Stream Media Over the Internet
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Swap easily between Soapbox, YouTube, and any other plug-in-enabled sites through the Stream menu.
Windows 7 adds some great streaming tools, including one that lets you listen to your home music on another Windows 7 PC over the Internet. Like other online features, Internet streaming requires a Windows Live ID. Visit Windows Live home page (http://windows.live.com/) to sign up for free, if haven't already registered there.
Open the User Accounts Control Panel, and choose Link online IDs. Select Add an online ID provider, and click the Windows Live logo in the newly opened Web page. Download the file (either 32-bit or 64-bit) that corresponds to your Windows 7 installation. Then run the installer.
The host PC (the PC that holds the media files) must be set up in a Home network and a HomeGroup. If yours isn't configured this way, click the Stream menu and select Turn on media streaming with HomeGroup. Follow the prompts, or skip this routine if you already have a HomeGroup.
Select Stream, Allow Internet access to home media. If you don't see that option listed, choose Link an online ID. The User Accounts Control Panel will open again. Select Link online ID, enter your log-in info, and press Sign In. Click Close.
Back in Windows Media Player, select Allow Internet access to home media, press Yes, and click OK. Leave this computer running whenever you want to share media.
Repeat these setup steps on the remote PC: Link the account with your Windows Live ID, and activate streaming. Once you've finished, the home media will appear under the 'Other Libraries' heading. You can browse and stream music, pictures, and video there. Note that corporate firewalls may block this streaming service if you are at work or on some other high-security network.
Control Media Streaming on Your Local Network
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On a home network, check the appropriate boxes to make media appear on other local Windows 7 PCs.
Windows 7 simplifies the process of local streaming with the help of HomeGroup networking. You'll let only trusted devices into your HomeGroup (your local network), and they'll have unfettered access to media files.
You can manage these settings within the HomeGroup section of the Networking and Internet Control Panel, including deactivating checkboxes if you want to share only certain kinds of media files. Your Documents folder, for example, remains private by default.
You can turn on streaming in the Networking and Internet Control Panel, too: Select Stream my pictures, music, and videos to all devices on my home network. Otherwise, you can activate local streaming within Windows Media Player: Select Stream, Automatically allow devices to play my media. Then choose Automatically allow all computers and media devices. Networked libraries will show up under the 'Other Libraries' heading within Media Player and Photo Gallery.
Play DVDs and Blu-ray Discs Within Windows 7
Most Windows 7 editions include the codecs for natively playing back many standard video formats, including .mov, DivX, and DVDs. (Starter and Home Basic omit this extra.) If you want to watch a movie, just pop in a DVD and start it with AutoPlay options, or within Windows Media Player or Windows Media Center.
Blu-ray discs don't work natively in Windows 7, so you'll have to add Blu-ray-capable software, such as CyberLink PowerDVD or ArcSoft TotalMedia Theatre. You can watch high-definition discs within those playback applications, or you can launch Blu-ray discs from within Media Center. (Media Player only works with DVDs.)
Activate Media Center after installing the necessary third-party software; then navigate to the heading, and activate that third-party option. If it's the first time you've played a Blu-ray movie, the extra software may still launch to complete installation. Otherwise, you can watch the Blu-ray disc from within Media Center.
Activate Windows Media Player Lightweight Playback Mode
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Click the multiple-square icon (shown at upper right) in Lightweight Playback mode to restore the normal Windows Media Player perspective.
I often leave Windows Media Player running in the background while I work or surf the Web. But jumping to that app when I want to change a music track, check the name of a file that's playing, or otherwise interact takes a few extra steps.
Here's how to proceed: With Windows 7, begin playing a file, and click the icon at the lower right. The Media Player window will shrink, and you can move it into a corner of your display while it continues to run. That way, you'll have all of the controls and information nearby.
Alternatively, you can interact with media from within the Taskbar. Just hover the mouse over the Media Player icon. You'll instantly preview the current file and gain control through simple playback buttons.
Push Media to Network Devices
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Click the top button to let other PCs on your network push media to this system.
If you sometimes stream media to networked devices, you may be able to push media directly to your speakers, TV screen, or both. For this purpose, Windows 7 includes a new Play To function that instantly broadcasts media without your having to dig through any menus on those devices.
This feature works with recent DLNA-enabled streaming devices, though you should check with your specific hardware company to ascertain compatibility. For example, even though the Xbox 360 isn't DLNA-certified, you can still reach it with Play To.
You can activate the Play To feature on HomeGroup PCs from within Windows Media Player. The process is handy if you have a PC hooked up to a TV or stereo, or if you want to push media on a networked computer in some other way. Here's how to enable Play To.
On the host PC, open Windows Media Player, pick Stream, Allow remote control of my Player, and click Allow remote control on this network. Henceforth, on the remote system that shares the HomeNetwork, you'll be able to right-click a playlist or file, select Play to, and choose the name of the remote system or media streaming hardware. You can even select Play to by right-clicking within the desktop, instantly starting a file running without additional setup.
Source: PCWorld.com (http://www.pcworld.com/article/171358-4/manage_all_your_media_in_windows_7.html)