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I’m a fan of the DVD Library functionality built into Windows Media Center Edition and Vista Media Center. I prefer it over something like My Movies purely because of it’s slickness and simplicity.

Though I have no idea why the ability to enable it is not a core configuration option, the methods are well enough documented around the place.

With such simplicity however, you often run into a restriction or a niggle that in a stand alone set-top box you may well just live with. With an HTPC though, which is most definitely a labour of love, you search an probe for a way to do that particular thing you want to do.

My niggle was that I wanted files other than DVD images to be accessible via the DVD Library. This desire was further provoked by Vista listing movies I recorded from TV in the library. This was almost enough. If I could have moved these movies out of the Recorded TV area and still have access to them, but no.

I found references to other format files being made accessible to extenders from the DVD Library via play lists and virtual links. I was again spurred on.

Ultimately though I was disappointed to find that these only worked from the extender and locally the DVD Library was truely limited to DRMS or WTV files located in a watched TV folder or DVD files.

I came across a free plug-in called Video Browser, but I was sceptical. I really didn’t want to install a plug-in to solve something I felt there must be a way around in the core software.

Nevertheless, in a fit of idle curiosity I installed it and pointed it at my folder of DVD Images.

Excellent. By default I had an interface almost identical to that of the DVD Library (at least in that release), but with a richer detail screen and the promise of other file types. There were eye-candy back drops and cover art for nearly every film without me doing anything. The plug-in is really slick and integrates seamlessly.

Slowly I started moving my other movie files into the sights to the plug-in. It has a simple convention…

Create a folder for the movie and drop your file, image or whatever into it.

After a spousal consultation, I gave up on the standard DVD Library “poster” view and moved to the detail view.

I then started thinking about the series I had and moved them over. I played with the options and tried the supporting metadata tools for getting more images and information Media Scout and Salamis movie browser (which is a stripped back version of the My Movies data capture interface tuned to the plug-in).

Finally, I moved the library, movies, series and all to the Home Server, something I’d never felt ready to do with my “open issues” with the DVD Library.

I feel my quest for the solution to my original niggle may be over.
Until the next one that is…

One problem with video browser is aside effect of a very positive side of it. It is in beta and is under the seemingly constant attention of its contributing developers. Even while writing this post and update was released which significantly changed the detail screens and removed some of the big brash eye candy banner art for a more subtle presentation.

But the project from the forum the developers seem open to suggestions and besides, it is also open source. If I really want something a certain way, I just need to pull my finger out and make it so.