Windows Media Center makes watching and recording TV pretty much as easy as doing so with a “real” TV.

Watch Live TV

To watch live TV, select the TV + Movies item, and then select Live TV. Windows Media Center displays the current feed from your aerial or set-top box. Use the controls displayed on the window to change channel, adjust the volume, or start recording the current show. Record a TV Show

You can record a TV show in any of these ways: Live While watching live TV, click the Record button. Windows Media Center starts recording from that moment, not from the beginning of the show or from the point at which you started watching. From the Guide On the Home screen, select the TV + Movies item, and then select the Guide item. Move to the show you want to record, right-click, and then select Record. By Time and Channel On the Home screen, select the TV + Movies item, and then select the Recorded TV item. Select the Add Recording item, and then use the controls on the Manual Record screen  to specify the channel, date, and time. In the Frequency box, choose whether to record once, every day, or each week on a particular day for example, Every Tuesday.

Watch a Recorded Show

To watch a show you’ve recorded, follow these steps:

1.  On the Home screen, select the TV + Movies item, and then select the Recorded TV item.

2.  On the Recorded TV screen, select the show you want to watch. You can select the Date Recorded item to sort the shows by date, or the Title item to sort them by title. If you want to override your default Keep Until setting for a particular show, click the Keep Until item to display the Keep Until screen. You can then choose Do Not Change, Keep Until Space Needed, Keep Until Date, Keep Until I Watch, or Keep Until I Delete.

Watching a DVD

To watch a DVD, insert it in your DVD drive. If Windows displays the AutoPlay dialog box, click the Play DVD Movie Using Windows Media Center button. Select the Always Do This for DVD Movies first if you want to use Windows Media Center for every DVD you insert. Windows opens the DVD in Windows Media Center, and you can control it using the controls on screen. If Windows doesn’t display the AutoPlay dialog box, select TV + Movies in Windows Media Center, and then select Play DVD.

Listening to Music

To listen to music, follow these steps:

1.  On the Home screen, select the Music category, and then select the Music Library item. Windows Media Center displays the Music Library screen.

2.  Click one of the buttons to browse by albums, artists, genres, songs, playlists, composers, years, or album artists.

3.  Select the item you want to play. Windows Media Center displays the Song Details screen.

4.  Click the Play Song button to start it playing, or click the Add to Queue button to add it to the play queue.

Setting Output Volume and Recording Volume

When your computer is playing audio, you can control the volume either by using the Volume icon in the notification area or by using the program’s own volume control. The Volume icon in the notification area is usually the easiest means of controlling the volume when you don’t have a program running full screen. To adjust the volume, click the Volume icon, and then drag the slider in the Volume window shown here up or down as needed. Click the Mute button once to mute the audio completely; click again to remove the muting.

Restoring the Volume Icon to the Notification Area

Windows Vista normally displays the Volume icon in the notification area. If the Volume icon doesn’t appear, follow these steps to restore it:

1.   Right-click the Start button, and then choose Customize from the context menu. Windows displays the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box.

2.   Click the Notification Area tab. Windows displays the Notification Area page.

3.   In the System Icons group box, select the Volume check box.

4.   Click the OK button. Windows closes the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box and displays the Volume icon.

Changing the Relative Loudness of Devices and Programs

Windows Vista lets you change the relative loudness of devices and programs, so you can for example prevent Windows’ system sounds from intruding too far into your music or videos. To adjust the relative loudness, follow these steps:

1.  Click the Volume icon in the notification area, and then click the Mixer link at the bottom of the volume window. Windows displays the Volume Mixer window, as shown here.

2.  Drag the Device slider to set the volume you want for the main sound output.

3.  Drag the Applications slider to set the volume you want for Windows sounds.

4.  Click the Close button the  button. Windows closes the Volume Mixer window.