# Windows Media Center **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 7, 2007, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-media-center/391278 "2007-02-07T22:28:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![indierock82](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f14d63/32.png) [@indierock82](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/indierock82)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2007, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-media-center/391278/1 "2007-02-07T22:28:35Z")
On a whim I purchased my dell computer last fall with WMC as the OS. Now, it is essentially just XP but with some extra finesses (or is it finessi haha). The nice thing about it is that when you’re running the media center you can record everything you watch or want to watch later, making it a very expensive TiVo. Since I don’t have a TV, this was a suitable surrogate. But one thing bugs me: where does Media Center save the recorded programs? Obviously I’m not going to burn everything I record in the program, so that leaves only one viewing option, namely the MC player. But I don’t _want_ to watch it in MC. I want to use another program. So where do I find the files? ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2007, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-media-center/391278/2 "2007-02-07T22:37:00Z")
[QUOTE=indierock82] Now, it is essentially just XP but with some extra finesses (or is it finessi haha). [/QUOTE] Don’t know the answer to your main question, but I can answer this one I think. To my knowledge, there is no plural of “finesse” because it is a mass noun and not a count noun. This means the word works like terms such as “corn” and “water,” where you say, for example, “some corn,” and not “several corns,” and “some water” rather than “several waters.”\* Similarly, you would say “some finesse” rather than “several finesses.” In the case of your sentence, if I had to use the word “finesse,” I would say “WMC is essentially XP with some extra finesse.” Really, though, what I think you want is “WMC is essentially XP though with some nice additional features.” -FrL- \*There is a sort of archaic sounding use of “water” that lets you form a plural from it, I guess, for example, the use in “Still waters run deep.” But hopefully you see what I mean nevertheless. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2007, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-media-center/391278/3 "2007-02-07T22:45:57Z")
[QUOTE=Frylock] \*There is a sort of archaic sounding use of “water” that lets you form a plural from it, I guess, for example, the use in “Still waters run deep.” But hopefully you see what I mean nevertheless. [/QUOTE] Archaic-sounding? I’ve been accused of using old-fashioned words before, but never archaic ones! (Etymonline suggests a connection with anthropomorphisms of water - “these are dangerous waters” is one I’ve used recently) ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2007, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-media-center/391278/4 "2007-02-07T22:58:07Z")
please ignore this post ---
**Author:** ![indierock82](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f14d63/32.png) [@indierock82](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/indierock82)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2007, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-media-center/391278/5 "2007-02-08T22:56:25Z")
Yeah, gramma lesson aside (which I have taken to heart, thank you very much), is there anybody that can help me out with the original OP? Where do the video files get saved? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2007, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-media-center/391278/6 "2007-02-08T23:08:05Z")
Can you search your machine for “.dvr-ms” file types? Make sure you search in hidden files too. Once you find one or two you’ve probably found them all. You’ll need to Google on your own to figure out how to play these “elsewhere” too. Search “Media center” XP files and take the link from desk share dot com. ---
**Author:** ![Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gut)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-media-center/391278/7 "2007-02-09T04:53:10Z")
They are in \shared documents\recorded tv ---
**Author:** ![indierock82](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f14d63/32.png) [@indierock82](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/indierock82)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-media-center/391278/8 "2007-02-09T15:08:19Z")
**Gut** , thank you very much! It was right where you said it was… I couldn’t believe my eyes when I opened the folder though. I’d recorded a 2.5 hour movie and the file size was a whopping 9 gigs. Amazing. And we’re not even talking HD quality. ---
**Author:** ![Nature\_s\_Call](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nature_s_call/32/19006_2.png) [@Nature\_s\_Call](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nature_s_Call)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-media-center/391278/9 "2007-02-09T15:20:30Z")
By default you’ll find the files where **Gut** mentioned (indeed you did). If your setup is not default, you can find that location in the registry: HKEY\_LOCAL\_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Media Center\Service\Recording\RecordPath This [link](http://blogs.msdn.com/astebner/archive/2006/04/29/586961.aspx) lists a bunch of useful registry settings. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-media-center/391278/10 "2007-02-09T15:40:48Z")
[QUOTE=Frylock] Don’t know the answer to your main question, but I can answer this one I think. To my knowledge, there is no plural of “finesse” because it is a mass noun and not a count noun. [/QUOTE] Certainly there is if you’re a bridge player. Usually used in the following sentence, “I would have made the contract but all the finesses were off.” ---
**Author:** ![Nature\_s\_Call](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nature_s_call/32/19006_2.png) [@Nature\_s\_Call](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nature_s_Call)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-media-center/391278/11 "2007-02-09T15:51:13Z")
As for what player to use, I’ve found Windows Media Player works well. We have Windows Media Center connected to our home theatre system downstairs. The kids were watching a recorded show on it while Mrs. Call and I were watching a different recorded show upstairs with Windows Media Player (through the share **Gut** mentioned) - this is on a computer that has no Media Center installed. And, at the same time, we were recording another show. All this activity and nothing was affected. I was very impressed ---
**Author:** ![The\_Composer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/898d66/32.png) [@The\_Composer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Composer)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-media-center/391278/12 "2007-02-09T16:02:46Z")
Media Center sometimes deletes episodes or programs if there is not enough room for storage. Can I create more “room” by moving certain files out of the aforementioned folder? ---
**Author:** ![indierock82](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f14d63/32.png) [@indierock82](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/indierock82)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-media-center/391278/13 "2007-02-09T21:25:55Z")
**The Composer** You ought to be able to change the settings of the recording function to where it doesn’t delete what you’ve recorded unless you do it manually. ---
**Author:** ![Nature\_s\_Call](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nature_s_call/32/19006_2.png) [@Nature\_s\_Call](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nature_s_Call)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-media-center/391278/14 "2007-02-09T21:54:08Z")
You can also move files elsewhere to make room - including burning the files to a DVD ROM (assuming they’ll fit - those HD recordings get pretty big). Alternately, there are programs which will convert .dvr-ms files to .avi with DivX compression, making them much more manageable. I have not yet tried any so I can’t recommend which. I hope to test drive one or two this weekend (gotta build my “Lost” collection!) ---
**Author:** ![indierock82](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f14d63/32.png) [@indierock82](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/indierock82)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-media-center/391278/15 "2007-02-09T22:12:15Z")
**Nature’s Call** , if you find such an agent, please forward a link to where you got it from along with your tales of success =)