New features for Windows 7 and PC entertainment


Windows 7 Entertainment

Microsoft Windows operating systems are the standard in PC entertainment. Microsoft continues this trend with many of the new features for Windows 7.

DirectX 11

Windows 7 includes DirectX 11, the latest version of Microsoft's audio and graphics family of APIs. DirectX 11, also known as Direct3D 11 or DX11, will appeal to most gamers and has little to no effect on the business user. Like previous versions, DirectX 11 requires a compatible video card, some of which are set in the second part of 2009 by AMD and NVIDIA, the two largest video card chip makers. Some new features of DX11 include: more efficient leverage of multicore processors for better resource handling, new sophisticated shader technology, enabling the GPU to perform operations other than 3D graphics, more efficient utilization of the processing pipeline, hardware tesselation support for more detailed 3D modeling, and animation. Independent of what version of DirectX you are capable of running, to make sure DirectX is running correctly you may start the DirectX Diagnostic Tool by typing dxdiag in the Start menu Search.

Gadgets

For Windows 7, Microsoft removed the Windows Vista Sidebar and only left the Gadgets feature. The Gadgets in Windows 7 are similar to the Gadgets in Vista as they appear on the desktop but are not mounted to a sidebar. Gadgets were created to integrate the most sought after data from the Internet in a simple and quick fashion.

Gadgets are basically mini applications such as a Calendar, Clock, CPU Meter, etc., which provide quick information on the desktop. By default, Gadgets are disabled and must be enabled and configured to work. To access and enable Gadgets right-click on the desktop and select Gadgets or type gad in the Start menu Search.

Games Explorer

Windows 7 is the standard for gaming so Microsoft kept the Games Explorer feature from Windows Vista in this release. The Games Explorer is a quick and simple way to launch and organize games. It also allows for updates and news feeds and tracks player stats. Third-party games must be compatible with Windows 7 Games Explorer to be automatically added to the Games Explorer. By default, the Games Explorer may be launched from Start menu > Programs > Games.

Multiplayer Games

Windows XP multiplayer games are back after being removed from Vista. They can be launched from the Games Explorer and include Internet Checkers, Internet Spades, and Internet Backgammon in 3D.

Play To

Windows 7 introduces the Play To feature allowing media to be played in other Windows 7 computers or other compatible devices such as an XBOX 360 on the same network. This feature is a part of Windows Media Player 12 and must be enabled for each device. To set up remote media streaming open Windows Media Player 12, click the Stream tab in the Library view, and click More streaming options. This may also be accessed through Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Choose homegroup and sharing options.

Remote Media Streaming

Another feature of Windows Media Player 12 is Remote Media Streaming. This allows for media in a Windows 7 computer to be streamed to other Windows 7 computers in other networks. This feature is similar to devices such as Slingbox. Furthermore, this feature requires an online ID to be setup and as of writing it only allows for Windows Live IDs. This feature allows streaming of music, pictures, and video as long as the content is unprotected. Open Windows Media Player 12, click Stream in the top menu and select Allow Internet Access to Home Media. A pop-up window will ask you to link an online ID. The same setup must be done from the remote Windows 7 computer.

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This article was sent to us by: Mark J. Crade at 10022010

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