Media Center Borders...and more :(

Doug

Newbie Joined: Apr 24, 2010 10:41 Messages: 6 Offline

Solved by

Apr 25, 2010 13:32

Hello all,
I am so frustrated at this point, I hope someone can help (I have tried searching the forums to no avail). I bought PDVD 10 the other day for my HTPC. I installed it and then fired up my Media Center to watch a BD movie. That is where the problems start.

In MC, there is a border around the entire movie. It seems as if MC put the movie in a box.

I want to use my Harmony 880 remote to control PDVD 10 not in the MC environment, but it is unrecognized. I absolutely do not want to use a mouse and keyboard to watch a movie, but that is what I have to do at this point

So, those are my most important questions, How do I get the movie to play in fullscreen in the MC environment, OR how do I get a remote to work with PDVD 10 not in the MC environment?

Thank you for any and all help you can provide, it is greatly appreciated.

Doug
Windows 7 64 bit Home
GA-MA78Gm-S2H motherboard
AMD X2 5000+
4 gigs OCZ memory
320gig HDD (7200 rpm)
EVGA 9600GT
On board sound with output through optical to receiver
Antec Fusion 430 case with iMon software installed
IR Receiver built into PC case
DVI to HDMI connection
Samsung 50" DLP (1080p)
All latest driver and updates installed

This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at Apr 30. 2010 09:28

Doug

Newbie Joined: Apr 24, 2010 10:41 Messages: 6 Offline

Apr 27, 2010 13:51

anyone out there to help?

Larry Patrick

Senior Member Joined: Jul 11, 2007 14:21 Messages: 276 Offline

Apr 27, 2010 14:44

I may not be of much help but I do use Powerdvd 9 through the Windows 7 64 bit Enterprise MCE interface. I use a standard USB MS MCE remote and control my powerdvd. I have tried it withthe powerdvd 10 trial and still control it.

What is your OS?
64bit or 32bit?
Does that remote control the MCE interface?
Does that remote control the standard powerdvd interface? Seems above that is no, but want to confirm.
Does that remote control the cinema mode powerdvd interface? I would guess no here also, but want to confirm again.

From my experience the MCE version of powerdvd looks to me to be the cinema mode of powerdvd. Good luck starting some blu rays without a mouse as some keyboard shortcuts get turned off.

I dont know much about the harmony 880 remote but did it come with its own driver?

Doug

Newbie Joined: Apr 24, 2010 10:41 Messages: 6 Offline

Apr 29, 2010 06:30

thanks for the input.

My biggest issue is the "box" that PDVD 10 plays in within the MC environment. I don't know what it is happening as it does it for no other program.

Larry Patrick

Senior Member Joined: Jul 11, 2007 14:21 Messages: 276 Offline

Apr 29, 2010 16:56

You know i dont remember if i saw a box around my Powerdvd 10. I will be taking another look at powerdvd 10 this weekend maybe I will reduce my screens overscan so i have a better chance of maybe seeing this.

I did some basic reading up on your remote. I dont fully trust everything i read on the web but it seems some folks had issues with the IR receiver included with the 880. When they swapped it with the MCE USB IR receiver they could control things better.

Personally i find it hard to believe the IR reciever would make a difference, but definetly might use different drivers.

Doug

Newbie Joined: Apr 24, 2010 10:41 Messages: 6 Offline

Apr 30, 2010 09:30

Thanks for the help so far larry!

I guess what is more important to me is getting the PDVD10 to not play in a box window while in the MC environment. My wife is unbelievably frustrated with me at this point and just wants to watch a damn movie. She can only do it if I am around to walk her through it.

I am frustrated at spending this much money on PDVD10 to have it not work as stated with MC.

Paul1212

Newbie Joined: May 02, 2010 12:11 Messages: 2 Offline

May 02, 2010 12:26

Power DVD 10 on windows media center does the same thing for me. I use the program, media center studio, to work around the problem by launching the power DVD Software outside of windows media center. Media center studio is a program they can launch external applications from windows media center by minimizing windows media center and starting the application.

This may get you functional but for the amount I paid for the program the plug in for windows media center should work correctly.

Larry Patrick

Senior Member Joined: Jul 11, 2007 14:21 Messages: 276 Offline

May 16, 2010 13:59

I am installing PowerDVD10 Trial today. I notice there is a new trial and update available as of 2010-05-14.
PowerDVD 10 1705

I will see if I see if those borders that i seem to remember seeing during my testing still exist.

Evan

Newbie Joined: Nov 28, 2008 19:29 Messages: 7 Offline

May 17, 2010 16:15

I had the same issue where PDVD9 Ultra would not go to fullscreen. I went online and updated the software and that fixed teh problem for about a month. I noticed yesterday it is back to playing movies with a border around the entire screen again. Samsung LN52A650 1080P LCD
XPS 420 Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 2.5GHz
4GB
ATI Radeon HD3870 512MB
Blu-ray Disc Burner
W7 Home Premium 64 Bit
Power DVD 9 Ultra Retail
2 ATI CableCARD OCUR Tuners / Cablevision
HDHomerun ATSC

Larry Patrick

Senior Member Joined: Jul 11, 2007 14:21 Messages: 276 Offline

May 19, 2010 18:33

All right I am using my Nvidia 197.45_desktop_win7_winvista_64bit_english_whql.exe drivers on 64 bit 7 enterprise.

I installed the 1705 trial of Powerdvd 10. I currently see 2 black bars on the left and right of the video when in MCE. I exited MCE and started up powerdvd 10. I switched it from classic to cinema mode and there was those same black bars. I do not currently see the complete box edge i used to see that was like 1-2mm all the way around the video. I reduced my screen to fit the TV window cause I am too lazy to hook up the monitor right now.

I uninstalled 1705, rebooted, installed 1516, and rebooted. It currently is doing the same thing.

Now the odd part is the movie i am testing with "the imagninarium of dr parnasus" doesn't go full width left and right, but takes advantage top and bottom even on powerdvd 9. I do notice in classic mode it has the same space on the left and right.

I will try running some experiments on a monitor to see if it behaves differently.

Doug

Newbie Joined: Apr 24, 2010 10:41 Messages: 6 Offline

May 23, 2010 08:36

I have given up on it in MC, I bought a great handheld keyboard/mouse combo from lenovo that I use.

just easier

Larry Patrick

Senior Member Joined: Jul 11, 2007 14:21 Messages: 276 Offline

May 24, 2010 11:21

Ok you bought the keyboard/mouse to fix the issue for the Harmony remote NOT working, but do you still have display issue you were trying to fix?

Doug

Newbie Joined: Apr 24, 2010 10:41 Messages: 6 Offline

May 24, 2010 12:46

the harmony remote is not a real problem if I could get it working in MC (the original large problem).

Regardless....I will try again when I get home late tonight.

markopolo

Newbie Joined: Jun 29, 2011 13:39 Messages: 1 Offline

Jun 29, 2011 13:42

I realize that this is an old thread but I came across a solution to the problem listed here that I plan to try tonight. Apparently, if you change MC to have your display as a "Monitor" instead of "TV", the borders will be removed and PowerDVD will display full screen. Worth a simple try anyhow!

myangeldust

Newbie Joined: Sep 02, 2011 20:50 Messages: 4 Offline

Sep 02, 2011 21:06

Does PowerDVD sell their codecs for Windows Media Player? Or maybe a WMP/WMC plug-in for their True Theater software? If WMP could be upgraded to perform like PowerDVD then it would work from within Windows Media Center using its default player. It would also mean we would get the upscaling and picture correction features whenever we played any kind of video, not just DVD movies!

Christopher

Newbie Joined: Dec 30, 2012 14:20 Messages: 1 Offline

Dec 30, 2012 14:25

Thanks markopolo! Your solution worked. I just wanted to add the following: I selected Flat Panel instead of Monitor in Windows 7 Media Center. I noticed that when I did this it made all of the Windows Media Center interface larger/zoomed in.

It appears that Windows Media Center tries to compensate for overscan when you select TV as your display. This causes everything to be pushed in from the edges.

I ran into this issue after a hard disk failure and reload of my HTPC. I am glad I did because I could swear that something was off with the size of the interface after I setup Windows Media Center again.