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    Media Center "no codec" and Media Player works.

    Discussion in 'HP' started by Nilst, Mar 16, 2008.

  1. Nilst

    Nilst Notebook Consultant

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    This is probably easy for someone, but I am stumped. I download Tv shows I miss or stuff I can't get. I just started to use my new laptop with HDMI to the HDTV. I was able to watch Divx, Xvid (.avi) just fine with Media Player. Looks great. But I decided to give Media Center a whirl. So I direct it to the exact same episode in the folder but it gives me a "No codec..." type error. I can only assume its the Divx Xvid thing. Did I need a complete different codec pack for Media Center. I have the latest Vista Codec pack already installed. I assumed it covered all my bases.

    And can someone please tell me how to stop the Screen saver from coming on when I am watching stuff via HDMI on TV? Thank you ever so much.
    I should add that I have the extended screen (TV) only, the laptop display is off, yet the screen saver pops up after so many minutes. Of course I manually turn the screen saver off. But like it on for normal daily use.

    So far so good and no big problems. :)
     
    Nilst, Mar 16, 2008
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  2. Sir Travis D

    Sir Travis D Notebook Deity

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    hmm.... what do you have? what laptop/tv tuner?
     
    Sir Travis D, Mar 16, 2008
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  3. Nilst

    Nilst Notebook Consultant

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    DV9774ca playing .avi (Xvid,Divx) via HDMI to my Sony CRT 34" HDTV. No tuner in the laptop. I download stuff off torrents and newsgroup so I have the .avi file in a folder.
    Theres nothing wrong with the program I am watching, it works on Media Player, yet on Media Center it tells me I don't have the codec. I went through all the set up for Media Center and can't find any advance type options like you find in other aps.

    What I used to do before I got this laptop with the HDMI is burn the tv shows to DVD-RW and play in my Divx compatible DVD player on to the TV.
     
    Nilst, Mar 16, 2008
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  4. Nilst

    Nilst Notebook Consultant

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    I should add, the reason was hoping to use Media Center is because it asked me what TV I had, 4:3 or 16:9....I told it 16:9, so it should know what to do with the image from the laptop via HDMI. What i have happening with Media Player is the image on the TV has a couple of inches of black top and bottom on the TV and the people are very very slightly wide and short. On my TV it is then stuck on the FULL setting as far as using the "screen" button on the TV remote. I can not manipulate the picture to make it ever so slightly taller. I am under the impression that the Media Center will do it right....but tells me the codec is missing, no immediate option to tell it to just get the right one!

    If I put the same program on a DVD and play that to my Tv from the old Divx DVD player it comes out exactly right.

    If only it was a perfect world.....!!!
     
    Nilst, Mar 16, 2008
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