Updated on Aug 12 2007.

Playing Pre-Recorded TV from WHS or Recording Live TV to WHS .

Works for Vista , MCE 2005 and Xbox360.

If you do not need to record live TV to the WHS, and just need it to store the recorded TV files and play from WHS, you can miss out "Recording Live TV to WHS" but you will still need the Batch file on the WHS.
All Recorded TV stored on the WHS will show in "Recorded TV" on Vista or MCE 2005 and in "Recorded TV" in MCE UI on the Xbox360 ,

On the WHS you need to enable media sharing on the Music, Photos and Videos shares. You can do that by clicking on the Gear icon in the top right of the WHS Console, then click on the Shared Folders.

Then on WHS console setup a Guest Account with no password, this will be so you can see the recorded TV from WHS on your Xbox360 in Media Center UI under "Recorded TV"

From WHS Console add a share folder call "Recorded TV" to WHS default shared folders.

Settings for Windows Home Server

1: In Run, type "gpedit.msc", then click OK .
Then go to Computer Configuration> Windows Settings> Security Settings> Local Policies> Security Options
Find the entry "Network access: Let Everyone permissions also apply to anonymous users", double click and set to "Enabled"

2: Then in the same location in gpedit.msc Computer Configuration> Windows Settings> Security Settings> Local Policies> Security Options.  Find the entry "Shares that can be accrssed anonymously" double click and add the value "Recorded TV" at the end of the existing entries, then click OK.

3: Reboot WHS.

Log on back on to WHS right click the shared "Recorded TV" folder then go to Properties Click on the Share and Security tab then Permissions add "Anonymous Logon" click "Full Control" box then click on OK.

4: Log on then Log off DO NOT REBOOT WHS the Share Permissions and Security Permissions will be removed if you reboot, there is a batch file to fix the problem see below ).

Settings for MCE 2005 or Vista .

On Vista or MCE 2005 Run, "regedit".

1 Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media Center\Service\Recording

Double click the "WatchedFolders" key

Add the UNC path of WHS shared folder. \\Server\Recorded TV

2 Reboot the MCE 2005 or if you have Vista reboot that.

 

Recording Live TV to WHS

For Vista or MCE 2005

1 If you need to record live TV to WHS here is the setting go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media Center\Service\Recording

Double click the "RecordPath" key

then add \\Server\Recorded TV

2 Reboot the MCE 2005 or if you have Vista reboot that.

 

Batch file Fix for Anonymous Logon and Everyone after WHS Reboots.

These settings where needed because if WHS reboots, the Share Permissions and Security Permissions will be removed.

Copy and Paste the batch file into notepad and save it as "whs.bat" DO NOT save it as a text file, add the batch file to WHS startup menu.

Now if WHS reboots the Batch file will reset all the Share Permissions and Security Permissions for recorded TV folder, only works after you log on and then logoff WHS.

Here is the Batch file below (Copy and Paste it).   Updated batch file on Aug 12 2007

--------------------------------------------------

@ECHO OFF
net share "Recorded TV" /Delete
net share "Recorded TV"="D:\Shares\Recorded TV" /GRANT:Everyone,FULL /GRANT:"Anonymous logon",FULL 
ECHO Y| cacls "D:\shares\Recorded TV" /G "Anonymous logon":F "Everyone":F
end

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Ps: Thanks to Ian Dixon mce mvp who has also been working on this.

 

Richard Miller mce mvp.

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Richard Miller MCE MVP

Works well for me

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TheDigitalLifeStyle.com the home of The Media Center Show!
Microsoft MVP

Ian is doing this on Vista(I think) and I have it working from MCE 2005, works on both OS.

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Richard Miller MCE MVP

Richard Miller:

 

--------------------------------------------------

@ECHO OFF

net share "Recorded TV" /Delete

net share "Recorded TV"="D:\Shares\Recorded TV" /GRANT:Everyone,FULL

ECHO Y| cacls "D:\shares\Recorded TV" /G "Anonymous logon":F "Everyone":F "Administrators":F "CREATOR OWNER":F

end

----------------------------------------------------

Ps: Thanks to Ian Dixon mce mvp who has also been working on this.

 

Richard Miller mce mvp.

 

Is there a way the batch file doesn't ask for confirmation when the recorded TV map is in use? If the map is in use because one of the media center pc has recorded TV open I must manually put a Y to confirm.

I thought WHS was also created for recording on a network disk. Why does it have to be this way to record to WHS.? Will there be an option in MCE or Vista to select the WHS disk manually when WHS is finisht?

Thanks.

I would have thought that this will be taken care of by either Microsoft or an OEM.

The reason you have to do all this at the moment is due to the way Media Center works and the security around it

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TheDigitalLifeStyle.com the home of The Media Center Show!
Microsoft MVP

Ok, we will wait and see.

 

When WHS is in standby and a recording is scheduled on the MCE machine will WHS wake automaticly? Networkcard configured as may  wake the machine.

Or does this give an error on MCE like not enough space for recording or something like that. This was sometimes a problem when recording to (Free)nas.

Alex

www.xpmce.nl

WHS is designed to be always on, so that situation should not occur

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TheDigitalLifeStyle.com the home of The Media Center Show!
Microsoft MVP

A couple of questions about this...

1. Does the recent WHS CTP release still have this issue with removing Share & Security Permissions (on WHS reboot)?

2. When recording drm protected content to WHS, does the license get stored on WHS or on the Media Center PC?  I'm trying to determine if this will protect/enable me to upgrade to new Media Center hardware without losing the ability playback drm'd content stored on WHS.

3. Are there any cons to recording or playback directly to/from WHS?

I would assume that the best way to maximize performance is to have both WHS and MC plugged into a 1000T switch.  Good news is that some those 802.11n wireless routers are starting to offer gigabit switching (ex. D-Link Xtreme N™ Gigabit Router (DIR-655)).

1. Yes the Share & Security Permissions problem is still there, but the batch file will fix the Share & Security Permissions .

 2. Its stored on the Media Center PC, DRM protect file will play back on the main MCE PC that started the recording(even if the recording is on WHS), and any Xbox360 or Xbox360s connected to that main MCE PC, but not anyother MCE PC on the network.

 Now if there is no DRM on the recording, then other MCE PC on the same Network will be able to play them as well.

 If you upgrade to new Media Center hardware, like CPU or motherboard. I think there could be a DRM problem(DRM will think its another PC).

3.If the network fail or it had Network Congestion that would be a problem, but I'am using only 100 network and I have had no problems yet.

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Richard Miller MCE MVP

All settings are set as needed on WHS but sometimes I get a MCE message like "did not record because there was not enough disk space". (I have a dutch MCE, so I translated the error message) when the MCE pc wakes from standby for a recording.

WHS is on 24/7

There is space enough so what could be the problem or how can I solve it?

that sounds like a permissions problem

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TheDigitalLifeStyle.com the home of The Media Center Show!
Microsoft MVP

I gave the recorded TV folder full control permissions for anonymous and everyone.

Als placed the whs.bat in the startup folder. I have 3 MCE machines for recording and only one gives this error sometimes. Not always.

 

What is the best antivirus software for running on WHS?

I've got it all working well now but there is one thing I like to know.

When recording with multiple pc's I noticed that the recording list is not always up to date on every pc.

When a recording is finisht on pc A and I want to watch it on pc B the recording doesn't always directly appears in the recording list. When stopping the ehsched service the list will be refreshing. But when doing this while a recording takes place the recording will be interrupted and start over again a second time. I do record on three MCE machines.

Is there is simple way to refresh the recording list. Why doesn't MCE just read the recorded folder to see what's in it?

Never tryed recording multiple MCE pc's to Windows Home Server(nice to see thats working).
When I record to WHS it show up in the "Recorded TV" without stopping the ehsched or closing and opening MCE. Give the networked recordings one or two seconds to load into "Recorded TV".

I will add another MCE to the network in about three weeks, to test recording multiple MCE pc's to WHS.

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Richard Miller MCE MVP

The recording shows up in the list of the machine where it was record from. But on PC B or C sometimes the list won't refresh at all. It won't refresh at all when PC B or C is recording a show. In Case the list i'n't up to date I have added the Recorded tv folder to the movies section and watch it from there.