Double Parity

One of the most useful features on a Tivo is the 30 seconds “commercial skip” button. When I had a Tivo, this feature had to be unlocked on the remote by a sequence of button presses. On Windows Media Center, this functionality is available without any shenanigans, but it only works for recorded shows. So if you’re watching a DVD with poorly placed chapter markers, you’re forced to rely on the extremely temperamental fast forward and rewind controls to scan through video segments.

Last night, just through random chance, I discovered that the channel up and channel down buttons perform the 30 second skip and it’s 8 second replay counterpart in Windows 7. Very pleasantly surprised, I dug a little deeper and found that Microsoft even added some customization options (Settings -> DVD -> Remote Control Options).

You can now customize the Skip, Replay, Channel Up, and Channel Down buttons of your remote! Skipping forward and backward with DVDs is not quite as snappy as with recorded TV, but it’s still great for skipping title sequences and replaying that last little bit of audio you couldn’t quite hear.