Windows 7 improved the out of the box media codec situation over Windows Vista, but things aren’t quite perfect with average support for MKV files and no Blu-ray support. To get the perfect Windows 7 Media Center codec support required a bit of fiddling and crossing fingers, particularly when it came to supporting MKV files.
Although codec packs like Shark007 improve W7MC MKV support, they still leave a bit of a blackhole when it comes to providing an easy way to change language or subtitle streams when playing MKV file, relying on buggy 3rd party addons like the Media Control plugin which works sporadically. Skipping and fast-forwarding MKV files within W7MC is also difficult using these apps – fast-forwarding and rewinding doesn’t work, and skip forward or backwards too quickly and W7MC will crash.
Last week W7MC Arcsoft upgraded their TotalMedia Theatre 5 suite with the 5.0.1.133 patch which improved its MKV capabilities to include support for multiple audio tracks, and support for standard and VobSub subtitles in MKV. This is brilliant news as finally there’s a way to easily play MKV files in W7MC, that also passes the WAF test.
Now, unfortunately TMT5 is quite pricey at $99.99 but it is the best media player and in tandem with My Movies 4, it will provide the ultimate W7MC experience without having to spend hours if not weeks configuring codecs:
- Play any media file smoothly
- Full HD and 3D support – including full MKV support
- Play blu-ray discs (and with My Movies play blu-ray rips on hard drives)
- Play any 2D Video or Photo in 3D
- Upscale SD content with SimHD
How does this work from within MediaCenter?
it automatically adds a plugin to media center to play files. to improve integration also install mymovies.dk, that allows you to play ripped blu-rays that are on your HDD
Just installed the upgrade w/o issue. Went to a folder in my Videos library that contains a bunch of MKVs but WMC played then and not the TMT5 WMC player. Thus, no subtitles.
Or just install XBMC, which outside of recording is a better overall product, and be done.
I was an XBMC user years ago with my modded Xboxs - http://www.connectedinternet.co.uk/2006/03/21/screenshots-of-my-xbmc-setup/. I haven’t followed it for a few years, but if it doesn’t have full TV Tuner/PVR support it doesn’t really compare and from memory everything I really needed with XBMC I can do on W7MC.
Tuner/PVR is advantage WMC. Virtually everything else, XBMC. And most of it OOB. No screwing around.
First off! Forget My Movies and use Media Browser Plug-in!! ( http://www.mediabroser.tv ) Media Browser has the abillity to add differnet players for certain extentions. Sharks 007 is pretty good for me! It plays all my MKV and I use TMT3 to play Bluray discs folder structure! Use “MCE Remote Plus” from here: http://headsoft.com.au/index.php?category=mce .It will play all your VOBSub files from your MKV as long as they are external NOT embedded. Use “MKVCleaver” to extract the subs as SRT files and name those files the same as your MKV in the same folder. Done no problem,