To set properties for a CD drive or DVD drive, select it in the Devices list box and click the Properties button. Windows Media Player displays the Properties dialog box for the drive. In the Playback group box and the Rip group box, choose between the Digital option button and the Analog option button. Depending on the drive, the Analog option button may not be available. Digital audio extraction is preferable to analog audio extraction because it maintains a higherfidelity signal. The main reason not to use digital audio extraction is if your CD drive does not support it or cannot deliver it successfully. If you choose digital audio extraction, you can select the Use Error Correction check box if you want Windows Media Player to use its error-correction features to try to remove errors that occur during ripping. Error correction uses a bit more processor power when copying; it slows down copying considerably; and its effect is often undetectable- but it’s a good idea to use error correction for copying music, because any defects in the copied tracks tend to be much more annoying than spending a few extra minutes copying each CD. Click the OK button. Windows Media Player closes the Properties dialog box for the optical drive.

Setting Properties for Your Display and Speakers

To set properties for your display, select it in the list box and click the Properties button. Windows Media Player opens a Display Properties dialog box. Use the controls in the dialog box to change the pixel aspect ratio so that the circle is round rather than distorted, and then click the OK button. To set properties for your speakers, click their entry in the list box and click the Properties button. Windows Media Player displays the Speaker Properties dialog box. Choose sound playback and performance options for example, select the Use 24-Bit Audio for Audio CDs check box if you use High Definition Compatible Digital CDs- HDCDs- or other extra-quality CDs, and then click the OK button.

Setting Properties for a Portable Device

To set properties for a portable device, select it in the list box, click the Properties button, and work in the resulting dialog box. The properties available depend on the type of device.

Choosing Advanced File Conversion Options

If synchronizing audio and video files with a portable device seems to be taking too long, or if quality is suffering, click the Advanced button, and then work with the options in the File Conversion Options dialog box .

Allow Video Files to Convert in the Background    Select this check box if you want to let Windows Media Player convert video files when your computer isn’t playing media and has had no keyboard or mouse input for 10 minutes. This setting is usually helpful, because it allows Windows Media Player to convert videos ready for synchronization.

Allow Audio Files to Convert in the Background    Select this check box if you want to let Windows Media Player convert audio files when your computer is idle. Audio conversion takes less time than video conversion, but if you’re using a lower audio quality on your portable player so that you can fit more content on it, you may want to use this feature.

Deinterlace Video Files When Converting    Select this check box only if your video files are interlaced and you need to play them on a device that uses a progressive-scan display for example, a Portable Media Center. Most video files are deinterlaced, so you’ll seldom need this option. Interlacing is a method of scanning every odd-numbered line in a picture, followed by every even-numbered line, to give faster results, rather than scanning each line in sequence, as progressive scan does.

Choose Quality over Speed When Converting Video    Select this check box if the quality of your converted videos is too low.

Store Files Temporarily to This Location    Select the folder you want to use for temporary storage of converted files before they’re synchronized, and specify the amount of space to make available. If your computer is out of disk space, you can reclaim any used space by clicking the Delete Files button- but Windows Media Player will need to create the files again for your next synchronization. When you’ve finished choosing conversion options, click the OK button. Windows Media Player returns you to the Devices page of the Options dialog box.

Burn Page Options

The Burn page  of the Options dialog box lets you change the following settings:

General In the Burn Speed drop-down list, select the speed you want to use: Fastest, Fast, Medium, or Slow. Use Fastest unless you find the discs have problems; in which case, lower the speed. Select the Automatically Eject the Disc after Burning check box if you want Windows Media Player to eject the disc. On a laptop computer, you may want to clear this check box in case the drive is obstructed.

Audio CDs Select the Apply Volume Leveling across Tracks on the CD check box if you want to apply volume leveling, also called normalization- making all the songs conform to a more or less uniform volume. Volume leveling can help you avoid getting your ears blasted, but it can also reduce the dramatic impact of songs.

Data Discs In the Add a List of All Burned Files to the Disc in this Format drop-down list, choose WPL Windows Playlist if you’ll use the disc only on Windows. Choose M3U an MP3 playlist format if you’ll use the disc on other operating systems as well. Select the Use Media Information to Arrange Files in Folders on the Disc check box if you want Windows Media Player to put the songs in a folder structure of artists and albums rather than all in a single folder. If you want to pack more music onto the disc by using a lower bit rate, select the Convert To option button, and then drag the slider to the quality you want. Otherwise, select the Do Not Convert option button to leave the songs at their existing bit rates.

Performance Page Options

The Performance page  of the Options dialog box offers these options:

Connection Speed Select the Detect Connection Speed option button if you want Windows Media Player to detect your connection speed. This setting usually works well. If you find the results disappointing, try selecting the Choose Connection Speed option button and specifying the speed in the drop-down list.

Network Buffering    Select the Use Default Buffering option button to make Windows Media Player buffers the default number of seconds of audio before starting to play it. The buffer is the quantity of audio that Windows Media Player downloads before starting to play an audio stream and holds in reserve so that it can even out any minor interruptions in the audio stream when it’s playing. If you hear interruptions in the audio with the default buffering, note the buffering time the next time you access streaming audio, then try selecting the Buffer For option button and specifying a larger number in the Seconds text box. The disadvantage to buffering more audio is that you have to wait longer for the audio to start playing, but if you’re prepared to put up with a little delay, a larger buffer can help smooth out the playback.

DVD and Video Playback On a computer with poor video performance, you may need to select the Drop Frames to Keep Audio and Video Synchronized check box to prevent the audio and video by going out of sync because the video can’t keep up. Windows Media Player then drops as many video frames as necessary, which gives a jerky effect- so use this setting only if you must. Select the Use Video Smoothing check box if you want Windows Media Player to interpolate add extra frames for video files with low frame rates to create a smoother effect. This setting is usually helpful. Select the Display Full-Screen Controls check box if you want Windows Media Player to display the full-screen controls on top of the video. Having the controls is usually helpful. Windows Media Player fades the controls away after a few seconds. Select the Turn On DirectX Video Acceleration for WMV Files check box if you want Windows Media Player to use DirectX acceleration when playing files in the Windows Media Video format. This acceleration is usually helpful. If you want to change the color of the video border, click the Change button, select the color in the Color dialog box, and then click the OK button.