Here's a quick tip for anyone playing back DVDs in Media Player (all versions), or owns a Media Center PC or a Portable Media Center: make sure your DVD decoders are up to date. DVD decoder manufacturers are continually improving their products and adding features such as faster-than-realtime decode which can dramatically improve performance when converting video for devices such as Portable Media Center.  A new utility from Microsoft makes it easy to check if your system is happy and healthy.

The Windows XP Video Decoder Checkup Utility (163kb)

It's like getting your car oil changed, particularly if you're running an older PC with MP10 and Portable Media Center.  I hope you find this Friday tip helpful.