Help finding a decoder

Hello all.
I am trying to find a decoder that will work with my windows xp media center edition. A while back everything was fine using nero 7 essentials. Now nothing is working and I'm getting the decoder not installed or malfunctioning errors. I downloaded the utility to check decoder compatibility and it says that the only thing compatible is the video decoder with media center and that isn't even compatible with the WMP.

So what do I have to do to not have this issue? I would like to watch/record tv and dvd's. I'm sure someone out there has dealt with this as I have been dealing with it on and off for 2 years since I got this box with mce on it.

I guess while I'm at it; I have had NO success in finding something that will allow me to burn dvd's from programs recorded in the media center program.

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

Hi and welcome to the BBS,

I don't have MCE, so I will only offer suggestions of what my methods would be. It seems like you have been trying many programs. I would uninstall them all. It may not be that are not so much incompatible with MCE, but with each other. If there is a program related to the TV hardware, uninstall that as well, but reinstall it before you install any decoders, also check for updates for the drivers and software for the TV hardware.

Read about what the decoders do and only install those (one or two) that will do what you want them to do. If a decoder does not do what you want it to do, uninstall it.

Read in the manual/help files of the recording program. Look at the files that are being created. You might be able to change the type of file generated in the options of the program. You might be able to convert them to a general file like an mpeg or avi file. It may not be possible to burn them directly to DVD (I've never tried), it may involve conversion and then burning that file. You may need a faster system of recording and/or playback, like another HDD (external?).

What type of recording are you interested in, TV recording, webcam recording, camcorder recording, web-streaming, etc, etc? Most might be able to be recorded "generally" or they might be better recorded by specific programs. "Decoders" take a file and make it playable, "recorders" take the data and turn it into a file.

Can .wmv files be played? These are specifically Windows media files. If not, WMP or MCE has basic problems.

As I said, I am only an outsider.

Matt