This article walks you through the steps to play a CD or a DVD in Windows Media Center. Windows Media Center became one of the popular softwares after it was added in the Ultimate and Home Premium editions of Windows Vista. After including it in Window Vista, Microsoft is now providing Windows Media Center, loaded with new and improved features, with other updated Window releases like Windows 7 Business and Enterprise editions.
You can use Windows Media Center to play not just data and audio CDs but also data and video DVDs. This includes both commercial DVDs and CDs you bought and DVDs and CDs that you burned yourself using CD/DVD burning software.
To Play a DVD
The basis requirement before you play a DVD is that you need to have a DVD drive and a suited DVD decoder. You need to install them on your computer before you can play DVD. When you install Windows Media Center (WMC) a compatible DVD decoder automatically installs with that on your computer.
Once you have fulfilled all the requirements, you can play a DVD through the following steps:
1. Place the DVD that you need to play in the DVD drive of your computer.
Note: The DVD main title menu should display automatically. If it does not, from the start menu, search and click on ‘TV + Movies’ and later select the ‘Play DVD’. You can even use the navigation buttons on the Windows Media Center remote control as an alternative if you do not want to use the computer mouse.
2. Once the DVD title menu opens, select the DVD that you want to play using the navigation buttons on the remote.
3. Select the Play button to play DVD.
4. If you wish to skip to the subsequent divisions on your DVD, you can use the ‘Next’ button on the transport controls on your remote or can move the computer mouse and select the ‘Next’ button.
5. If you wish to go back to the preceding division on your DVD, you can use the ‘Previous’ button on the transport controls on your remote or can move the computer mouse and select the ‘Previous’ button.
6. Use the ‘Stop’ button on the transport controls on your remote to stop the DVD or move the mouse and select the ‘Stop’ button.
To Play an Audio CD
1. Place the audio CD in the CD ROM drive on your computer.
Once computer starts to read the audio CD, it starts to play.
2. You can use the ‘Next’ button from the transport controls on your remote to play the next track on the CD or use the computer mouse and select the ‘Next’ button.
3. If you wish to play a previous track on your CD, you can use the ‘Previous’ button on the transport controls on your remote or move computer mouse and select the ‘Previous’ button.
4. You can select the View Queue, if you want to view all tracks on the CD.
5. If you wish to change the playback order of the CD, select the Shuffle, Repeat, or select both Shuffle and Repeat buttons.
6. To stop audio CD from playing, press the ‘Stop’ button from the on the transport controls on your remote or move the mouse and then select the ‘Stop’ button.
