10-28: Here, you can import and arrange your photos.
In the next page, shown in Figure 10-29, a number of things are happening.
Figure 10-29: In the Record your story phase, you can view the slide show, add narration, or manually edit the animation effect for each picture.
First, Plus! Photo Story has quietly added panning animations and transitions to your slide show. You can see these effects by clicking the Preview Story button. A small video window appears, as shown in Figure 10-30, letting you view the slide show. TEAM LinG - Live, Informative, Non-cost and Genuine !
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Figure 10-30: The preview window lets you view each animation and see whether its what you want.
If one or more of the animations is unacceptable, you can change them by pressing the Advanced button. This launches the Advanced Options window, where you can change the start and end position of the panning effect for each photo, and then preview the motion, for each picture, as shown in Figure 10-31. Frankly, Ive very rarely ever wanted to edit the animations Plus! Photo Story selects, but you never know.
Figure 10-31: The Advanced Options window enables you to configure manually how each photo will animate.
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You can also use this page of the wizard to record narration, configure the microphone, or preview each picture. When youre happy with the results, click Next. If you havent added narration (and I never do), Plus! Photo Story will warn you, but you can click Yes to continue. (How dare you not add narration!) In the next page, you can add a title screen to the front of your slide show, as shown in Figure 10-32. This title screen can include various lines of text and, optionally, a background image. You can also play with the font and text alignment of the title and description text.
Figure 10-32: To prevent a jarring beginning, you can create a title page for your slide show.
In the name page, you can optionally choose a song file to use as background music (see Figure 10-33). You can also specify how loud that music will be, and the number of seconds each picture will display, and then preview the final output before saving it to disc. One nice thing about Plus! Photo Story is that it handles fading in and fading out the music. When youre ready to move on, click Next again. In the next page, you can select the video and audio quality of your slide show. For PC-based movies, stick with the defaults High-quality (640 480) video and high-quality audio (CD-quality). However, you may want to make a low quality version for use on the Web or via e-mail. Click Next to continue. In the next page, you determine the location and file name of the slide show youre creating and whether to save a Plus! Photo Story project. If you choose to create a project, youll be able to load it into Plus! Photo Story at a later time and edit it. I recommend always saving a project file. You never know what kind of problems might occur. When you click Next, your slide show is created. In the final page of the interface, you can view your slide show, create a movie CD, or start another project.
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Figure 10-33: Photo slide shows are almost always better when accompanied by appropriate music.
Note
A VCD is a DVD-like movie CD that uses the MPEG-1 video (compared to MPEG-2, which is used by DVD movies) format. MPEG-1, from a quality standpoint, is similar to a VHS tape, but not totally horrible.
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Figure 10-34: From this single location, you can play pre-created photo stories or write them to VCD.
Figure 10-35: The VCD you create with Photo Story should work in most consumer-oriented DVD players.
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WMM also supports a much wider range of quality types for output. It has native profiles for Pocket PC devices and can write to uncompressed DV-AVI if youd like. And although I didnt cover it in this chapter, you can actually combine photos and videos together into a cohesive single presentation with WMM if youd like to. Heck, you even could import a slide show created in Photo Story into Windows Movie Maker and expand on it. In short, Plus! Photo Story is excellent at what it does and is a tool that all lovers of digital photos should own. But if you want to really harness the power of your PC to create photo slide shows, youll need a more powerful tool, like WMM. Frankly, Im happy to have both.
Figure 10-36: The My Pictures Slideshow enables you to turn your own photos into a slide show screensaver on the fly.
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Figure 10-37: Here, you can configure how the My Pictures Screensaver behaves.
OK, so that works, but you just spent this entire chapter creating movies of photo slide shows. Wouldnt it be nice if you could turn these movies into screensavers? Well, it turns out that you can. Using a free Microsoft tool called the Windows XP Video Screen Saver PowerToy, which is part of the PowerToys Fun Pack (www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/create_power toy.mspx), you can turn any movie into a screensaver. Heres how. After youve installed the PowerToy, launch Display properties again and navigate to the Screen Saver tab. This time, select XP Video Powertoy from the Screen saver pull-down list. Click the Settings button to choose the video youd like to turn into a screensaver.
Summary
In this chapter, you examined how you can bring your photos to life by creating slide shows using Windows Movie Maker. You also discovered that, with a little effort, you can use Plus! Photo Story to create stunning photo slide shows that you will be proud to share with your friends and family. You can even turn your desktop screensaver in to a slideshow of your favorite pictures. In Chapter 11 you look at playing and managing the digital video that you have either created using your camcorder or downloaded from the Internet. You will also look more closely at enjoying digital videos on Media Center 2005 and accessing movies from online services.
Part III
Movie Making
Chapter 11
Chapter 11
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So before you start working with videos in Windows XP, fire up Windows Movie Maker (Start menu, then All Programs) and then close it (Ill discuss this application soon enough, in Chapter 12). Then, navigate to My Documents. When you do so, you will see the My Videos folder appear, as shown in Figure 11-1.
Figure 11-1: The My Videos folder appears after you run Windows Movie Maker the first time.
Inside My Videos is a single digital video file called Windows Movie Maker Sample File, which is designed to get you started with that program. You look at this shortly.
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gets the job done. To change the location of the My Videos folder, navigate to the following key and change its value to a new location:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders\CommonMusic.
Figure 11-2: Windows XP includes a sample home movie, which you can view in Windows Media Player.
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Windows Media Player can play a number of digital movie types, including Windows Media video files (file type .wmv), AVI files (.avi, what Microsoft generically calls video files), MPEG format movie files (.mpeg, .mpg, .mpe, .m1v, .mp2v), and Indeo video files (.ivf).
Figure 11-3: The Media Player Options, File Types tab determines which media types are handled by the player.
In general, its a good idea to click Select All and let the media player do it all. Also of interest is the Performance tab, which includes a Video acceleration slider and an Advanced button, which launches the Video Acceleration Settings dialog box, shown in Figure 11-4. How youll configure this will depend on your CPU and 3D accelerator video card. If you have something fairly modern, I recommend turning it up all the way, enabling all of the options on the Video Acceleration Settings dialog box. If you notice any problems with video playback, you might have overestimated the capabilities of your system: Click Restore Defaults or play a bit with the settings.
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Figure 11-4: Advanced video options, such as the default size of video and various hardware capabilities can be customized in Windows Media Player.
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Figure 11-5: DVD options such as parental control and subtitles are customized from the DVD tab in the Media Player Options dialog box.
Tip
For the best experience, be sure to open up Windows Media Player, navigate to Tools Options File Types, and be sure that the DVD option is checked. This will cause the media player to auto-play DVD movies when they are inserted in the PC.
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Figure 11-6: DVDs should auto-play when inserted, but you can also choose them from the playlist in Windows Media Player.
If you have an Internet connection, Windows Media Player automatically detects the DVD youre playing and displays information about that movie. This is discussed further in this chapter, in the section called Get DVD Information. For simple playback, the main player controls for Play/Pause, Stop, Previous, and Next will work as expected. And you can use the mouse pointer to select on-screen menu items (see Figure 11-7), as you would normally with a DVD remote control if you were playing the movie on your TV set.
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Figure 11-7: DVD menus can be controlled with the mouse pointer.
Tip
Watching a DVD movie is one of those rare occasions where youre going to want to sit in front of your computer, doing absolutely nothing, for a few hours, but you dont want power management or a screen saver to kick in. Fortunately, power management is sophisticated enough to stay off while youre watching a movie. But if you are using a screen saver, Windows Media Player has an option you can choose to disable it during movie playback. Navigate to Tools Options Player and uncheck the option labeled Allow screen saver during playback. This option will be grayed out if you are not using a screen saver, a nice touch.
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Figure 11-8: DVD playback really shines in full-screen mode, which gives you the biggest possible picture with a minimum of controls.
In full-screen mode, a few controls are briefly shown on screen before fading away elegantly, along with the mouse cursor. These include a status bar along the top of the screen that includes information about the movie, a Playlist toggle button, and a button that will cause the movie to return to normal Full view. On the bottom of the screen, you will see the standard Windows Media Player play controls, with buttons for Play/Pause, Stop, Previous, Next, and Mute/Sound, along with sliders for Volume and Rewind/Fast Forward/Seek. The onscreen controls disappear if you dont move the mouse or press a key for a few seconds. They will reappear when you do. You can also right-click the screen anywhere to access DVD- and WMP-specific features, as shown in Figure 11-9.
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Figure 11-9: You can access DVD menu items from the right-click menu in full-screen mode.
Figure 11-10: DVD information can be displayed in the Info Center if desired.
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Figure 11-11: If youd like to prevent your children from viewing inappropriate movies, you can select an MPAA rating.
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To get information about the quality of the connection to the streaming video, choose View Statistics, as shown in Figure 11-12.
Figure 11-12: During streaming video playback, you can view statistics about the connection you have with the server.
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Digital video rentals are decent quality and competitively priced with physical movie rental places. The disadvantage is that you have to watch the movie on your PC. This might not be a problem if you have a Media Center PC thats attached to your TV set. But its also nice for people who travel a lot with laptops. Simply download a movie or group of movies to your machine, and then theyre ready to go the next time youre on a plane or in a hotel room with nothing to do. Lets take a look at the process of renting a digital video online using CinemaNow and Windows Media Player 10. 1. Open Windows Media Player 10 and select CinemaNow from the Online service dropdown list as shown in Figure 11-13. The CinemaNow service appears (see Figure 11-14). 2. If you dont have an account already, start one, and then log on to the service. 3. Navigate to a section of the site to find a movie. In this example, you visit the Action section, shown in Figure 11-15.
Figure 11-13: CinemaNow and other online movie services are available from the WMP10 Online Stores menu.
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Figure 11-14: CinemaNow, like many online services, loads directly inside of WMP10.
Figure 11-15: Just as with a brick-and-mortar video rental store, CinemaNow offers different sections for different movie genres.
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4. Navigating through the CinemaNow interface, find a movie youd like to rent. For each movie, you can find out textual information, watch the trailer, or perform other actions, like adding it to a wish list. 5. Click the Watch The Movie link to download the movie. In the next screen, youre reminded of the cost of the movie. 6. Click the Purchase Now button, and then Proceed to Checkout in the next screen, as shown in Figure 11-16.
Figure 11-16: After you click Proceed to Checkout, your credit card will be billed and you can start downloading the movie.
7. In the next screen, you must enter your credit card information. Click Submit. 8. After your credit card is approved, CinemaNow presents you with a link to begin the download. If this is the first time youve used the service, you might need to install the CinemaNow Download Manager as well. The download manager will alert you when you can start watching the movie (see Figure 11-17). 9. Click the Watch Now link to begin watching your rental.
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Figure 11-17: One of the nice things about online movie rentals is that you can start watching a movie while its downloading.
By default, rented movies are copied to your My Videos folder. You can delete them after youre done watching them to free up hard drive space or hold on to them and watch them later after paying a rental fee again, of course.
Note
If you think youre going to want to watch a lot of movies this way, most online movie services also offer subscription plans that let you pay a monthly fee and then access hundreds of movies on demand: You can either stream or download these movies and not worry about paying a la carte fees every time you want to watch them. In this way, movie services are evolving somewhat like online music services, though it will likely take longer for movie services to catch on because of the bandwidth demands. This is not a task to undertake without a fast broadband connection. Still, it beats jumping in the car and heading to the local video rental.
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Playing Digital Videos and DVD Movies in Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005
As the ultimate digital media experience, Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 offers some exciting video-related advantages over its other XP siblings. When combined with its sweet user interface and couch-friendly remote control, Media Center is the place to be to enjoy digital video, especially if youd rather be in a more comfortable environment than your home office. Heres what XP Media Center Edition 2005 has to offer when it comes to playing and managing digital videos.
Figure 11-18: In Media Center, My Videos aggregates all of the video content on your PC.
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Figure 11-19: To find out more information about a video, select it and press the More Info button on your remote.
Figure 11-20: From here, you can play or delete the video or navigate to other videos.
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Finding Movies on TV
The single most exciting feature in Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 is the new Movies functionality in My TV. This feature presents a rental store-like list of the movies that are on your TV system now and in the near future, helping you easily find content youd like to watch now or record in the near future. To access this feature. Navigate to the Media Center start page and then select My TV. The My TV screen, shown in Figure 11-21, appears. You examine My TV more closely in Chapter 16.
Figure 11-21: My TV is the starting point for Media Centers interaction with your TV system.
Now, select Movies. Media Center will give you a handy list of the movies that are playing right now on your TV. And if you configured the system correctly (see Chapter 16), this movie list will only include those movies that are playing on stations you actually receive on your cable or satellite service. Good stuff. In any event, the movies are presented in a graphical manner, complete with DVD-like cover art, as shown in Figure 11-22.
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Figure 11-22: On Now and On Next display all of the currently playing or soon-to-be-available movies on your TV system.
WATCHING A MOVIE
To watch a movie, simply select it from the On Now or On Soon view and then click the Watch link on the Movie Info Screen, shown in Figure 11-23. This screen also enables you to configure a recording or find other showings of this movie.
FINDING A MOVIE
You can also use Media Center to search for movies. Lets say you know the name of a Hollywood blockbuster and would like to view it when its on TV, no matter when that happens. Select the Title Search link from the Movies page and then enter the name of the movie into the Search Movie Title screen, as shown in Figure 11-24.
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Figure 11-23: In Movie Info, you can watch, record, or find other showings of the currently selected movie.
Then, select the movie that most closely matches your search and schedule a recording. Sometimes, youll come across a movie thats not in the guide. In that case, you can configure Media Center to record that movie in the future, whenever it shows up on your TV system. Impressed yet?
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Summary
Windows XP makes organizing, finding, and playing digital video easier than ever, especially for users lucky enough to have a Media Center PC. In this chapter, you learned how to play back local, streaming, and DVD video content, and how to find and access more content by participating in online movies services. In Chapter 12 you look at raw footage making home movies. Youll learn about formats from 8mm to S-VHS, and you explore the basics of home movies creation.
Chapter 12
n Chapter 13, youre going to take a look at Windows Movie Maker, the tool in Windows XP that makes it easy to compose, edit, and produce digital movies. But before you can do this, youre going to need to take some video footage with a camcorder. And while we cant all expect to be the next George Lucas, its not unreasonable to want to understand the issues that will affect the final quality of your home movies. So in this chapter, youre going to examine what you can do, ahead of time, to ensure that your videos are as high quality as is possible. These issues begin at your choice of video camera: These days, digital video cameras are cheap, and if possible, youre going to want to go with one of the newer, smaller units. But many people are going to have to make do with existing (or cheaper) analog units for various reasons, and youll look at the tradeoffs youll make with this type of video source. After youve chosen a camera, you actually need to take movies. The best idea is to simply shoot video, shoot more video, and then shoot even more video. The nice thing about digital video editing, of course, is that you can cut and paste later on as needed, so you dont need to worry about boring footage. But still, its always a good idea to ensure that your original source video is as high quality as possible, so youll look at some of the basic issues youll face when actually shooting video.
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are transmitted on separate wires), generally offers better clarity and resolution: High end TV sets and DVD players often offer S-video inputs for this reason. Analog video, in the United States at least, has a resolution of roughly 525 525. I say roughly, because its analog, and nothing is ever exact with analog: The perceived resolution will vary dramatically based on the reception, the physical connection, and the implementation (VHS video, for example, offers only 250 lines of resolution, while S-video bumps this figure up to about 425). Digital video, meanwhile, does not offer the variable signal range experienced with analog video. Instead, various bit patterns are encoded in a video stream to represent colors and other information, and the resolutions are exact and tend to be higher and more in line with what were used to on PCs. Digital signals, however, are far more susceptible to electrical interference, and therefore require specially shielded cables. A digital signal is either available or unavailable; theres no middle ground. What you get with digital video, of course, is clarity. Digital signals tend to be cleaner, and transmit better over long distances. This is because digital data is encoded to know how it should output, resulting in no loss in quality. Analog signals, meanwhile, can only be amplified over distances: A bad signal amplified is still a bad signal. The primary advantage of a digital video signal is that it doesnt degrade. You can copy digital signals from medium to medium as often as you like to the limitations of the physical media and never lose any quality. This is not true of analog video, as anyone whos duplicated VHS tapes knows. Each generation of analog video loses quality, often dramatically. In short, I advise sticking with digital video for your home movies, unless you already own an older analog camcorder with which youre satisfied. Just remember to archive your analog video digitally as soon as possible to preserve it. In the next section, you look at the technology choices in the camcorder market.
Choosing a Camcorder
Just as video formats fall into two basic categories, so do camcorders. Today, there is an amazing selection of fairly inexpensive analog and digital video camcorders for the picking, although I expect the analog market to completely dry up over the next few years.
Analog Camcorders
Analog video is divided into a number of contenders, including VHS, VHS-C, S-VHS, 8mm, and Hi-8. In this section, you take a quick look at each of these formats.
VHS
VHS is the venerable format we all love to hate, the hardware that plays those hundreds of thousands of video tapes clogging Blockbusters from Maine to Los Angeles. VHS camcorders are big and bulky like their living-room counterparts, and its unlikely youve seen one of these dinosaurs since the early 1980s, if only because their humongous size makes them an unwelcome guest on family vacations.
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VHS format video offers about 250 lines of resolution, which is pretty low quality by any measure. I recommend steering clear of this kind of camcorder because of this limitation and because of the size and weight issues: Theyre just too bulky to be desirable these days, despite the fact that you can pop a tape from one into just about any video player in America without the need for an adapter or complicated wire connection.
VHS-C
To solve the size and weight problems of VHS camcorders, the VHS-C (for compact) format was invented. VHS-C cassettes are about half the size of a standard VHS tape, and can be played in a VHS player using a converter cassette. VHS-C isnt as convenient as standard VHS (wheres that converter again?) but it comes with all of the resolution and quality limitations of VHS. Like VHS, VHS-C offers only 250 lines of resolution. Ten years ago, VHS-C was a great option. Today, you can do much better.
S-VHS
Super VHS (or S-VHS) was designed to overcome the quality limitations of standard VHS format, but it does so with a cassette exactly the same size as VHS. S-VHS camcorders are actually very rare, so its mentioned here only for completeness. On that note, S-VHS offers 400 lines of resolution, which is as high as it goes for semi-portable analog video.
8MM
An eight millimeter cassette format, adroitly named 8mm format, appeared in the early 1990s to combat the size issues of VHS camcorders. 8mm cassettes are quite small, and very inexpensive, and camcorders based on this format are still available at consumer electronics stores today. And because 8mm offers 300 lines of resolution, the resulting quality is a bit better than VHS. The problem, of course, is that 8mm cassettes wont play in standard VHS players. So 8mm camcorder owners will need to copy their home videos to VHS or hook the camcorder directly to the TV to view their movies on the television. 8mm video is roughly identical to VHS from a quality standpoint. That is, it isnt that great. I recommend skipping out on this format.
HI-8
A higher-quality version of 8mm, called Hi-8, offers compatibility with 8mm tapes while providing higher-resolution video (about 400 lines) that doesnt degrade across duplications. Hi-8 camcorders can play and use 8mm cassettes as well as higher-quality Hi-8 tapes. Of all the analog video formats, Hi-8 is the only one suitable for camcorder use: Its portable and small, and offers S-VHS quality. However, given the low price and ready availability of digital camcorders today, only a sucker would go Hi-8 now. Today, home video is digital video.
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DIGITAL 8 FORMAT
To maintain backward compatibility with the popular 8mm and Hi-8 formats, Sony introduced a digital format called Digital 8, which uses cheap 8mm and Hi-8 cassettes. The nice thing about Digital 8 is that these camcorders can be used to play back analog 8mm and Hi-8 cassettes, crucial if youre upgrading and have a library of tapes. But if youre starting fresh, I recommend staying away from Digital 8. Camcorders based on this format tend to be bigger than comparable Mini-DV units. One limitation of Digital 8 is that recording is generally limited to one hour per tape, compared to two hours for 8mm and Hi-8. This is because of the way digital video is encoded on the tape. Digital 8 video offers 500 lines of horizontal resolution.
Buying a Camcorder
So youre ready to buy a camcorder. Aside from the video format, discussed above, a number of options to consider are discussed in the following sections. TEAM LinG - Live, Informative, Non-cost and Genuine !
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LCD VIEWFINDER
Youve seen them at Disney World and the kids Little League games: Todays camcorders generally offer a flip-out, side-mounted LCD viewfinder in addition to the standard body-mounted viewfinder that requires you to stick the camera up to your eye in order to shoot video. Side-mounted LCDs allow you to hold the camera away from your body and observe your surroundings in a manner that will, hopefully, prevent you from taking that Chevy Chase-style pratfall into a lake or unsuspecting bystander. An LCD is also handy when you want to watch the video youve shot while youre still in the wild: You can pop open the screen, place the camcorder in player mode, and gather around with your closest friends to relive the days events on the small screen. On the downside, LCD viewfinders tend to drain battery life more quickly because of the power required to generate the display. So while its a wonderful addition, be sure to pack a few extra batteries and the camcorders power cable.
BATTERY READOUTS
Speaking of which: An accurate readout of the remaining battery life is crucial: theres nothing like running out of power during the eighth inning of your sons big game. For this reason, you should hunt down a camcorder that offers an accurate display of this, preferably right on the LCD panel. Oh, and buy a few extra batteries regardless of how accurate the display is. Have I mentioned the need for extra batteries yet?
IMAGE STABILIZATION
Even if your grip is as steady as Gibraltar, its a good idea to seek out a camcorder with digital image stabilization. This will compensate for even small camera shakes by proactively recording an area around the main subject area and filling in the details when needed. The end result is a cleaner, stiller image. In my case just call me Mr. Shaky Hands this has been a lifesaver.
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ZOOM CAPABILITIES
As with any consumer electronics product, the typical camcorder maker will try and wow potential customers with a slew of technical-sounding facts and figures. The zoom feature is one such item: 40X! 200X! the ads scream. But what does it all mean? Well, the figure before the times symbol (the X) reflects the number of times the camcorder can magnify its display. But there are actually two figures to worry about here. The smaller figure (40 in my example) refers to the optical zoom, which reflects the physical capabilities of the camera. The higher number (200) refers to the digital zoom, which is a software feature that takes the optical zoom, pixelizes it, and enlarges the individual pixels. The end results are actually pretty impressive, given the limitations of whats really happening, but dont base your buying decision on this feature. In fact, its a good idea to slowly zoom in on a far away subject with both optical and digital zoom, and then compare the resulting videos. You may end up foregoing digital zoom altogether. Regardless, it is the optical zoom that truly determines the capabilities of the camcorder, not the digital zoom.
SPECIAL EFFECTS
These days, many digital camcorders offer a slew of special effects so you can add titles, fades, and some fairly bizarre effects like pixelizations and negatives. Why anyone would want this sort of thing is somewhat beyond me, as anyone who would want to add these features should be using a dedicated video editing software package on a computer. You know, something like Windows Movie Maker, the bundled movie editing package Microsoft includes in Windows XP. The long and the short of it is that you should not purchase a camcorder based on its special effects features. Its better to use the camcorder solely for recording raw video and then add the special effects after youve gotten the video on your PC. Besides, youre going to want to trim the video down, and you cant do that easily with a single camcorder.
REMOTE CONTROL
Many digital (and analog) camcorders come with a remote control because users will need to use the camcorder as a video player when outputting to TV. This is actually a handy feature, but you wont need such a thing when interacting with Movie Maker, as this software contains built-in controls for controlling a digital camcorder. But if you plan to watch a lot of camcorder video directly on the TV, a remote is almost necessary.
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BRANDS
The final choice concerns the brand of camera you will buy. As mentioned previously, Im still using that Canon Mini-DV model, and Ive been happy with the results. But JVC, Panasonic, Sharp, Sony, and other companies offer a variety of Mini-DV and Digital 8 products that are worth looking at. I recommend investigating the current state of the art in Consumer Reports magazine or the CNET shopper.com Web sites, which are updated more frequently. The Web properties in particular seem to be more taken with fairly useless gee-whiz features, but they are more likely to have had recent experience with modern equipment. On a related note, I recommend buying a digital camcorder locally, if possible, rather than on the Web. These devices are expensive and delicate, and its nice to have a local place to turn to for repairs and returns, if necessary. As always, caveat emptor.
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Summary
In this chapter, you examined what you can do, ahead of time, to ensure that your videos are as high quality as is possible. The choice of which camcorder you use can affect the final quality of your video. In Chapter 13, you look at Windows Movie Maker, the tool in Windows XP that makes it easy to compose, edit, and produce digital movies. You also look more closely at the final editing steps to produce your home movie masterpiece.
Chapter 13
nlike a certain fruit-oriented computer which will not be named, PCs based on Windows XP have no problem working with both analog and digital video. Thats because Microsoft didnt cripple XP and, more specifically, Windows Movie Maker (WMM), by making it work only with digital video (DV) sources like digital camcorders. Why is this important? While many families will likely purchase DV camcorders on which to save their most important memories, many people still have a wide range of content available on analog video sources. These sources include such things as VHS tapes perhaps with ancient episodes of Mystery Science Theater and The Simpsons recorded on them as well as other video sources, like 8mm camcorder tapes and the like. All of this content is just sitting there on easily harmed tape formats, waiting for the hardware that plays them back to stop working. To help prevent this unplanned obsolescence, you can copy the content stored on those tapes to your computer and archive them digitally. Then, you can enjoy them in the future, even if that VHS deck gives up the ghost. For those of you interested in preserving home movies stored on DV camcorders, Windows XP is equally up to the task. So in this chapter, you examine how you record digital and analog video content to your PC using tools built into Windows XP. Then, in the next chapter, Ill show you how you can take that raw content and convert it into a finished home movie you can be proud of. But first, lets get busy acquiring raw video content.
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For this reason, to connect a DV camcorder to your PC, youll typically need a 4-pin-to-6-pin FireWire cable. Such a cable features a small 4-pin plug on one side for the camcorder and a larger 6-pin plug for the PC on the other. As always, check with your hardwares documentation to be sure youre using the right cabling. When youre sure you have the right hardware, you can make the physical connection between the DV camcorder and your PC. You will also need to ensure that your camcorder is separately connected to a power source, since the 4-pin FireWire port most camcorders use wont supply the device with power, and you dont want to run out of juice in the middle of copying a home movie to your PC. Now, youre ready to acquire some video. Turn on the DV camcorder and switch it into Play mode if necessary (many cameras support both Camera and Play mode). Typically, this will trigger an Auto Play dialog box in Windows XP similar to the one shown in Figure 13-1. From here, you can choose to Capture Video with WMM.
Figure 13-1: When you power up a connected DV camcorder to a Windows XP PC, you should see this dialog box appear.
If you dont see this dialog box, you can manually launch WMM and initiate the Video Capture Wizard. To do so, navigate to Start, All Programs in the Start Menu, and launch Windows Movie Maker. Then select File and the Capture Video from the Movie Maker menu.
Note
Make sure you have the latest version of WMM, which is version 2.1 at the time of this writing. Microsoft makes Movie Maker updates available from Windows Update, but you can also download the latest version manually from the Microsoft Web site: www.microsoft.com/moviemaker/.
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Either way, you should see the Video Capture Wizard (shown in Figure 13-2), which lists your available video and audio capture devices. Select your DV camcorder and click Next. In the next stage of the wizard, WMM will prompt you to select a name and location for your raw video. Typically, you should provide a descriptive name. The default location for saved video is, of course, the My Videos folder under My Documents.
Figure 13-2: Here, you select your capture device from the available list.
In this next, arguably most crucial, phase of the wizard, you will need to pick the video quality settings. There are three main choices, as shown in Figure 13-3: You can allow WMM to pick a quality level, based on the performance characteristics of your PC; you can save your video in uncompressed DV-AVI format; or you can choose from a list of predefined settings, which run the gamut from lowbandwidth video designed for Pocket PCs and other small devices all the way up to full-screen uncompressed video. Generally speaking, my advice is to always record raw video of your home movies in the best quality possible. Thats because youre typically going to edit that video later (as described in Chapter 14) and then save the finished results in one or more formats. If you use the highest possible quality source material to start with, your video productions wont lose much quality through the editing and saving process youll later pursue. Given that information, DV-AVI is the best-quality format that WMM supports, and this is indeed what I recommend for most raw home movies, assuming you have the disk space: DV-AVI takes up 178 MB of space for every 1 minute of video. That can add up quick. If you simply dont have the disk space, you should generally choose the highest-quality compressed format that WMM offers.
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All of the nonDV-AVI formats used by WMM are based on the Windows Media Video (WMV) version 9 video format, which is quite nice. And the highest-quality WMV setting, identified as Video for local playback (2.1 Mbps NTSC) in the Other settings choice of this phase of the wizard, is also quite nice. This video format supports 720 480 resolution at 30 frames per second (fps). Best of all, video recorded in this format only occupies 14 MB of space per minute, much less than DV-AVI.
Figure 13-3: Choices, choices, choices. WMM provides a wealth of possible video quality settings from which to choose.
If you believe that you will never want to use this raw video for use in a DVD movie or other highquality video source, feel free to try one of the lower-quality settings. But I really dont recommend it for home movies. Even a low-resolution analog TV set can display 525 lines of resolution. But modern digital and HDTV sets can display at much higher resolutions up to a whopping 1920 1200. Dont burn your future by being frugal with disk space now. For purposes of this example, youre going to stick with DV-AVI. In the next phase of the wizard, youre given a choice between capturing the entire length of video that is contained on the tape in the camcorder, or to capture parts of the tape manually. The first choice is highly automated, thanks to WMMs ability to remotely control a DV camcorder. If you choose this option, WMM will actually rewind the tape and record the whole thing, which can be quite handy. If you choose the second option, you are presented with the screen shown in Figure 13-4. This handy front-end to your camcorder enables you to start and stop the video capture, use a set of DV camera controls to control the camcorder remotely, and set other options. To record content manually from your DV camcorder use either the virtual controls in the wizard or the physical controls on your camcorder to navigate to the scene youd like to record. The video will display in the preview window in the wizard, as shown in Figure 13-5, allowing you to keep your attention on the PC screen, and you wont have to worry about the camcorder. TEAM LinG - Live, Informative, Non-cost and Genuine !
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Figure 13-4: WMM provides cool video capture functionality that integrates with the controls of your DV camcorder.
Figure 13-5: You can completely control the DV camcorder during recording using the onscreen controls.
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When you find the section of video youd like to record, pause the tape. Now, youre just about ready to start, but you need to think about a few options first. In the lower left of the wizard, there are three options youll want to consider: Create clips when the wizard finishes When you select this option, WMM will divide your raw video into a series of sections, or clips, which may make it more easy to edit later. The beginnings and endings of clips are determined in one of two ways, depending on which type of video source you use. With a DV camcorder, WMM can actually read the time markings that were made when you recorded the video. So it will precisely divide the video into clips that correspond to the moments you started, paused, and stopped recording. This is incredibly handy. On the other hand, clip creation is time consuming. And if you dont want to make clips now, you can always do it later by re-importing the raw video into WMM (described in Chapter 14). Mute speakers By default, video being recorded through WMM will play back the audio portion of the recording through your PCs speakers. If you dont want that to happen, select this option. Note, however, that your DV camcorder may still play back the audio as it copies, so if youre looking for total silence, make sure you mute the camera as well (and dont worry, the audio will still copy to the PC recording in such a case). Capture time limit If youre sure of the length of the video youd like to record and want to step away from the computer while its recording, you can optionally configure WMM to record only a certain amount of video. By default, WMM will record until you stop it or the DV tape ends. With these options configured (or at least considered), youre now ready to start recording raw video. Click the Start Capture button, and then click the Play button in the DV camera controls section under the video preview window. As the video plays, WMM will record it, counting down both the length and size of the capture video. If you want to pause the video capture at any time, click the Pause button or the Stop Capture button. You can keep adding to the captured video as well, by repeating the process. When youre done recording, click Finish. The video file will be imported into WMM and, if you chose to do so, clips will be created. When its done, WMM will create a new collection with the same name as the file you saved (see Chapter 14 for more information about collections) and the clips from the video will be displayed in the middle Contents pane (see Figure 13-6).
Cross-Reference
At this point, you can elect to capture more video or move on to editing, which is examined in Chapter 14.
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Figure 13-6: Clips are displayed in the Contents pane for later editing.
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Figure 13-7: Belkins Hi-Speed USB 2.0 DVD Creator is a typical external analog-to-digital video adapter, which utilizes a USB 2.0 connection.
As for the wiring, a number of things need to happen. On one side of the adapter will be the connection for your PC. On an external device, this will typically be a USB 2.0 plug, and it will need to connect to a USB port on your PC (and not a USB port on an external USB hub, which shares bandwidth). For an internal device, the connection will occur through a PCI or PCI Express slot on your motherboard. On the receiving end of the adapter, you will typically see a number of ports, including left and right composite audio (for the standard white and red RCA-style plugs), and one or more video ports, which can include composite video (the yellow RCA-style plug) and S-Video, which offers higher quality. (On some external devices, the audio is separate from the video.) To connect such an adapter to your video source, youll need to string the appropriate wires between that device and the adapter. For example, lets say you want to record video from a VHS tape deck. You could connect RCA-style plugs to the audio and video ports on the tape deck and then connect the other ends of the cables to the digital-to-analog converter. To record analog video with Windows XP, launch WMM and choose Capture Video from the File menu to display the Video Capture Wizard (see Figure 13-8).
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Figure 13-8: The Video Capture Wizard enables you to capture video and audio from analog and digital sources.
Select the analog video capture device from the Available devices list. Analog capture devices also include a separate user interface for configuring the audio and video sources. Right in the main window of the wizard, you can configure the input level of the sound and which audio device to use. To test that this is working properly, youll need to start up the video youre going to import and analyze the audio signal for a bit: This will ensure that youre recording from the right audio channel (usually line-in or USB) and at the right volume. You can adjust the audio Input Level slider as needed to achieve the desired effect. To control the video settings, click the Configure button, and the Configure Video Capture Device dialog will display, as shown in Figure 13-9. Typically, theres only one setting youll need to worry about here, and thats the second one, Video Settings. When you click this button, a second window will open, allowing you to configure various aspects of the video display. At the bottom of the window is an option, Output Size, which lets you determine the resolution of the video to import. The default setting, 320 240, is not generally acceptable for home videos you might later want to burn to a DVD. So you may want to experiment with 640 480 or 720 480, either of which would be much preferable, but may strain the bandwidth capabilities of your device if its USB-based.
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Figure 13-9: The Configure Video Capture Device window lets you manage the various color settings, video inputs, and resolution of the video youll be importing.
When youre done configuring the audio and video settings, click Next. In the second stage of the wizard, WMM will prompt you to select a name and location for your raw video. Typically, you should provide a descriptive name. The default location for saved video is, of course, the My Videos folder under My Documents. In the next phase of the wizard, you will pick video quality settings. There are two main choices, as shown in Figure 13-10: You can allow WMM to pick a quality level, based on the performance characteristics of your PC, or you can choose from a list of predefined settings, which run the gamut from low-bandwidth video designed for Pocket PCs and other small devices all the way up to fullscreen uncompressed video. A third option, which lets save your video in uncompressed DV-AVI format, is grayed out and unavailable because that option works only with digital capture devices, as described in the previous section.
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Generally speaking, DV-AVI is best, but since thats not an option for an analog source, you should leave it on the default setting, which is Best quality for playback on my computer, typically 2.1 Mbps WMV at 640 480. If you selected a lower video resolution level earlier, however, you would have to try and match the resolution at which youre recording to the resolution the device is transmitting. So choose a video setting from the Other Settings choice instead. In the next phase of the wizard, Capture Video, youll actually perform most of the work. Unlike with a digital source, you wont have any automated remote controls. Instead, you will have to start and stop video playback manually from the source device, and then use the Start Capture and Stop Capture buttons in the wizard to control recording. As with digital recording, there are three choices in the lower left corner of the wizard; refer to the previous section for details. To begin recording, click the Start Capture button, and then click the Play button on the source video hardware (a VHS tape deck or whatever). As the video plays, WMM will record it, counting down both the length and size of the capture video. If you want to pause the video capture at any time, click the Stop Capture button. You can keep adding to the captured video as well, by repeating the process. After youre done recording, click Finish. The video file will be imported into WMM and, if you chose to do so, clips will be created. When its done, WMM will create a new collection with the same name as the file you saved (see Chapter 14 for more information about collections) and the clips from the video will be displayed in the middle Contents pane. Now, youre ready to capture more content, using the preceding steps, or you can edit and share your creation, which is discussed in Chapter 14.
Note
Some analog-to-digital converters enable you to record analog video as if it were digital video. This gives you a few advantages over the steps outlined above: First, you can record analog video in DV-AVI or full-screen WMV video formats, which gives you the best quality. Second, you dont have to deal with audio input levels and other complicated settings. There are numerous devices like this available. I use an ADVC device from Canopus (www.canopus.us/US/products/ADVC-50/pm_advc-50.asp), which works well.
Recording Live TV
If youre lucky enough to own a Media Center PC, you have other options for acquiring video. The most obvious is Media Centers ability to record live television shows. If you havent used a digital video recorder (DVR, sometimes called a personal video recorder, or PVR), the benefits of such a solution will seem revolutionary to you. Rather than be bound by the TV networks rigid schedules, you can simply configure your Media Center PC to record your favorite TV shows every single time theyre on. At my home, my kids, my wife, and I all have a series of shows that record continually. And since theyre stored on the hard drive, we can skip through commercials as well.
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Cross Reference
You look at Media Centers ability to record live television shows more closely in Chapter 16.
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Figure 13-11: CinemaNow is just one of the many online services you can access from within Windows Media Player.
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If you dont already have a CinemaNow account, create one now (its free). Then, log in to the service. Like most online movie services, CinemaNow offers a variety of ways in which to discover content, including genre lists, new movie lists, trailers, and so on. Since the specifics of the CinemaNow experience will likely change by the time you read this, lets focus on the basics. After youve selected a movie that youd like to rent (what CinemaNow calls Pay-Per-View movies), you click the appropriate link (Watch This Movie at the time of this writing) and proceed through the checkout process, where you pay for the rental. I happen to prefer movies where The Rock stars as a tough-as-nails ex-soldier determined to rid his hometown of crime and drugs, but your interests may (mercifully) differ. Dont worry; these services offer everything from kids flicks to adult movies, so you should be able to find something of interest. In any event, after your purchase is approved, you will be prompted to download the movie. Then the CinemaNow Download Manager will provide you with the progress of your download (see Figure 13-12). Interestingly, if you have a fast connection, you can actually start watching the movie while its downloading, generally about 30 seconds after the download begins.
Figure 13-12: The CinemaNow Download Manager controls your movie download and lets you know when you can start watching the movie.
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When youre ready to watch the movie, you can access it through the file system (assuming you remember where you saved it to) or through WMP10. There are a few ways to launch the film from WMP10. First, you can access it through the service from which you rented it. In CinemaNow, you navigate to the My Movies section of the service (in My Account). Or, you can simply visit your Media Library and navigate to All Video, Purchased Videos in the tree view. As shown in Figure 13-13, you will have new entries there for the service you used (CinemaNow in this case) and the movie you rented (the Rock Solid Action hit Walking Tall in this case). When you play the movie, it will play like any other content you may have stored on your PC. But the aforementioned restrictions apply: Once you begin playing a rented movie, you have 24 hours in which to finish watching it. After that, you have to pay the rental fee again.
Figure 13-13: Even though you havent purchased the full movie, the rented version appears in your Media Library like any other digital media content.
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Figure 13-14: Media Center presents a TV-friendly interface for accessing online movie services.
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Cross Reference
In Chapter 18, you look at how you can access rented or purchased movies on a Portable Media Center.
Summary
In this chapter you looked at the ways you can acquire and manage digital and analog video. Whether you have an older analog camcorder or one of the newest classes of digital video recorder, you can easily import these into your computer. If you have a Media Center PC, you will also be able to record TV programs directly to your hard drive and access a growing list of downloadable movies from services such as CinemaNow and MovieLink. In Chapter 14 you examine how to use WMM to create home movies on your PC. You also look more closely at saving movies to DVD and the Web, and at sending movies to your friends and family.
Chapter 14
C
Note
hapter 10 examines Windows Movie Maker, the incredible digital media tool that Microsoft includes for free with Windows XP. However, Windows Movie Maker does more than create photo slide shows. Indeed, its a complete home movie editing package, perfect for copying recorded content from analog or digital camcorders, VHS decks, or other sources, editing that source material and adding transitions, titles, and video effects, and then sharing the final product through a variety of means, including local or remote files, tape, or, with the appropriate third-party tools, even DVD. In this chapter, youll explore the most common uses of Windows Movie Maker, and see how this powerful but surprisingly approachable tool can be used to turn your home movies into special digital memories that youll be able to enjoy forever.
As always, make sure youre using the latest version of Windows Movie Maker, which can be obtained for free from the Microsoft Web site (www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/updates/ moviemaker2.mspx). This book assumes that youre using Windows Movie Maker 2.1 (the latest version at the time of this writing) or newer.
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Below the menu bar, things start to get interesting. Microsoft has divided the WMM interface into a number of sections, called panes, that each performs a specific role. On the left side of the WMM window is the Movie Tasks pane or the Collections pane, depending on which youve enabled. You can switch between these two panes by clicking the Tasks and Collections toolbar buttons.
Figure 14-1: Windows Movie Maker features a task-based interface that is divided into panes.
The Movie Tasks pane, shown in Figure 14-2, presents a list of tasks related to capturing, editing, and sharing movies, and provides a list of movie making tips as well. The Collections pane provides links to the WMM Video Effects and Video Transitions tasks, as well as a way to access your media collections. Collections are like virtual folders (see Figure 14-3). They contain links, called clips, to video, audio, music, and picture content that are stored on your hard drive. You might create collections for a specific movie project, for example, or create collections that store certain types of files. How you organize your collections is, of course, up to you.
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Figure 14-2: The Movie Tasks pane steps through the various tasks most people would like to accomplish while making home movies.
Figure 14-3: The Collections pane includes collections, virtual folders that store links to on-disk digital media content.
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The distinction between the actual media files stored in your PCs folder hierarchy and the clips (or links to those physical files) stored in the WMM collections is important. As you edit those files in WMM, you will not be changing the underlying files at all. Instead, WMM will keep track of those changes using a project file (which Ill discuss shortly). The Contents pane, found in the center top of the WMM interface and shown in Figure 14-4, displays the clips that are contained in the currently selected collection. It can also be used to display the available video effects or transitions, if youre working with those features. By default, the Contents pane displays information in a thumbnail view. However, if you have lots of clips, you can enable Details view by clicking the Views button on the toolbar (its the right-most toolbar button).
Figure 14-4: The Contents pane displays clips, video effects, and transitions.
The Monitor pane, found in the upper right of the WMM interface, is used to view individual clips or the currently loaded project, the latter of which will be reflected in the Storyboard/Timeline pane as well. The monitor functions like a simple video player. You can resize it to make it larger or smaller, navigate through clips with the Seek Bar or playback controls, take still images with the Take Picture button, or even perform simple editing with the Split Clip button. A small bluish purple button also enables you to view the clip in full screen mode if youd like. (You can press Esc to get out of that mode.) The Monitor pane is shown in Figure 14-5. The Storyboard/Timeline pane will display either the Storyboard or Timeline view, depending on your editing needs. Either way, the pane is used to store the edited version of your home movie, which will be saved in a project file. A WMM project file includes information about any of the edits youve made to source content in the Storyboard/Timeline pane. That way, you can load the project again at some time in the future and pick up where you left off.
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Figure 14-5: The Monitor functions like a simple video player, letting you view your edited movie as you work on it.
The Storyboard, shown in Figure 14-6, is the default view and is simpler in nature than the Timeline view. The Storyboard view enables you to sequence clips in chronological order, and to add transitions and video effects.
The Timeline view, shown in Figure 14-7, offers all of the functionality of the Storyboard view, but is more complex because it provides much additional functionality. Here, you can visually arrange video and audio clips, manually add and edit transitions between clips, record and edit narration, add and edit titles, and perform other tasks. The Timeline view offers separate areas, called wells, for the video, audio, titles, and transitions that make up your edited home movie.
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Figure 14-7: The Timeline view offers more complexity than Storyboard view but is also more powerful.
Despite the fact that the Timeline view offers certain features that the Storyboard view does not, you can switch back and forth between the views at any time without losing any information.
Cross-Reference
You examined some of the issues involved with shooting home videos in Chapter 12, and covered capturing digital and analog video in Chapter 13.
Importing Video
If you have video content stored on your hard drive and would like to use it in WMM, you can import that content at any time by choosing File Import into Collections from the WMM menu. This presents an Import File dialog box that enables you to navigate the Windows file system and find the media files you want (this method works for photos and audio files in addition to movies). When you import video content into WMM, the application will create a new collection with the same name as the video file and break the video up into a number of parts, called clips. WMM will intelligently create the clips, too, trying to match the beginning of each clip to the start of a new scene. However, even if WMM doesnt do a good job of separating each clip, youll be able to reassemble them in the Storyboard/Timeline later.
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If you dont want WMM to split your imported video into clips, you can configure it not to. In the Import File dialog box, clear the option titled Create clips for video files.
Note
If you choose to delete clips in a collection, note that you are not deleting the original files, but rather just the clips, which are like shortcuts or links to those files.
Now that you understand how to manage source content, its time to get to work and edit some video.
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Figure 14-8: To begin editing, simply drag and drop some clips into the Storyboard or Timeline.
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When you release the mouse button, the clips are arranged in chronological order in the Storyboard (see Figure 14-9).
Figure 14-9: WMM will retain the correct running order when you drag clips into the Storyboard.
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menu. As the project plays in the Monitor pane, the Seek Bar moves to match the location of the current clip, but you can also manually move the Seek Bar to jump to a new location, or use the playback controls to perform other navigational changes. You can also select a different clip in the Storyboard while the project is playing, and then the playback will jump to the beginning of that clip and continue playing. To stop the preview, click the Stop or Pause button.
Figure 14-10: The clip properties dialog box is highly descriptive, with lots of valuable information about the current clip.
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To view information about the project, choose File and then Properties from the WMM menu. This dialog box, shown in Figure 14-11, is a bit less descriptive, and lists only the current duration of the project, the title, and the author (which defaults to your Windows user name).
Figure 14-11: The most important bit of information you can obtain about the project is its current running length.
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Figure 14-12: Any two adjacent video clips can be combined into a single clip.
When you perform this action, the first of the clips takes on the content and length of both clips combined. To reverse the effect, select Edit and then Undo Combine from the WMM menu.
Figure 14-13: You can split clips directly from the Monitor pane.
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You can also split clips in Timeline view. To do so, click the Show Timeline button in the Storyboard/Timeline pane to display the Timeline view. Then, navigate to the appropriate location in the project. Note that when youre in Timeline view, you can manually position the trim handle, a blue vertical bar representing the current position of the project, with the mouse (see Figure 14-14). You can also zoom in and out with the Zoom Timeline In and Zoom Timeline Out buttons in order to be more precise.
Figure 14-14: The trim handle determines where the current clip will be split or trimmed.
When youve found the exact place that youd like to split the current clip in two, select Split from the Clip menu. In the timeline, you can see that the clip has been split (see Figure 14-15).
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To trim the beginning of a video clip, position the trim handle at the end of the unwanted portion in Timeline view. Then, select Set Start Trim Point from the Clip menu. When you do this, all of the video in the current clip before the trim handle is deleted. To trim the end of a video clip, position the trim handle at the beginning of the unwanted portion of video and select Set End Trim Point. Then select Set End Trim Point from the Clip menu, and all of the video in the current clip after the trim handle is deleted. You can also trim video from the end of a clip by dragging the end of the clip to the left in the Timeline view. To do this, position the mouse point over the end of any clip, and youll see it change into a red double-arrow cursor (see Figure 14-16).
Figure 14-16: You can resize clips visually in the Timeline view.
Now, select the end of the current clip and drag left, as shown in Figure 14-17. When youve located the place in the clip where youd like to trim, release the mouse button and the trim is completed.
Figure 14-17: As you move the cursor to the left, the current clip is trimmed down from the back.
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PICKING A TRANSITION
To work with transitions, ensure that the current project is in Storyboard view. Then select View video transitions from the Edit Movie section of the Movie Tasks pane. This displays Video Transitions in the Contents pane as shown in Figure 14-18.
Figure 14-18: Windows Movie Maker offers a number of transitions from which to choose.
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While the transition icons in the Contents pane visually hint at how each transition will work, you can preview transitions in the Monitor pane by double-clicking them. When you do so, a preview movie transitions from one clip to the next using the selected transition, as shown in Figure 14-19.
ADDING A TRANSITION
To insert a transition between two clips in the current project, find the transition you want and then drag it down to the appropriate transition cell, which is the small box between each clip in Storyboard view, as shown in Figure 14-20. When the transition is applied, a small graphic will appear in the transition cell as a visual aid. If you switch temporarily to Timeline view, you can see how the transition looks there (see Figure 14-21). Note that you will have to expand the Video well to see the Transition well.
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Figure 14-20: You can add transitions in Storyboard view by dragging them to the transition cell between two clips.
Figure 14-21: Transitions appear in their own well in the Timeline view.
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Figure 14-22: To add a transition in Timeline view, simply drag it between two video clips.
PREVIEWING A TRANSITION
To preview the transition youve applied, make sure youre in Timeline view. Then, navigate to a spot just before a transition using the trim handle and press Play in the monitor. If the transition supplies the desired effect, youre good to go and can move on to the next task. Otherwise, you can simply apply a different transition using either of the techniques described previously. Since you can have only one transition between clips, the new transition will replace the previous one.
DELETING A TRANSITION
To delete a transition, right-click it in either the Storyboard or Timeline view and choose Delete. In my opinion, this is easier to accomplish in Storyboard view. When youre happy with the transitions youve added to your movie, be sure to save your project. This will retain any previously created transitions.
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On the Web
Microsoft makes a number of free WMM transitions available in various Fun Packs and in its Plus! Digital Media Edition for Windows XP, which is available for order online for just $19.95. For more information, visit www.microsoft.com/windows/plus/dme/dmehome.asp.
Effect
Blur Brightness, Decrease Brightness, Increase Ease In Ease Out Fade In, From Black Fade In, From White Fade Out, to Black Fade Out, to White Film Age, Old Film Age, Older Film Age, Oldest Film Grain Grayscale Hue, Cycles Entire Color Spectrum Mirror, Horizontal Mirror, Vertical
What it does
Makes the current clip appear blurry. Decreases the brightness of the current clip. Increases the brightness of the current clip. Gently zooms into the center of the current clip (works best for pictures). Gently zooms away from the center of the current clip (works best for pictures). Fades from solid black into the beginning of the current clip. Fades from solid white into the beginning of the current clip. Fades from the current clip into solid black. Fades from the current clip into solid white. Applies a film aging effect to the current clip. Applies a more severe film aging effect to the current clip. Applies an even more severe film aging effect to the current clip. Applies a film grain effect to the current clip. Transforms the current clip to black and white. Applies a strange cyclic color effect to the current clip that moves from blue to green to yellow to red to purple. Reverses the display of the current clip horizontally. Reverses the displays of the current clip vertically (flips it upside down).
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What it does
Pans from the upper left to the upper right of a still image (for pictures only). Pans from the upper right to the upper left of a still image (for pictures only). Gradually pixelates the current clip. Adds a posterize effect to the current clip. Rotates the current clip 90 degrees to the left (sideways). Rotates the current clip 180 degrees to the left (upside down). Rotates the current clip 270 degrees to the left (sideways). Applies a sepia tone colorization to the current clip. Slows down the playback speed of the current clip to half the original speed. Applies an artistic smudge stick effect to the current clip. Speeds up the playback speed of the current clip to twice the normal speed. Applies a threshold effect to the current clip. Applies an artistic watercolor effect to the current clip. Zooms into the lower left of the current clip (for pictures only). Zooms into the lower right of the current clip (for pictures only). Zooms into the upper left of the current clip (for pictures only). Zooms into the upper right of the current clip (for pictures only). Zooms out from the lower left of the current clip (for pictures only). Zooms out from the lower right of the current clip (for pictures only). Zooms out from the upper left of the current clip (for pictures only). Zooms out from the upper right of the current clip (for pictures only). Focuses in on the lower left of the current clip. Focuses in on the lower right of the current clip. Focuses in on the upper left of the current clip. Focuses in on the upper right of the current clip.
Unlike transitions, you can apply more than one effect to a single clip. So if youd like to zoom into the upper right of a clip, and apply sepia tone and smudge tone effects, you can do so.
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PICKING AN EFFECT
To work with video effects, its generally easier to work in Storyboard view. Then select View video effects from the Edit Movie section of the Movie Tasks pane. This will display Video Effects in the Contents pane (see Figure 14-23).
Figure 14-23: Windows Movie Maker offers a wide range of video effects you can apply to your movies.
To preview any effect, simply double-click it. The effect will display in the Monitor.
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Figure 14-24: Windows Movie Maker offers a wide range of video effects you can apply to your movies.
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On the Web
Microsoft makes a number of WMM effects available in various free downloadable Fun Packs and in its Plus! Digital Media Edition for Windows XP, which is available for order online for just $19.95. For more information, visit www.microsoft.com/windows/plus/dme/dmehome.asp.
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Figure 14-25: From this page, you can add both titles and credits to your home movie.
Figure 14-26: In this screen, you can enter text for your title and set title options.
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As you enter text in either of the two title text boxes, the title will preview in the Monitor pane, as shown in Figure 14-27. Note that the text you enter in the top box is considered the main title and will typically appear in a larger font than the text you enter in the bottom box, which is considered the secondary title.
Figure 14-27: WMM enables you to preview your title before committing it to the movie.
By default, WMM uses a fade-in and -out effect when displaying a title, but you can change that animation and choose from a list of many others. Youll examine those choices later in the section Choosing a Title or Credits Animation. You can also change many font-related other options used in your title by selecting the option titled Change the text font and color. Youll look at those options in the section titled Choosing Font-related Title Options in just a bit.
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When youre done editing the title text, choose Done, add title to movie, and the title youve selected will be added to the beginning of your movie, as shown in Figure 14-28.
Figure 14-28: Your new title occupies three seconds of space at the beginning of the movie.
Note that when you add a title to the beginning of the movie in this fashion that the title is not added over the beginning of the movie, but rather a blank screen with text is added before the first frame of the movie. This may or may not be what you want. If youd rather add title text over your movie, you can do so that eventuality is covered in the next section. Or, you can choose to change the length of the title by resizing it within the timeline.
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Figure 14-29: Now, your titles are superimposed over a sample graphic to approximate how it will look over video.
And, as with the instructions in the previous section, you can change the animation used to display the title, and configure numerous font display options. But when you select the option titled Done, add title to the movie, there are some differences when compared to the previous method. First, instead of adding the title as a new clip in the Video well of the timeline, the title is instead added as a new element in the Title Overlay well, as shown in Figure 14-30. This change has a few ramifications. The first is that you can now position the title anywhere youd like in the timeline, by moving it left and right and previewing the change in the Monitor pane. Now, the title text is displayed as an overlay on top of your video, which makes for some pretty professional-looking results.
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Figure 14-30: In this example, the title is added as a discrete overlay that can be moved to any point in the timeline.
Figure 14-31: WMM lets you preview your title before committing it to the movie.
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Most credits will be added after your movie completes, but depending on which title animation you choose, you can also overlay the credits next to, or above, the final frame of video. Youll look at the various title and credit animations in the next section.
Figure 14-32: Overlaid titles add a professional touch to your home movies.
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Figure 14-33: WMM lets you fine-tune the display of the fonts used in your titles and credits.
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To add narration to your home movie, click the Narrate Timeline button in the Storyboard/ Timeline pane (it resembles a small microphone); you can use this tool while either the timeline is displayed, so Movie Maker will switch to the Timeline view if youre currently using the Storyboard view. When you do click the button, the WMM window will resemble Figure 14-34.
Figure 14-34: The Narration Timeline feature lets you add a narration track to your movies.
A couple of points about the narration feature should make things clear. First, the narration you record does not replace the audio track thats associated with the video youre narrating; instead, both audio tracks will be played back simultaneously. Second, the narration track will appear separately in the Audio/Music well of the timeline. This means that you can move it around and trim it as necessary, which can be handy. To record narration, position the trim handle where you want it and then press the Start Narration button. The video will start playing, and you can begin speaking. When youre done, click Stop Narration, and then WMM will prompt you to save the resulting audio file, which it will then add to the current project. Also, the narration track you recorded will be added to the Audio/Music well.
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You can repeat this process as often as needed: To record a second bit of narration, simply position the trim handle again and repeat the steps above. When youre done recording narration, click the Done choice in the Narrate Timeline screen. Finally, its worth noting that narration tracks can be modified in familiar ways. You can fade them in and out, for example, and modify their overall volume level, using a now-standard rightclick menu.
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Figure 14-35: WMM offers a plethora of quality choices for saving your movies to disk.
So which setting should you use? Thats going to depend on what youre trying to accomplish, and how you intend to use your final movie. My advice is to stick to the highest-possible quality WMV file for most movies. This is typically going to be the option titled Video for local playback (2.1 Mbps NTSC). You can also save multiple versions of a movie. So if you know youre going to want a version for your PC or Media Center PC, a version for your Pocket PC, and one to display on the Web, you can save all three independently. The process of saving a movie to disk can often take a lot of time, especially if the movie is more than a few minutes long and is using one of the higher quality settings levels. Strictly speaking, youre going to want to spend this time away from the PC: Writing a movie to disk is memory-, CPU-, and disk-intensive, and unless you have the most epically powerful computer on the planet, youll be frustrated trying to perform even simple tasks while this is happening.
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Saving a Movie to CD
If youd like to create a Video CD (VCD) that is viewable on most DVD players, sadly, thats impossible with WMM. VCD compatibility would have been nice: Though VCDs are roughly equivalent to VHS quality (which is to say, not that great), with lots of MPEG-1 artificating, theyre a good option for short movies that youd like to share with friends and family who dont have a PC. But you cant do that in WMM. Instead, WMM lets you create whats called a HighMAT CD, which is a new hybrid data/video CD that provides somewhat usable menus on HighMAT-compatible DVD players. On other DVD players (that is, most DVD players), HighMAT CDs dont work at all. So theyre useless for people who dont have PCs. On PCs, HightMAT CDs offer a few advantages over VCDs, however. First, they can be of any quality level, including the high quality 2.1 Mbps WMV format I mentioned in the previous section. Second, HighMAT CDs play back just fine in Windows Media Player and on Media Center PCs. Third, because theyre stored on CDs, theyre still easy to distribute, assuming of course that the people youre giving them have PCs. To create such a disk, choose the Save to CD option. The Save Movie Wizard appears, allowing you to name the movie file that will be saved to CD, and a name for the CD. By default, the wizard will save this movie with a profile called Best fit for recordable CD, the quality of which varies from movie-to-movie, based on its length: Shorter movies can be saved at higher quality within the space restrictions (typically about 750 MB) of a recordable CD.
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Figure 14-36: XP Media Center Edition 2005 provides rudimentary DVD burning capabilities.
Figure 14-37: DVD movies created in WMM copy the Media Center look and feel.
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Figure 14-38: In a nice bit of automation, your saved movie is automatically pasted into a new e-mail message.
This feature works well enough, but be sure to save a copy of the movie to disk before sending it to make sure the quality is good enough (the wizard gives you this option). Typically, only the shortest movies are going to translate well to a size that can be sent via e-mail.
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The key is to understand which formats to use. Because so many people still access the Internet with low-bandwidth accounts, it makes sense to offer one or more copies of the movie online, so that people can choose between low-bandwidth and high-bandwidth versions. On the Web, a low-bandwidth movie is best represented by the WMM profile Video for ISDN (48 Kbps), which offers a small 160 120 movie at 15 fps. For high-bandwidth, you might choose Video for broadband (320 Kbps), which offers 320240 resolution at 30 fps. These choices are both available from the Save to my computer option under the Finish Movie section in the Movie Tasks list.
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When youre ready to begin recording, click Next, and the tape archive begins recording. Note that content written to DV tape is written in native DV-AVI format as a normal movie. That is, its written to tape in the same way as any video is recorded. So you can import that movie later with WMM or any other tool, or view it on a monitor or TV. Because of this, the recording will take exactly as long as your movie takes to playback. If its a 14-minute video, it will take 14 minutes to record it to tape.
Summary
In this chapter, you looked at the ways in which you can create home movies using Windows Movie Maker. By adding special effects such as transitions, credits, and titles, you can put the professional finishing touches on your creation. In Chapter 15 you learn how to create DVDs using the built-in support provided by Windows XP Media Center 2005. You also look more closely at some of the third-party DVD burning programs that have more features for mastering DVDs.
Chapter 15
Cross-Reference
If youre interested in creating audio CDs, be sure to check out Chapter 3.
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TEAM LinG - Live, Informative, Non-cost and Genuine !
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DVD-RAM, and the DVD+RW Alliance, which backs formats such as DVD+R (DVD plus R) and DVD+RW. In the early days of PC-based recordable DVD players, you had to choose between the formats you could use, based on which hardware you purchased. But today, its far more common to find so-called combo, or multiwriter, drives, which support DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, and DVD+RW. Some even support DVD-RAM as well. This development has blunted the damage that a format war could have had on the recordable DVD market. DVD-R and DVD+R are write once optical formats, similar to CD-R. They both support creating disks that hold up 4.7 GB of data. DVD-RW and DVD-RW, meanwhile, are 4.7 GB rewriteable disks. That means that you can reformat a DVD-RW or DVD+RW disk and reuse it. DVD-RAM disks typically come in plastic cartridges and are similar to removable hard drives. Additionally, DVD-RAM disks support random read/write access, like a hard drive, and are natively supported in all versions of Windows XP, even though such disks are fairly uncommon. Such disks come in 4.7 GB formats these days. In recent years, recordable DVD manufacturers have fulfilled the promise of DVD storage expansion by releasing drives and disks that support two layers. These types of disks can store up to 9.4 GB of data. Double-sided disks are also becoming common. In the early days of the DVD format wars, there was some debate about which format, DVD-R or DVD+R, offered better compatibility with standard DVD players. The argument is important: It doesnt matter when you make a beautiful DVD movie on your PC if your parents, siblings, friends, or other people cant watch it on their hardware. By all accounts, DVD-R offers better compatibility with most DVD players, but more modern DVD players natively support DVD+R as well, so its no longer the issue it once was. Furthermore, since most DVD recorders these days offer support for multiple formats, you can simply use the types of disks that offer you the best compatibility. As noted previously, all versions of Windows XP support DVD-RAM, and will use such disks as slow moving hard drives. DVD-RAM, however, is not capable of being used to store DVD movies that will play back on normal DVD hardware. Today, no version of Windows XP, except for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, natively supports DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, or DVD+RW, so youll focus on that system for the next few sections. Then, at the end of this chapter, you look at a few third-party options that all XP owners can try.
Creating a DVD Movie with Windows Movie Maker and XP Media Center Edition 2005
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 offers a host of improvements over other Windows XP versions and prior Media Center versions, including an elegant new 10-foot interface that looks great on a TV and can be controlled through a remote control, digital video recording (DVR) capabilities that let you record TV as well as pause, rewind, and fast forward live TV, and other digital media-related enhancements. You look at XP Media Center Edition 2005 in more detail in Chapter 16, and explore specific features as they come up throughout this book, but one other unique feature this system offers is integrated DVD burning. Heres how it works.
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To create a DVD movie or data DVD of any video, recorded TV show, or other content from within Media Center, simply right-click the content youd like to record (or select it with the remote control and then click the Details/More Info button) and select Create CD/DVD, as shown in Figure 15-1.
Figure 15-1: To access Media Centers DVD writing capabilities, access the More Info menu for any digital content.
This action brings up the Create CD/DVD screen, which is shown in Figure 15-2. From this screen, you can create a data DVD, a Video DVD, or a DVD slide show. A Data DVD is similar to the types of DVDs you might make when you backup your hard drive. Such a disk can contain any type of data file. It cannot be read by a DVD player but is instead designed to work with PCs only. A Video DVD is a DVD movie that can be played back in any DVD player, including those that most people have attached to their TVs. If youd like to share a home movie or recorded TV show with friends and family, this is the choice.
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Figure 15-2: The Create CD/DVD screen can be used to create DVD data disks and movies.
A DVD Slide Show is a special kind of data DVD that contains both photographs and digital music. These disks can only be played back on PCs, because Media Center assembles the content into animated slideshows that are similar to the effects you get when you display photo slide shows from within Media Center. So, to create a DVD movie, select Video DVD and then click the OK button. In the next screen, youre prompted to enter a name for the DVD movie (see Figure 15-3).
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Figure 15-3: Creating a DVD with just a remote control is possible thanks to Media Centers simple menus.
When youre ready to start burning or add more content, click the OK button. Here, you can add more content, change the name of the DVD, or create the DVD. Click Add More to add more content until youre ready to start burning. Then, click the Create DVD button. Media Center will prompt you to make sure you want to create a disk and then start the burn process (see Figure 15-4), which could take several minutes or much longer, depending on the amount of content youre copying to the DVD.
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Figure 15-4: When you have a bunch of content ready to go, you can rearrange it or start the DVD burning process.
Caution
DVD burning is a resource-intensive task, so unless you want to make a coaster that is, a ruined DVD disk I recommend leaving your PC alone while it burns DVDs. This is equally true for the fastest PCs available as it is for the two-year-old clunker that Im currently using.
When the DVD creation is complete, you can test it on your PC using Windows Media Player (or Media Center), or place it in your DVD player and see whether it works. DVDs created through Media Center all sport the same Media Center-style interface, shown in Figure 15-5. Thats fine for many uses, but more advanced users will likely want to design their own DVD menus and arrange how things look. For such functionality, youll have to turn to a third-party solution.
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Figure 15-5: DVDs created with Media Center take on the Media Center look and feel.
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To burn a recorded TV show to DVD, simply navigate to the Recorded TV Shows section of Media Center (see Figure 15-6), right-click the appropriate TV show, and select Create CD/DVD. Then, follow the steps outlined in the previous section to make the DVD. If you see an error message, its likely that the content was protected with broadcast flag and thus cannot be copied to DVD.
Figure 15-6: Media Centers Recorded TV feature could likely make a DVR convert out of just about anyone.
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Note
Microsoft restricts other content from being burned to DVD as well. If you rent a movie from an online movie service like CinemaNow or MovieLink, or purchase video content from MLB.com or a similar service, Media Center will not allow you to burn that content to DVD. In these cases, it is the Digital Rights Management (DRM) restrictions that content creators have placed on the files, and not the broadcast flag, that prevents you from copying them.
Cross-Reference
For more information about recording TV and Media Center, see Chapter 16.
On the Web
Check this books Web site for updated information about these and other third-party DVD moviemaking packages (www.xpdigitalmedia.com).
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Sonic MyDVD
Sonic MyDVD is definitely my favorite DVD application for beginning users. This graphical application has the simplest and most intuitive interface of any application here, and is excellent for beginners and advanced users alike, especially if you just want to get the DVD made and make sure it looks great in the process. If you want infinite control over the smallest details, look to Premiere Elements, but if you want simple and fun, this is the solution. For more information, check out the Sonic Web site at www.sonic.com/products/mydvd/.
Summary
This chapter explored the ways you can burn your own DVDs and the various recordable DVD formats that exist today. You learned to create DVDs using either Windows Movie Maker or by taking advantage of the built-in burning capabilities included on the new Media Center PCs, which can also create DVDs from the shows you record. You also explored the DVD movie-making capabilities of some of the more popular third party software programs. In Chapter 16 you learn about moving digital media into the living room using the power and ease of XP Media Center PCs. You discover how Media Center brings all of your music, pictures, videos, DVDs, and even your TV together in one view that can be enjoyed from the comfort of your couch just by using your remote control. You also look more closely at how Media Center can reach out to the Internet to access online content such as movies, music, news, and more by using the services available through the Online Spotlight experience.
Part IV
Embracing the Digital Lifestyle
Chapter 16
Take It on the Road: Working with Portable Media Centers and Other Portable Devices
Chapter 16
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a Media Center PC as our TV interface in the living room. My children have grown up in a world where all of their digital photo memories can be viewed on the TV, and all of their favorite TV shows are recorded and waiting for them with new episodes. And because Media Center has excellent DVR functionality, they barely ever see any commercials, because they can fast forward through them to get back to their shows. As Media Center has matured, a few things have changed. First, the buggy first generation machines gave way to increased stability, which, along with lower prices, has obviated the major criticism some have leveled at putting a Media Center PC in the living room. Second, Microsoft has released a technology, the Media Center Extender, which answers many of the problems with Media Center PCs. A Media Center Extender is essentially a set-top box that remotely accesses Media Center content over a home network (wired or wireless, although wired is best), letting you enjoy Media Center content on up to five TVs in your house, all controlled by a central Media Center PC, which you can again put back in your home office. Were using three Media Center Extenders now one in the living room, one in the master bedroom, and one in the cellar and thats why the Media Center PC has moved out of the living room in my house. Third, Media Center is now a very high-quality product and up to the task of delivering unmatched video quality, as well as stability that (finally) matches the stability we expect from consumer electronics equipment. Sure, a Media Center PC is still a PC, and that means that you can expect the worst from time to time. But comparing todays Media Center PCs to the first generation versions we saw in late 2002 is like night and day. Between the pricing, new features and capabilities, and stability found in the latest generation, its clear that Media Center PCs and, more specifically, Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 is ready for primetime. All readers of this book who I assume are digital media enthusiasts by definition should consider a Media Center PC. Honestly, its changed the way my family enjoys memories (both photos and home movies), digital music, rented and purchased movies, and television in profound and extremely positive ways. This chapter examines the latest version of Media Center and provides an overview to this products unique and exciting features.
On the Web
Ive written a lot about Media Center on the SuperSite for Windows, so if youre looking for more information about this product, prior versions, Media Center Extenders, and other related technologies, go to www .winsupersite.com/.
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stereo equipment and would be more at home in your living room than would a traditional PC. Hewlett-Packard (HP), the first PC maker to broadly adopt Windows XP Media Center Edition in 2002, offers perhaps the best example of these two types of PCs. Thats because the company happens to make models that fall into both categories. As shown in Figure 16-1, HP makes both traditional PC-style Media Centers as well as Media Centers that can be considered home entertainment centers.
Figure 16-1: HPs Media Center designs are as diverse as they are innovative.
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Figure 16-2: Media Center provides a gorgeous interface to your digital media.
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TV program guide During configuration of Media Center, you set up the system to work with your particular television service provider. From there on out, Media Center silently updates your exact TV program guide on a regular basis, using an Internet-connected service. This program guide service is completely free, in contrast to services such as that offered by DVR market leader TiVo, which charges a monthly fee. TV recording service Also running in the background is Media Centers TV recording service, which keeps track of the shows you want to record and checks daily the constantly changing TV program guide for updates which could change the schedule. Digital Media applications Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 ships with four of the most popular digital media utilities that Microsoft first shipped in Plus! Digital Media Edition. These utilities include Windows Audio Converter, Windows CD Label Maker, Windows Dancer, and Windows Party Mode. A new Windows user interface Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 is the first version of Windows XP to ship with a new user interface. Dubbed Energy Blue, the new interface is a subtle refinement of the classic Windows XP user interface, codenamed Luna, as shown in Figure 16-3.
Figure 16-3: XP Media Center Edition 2005 is the first Windows XP version to ship with a new user interface.
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So whats missing? While previous versions of Windows XP Media Center Edition were true supersets of Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Media Center Edition loses a few bits of Windows XP Professional functionality. For example, in Windows XP Professional, you can use the Stored User Names and Passwords feature to store Web passwords as well as Passport and network passwords. Windows XP Media Center 2005, however, only allows you to save Passport and network passwords, like Windows XP Home Edition. On the other hand, Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, like Windows XP Professional, does include the Microsoft Web server software, Internet Information Services (IIS). Im told that the Windows XP Professional omissions in Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 are caused by two factors: First, some Windows XP Professional features are incompatible with Media Center Extenders, because that hardware allows Windows XP to access up to six concurrent interactive users simultaneously, while Windows XP Professional only supports one. Second, because Microsoft wanted to make Windows XP Media Center Edition more cost effective, it removed a few features that might have made the system more expensive to support. For this reason, the Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 feature set is somewhere between that of Windows XP Home and Windows XP Professional, although it also features the Media Center interface and related TV show recording features.
Cross-Reference
At a deep level, Media Center uses the same database of digital media information that is created and managed by Windows Media Player. So if you want content to show up in Media Center, you want to familiarize yourself with how WMP works. For more details, see Chapters 2 and 3.
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When you select an album from My Music, youre presented with the Album Details view, as seen in Figure 16-5, which lays out the available tracks and enables you to play them or queue them up. You can also perform simple metadata-related editing tasks by clicking Edit Info. Media Center also integrates with various Internet radio-type services, such as those offered by MSN Music, Napster, and others. You can access these services through the Radio section of the Media Center user interface.
Cross-Reference
For more information about managing and enjoying digital audio, please refer to the chapters in Part 1 of this book, Music to Your Ears.
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Figure 16-5: In Album Details view, you can access tasks related to a particular album.
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Cross-Reference
For more information about managing and enjoying digital photos, please refer to the chapters in Part 2 of this book, A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words.
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Figure 16-7: Combine photo slide shows with music for the most dramatic effect.
Cross-Reference
For more information about managing and enjoying digital video, please refer to the Chapters in Part 3 of this book, Movie Making.
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Figure 16-8: Movies are designed to be played back on a nice TV, not a tiny computer screen.
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Here, you can access live TV, a list of the television shows the Media Center has or will soon record, an interactive TV program guide (see Figure 16-10), and other TV-related features.
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Figure 16-10: The Media Center TV program guide is well-designed and easy to navigate.
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RECORDING TV SHOWS
If you want to record a TV show, you have numerous options. While watching a live TV show, you can start recording at any time by pressing the red Record button on your remote control. When you do so, a small panel will pop up with a red recording circle, indicating that the recording has begun. The recording will run from the time you press the Record button until the time the current show ends. To set up recordings in advance, which is pretty much the way to go typically, you can navigate through the TV program guide, find the shows you want to record, and press the Record button while theyre selected. To set up a series recording where every show in a series is recorded press the Record button twice. When you do so, youll see a stacked set of red recording circles appear on the show, as shown in Figure 16-11. You can also access a Series Info screen to determine how a series is recorded. For example, you may want to keep only the five newest shows or record only new shows, not repeats. Its up to you.
Figure 16-11: When you elect to record a series, Media Center notes that with a unique series recording graphic overlay.
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You can also use Media Centers search functionality to find shows to record. To do so, navigate to My TV, Recorded TV, and then Add Recording. From here, you can see a number of choices for scheduling recordings, including Search. If you choose Search (see Figure 16-12), you can search via categories, title, or keyword.
Figure 16-12: The Media Center Search feature is handy when you know what youre looking for.
Lets say youre a Tom Selleck fan. If youd like to record every show that features Tom Selleck, simply select Keyword and then type Tom Selleck in the edit box that appears. Youll be rewarded with a list of TV shows and movies that feature Mr. Selleck, as shown in Figure 16-13.
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Figure 16-13: With Media Centers search features, Tom Selleck really gets around.
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Figure 16-14: Cool. These are all of the movies on right now.
But wait; theres more. In addition to letting you search for music by genre and by rating, you can also perform a Six Degrees of Kevin Bacontype exercise by choosing Actors/Directors. This presents believe it or not a list of the actors who are in movies on your TV service now, letting you navigate around and find content. You can also access this information from the Movie Info screen of any movie or TV show. Lets see how this can be used practically by using an example in which youre in the mood for a good comedy. And lets say you like Adam Sandler for some reason (work with me, he was funny once). In My TV, you can navigate to Movies, and then Actors/Directors. In this screen, you see a list of top actors, listed alphabetically (see Figure 16-15). At the top of the list (remember, folks, its alphabetical) is good ol Adam Sandler.
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Figure 16-15: In Actors/Directors, youre presented with a list of top actors by default.
When you select Adam Sandler, youre presented with a list of movies in which he appears (see Figure 16-16). Navigating through the list, you see the title Airheads and select that. From the Movie Info screen, you can select Cast & More to access information about the other actors in this fine film. Oh, look. Steve Buscemi is in Airheads as well. When you select his name, you can see a list of movies hes been in. Turns out there are over 70 of them. And one of them, Reservoir Dogs, is a classic you havent seen in a while. Select that, and you can set up a recording. If its not on in the near future, you can select Record in Future, and it will record the next time it comes on your TV service. Yes, seriously. And of course you can also navigate from here and get more cast info, access reviews, or find similar movies. You could spend all day doing this if youre not careful. But most important, this cool functionality makes it easy to find new content that you can record and watch at any time. Thanks to Media Center, TV has evolved into something wonderful.
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Figure 16-16: When you select an actor, you can see a list of the movies hes been in.
ONLINE SERVICES
From the Online Spotlight choice on the Media Center start page, you can access a number of online services that work from within the Media Center interface (see Figure 16-17). Like the list of online music, movie, and digital content services that are available from within Windows Media Player (see Chapters 6 and 13), the list of Media Centerbased online services is growing regularly. These services, as you might expect, are all accessible from the remote control and dont require you to be sitting at your PC using a keyboard and mouse.
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Figure 16-17: Online spotlight provides a place for Media Center partners to place their services.
The Media Centerbased online services, predictably, fall into a number of logical categories: Showcase These are the services that Microsoft is currently promoting on the front page of Online Spotlight. Current choices are as diverse as Napster, Reuters, and Kodak Share. Music & Radio These are the music-oriented online services, such as AOL Music On Demand, Live365.com, MSN Music, and Napster. I cover online music services in Chapter 6.
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TV & Movies These services are TV and movie related, such as ABC Enhanced TV, CinemaNow, InterActual, and MovieLink. You examine movie-related services such as CinemaNow and MovieLink in Chapter 13. News & Sports News and sports-oriented services include ESPN Motion, MSN TV Today, Newsgator, NPR, and Reuters. Lifestyle At the time of the launch of Windows XP Media Center 2005, there was only one Lifestyle online service, Kodak Share, which lets you access your online photo albums through the Media Center interface. Downloads In the Downloads section, Microsofts partners can offer links to downloadable Media Center programs, which you can try and purchase online. Over time, Microsofts partners will likely release a number of other Media Centerbased online services, so you should check into Online Spotlight from time to time to see if there are any intriguing new choices you might be interested in.
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Figure 16-18: Over time, Microsoft has made it possible to do more and more from within Media Center. Now, you can even synchronize your Media Library with portable devices.
Summary
This chapter introduced you to Windows XP Media Center and showed how the PC can move into your living room as the center of your entertainment experience. Media Center combines powerful PC hardware and the Media Center software to provide easy access to all your entertainment needs. Using the remote control, you can watch TV and DVD movies, and enjoy your favorite music in the background while viewing your favorite digital pictures as a slide show. You can also use Media Centers TV features to record and watch your favorite shows at the touch of a button. In Chapter 17 you examine how, with Media Center Extenders that connect to your Media Center PC, you can have digital media thats accessible throughout your home. You also look more closely at how you manage Media Center Extenders, and integrate them into your home network.
Chapter 17
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the cellar, and three bedrooms, if you want. And that ugly and loud PC stays in the home office where it belongs.
YOU GET MOST, BUT NOT ALL, OF THE MEDIA CENTER EXPERIENCE
Though a Media Center Extender faithfully displays the Media Center experience on your TV remotely, a few things are missing. First, you cant remotely play DVD movies that youve inserted in your Media Center PC. Microsoft says there are two reasons for this: First, most people wouldnt be interested in running back and forth between the home office and living room to replace DVD discs. And second, its unclear whether rebroadcasting the digitally protected signal from a DVD movie is a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). So that option is out. Sadly, none of the first-generation Media Center Extender device makers thought to put a DVD player in their units, so youll also have a separate DVD player attached to your TV if you like to enjoy DVD movies. Not a big deal, to be sure DVD players are cheap these days but its another box you need to manage, with its many cables and TV input isssues.
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DEVICES
At the time of this writing, companies such as Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Linksys are selling $300 set-top boxes called Media Center Extenders. These devices are silent and low-profile and look right at home alongside virtually any television. They all include a standard Media Center remote control and, indeed, you can mix and match remotes with your Media Center if youd like. (That is, you TEAM LinG - Live, Informative, Non-cost and Genuine !
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can use any Extender remote on the Media Center PC, or use the Media Center remote on any Extender.
XBOX EXTENDERS
Microsofts Media Center Extender for Xbox is a software-hardware solution that includes a remote control, an infrared receiver dongle that plugs into one of the Xboxs four hand controller ports, an installation disk for the PC, and an Xbox DVD that must be inserted into the Xbox for it to emulate an Extender. The remote control that comes with the Extender software is one of the nicer Media Centerstyle remotes Ive seen, but its not compatible with Media Center PCs or Media Center Extender devices; it can only work with the Xbox (on the other hand, you can use it to control DVD movies played back from the Xbox). Personally, I prefer Media Center Extender devices over an Xbox because theyre quieter, can be placed on top of a PC because they dont have any wires hanging down in the front (unlike an Xboxs hand controllers), and dont require you to swap out a disk to make them work. Also, you can use a dedicated Extender wirelessly without buying an adapter: On the Xbox, youd have to purchase a separate and potentially expensive add-on to network it wirelessly. Finally, you cant use the Power button on the Xbox remote to turn off the Xbox; all it does is shut down the Extender software and leave the Xbox powered on. On the other hand, if you already own an Xbox, and perhaps use it to play DVD movies in addition to playing games, you can make this most versatile of video game systems even more versatile by turning it into a Media Center Extender. Best of all, the Extender software for the Xbox is cheap, and you can get an Xbox plus the software for less than the price of a dedicated Extender device.
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use, you can also choose between S/PDIF (optical) and RCA-style (analog) audio, again, based on which inputs your TV accepts. Please refer to your devices documentation if you need help.
Tip
Using an Xbox Extender? The process is basically the same, except that you will need to insert the Media Center Extender DVD in order to use your Xbox like an Extender device.
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Figure 17-1: When you install a new Extender, you need to enter a setup key to pair the device with your Media Center PC.
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Figure 17-2: The Media Center Extender Manager is used to configure and add Extenders to a Media Center PC.
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Figure 17-3: From here, you can determine which folders can be shared with Media Center Extenders.
UPDATING AN EXTENDER
To update the software in a Media Center Extender, choose File Update Extender. This will display the screen shown in Figure 17-4. Here, you choose the Extender youd like to update and then click Next. Then Media Center will locate the Extender and determine whether a software update is available online. If so, the Extender will be updated.
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Figure 17-4: Any Extenders you have connected can potentially be updated.
Figure 17-5: This dialog box displays a variety of information about a particular Extender.
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REMOVING AN EXTENDER
To remove an Extender, select it in the Media Center Extender Manager window and choose Properties. Then click the Remove button in the Media Center Extender Properties dialog box. The application will prompt you to make sure you know what youre doing. After a Media Center Extender has been removed from your system, you can re-add it or pair it with a different Media Center PC.
Figure 17-6: The Media Center Extender Network Performance Tuner lets you tune the performance of your wirelessly connected Extender.
Then it provides the series of tests shown in Figure 17-7. Note that your Media Center Extender must be on, not displaying any digital media content and showing the Start screen, for these tests to work.
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Figure 17-7: These tests are available from the Media Center Extender Network Performance Tuner.
Most of the tests here are pretty self-explanatory. For example, the first option, which is particularly well suited for testing the wireless connection between your Media Center PC and Extender, enables you to move networking equipment around physically while observing a graphical representation of the performance of your network. Nice!
Summary
In this chapter, you looked at the ways you can extend the Media Center entertainment throughout your home by connecting a Media Center Extender to your Media Center PC through a network. You learned that the configuration of your network (wired or wireless) plays an important role in setting up and managing your Media Center Extender. In Chapter 18 you examine how you can take your digital media on the road using portable media devices. You also look more closely at some portable media devices such as PocketPC, Portable Media Center, and the iPod, and the methods used to transfer content and synchronize your device with your PC.
Chapter 18
Take It On the Road: Working with Portable Media Centers and Other Portable Devices
K, youre using Windows XP to make your digital media dreams come true. Youve archived all of your photos on the PC. Youve copied all of your audio CDs to the PC and now buy music regularly from online music services and make your own mix CDs that you play in the car. Youve copied all of your home movies to the PC, edited out the boring parts, and distributed DVD movies to all your friends and family. You record live TV with your Media Center PC and watch it remotely from a Media Center Extender in another room in your house. Basically, youve earned the respect of all you meet. Now what? Well, youve only just begun. All of the digital media experiences discussed throughout this book would be very limited in nature if you could just enjoy them at your PC. In some cases with Media Center PCs, Media Center Extenders, and portable media receivers you can move that content around your house. And if you make mix CDs, you can move digital music content outside of your house, using car-based or portable CD players. Thats not enough. Thanks to a new generation of portable devices, and Microsoft technology that makes working with them easier than ever before, you can now enjoy your digital media content from anywhere on earth, at any time. Some of these devices, like portable audio players, only work with digital music. But other devices, like Portable Media Centers, let you take music, photos, video, and even recorded TV shows and movies with you, wherever you go. Theyre perfect for long plane or car rides (well, not for the driver), or for trips when you visit family and friends in far off places. And theyre becoming more mainstream every day.
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In this chapter you look at a wide range of portable devices and how they work with Windows XP. That includes Apples ubiquitous iPod, which, while not directly compatible with the host of Windows Media Audiobased online services out there, is still quite popular. Whichever device you choose, the mantra is still the same. When it comes to Windows XP and digital media, you really can take it with you.
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To determine trancoding options for a particular device, launch WMP and choose Tools Options, and then navigate to the Devices tab. Select the device you want to configure from the list and then click the Properties button. Then, access the Quality tab, which is shown in Figure 18-2. Here, you can determine the quality level of music copied to that device.
Figure 18-2: While Windows Media Player will automatically handle transcoding issues for you, its possible to override manually that setting if you need to.
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Use a Pocket PC
In 1996, Microsoft introduced Windows CE, its operating system for handheld PCs. The handhelds of the era were designed to offer much of the functionality youll find in a true PC, but with a smaller footprint and price. Windows CE was designed to look and feel like Windows so users and programmers alike could bring their Windows skills along for the ride when they ran out and adopted CE devices for their own. The anticipation seemed to make sense at the time but most of the first-generation devices that ran Windows CE offered tiny keyboards, hazy monochrome screens, and a clamshell design that was too small to type on but too big to fit in a pocket. They failed miserably in the market. Meanwhile, a company called Palm introduced a much smaller, much simpler, and less-expensive product called the Palm Pilot. These devices delivered only basic functionality, and were nothing like PCs, but they offered synchronization capabilities so people could transfer PIM information back and forth between the device and the PC. It was an instant success, and today, Palm and compatible products still dominate the market. Microsoft bounced back with a revision that included color; some manufacturers began building devices to run the new Windows CE (most were just a hair smaller than a laptop). These failed in the market as well. One small glimmer of hope came from the first generation of palm-sized PCs (originally called Palm PCs, though Palm Inc. soon put a stop to that). The palm-sized PCs still used the basic Windows desktop; they, too, failed to ignite dramatic sales. Perhaps mighty Microsoft was going to fail with its mini-OS. Indeed, by March 2000 the next version of Windows CE (version 3.0) was considered a make-or-break release for the company. If that failed in the market (as it seemed sure to do), Microsoft was going to pull the plug on its handheld products. Then, in April 2000, Microsoft announced the Pocket PC palm-sized devices from a variety of manufacturers running Windows CE. And something unexpected happened: They started selling and selling very well. Companies that had abandoned Windows CE were back with new devices, and new companies came on board with their own Pocket PC devices. A year after the release of the Pocket PC, Microsoft had established a true competitor in the handheld market and simultaneously resurrected the notion that everything the company makes only succeeds after three revisions. (From the perspective of someone who has been observing the PC industry for over a decade, I can honestly say that only the financial turnaround at Steve Jobs Apple Computer rivals the sudden turnaround experienced by Windows CE.) The secret to the success of the Pocket PC is simple: Microsoft finally listened to its users and made the machine they were asking for. Bringing the desktop Windows user interface to a handheld device might have seemed like a good idea at the time, but the market has proven that users want a simpler interface on a handheld. Todays Pocket PCs are extremely powerful, typically offer advanced wireless networking features, and are often expandable to include vast amounts of storage.
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Figure 18-3: Windows Media Player 10 Mobile offers much of the functionality of its desktop-based brethren.
On the Web
For more information about Windows Media Player 10 Mobile, visit my review on the SuperSite for Windows: www.winsupersite.com/reviews/wmp10_mobile.asp.
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Now, Portable Media Centers are not for everyone. Theyre rather large devices, about two and a half times the size of a typical iPod, so youre not going to take one with you while jogging, nor will one fit in your pocket. That said, Portable Media Centers are extremely versatile, because they work with so many different types of content. Theyre excellent for keeping the kids occupied on long car trips, and I bring one with me on plane flights.
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reduce the size and quality of photos, movies, and even music files if it has to. Conversely, you could configure a Portable Media Center device to automatically sync with only parts of your Media Library. If you choose to synchronize manually, you will need to drag content into the WMP Sync List in order to copy it to the device. You manage synchronization from the Sync section in WMP. When you click the Sync Settings button, youll see the dialog box shown in Figure 18-5. Here, you can determine how the device synchronizes and, if you chose Automatic Sync, which playlists it will sync with.
Figure 18-5: Portable Media Center synchronization settings are highly configurable from within Windows Media Player.
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Figure 18-6: The properties sheet for your Portable Media Center enables you to configure various settings.
Figure 18-7: Portable Media Center synchronization settings are highly configurable from within Windows Media Player.
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Figure 18-8: Newer devices like Portable Media Centers can be synchronized from directly within the Media Center environment.
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On the Web
For more information about Portable Media Centers, visit my review on the SuperSite for Windows: www .winsupersite.com/reviews/pmc.asp.
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Note
Because the iPod doesnt support the WMA format natively, you must first convert any WMA songs you may have into a format the iPod does understand before they can be played on your device. The easiest way to do this is with iTunes: When you first install iTunes, it will scan your system looking for music files, which it will then import into its music library. If it finds any WMA files, it will ask you if it can convert them into MP3 format. This process is non-destructive: It will not delete any of the files it is converting.
Most people will likely choose to let iTunes automatically manage their iPod. If you choose this option, all of the music in your music library will be automatically copied to your device whenever you connect it to the PC.
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Browsing and purchasing music through the iTunes Music Store is very similar to the process outlined for WMA-based online music services in Chapter 6. However, you should be aware that because Apple uses the non-standard and proprietary Protected AAC format for its purchased music files, you will not be able to play those files outside of iTunes or an iPod. For this reason, you should create audio CDs of any music you purchase from iTunes and then re-rip that music back to your PC in a non-protected format like MP3. I also describe that process in Chapter 6.
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Tip
There is one other Windows-based offering that works well with iPods. RealNetworks RealPlayer 10.x also offers compatibility with Apples popular portable audio device. Better still, if you purchase music from the RealPlayer Music Store, available from within RealPlayer, then you can transfer that music to the iPod as well. You can find out more about RealPlayer from the RealNetworks Web site at www.realplayer.com.
Summary
Windows XP has always been the place to be for digital media, and thats never been truer than it is today. And thanks to its integrated support for a variety of portable device types, Windows XPbased PCs are no longer islands of functionality. Instead, you can take your digital media with you on the road and enjoy your memories, your favorite music, and other content from any place on earth at any time. Microsofts marketing slogan for this capability is Digital Entertainment Anywhere, and for once the hype lives up to the reality. Dont be restricted by artificial barriers. Its your life: Enjoy it.
Index
Numerics
8MM analog video camera, 325 9SeriesDefault skin, 61 ADVC-50 digital video converter (Canopus), 145 album folders modifying, 9192 opening, 92 analog hole recordings, 157 Analog Recorder recording audio, 144, 152156 saving audio, 157 analog recordings, editing, 148150 analog video acquiring, 337341 defined, 323324 analog video cameras 8MM, 325 Hi-8, 325 Super VHS, 325 VHS, 324325 VHS-C, 325 analog-to-digital conversions challenges, 143144 hardware required, 144 software required, 144147 analog-to-digital converters (USB-based), 145 animations (home movies), 378 Apple AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) file format, 159 iPod, 445447, 450 iPod Photo, 449 iTunes application, 446447 iTunes Music Store, 159, 167168, 448 QuickTime player, 25 QuickTime streaming audio/video format, 2324 Aquarium skin, 61
A
AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) files playing, 14 proprietary status, 159 accessing digital cameras, 254 Media Library, 37, 50 online movie services, 342, 346 playlists, 110111 scanners, 233 acquiring analog video, 337341 digital photos manually, 264265 Media Center PC, 261264 Scanner and Camera Wizard, 254, 257260 digital video, 331336 Add to Library by Searching Computer dialog box, 1415 adding radio stations to My Stations list, 2021 songs to playlists, 111112 transitions, 364367 Adobe PhotoShop Elements, 209, 246 Premiere Elements, 397 Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) files playing, 14 proprietary status, 159 Advanced Tag Editor, 138139
451
452
Index
offline, 129130 progress bar, 132 quality, 123124 Shared Music, 98 step-by-step directions, 132133 stopping rip, 132 audio DVDs, 13 audio files backups, 174 creating unprotected versions of protected songs, 174 file size, 119 finding, 1415 Media Center PC, 2628 metadata auto-populating, 129 editing, 9294, 136139, 151152 entering manually, 129 moving, 9596 MP3, 120 My Music (Media Center PC), 406408 playing, 1415 playing all music in a folder, 103 portable audio devices, 181 quality, 119, 121 saving to disk, 151, 157 searching, 1415 Shared Music, 9698 storing in folders, 101 Windows Media Audio (WMA), 120121 Auto Play dialog box, 12, 127128
Atomic skin, 61 Audible.com audio books, 169 audio (analog source) editing, 148150 recording Plus! Analog Recorder, 152156 Windows Movie Maker (WMM), 145147 removing pops and hisses, 155 audio books, 169 audio buffering, 18 audio CDs burning, 114116 copying music to an audio CD, 109 Media Center PC, 2829 playing, 1113, 119 properties, 112114 recordable CD formats, 109110 ripping album art, 135 Album folders, 133134 analog copy type, 121122 audio formats, 123124 Auto Play dialog box, 127128 CD album information, 131132 content protection, 124125 correcting information, 131132 defined, 119 device configuration, 121 digital copy type, 121122 error correction, 121122 excluding songs, 130131 file-naming options, 126 Find Album Info button, 131 location of copied files, 125 Media Center PCs, 140142 metadata, 129
B
backups for audio files, 174 batteries for digital cameras, 251252 battery readouts (camcorders), 327
Index
Bluesky skin, 62 buffering audio, 18 buffering (WMP10), 76 Burn List, 49 burning audio CDs, 114116 DVDs Data DVD, 391 DVD Slide Show, 392 formats, 389390 recordable DVD drives, 389 recorded TV shows, 395396 resources required, 394 restricted content, 397 Video DVD, 391, 393394 Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, 390391 MP3/WMA DATA CDs, 117 Photo CDs, 223224 buying camcorders, 326327 music from online music services, 169173 BuyMusic.com online music service, 167 cost, 323 digital Digital 8 format, 326 features, 326 Mini-DV format, 326 solid state video formats, 326 image stabilization, 327 inputs, 327 LCD viewfinder, 327 panning, 330 remote control, 328 special effects, 328 still camera capabilities, 328 zoom feature, 328, 330 camera angles (DVD movies), 309 cameras. See digital cameras
453
Canopus ADVC-50 digital video converter, 145 Canvas skin, 62 capturing. See acquiring CD Writing Wizard, 223224 CDs (audio) burning, 114116 copying music to an audio CD, 109 Media Center PC, 2829 playing, 1113, 119 properties, 112114 recordable CD formats, 109110 ripping album art, 135 Album folders, 133134 analog copy type, 121122 audio formats, 123124 Auto Play dialog box, 127128 CD album information, 131132 content protection, 124125
continued
C
camcorders analog 8MM, 325 Hi-8, 325 Super VHS, 325 VHS, 324325 VHS-C, 325 battery readouts, 327 brands, 329 built-in features, 329 buying, 326327
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Index
plug-ins (WMP10), 80 Portable Media Center, 442443 WMP10 (Windows Media Player 10), 304305 connection speed (WMP10), 76 Contents pane (Media Library), 3841 controls for WMP10, 11 converting analog to digital challenges, 143144 hardware required, 144 software required, 144147 copying CDs album art, 135 Album folders, 133134 analog copy type, 121122 audio formats, 123124 Auto Play dialog box, 127128 CD album information, 131132 content protection, 124125 correcting information, 131132 defined, 119 device configuration, 121 digital copy type, 121122 error correction, 121122 excluding songs, 130131 file-naming options, 126 Find Album Info button, 131 location of copied files, 125 Media Center PCs, 140142 metadata, 129 offline, 129130 progress bar, 132 quality, 123124 Shared Music, 98 step-by-step directions, 132133 stopping rip, 132
CDs (audio) continued correcting information, 131132 defined, 119 device configuration, 121 digital copy type, 121122 error correction, 121122 excluding songs, 130131 file-naming options, 126 Find Album Info button, 131 location of copied files, 125 Media Center PCs, 140142 metadata, 129 offline, 129130 progress bar, 132 quality, 123124 Shared Music, 98 step-by-step directions, 132133 stopping rip, 132 CDs (MP3/WMA DATA), 117 CF (CompactFlash), 250 choosing skins, 60 CinemaNow online movie service, 169, 313316 Classic skin, 62 clearing playlists, 46 closing WMP10, 9 color depth (scanners), 231 colors (WMP10), 5455 combining video clips, 360361 Compact skin, 63 CompactFlash (CF), 250 composite video, 323 configuring CD devices for ripping CDs, 121 Media Center Extender, 427428 Media Library, 78
Index
copying music to an audio CD, 109 Corporate skin, 63 Court TV Extra, 169 creating media server, 101103 playlists, 4244, 104106, 110 shortcut, 9 slide shows, 200 unprotected versions of protected songs, 174 credits (home movies), 372, 377378 cross-fading (WMP10), 55 customizing WMP10 colors, 5455 cross-fading settings, 55 graphics equalizer, 55 List pane, 5253 menu bar, 5051 skins Aquarium, 61 Atomic, 61 Bluesky, 62 Canvas, 62 choosing, 59 Classic, 62 Compact, 63 Corporate, 63 DaVinci, 63 defined, 59 Goo, 64 Headspace, 64 Heart, 64 Iconic, 65 Leaves, 65 Miniplayer, 65 9SeriesDefault, 61 Optik, 65 Plus! Bionic Dot, 66 Plus! Hard Boiled, 66 Plus! HueShifter, 66 Plus! Mecha, 66 Plus! PlasmaBall, 67 Plus! Professional, 67 Plus! Pulsar, 67 Plus! Slimline, 67 Pyrite, 68 QuickSilver, 68 Radio, 68 Revert, 68 Roundlet, 68 Rusty, 69 Space, 69 Splat, 69 Toothy, 70 Windows Classic, 70 Windows XP, 70 volume-leveling options, 55
455
D
Dancer, 3334 Data DVD, 391 DaVinci skin, 63 deleting plug-ins (WMP10), 79 skins, 72 transitions, 367 deleting photos from digital camera, 257, 259 desktop backgrounds, 202 Details pane (Media Library), 38, 4042 Details view (photos), 195199
456
detecting
Index
previewing, 255 properties, 255256 taking, 255256 resolution, 250 Scanner and Camera Wizard, 253 SD-to-PC card adapter, 252 storage formats, 250251 USB ports, 251 Digital 8 format digital video camera, 326 Digital Image Pro (Microsoft), 209210, 246 Digital Media applications, 405 digital movies. See movies Digital Rights Management (DRM), 160161, 397 digital video, acquiring from camcorders, 331336 digital video cameras battery readouts, 327 brands, 329 built-in features, 329 cost, 323 Digital 8 format, 326 features, 326 image stabilization, 327 inputs, 327 LCD viewfinder, 327 Mini-DV format, 326 panning, 330 remote control, 328 solid state video formats, 326 special effects, 328 still camera capabilities, 328 zoom feature, 328, 330 downloading movie purchases from online movie services, 343346
digital cameras, 252253 scanners, 231232 Devices options (WMP10), 7475 digital audio files backups, 174 creating unprotected versions of protected songs, 174 file size, 119 finding, 1415 Media Center PC, 2628 metadata auto-populating, 129 editing, 9294, 136139, 151152 entering manually, 129 moving, 9596 MP3, 120 My Music (Media Center PC), 406408 playing, 1415 playing all music in a folder, 103 portable audio devices, 181 quality, 119, 121 searching, 1415 Shared Music, 9698 storing in folders, 101 Windows Media Audio (WMA), 120121 digital cameras accessing, 254 batteries, 251252 common features, 251 detecting, 252253 megapixels (MP), 250 photos deleting, 257, 259 downloading, 254, 257265 Media Center PC, 261264
Index
photos from digital camera manually, 264265 Media Center PC, 261264 Scanner and Camera Wizard, 254, 257260 Windows Media Player 10 (WMP10), 3 downloading music. See online music services DRM (Digital Rights Management), 160161, 397 DVD Decoder Packs, 306 DVD Forum, 389390 DVD options (WMP10), 8384 DVD player (Media Center Extender), 424 DVD+RW Alliance, 390 DVDs audio, 13 burning movies, 390394 recorded TV shows, 395396 restricted content, 397 camera angles, 309 Data DVD, 391 DVD Slide Show, 392 formats, 389390 Media Center PC, 322 Media Information pane, 309310 movie-making alternatives Adobe Premiere Elements, 397 Nero Ultra Edition, 398 Roxio Easy Media Creator, 398 Sonic MyDVD, 398 playback controls, 311 playing, 305309 recordable DVD drives, 389 storage capacity, 390 testing, 394 user interface, 394395 Video DVD, 391394
457
E
Easy Media Creator Suite (Roxio), 398 editing analog recordings, 148150 metadata (audio files), 9294, 136139, 151152 metadata of audio files, 151152 playlists, 4647 Plus! Photo Story slide shows, 294 property sheet (photos), 189190 Registry, 98, 123 scanned images, 244246 editing photos. See photo-editing 8MM analog video camera, 325 emailing home movies, 385 media clips, 5657 photos, 219221 slide shows, 288 Enhancements pane (WMP10), 5354 error correction (ripping CDs), 121122 exiting WMP10, 9 Extender. See Media Center Extenders
F
file types, 78 file types options (WMP10), 83 film scanners, 242243 Filmstrip view (photos), 192193 finding media files, 1415 skins, 71 streaming audio files, 2223
458
Index
Nero Ultra Edition, 398 Roxio Easy Media Creator, 398 Sonic MyDVD, 398 emailing, 385 formats, 304 My Videos folder (Windows XP), 301303 My Videos (Media Center PC), 317318, 410411 narration, 379381 playing, 303304 saving, 381384 special effects, 368371 titles, 372376 transitions adding, 364367 deleting, 367 previewing, 365, 367 selecting, 364 Video DVD, 391394 Web sites, 385386 HP (Hewlett-Packard) Media Center Extender, 425426 Media Center PCs, 403
FireWire connections for camcorders, 327 flatbed scanners accessing, 233 color depth, 231 detecting, 231232 installing, 231232 resolution, 230231 testing, 232 USB ports, 229230 Windows Image Acquisition (WIA), 230 folder templates, 196197 folder types, 196197 Full Mode (WMP10), 45, 71 F.Y.E. Download Zone, 163
G
Goo skin, 64 graphics equalizer (WMP10), 55
H
handheld PCs. See portable devices HDCD Web site, 12 HDCDs (High Definition CDs), 12 Headspace skin, 64 Heart skin, 64 Hewlett-Packard (HP) Media Center Extender, 425426 Media Center PCs, 403 Hi-8 analog video camera, 325 High Definition CDs (HDCDs), 12 HighMAT CDs, 287288 home movies animations, 378 credits, 372, 377378 DV camcorders, 386387 DVD movie-making alternatives Adobe Premiere Elements, 397
I
Iconic skin, 65 Icons view (photos), 194195 IEEE-1394 connections for digital camcorders, 327 iLink connections for digital camcorders, 327 illegal music. See piracy of music image stabilization (camcorders), 327 images. See photos importing. See downloading Info Center View (WMP10), 3132 inputs for camcorders, 327 installing Media Center Extender, 426427 plug-ins (WMP10), 79
Index
scanners, 231232 interface. See user interface Internet radio stations adding to My Stations list, 2021 Fan Favorites preset, 17 Featured Stations preset, 17 free radio stations, 19 listening to, 1618 local stations, 1718 Media Center PC, 2930 Media Guide, 11 MSN Radio Plus subscription service, 19 My Stations preset, 2021 recording, 157 removing from My Stations list, 21 iPod (Apple), 445447, 450 iPod Photo (Apple), 449 IR blaster, 403 iTunes application (Apple), 446447 iTunes Music Store, 159, 167168, 448 audio CDs, 1113 digital audio files, 1415 DVD audio, 13 High Definition CDs (HDCDs), 12 MIDI format files, 14 MP3 files, 14 WAV format files, 14
459
M
Map Network Drive Wizard, 102 Media Center Extenders adding additional Extenders, 430 configuring, 427428 connections, 427 defined, 402 DVD player, 424 features, 423424 installing, 426427 limitations, 424425 Media Center Extender Manager utility, 428430 Network Performance Tuner utility, 428, 432433 networking, 425 online music services, 180 PC resources, 424 photo-sharing, 224 properties, 430431 removing, 432 set-top box devices, 425426 software, 427 TV tuners, 424 updating, 430431 Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, 425
J
Janus-compatible portable devices, 175179
K
keyboard shortcuts (WMP10), 5051 Kodak Ofoto photo printing service, 215
L
LCD viewfinder (camcorders), 327 Leaves skin, 65 Linksys Media Center Extender, 425426 List pane (Media Library), 38, 5253 List view (photos), 195 listening to Internet radio stations, 1618 listening to music Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) files, 14
460
Index
recording service, 405 recording TV shows, 414415 tuners, 403, 424 user interface, 404405 visualizations, 33 Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, 402406 media clips e-mailing, 5657 sharing, 5557 media files finding, 1415 types, 78 Media Guide Full Mode, 10 Internet radio stations, 11 Microsoft MSN Music online music store, 11 navigating, 10 Skin Mode, 10 streaming audio/video, 11 updates, 9 Media Information pane DVD movies, 309310 Media Library, 3839 Media Library accessing, 37, 50 configuring, 78 Contents pane, 3841 Details pane, 38, 4042 editing metadata, 136137 List pane, 38, 5253 Media Information pane, 3839 media readers, 404 media server, 101103 Media Transport Protocol (MTP), 441
Xbox, 426 Media Center PCs appearance, 401, 423 audio CDs, 2829 best location for, 401402 bugs, 402, 423 cost, 401 digital audio files, 2628 Digital Media applications, 405 downloading photos (from digital cameras), 261264 DVDs, 322 Hewlett-Packard (HP), 403 integration with WMP10, 29 Internet radio stations, 2930 IR blaster, 403 media readers, 404 Messenger service, 421 My Music, 2628, 406408 My Pictures, 408410 My TV, 319321 My Videos, 317318, 410411 online movie services, 322 online music services, 179181 online services, 419421 photo-editing tools, 244245 photo-sharing, 224225 Portable Media Center, 444 printing photos, 214215 remote control, 403 ripping CDs, 140142 TV live TV, 411413 program guide, 405 recording movies, 416419
Index
Mediafour XPlay, 450 megapixels (MP), 250 MemoryStick, 251 menu bar (WMP10), 5051 Messenger service, 421 metadata audio files auto-populating, 129 editing, 9294, 136139, 151152 entering manually, 129 photos, 189191 Microsoft Digital Image Pro, 209210, 246 Digital Rights Management (DRM) scheme, 160 Messenger service, 421 Microsoft Windows Media Web site, 121 MSN Music, 11, 162164 Paint, 203204 Pocket PC, 439440 Portable Media Center, 441444 PowerToys, 99, 297 TweakMP PowerToy, 126 TweakUI, 99100 Web site, 3 Windows Media Audio (WMA), 120121 Windows XP Video Screen Saver PowerToy, 297 Xbox Media Center Extender, 426 MIDI files, 14 Mini-DV format digital video camera, 326 Miniplayer skin, 65 MLB.com subscription service, 169 modifying album folders, 9192 Movie Link online movie service, 169 movie services. See online movie services movies animations, 378 credits, 372, 377378 DV camcorders, 386387 DVD movie-making alternatives Adobe Premiere Elements, 397 Nero Ultra Edition, 398 Roxio Easy Media Creator, 398 Sonic MyDVD, 398 emailing, 385 formats, 304 My TV (Media Center PC), 319321
461
My Videos folder (Windows XP), 301303 My Videos (Media Center PC), 317318, 410411 narration, 379381 playing, 303304 renting online, 312316 saving, 381384 special effects, 369371 titles, 372376 Video DVD, 391394 Web sites, 385386 moving audio files, 9596 My Documents folder, 9899 MP (megapixels), 250 MP3 files, 14, 120 MP3/WMA DATA CDs, 117 MSN Music, 11, 162164 MSN Radio Plus subscription service, 19 MTP (Media Transport Protocol), 441 multi-function media readers, 404 music CDs. See audio CDs
462
Index
9SeriesDefault skin, 61 Now Playing List, 4749 Now Playing views (WMP10), 31
music files. See digital audio files music piracy Digital Rights Management (DRM), 160 Napster file-sharing service, 159 music playlists, 173 music services. See online music services MusicMatch Downloads, 164165 MusicNow online music service, 164165 My Documents folder, 9899 My Music folder (Windows XP), 8791, 301 My Music (Media Center PC), 2628, 406408 My Pictures folder (Windows XP), 87, 185187 My Pictures (Media Center PC), 408410 My Stations preset, 2021 My TV (Media Center PC), 319321 My Videos folder (Windows XP), 301303 My Videos (Media Center PC), 317318, 410411
O
online movie services accessing, 342, 346 CinemaNow, 169, 313316 downloading movie purchases, 343346 Media Center PC, 322 Movie Link, 169 subscriptions, 316, 342 online music services buying music, 169173 BuyMusic.com, 167 Digital Rights Management (DRM), 160161 F.Y.E. Download Zone, 163 iTunes Music Store, 159, 167168, 448 Media Center Extender, 180 Media Center PC, 179181 MSN Music, 11, 162164 MusicMatch Downloads, 164165 MusicNow, 164165 Napster, 166, 176179 playlists, 173 Puretracks, 166167 RealPlayer Music Store, 169 subscriptions, 174175 Virgin Digital, 169 Wal-Mart Music Downloads, 162, 167168 online photo printing services, 240241 Online Print Ordering Wizard, 215216 opening album folders, 92 Optik skin, 65 ordering photo prints online, 215217 organizing photos, 191192
N
naming playlists, 4445 scanned images, 238 Napster online music service, 166, 176179 original file-sharing service, 159 narration home movies, 379381 slide shows, 280281, 293 navigating Contents pane (Media Library), 41 Media Guide, 10 Nero Ultra Edition, 398 network buffering (WMP10), 76 network options (WMP10), 84 Network Performance Tuner utility, 428, 432433 networking with Media Center Extender, 425
Index
463
P
Paint (Microsoft), 203204 Paint .NET, 210211 Palm Pilot, 439 panning feature on camcorders, 330 Party Mode, 3435 Performance options (WMP10), 7576 Photo CDs, 223 photo editing Adobe PhotoShop Elements, 209, 246 Auto Fix, 246 automation, 246 blemish correction, 246 brightness correction, 246 color correction, 246 contrast correction, 244, 246 cropping, 244, 246 dust correction, 246 levels correction, 246 Media Center, 244245 Microsoft Digital Image Pro, 209210 Microsoft Paint, 203204 Paint .NET, 210211 Quick Fix, 246 red-eye correction, 244, 246 resizing, 246 rotating, 244, 246 scratch correction, 246 sharpness correction, 246 Smart Fix, 246 Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, 205208 Photo Printing Wizard, 211214 photo slide shows creating, 200 DVD Slide Show, 392
Plus! Photo Story animations, 292 editing, 294 importing photos, 289291 music, 293 narration, 293 viewing, 291 screensavers, 200201, 296297 Windows Movie Maker (WMM) DV camcorders, 288289 emailing, 288 fade effects, 275276 HighMAT CD, 287288 importing photos, 269270 music, 276279 narration, 280281 photo display time, 272 saving, 283287 Timeline, 270272 transitions, 272275 video effects, 281283 Web sites, 288 photos. See also scanned images desktop backgrounds, 202 Details view, 195199 digital cameras deleting, 257, 259 downloading, 254, 257265 Media Center PC, 261264 previewing, 255 taking, 255256 emailing, 219221 Filmstrip view, 192193 Icons view, 194195 iPod Photo (Apple), 449 List view, 195
464
Index
photo-sharing services, 217 PhotoShop Elements (Adobe), 209, 246 piracy of music Digital Rights Management (DRM), 160 Napster file-sharing service, 159 playback speed (WMP10), 5758 Player options (WMP10), 7273 playing audio Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) files, 14 CDs, 1113, 119 digital audio files, 1415, 2628 DVDs, 13 MIDI format files, 14 MP3 files, 14 streaming audio files, 2122 WAV format files, 14 Windows Media Audio (WMA) format files, 14 DVDs, 305309 High Definition CDs (HDCDs), 12 movies, 303304 streaming video, 311 playlists accessing, 110111 adding songs, 111112 Burn List, 49 clearing, 46 creating, 4244, 104106, 110 defined, 42 editing, 4647 mix and match, 173 Now Playing List, 4749 renaming, 4445 repeating, 46 setting options, 4546 shuffling songs, 46
photos continued metadata, 189191 My Pictures folder (Windows XP), 87, 185187 My Pictures (Media Center PC), 408410 online photo printing services, 240241 ordering prints online, 215217 organizing, 191192 printing Media Center PC, 214215 Photo Printing Wizard, 211213 properties, 255256 property sheet, 189190 publishing to a Web site, 240241 scanning, 233237, 240 screensavers, 200201 sharing email, 219221 home network, 222223 Internet, 217219 Media Center Extender, 224 Media Center PC, 224225 Photo CDs, 223224 Portable Media Center, 225 slide shows, 200 thumbnails, 187188, 193 Tiles view, 193194 viewing, 187188 Windows Movie Maker (WMM) fade effects, 275276 importing, 269270 photo display time, 272 slide shows, 267268 Storyboard view, 270272 Timeline, 270 transitions, 272275 Windows Picture and Fax Viewer, 187188, 202203
Index
sorting, 46 Sync List, 49 viewing, 112 Plays For Sure Web site, 181 plug-ins (WMP10), 7880 Plus! Analog Recorder recording audio, 144, 152156 saving audio, 157 Plus! Bionic Dot skin, 66 Plus! Dancer, 3334 Plus! Digital Media Edition, 144 Plus! Hard Boiled skin, 66 Plus! HueShifter skin, 66 Plus! Mecha skin, 66 Plus! Party Mode, 3435 Plus! Photo Story comparison with Windows Movie Maker (WMM), 295296 Movie CDs, 294295 slide shows animations, 292 editing, 294 importing photos, 289291 music, 293 narration, 293 viewing, 291 Plus! PlasmaBall skin, 67 Plus! Professional skin, 67 Plus! Pulsar skin, 67 Plus! Slimline skin, 67 Plus! SuperPack for Windows XP, 144 Pocket PC, 439440 portable devices iPod (Apple), 445447, 450 iPod Photo (Apple), 449 Palm Pilot, 439 Pocket PC (Microsoft), 439440
465
Portable Media Center (Microsoft), 441444 synchronizing, 436439 types, 436 USB ports, 436 WMP10 (Windows Media Player 10), 436439 Portable Media Center, 225, 441444 power management, 308 PowerToys, 99, 297 Premiere Elements (Adobe), 397 previewing photos on digital camera, 255 transitions, 365, 367 Print@FujiColor photo printing service, 215 printing photos Media Center PC, 214215 online photo printing services, 215217 Photo Printing Wizard, 211213 privacy options (WMP10), 7, 8081 properties audio CDs, 112114 Media Center Extender, 430431 photos, 255256 property sheet (photos), 189190 publishing photos to a Web site, 240241 Puretracks online music service, 166167 Pyrite skin, 68
Q
quality digital audio files, 119, 121 streaming audio files, 22 streaming video, 312 Quick Access Panel (WMP10), 50 QuickSilver skin, 68 QuickTime player, 25
466
Index
movies (Media Center PC), 416419 streaming audio, 157 TV shows (Media Center PC), 414415 video, 329330 Registry Editor, 98, 123 remote control camcorders, 328 Media Center PCs, 403 removing Media Center Extender, 432 pops and hisses from analog source audio, 155 radio stations from My Stations list, 21 renaming playlists, 4445 renting videos online, 312316 repeating playlists, 46 resolution analog video, 324 digital cameras, 250 digital video, 324 scanners, 230231 Revert skin, 68 Rip Music options (WMP10), 7374 ripping CDs album art, 135 Album folders, 133134 analog copy type, 121122 audio formats, 123124 Auto Play dialog box, 127128 CD album information, 131132 content protection, 124125 correcting information, 131132 defined, 119 device configuration, 121 digital copy type, 121122 error correction, 121122
R
radio Internet radio stations adding to My Stations list, 2021 Fan Favorites preset, 17 Featured Stations preset, 17 free radio stations, 19 listening to, 1618 local stations, 1718 Media Center PC, 2930 Media Guide, 11 MSN Radio Plus subscription service, 19 My Stations preset, 2021 recording, 157 removing from My Stations list, 21 satellite radio, 169 Radio skin, 68 Radio Tuner button (WMP10), 1617 RealNetworks RealAudio format, 2324 RealPlayer, 24 RealPlayer Music Store, 169 RealVideo format, 2324 Web site, 24 recordable CD formats, 109110 recordable DVD drives, 389 recording audio from an analog source Plus! Analog Recorder, 152156 Windows Movie Maker (WMM), 145147 Internet radio stations, 157 live TV, 341
Index
excluding songs, 130131 file-naming options, 126 Find Album Info button, 131 location of copied files, 125 Media Center PCs, 140142 metadata, 129 offline, 129130 progress bar, 132 quality, 123124 Shared Music, 98 step-by-step directions, 132133 stopping rip, 132 Roku Labs SoundBridge digital media receivers, 175 Roundlet skin, 68 Roxio Easy Media Creator, 398 Rusty skin, 69 detecting, 231232 installing, 231232 resolution, 230231 testing, 232 USB ports, 229230 Windows Image Acquisition (WIA), 230 scanning photos, 233237, 240 screensavers, 200201, 296297 SD (Secure Digital), 250 SD-to-PC card adapter, 252 searching media files, 1415 streaming audio files, 2223 Secure Digital (SD), 250 security options (WMP10), 82 setting playlist options, 4546 Shared Documents, 9697 Shared Music, 9698 sharing media clips, 5557 photos email, 219221 home network, 222223 Internet, 217219 Media Center Extender, 224 Media Center PC, 224225 Photo CDs, 223224 Portable Media Center, 225 slide shows, 283286 shooting video, 329330 Shop for music online task, 107108 shuffling songs in playlists, 46 Shutterfly photo printing service, 215 Skin Mode (WMP10), 45, 71
467
S
satellite radio, 169 Save Movie Wizard, 284286 saving audio files to disk, 151, 157 movies, 381384 scanned images, 238239 scanned images editing, 244246 naming, 238 saving, 238239 Scanner and Camera Wizard, 233237, 253 scanners film, 242243 flatbed accessing, 233 color depth, 231
468
skins
Index
Space, 69 Splat, 69 Toothy, 70 Windows Classic, 70 Windows XP, 70 slide shows creating, 200 DVD Slide Show, 392 Plus! Photo Story animations, 292 editing, 294 importing photos, 289291 music, 293 narration, 293 viewing, 291 screensavers, 200201, 296297 Windows Movie Maker (WMM) DV camcorders, 288289 emailing, 288 fade effects, 275276 HighMAT CD, 287288 importing photos, 269270 music, 276279 narration, 280281 photo display time, 272 saving, 283287 Timeline, 270272 transitions, 272275 video effects, 281283 Web sites, 288 snapping photos with a digital camera, 255256 solid state video formats, 326 Sonic MyDVD, 398 Sony MemoryStick/MemoryStick Pro, 251 sorting playlists, 46
Aquarium, 61 Atomic, 61 Bluesky, 62 Canvas, 62 choosing, 60 Classic, 62 Compact, 63 Corporate, 63 DaVinci, 63 defined, 59 deleting, 72 finding, 71 Goo, 64 Headspace, 64 Heart, 64 Iconic, 65 Leaves, 65 Miniplayer, 65 9SeriesDefault, 61 Optik, 65 Plus! Bionic Dot, 66 Plus! Hard Boiled, 66 Plus! HueShifter, 66 Plus! Mecha, 66 Plus! PlasmaBall, 67 Plus! Professional, 67 Plus! Pulsar, 67 Plus! Slimline, 67 Pyrite, 68 QuickSilver, 68 Radio, 68 Revert, 68 Roundlet, 68 Rusty, 69
Index
SoundBridge digital media receivers, 175 Space skin, 69 special effects camcorders, 328 Windows Movie Maker (WMM), 368371 Splat skin, 69 splitting video clips, 361362 SRS Labs Web site, 59 SRS WOW effects (WMP10), 5859 starting WMP10, 67 storage capacity of DVDs, 390 streaming audio finding, 2223 Media Guide, 11 playing, 2122 quality, 22 QuickTime, 2324 RealAudio format, 2324 recording, 157 searching, 2223 streaming video Media Guide, 11 playing, 311 quality, 312 QuickTime, 2324 RealVideo format, 2324 subscriptions Court TV Extra, 169 MLB.com, 169 online movie services, 316, 342 online music services, 174175 Super VHS analog video camera, 325 S-VHS analog video camera, 325 S-video, 323324 TV live TV, 341, 411413 program guide, 405 recording movies, 416419 recording service, 405 recording TV shows, 414415 TV tuners Media Center Extender, 424 Media Center PCs, 403, 424 TweakMP PowerToy, 126 TweakUI, 99100 Sync List, 49 synchronizing portable devices, 436439 Portable Media Center, 441444
469
T
taking photos with a digital camera, 255256 taskbar-based toolbar mode, 4, 6 testing DVDs, 394 scanners, 232 thumbnails (photos), 187188, 193 Tiles view (photos), 193194 titles (home movies), 372376 Toothy skin, 70 transcoding audio, 437438 transitions adding, 364367 deleting, 367 previewing, 365, 367 selecting, 364 slide shows, 272275 trimming video clips, 362363
470
Index
QuickTime, 2324 RealVideo format, 2324 S-video, 323324 Y/C signal video, 323324 video acceleration (WMP10), 77 video cameras analog 8MM, 325 Hi-8, 325 Super VHS, 325 VHS, 324325 VHS-C, 325 battery readouts, 327 brands, 329 built-in features, 329 buying, 326327 cost, 323 digital Digital 8 format, 326 features, 326 Mini-DV format, 326 solid state video formats, 326 inputs, 327 LCD viewfinder, 327 panning, 330 remote control, 328 special effects, 328 still camera capabilities, 328 zoom feature, 328, 330 Video Capture Wizard, 333 Video CD (VCD), 294295, 383 video clips combining, 360361 splitting, 361362 trimming, 362363
U
unprotected versions of protected songs, 174 updating Media Center Extender, 430431 Windows Media Player, 8485 upgrades to WMP8 (Windows Media Player 8), 3 USB ports analog-to-digital converters, 145 digital cameras, 251 portable devices, 436 scanners, 229230 user interface DVDs, 394395 Media Center PCs, 404405 Windows Media Player 10 (WMP10), 4 Windows Movie Maker (WMM), 350351
V
VCD (Video CD), 294295, 383 VHS analog video camera, 324325 VHS-C analog video camera, 325 video acquiring analog video, 338341 digital video, 331336 analog, 323324 composite, 323 digital, 323324 importing into Windows Movie Maker (WMM), 355356 recording, 329330 streaming Media Guide, 11 playing, 311 quality, 312
Index
video editing with Windows Movie Maker (WMM), 357358 video effects for slide shows, 281283 video settings (WMP10), 59 videos formats, 304 My Videos folder (Windows XP), 301303 My Videos (Media Center PC), 317318, 410411 playing, 303304 renting online, 312316 Video DVD, 391394 viewing photos, 187188 playlists, 112 Virgin Digital online music service, 169 visualizations, 3233 volume-leveling options (WMP10), 55 SRS Labs, 59 Windows update, 3 Windows Classic skin, 70 Windows Dancer, 3334 Windows Image Acquisition (WIA), 230 Windows Media Audio (WMA), 14, 120121
471
Windows Media Connect (WM Connect), 175 Windows Media Player 8 (WMP8), 3 Windows Media Player 9 (WMP9), 3 Windows Media Player 10 (WMP10). See WMP10 (Windows Media Player 10) Windows Media Player 10 Mobile, 440 Windows Movie Maker (WMM) animations, 378 collections, 351353, 356 Collections pane, 351352 Contents pane, 353 credits, 372, 377378 editing audio, 148150 fonts, 379 importing video, 355356 Monitor pane, 353354 Movie Tasks pane, 351352 narration, 379381 projects information, 360 previewing, 358359 saving, 358 recording audio, 144147 saving audio files to disk, 151 slide shows comparison with Plus! Photo Story, 295296 fade effects, 275276 HighMAT CDs, 287288
W
Wal-Mart Music Downloads, 162, 167168 WAV files, 14 Web Publishing Wizard, 217219, 240 Web sites Adobe, 397 HDCD, 12 Mediafour XPlay, 450 Microsoft, 3 Microsoft Windows Media, 121 Nero Ultra Edition, 398 Plays For Sure, 181 RealNetworks, 24 Roxio Easy Media Creator, 398 slide shows, 288 Sonic MyDVD, 398
472
Index
Media Center PCs, 402406 photo-editing, 205208 Windows XP skin, 70 Windows XP Video Screen Saver PowerToy, 297 WinInfo Daily Update mailing list, 85 wizards CD Writing Wizard, 223224 Map Network Drive Wizard, 102 Online Print Ordering Wizard, 215216 Photo Printing Wizard, 211214 Save Movie Wizard, 284286 Scanner and Camera Wizard, 233237, 253 Video Capture Wizard, 333 Web Publishing Wizard, 217219, 240 WM Connect (Windows Media Connect), 175 WMA (Windows Media Audio), 14, 120121 WMM (Windows Movie Maker). See Windows Movie Maker (WMM) WMP8 (Windows Media Player 8), 3 WMP9 (Windows Media Player 9), 3 WMP10 (Windows Media Player 10) buffering, 76 closing, 9 colors, 5455 configuring, 304305 connection speed, 76 controls, 11 cross-fading, 55 Devices options, 7475 downloading, 3 DVD Decoder Packs, 306 DVD options, 8384 Enhancements pane, 5354 exiting, 9 features, 4 file types options, 83
Windows Movie Maker (WMM) continued importing photos, 269270 music, 276279 narration, 280281 photo display time, 272 Save Movie Wizard, 284286 Storyboard view, 270272 Timeline, 270 transitions, 272275 video effects, 281283 source content management, 356 special effects, 368371 Storyboard view, 354 Storyboard/Timeline pane, 353354 tasks, 350 Timeline view, 354355 titles, 372376 transitions adding, 364367 deleting, 367 previewing, 365, 367 selecting, 364 slide shows, 272275 user interface, 350351 versions, 267, 349 video clips combining, 360361 splitting, 361362 trimming, 362363 video editing, 357358 Windows Party Mode, 3435 Windows Picture and Fax Viewer, 187188, 202203 Windows update Web site, 3 Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 DVD burning, 390 Media Center Extenders, 425
Index
Full Mode, 45, 71 graphics equalizer, 55 Info Center View, 3132 integration with Media Center PC, 29 iPod (Apple), 450 keyboard shortcuts, 5051 List pane, 5253 media file types, 78 Media Guide, 911 Media Library options, 78 menu bar, 5051 network buffering, 76 network options, 84 Now Playing views, 31 online music services, 162 Performance options, 7576 playback speed, 5758 Player options, 7273 plug-ins, 7880 portable devices, 436439 privacy options, 7, 8081 Quick Access Panel, 50 Quiet Mode, 58 Radio Tuner button, 1617 Rip Music options, 7374 security options, 82 sharing media clips, 5557 shortcut, 9 Skin Mode, 45, 71 skins Aquarium, 61 Atomic, 61 Bluesky, 62 Canvas, 62 choosing, 60 Classic, 62 Compact, 63 Corporate, 63 DaVinci, 63 defined, 59 deleting, 72 finding, 71 Goo, 64 Headspace, 64 Heart, 64 Iconic, 65 Leaves, 65 Miniplayer, 65 9SeriesDefault, 61 Optik, 65 Plus! Bionic Dot, 66 Plus! Hard Boiled, 66 Plus! HueShifter, 66 Plus! Mecha, 66 Plus! PlasmaBall, 67 Plus! Professional, 67 Plus! Pulsar, 67 Plus! Slimline, 67 Pyrite, 68 QuickSilver, 68 Radio, 68 Revert, 68 Roundlet, 68 Rusty, 69 Space, 69 Splat, 69 Toothy, 70 Windows Classic, 70 Windows XP, 70 SRS WOW effects, 5859 starting, 67 switching between modes, 71
473
474
Index
WMP10 (Windows Media Player 10) continued taskbar-based toolbar mode, 4, 6 transcoding audio, 437438 TweakMP PowerToy, 126 updating, 8485 user interface, 4 video acceleration, 77 video settings, 59 visualizations, 3233 volume-leveling options, 55
X
Xbox Media Center Extender, 426 XM Radio Online, 169 XPlay (Mediafour), 450
Y
Y/C signal video, 323324
Z
zoom feature on camcorders, 328, 330