Troubleshooting My Videos

The My Videos section of Media Center is essentially a prettied-up file manager, specifically designed to give you access to video files from inside Media Center, using your remote control. Even though it's simple to operate , there are a few things that can occasionally go wrong. Following are some examples, and some explanations or suggestions for correcting the problems.

My Videos Displays the Wrong Thumbnail

Sometimes the thumbnail image in My Videos will not seem to match what you know is inside the video file itself. This happens when Media Center fails to identify an appropriate video frame for the thumbnail. In these cases, Media Center displays a generic thumbnail instead. It doesn't necessarily mean that your digital video file has a problem, or that it won't play properly, only that Media enter wasn't able to extract a thumbnail image from the video.

My Videos Won't Play the File

Sometimes the problem goes deeper than just being unable to generate a thumbnail. In cases in which the video file cannot be launched, it may be that the video data is corrupted or stored in an unsupported format (for a list of supported formats, see Table 9.1).

If this happens to you, here are a few things to try:

Open the file with a video editor, such as Windows Movie Maker 2 (for details, see Chapter 10), and then resave it in a supported format.
The problem could also be with the codec. Try using Windows Media Player to open the file, which may prompt Windows to download and install the necessary codec automatically. (For details on launching Windows Media Player, see Chapter 13, "Preparing Your Music Collection for XP Media Center." )

The Absolute Minimum

When it comes to digital video on the Media Center platform, there's more that meets the eye than television alone. Digital video files are becoming increasingly easy and fun to create and share. That's exactly why Microsoft added a home for these files within Media Center. Media Center's My Videos allows you to switch effortlessly between home movies and other videos, and the stored and live TV programming available via Media Center's My TV interface. When you're using My Videos, here are some of the important things to keep in mind:

Whereas My TV uses an electronic program guide and text listings to represent video programs, My Videos uses thumbnail images to help you navigate, organize, and launch video files. Get used to this type of interface, because you'll be seeing more of it as we explore entertainment features based on audio and still images in the coming chapters.
Media Center looks for digital video files in only a few folders ”the My Videos folder or the Shared Video folder. If you want to play your videos from within Media Center, you'll have to store your files ”or at least create a shortcut ”in one of those folders.
My Videos is also designed to play back video files stored on removable disks and other storage media. Just be careful to exit from My Videos before you eject a disk containing video.
My Videos automatically catalogs your video files, and allows you to sort them by name or date with the press of a button.
Watching a digital video file is as easy as selecting the file and pressing Play. But if you want other users to be able to watch it as well, you'll need to place a copy or a shortcut in your Shared Video folder.