Sharing Recorded TV on your MCE PC with second MCE PC

- Using your PC as an Extender -

On the Server PC (PC with the recorded TV)

1. Share your recorded TV folder giving full control to everyone (right mouse click \ Properties \ Sharing…). Name the share "Recorded TV”.
2. Click Start, Run, and open gpedit.msc.  Navigate under Computer Configuration\Windows Settings\Security Settings\Local Policies\Security Options, and change "Network access:  Let Everyone permissions apply to anonymous users" to “enabled”. Also add “Network access: Shares that can be accessed anonymously” to include “Recorded TV” (see below).

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1. Make sure “Windows Media Connect” 2.0 (WMC) is loaded and running on the Server. Make sure you share the folder in WMC that contains the recorded TV content and that you automatically approve devices in WMC.

On the Client PC (Second PC that wants access to the recorded TV from the first)

1. Open regedit, and go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media Center\Service\Recording.  Update the "WatchedFolders" key with the value “\\grandroom\Recorded TV” (see below)

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1. Have both machines on the same network. On the Client PC, open IE and enter \\grandroom\recorded tv to make sure you have access to the content on the server PC. Click on a show just to make sure it plays.
2. Make sure “Windows Media Connect” 2.0 (WMC) is loaded and running on the Client PC. It does not matter what folders you share.

Adding “My TV” to PCs without a tuner

If you do not have a tuner installed on your Client PC, you will not have a “My TV” option in MCE. Without the “My TV” option, you can not get to the recorded TV content from the Server PC (unless you just use Windows Media Player outside of the MCE shell)

Buy or borrow a tuner to connect to your PC. Set up MCE with the tuner (no antenna or TV signal is required to get it installed and showing the “My TV” option in MCE. At this point, you can either remove the tuner or just leave it in. MCE will continue to expose the “My TV” option so you can get to the recorded content on the Server PC. The first time you go to the “Recorded TV” option, it will take a few seconds to populate the recorded TV shows that are on the server PC.

There are Registry hacks that will expose “My TV”, but the ones I have tried crashes MCE when you try to play the Server PC content.

Other issues to watch

Once you can see the recorded TV on the Client PC (in TV/Recorded TV), your graphics solution is a big part of the stability of the system. I had to update the graphics driver to the latest version to get rid of blue screens. I am using the G965 integrated graphics solution from Intel. Using an external graphics card could help you if you have this problem.

I also can not play ATSC recorded content that is recorded on my ATI HD tuner card. I assume all tuner cards will have their own quirks on sharing content in this manner.

I have the latest builds and updates for MCE as of 10/22/06 on both machines and it does work.

There is no warranty, guarantee, or promise that this will work for you. I put this information together from other information I have found on the Internet. It works for me and I hope it works for you. Good Luck.