Burn a CD or DVD in Windows Media Center

There are many options available to you for burning CDs and DVDs in Windows Media Center. Knowing how you want to use the burned disc will help you determine which option is right for you.

To burn a CD, you must have a CD burner connected to or installed in your computer. The type of recordable CD you should use depends on the types your CD burner supports and the type of disc you prefer. For instance, you can use either a blank CD-R or CD-RW disc for burning CDs, but not all CD players can play CD-RW discs.

Some digital media files might be protected. If they are, you might not be able to burn them to a CD or DVD depending on the media usage rights associated with the file.

 What you'll need

To get started, you'll need the following:

• A CD or DVD burner (also known as a CD or DVD recorder drive).
  Nearly all recent computers include a CD burner for burning audio and data CDs. Some computers include a combination CD/DVD burner for burning audio CDs, data CDs, and data DVDs.
  If you don't know what kind of burner you have, check the information that came with your computer.
• A blank CD or DVD.
  The type of blank disc you need depends on what kind of burner you have and what kind of disc you're trying to make.
  For audio CDs: A good choice is the CD-R format because it's relatively inexpensive and is compatible with the widest range of playback devices.
  For data CDs: CD-R is sufficient for most people's needs. However, if you want the ability to erase the disc later and add new files to it, choose CD-RW. Just remember that CD-RW discs are typically more expensive than CD-R discs, and not all CD players can play CD-RW discs.
  For data DVDs: Choose DVD-R or DVD+R if you're adding files to the disc only once. Choose DVD-RW or DVD+RW if you want the ability to erase the disc later and add new files to it. Note that some DVD burners support all of these disc types and some only support certain ones. For more information, check the information that came with your computer.

 To burn a recorded TV show or other video file to a DVD-Video disc

You can burn recorded TV shows or other video files to a DVD that can be played in a standard DVD player.
1. Open Media Center, and then insert a recordable DVD into your DVD burner.
2. Click the Burn a CD or DVD notification that appears or, on the Windows Media Center start screen, scroll to Tasks, and then click Burn CD/DVD.
3. On the Select Disc Format page, click Video DVD, and then click Next.
4. Type a name for your DVD, and then click Next.
5. On the Select Media page, click Recorded TV or Video Library, and then click Next.
6. Select the items that you want to burn (check marks appear on or next to the items that you select), and then click Next.
7. To add more TV shows or video files to the disc, on the Review & Edit List page, click Add More.
8. Repeat steps 5 through 7 until you've added all the recorded TV shows and videos that you want to burn.
9. On the Review & Edit List page, click Burn DVD.
10. In the Initiating Copy notification, click Yes.
11. After the disc is burned, in the Completing Burn notification, click Done.

    Notes

    • Burning a TV show to a DVD can take some time to complete, depending on three factors: the length of the added video files, your computer system resources, and the speed of your DVD burner.

    • An analog or digital TV tuner is required to play and record live TV in Windows Media Center. If your computer didn't come with a TV tuner, you might be able to add one. For information about obtaining a TV tuner, see Get help for your TV tuner or contact your computer manufacturer.

 To burn an audio CD to play in your CD player

You can burn your music files to create an audio CD in Media Center, and then play the CD in most computers and CD players. Most types of audio files are compatible with Media Center including WMA, MP3, and WAV file formats.
1. Open Media Center, and then insert a recordable CD into your CD or DVD burner.
2. Click the Burn a CD or DVD notification that appears or, on the Windows Media Center start screen, scroll to Tasks, and then click Burn CD/DVD.
3. On the Select Disc Format page, click Audio CD, and then click Next.
4. Type a name for your CD, and then click Next.
5. On the Choose Music page, click the audio files that you want to burn, and then click Next.
6. To add more audio files to the disc, on the Review & Edit List page, click Add More.
7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 until you've added all the audio files that you want to burn.
8. On the Review & Edit List page, click Burn CD.
9. In the Initiating Copy notification, click Yes.
10. After the disc is burned, in the Completing Burn notification, click Done.

 To burn music, pictures, and videos to a data CD or DVD

You can burn your digital media files, such as music, pictures, and videos, to a CD or DVD in Media Center. When burning this type of disc, called a data DVD or data CD, the digital media files aren't converted to another file format before they're burned—they're simply copied to the CD or DVD in their original format.
1. Open Media Center, and then insert a recordable CD or DVD into your CD or DVD burner.
2. Click the Burn a CD or DVD notification that appears or, on the Windows Media Center start screen, scroll to Tasks, and then click Burn CD/DVD.
3. Depending on the type of recordable disc that you're using, on the Select Disc Format page, click either Data CD or Data DVD, and then click Next.
4. Type a name for your CD or DVD, and then click Next.
5. On the Select Media page, select the location of the files that you want to burn, and then click Next.
6. Select the items that you want to burn (check marks appear on or next to the items that you select), and then click Next.
7. To add more files to the disc, on the Review & Edit List page, click Add More.
8. Repeat steps 5 through 7 until you've added all the digital media files that you want to burn.
9. On the Review & Edit List page, click Burn DVD or Burn CD.
10. In the Initiating Copy notification, click Yes.
11. After the disc is burned, in the Completing Burn notification, click Done.

    Note

    • You can't burn non-media files, such as text documents, to a data CD or DVD in Media Center. To learn how to do this in Windows, see Burn a CD or DVD in Windows Explorer.

 To create a DVD slide show with music

You can create a DVD slide show and burn it to a recordable DVD. The DVD slide show contains pictures that transition from one to the next with music in the background. These DVDs can then be played in a DVD player or on another computer.
When you play the slide show from the burned DVD, the pictures appear at seven-second intervals in the order that you added them to the DVD. The background music also plays in the order that it was added. You can also create a slide show without music by not adding music files.
1. Open Media Center, and then insert a recordable DVD into your DVD burner.
2. Click the Burn a CD or DVD notification that appears or, on the Windows Media Center start screen, scroll to Tasks, and then click Burn CD/DVD.
3. On the Select Disc Format page, click DVD Slide Show, and then click Next.
4. Type a name for your slide show, and then click Next.
5. On the Select Media page, click Music Library, and then click Next.
6. On the Choose Music page, select the audio files that you want to include in your slide show, and then click Next.
7. On the Review & Edit List page, click Add More.
8. On the Select Media page, click Picture Library, and then click Next.
9. On the Choose Pictures page, click the folder that contains the pictures that you want to include in your slide show, click each picture that you want to include in the slide show, and then click Next.
10. After you've added all the pictures and music to the slide show, on the Review & Edit List page, click Burn DVD.
11. In the Initiating Copy notification, click Yes.
12. After the disc is burned, in the Completing Burn notification, click Done.