Customizing the Media Bar

The new Media Bar feature of Microsoft® Internet Explorer 6 makes it easy to find and play media files within the Internet Explorer browser window. Media files are anything from a favorite song, a video clip, to watching a movie trailer. The Media Bar takes all of these elements and brings them together for a seamless Web experience for you.

The Media Bar enables you to play music, video, and mixed-media files from within the browser. You can use the Media Bar to listen to your favorite CD or Internet radio station. From the Media Bar, you can also go to WindowsMedia.com for more media files.

The Media Bar is divided into two sections. The top section provides links to the WindowsMedia.com Web site, where you can find and play online media files, including music, radio stations, and movie and entertainment clips. The bottom section is the media player, where you can play, stop, adjust, and control the audio volume of media files.

Using the Media Bar

The Media Bar is simple and easy to use. You will instantly recognize standard controls for playing, stopping, going forward and backward, and adjusting audio volume. The Media Bar includes a Media Options menu that enables you to quickly locate media files and set your Media Bar preferences. Your Media Bar preferences might include, automatically playing media files in the Media Bar rather than another media player, or choosing a list of preferred types to play media, like within Microsoft® Windows® Media Player. You also have the option to turn off the display of online media content in the Media Bar.

Viewing the Media Bar

You can view the Media Bar in the vertical Explorer Bar pane on the left side of your browser window.

To view and resize the Media Bar

1. On the View menu, click Explorer Bar, and then click Media.
   -Or-
   By viewing the Internet Explorer toolbar, click the Media button. The Media Bar appears in the Explorer Bar pane. A round bullet also appears next to Media in the Explorer Bar list.
2. To resize an Explorer Bar pane within the browser window, move the pointer over the edge of the pane until it changes to a double-headed arrow, and then drag the edge to make the pane larger or smaller.

Locating Media Files

You can use the Media Options menu to locate media files on the Windows Media home page, or to choose from a list of pre-set radio stations and set your preferences for the Media Bar.

To locate media files for the Media Bar

1. In the Media Bar, click Media Options, and then click one of the following options to locate other media files:
   • More Media. View the WindowsMedia.com home page in the browser window, and use the Music, Movies, Radio, and Entertainment tabs to locate media files that you want to play.
   • Radio Guide. On the WindowsMedia.com guide to radio stations, choose from a list of preset radio stations, or use the station finder to locate the station that you want.

Setting Preferences

You can use the Settings menu to set your preferences to stay with the default settings, ask for preferred types to play your media content, or to clear the list of media files for the Media Bar.

To set preferences for the Media Bar

1. To set Media Bar preferences, click Settings, and then select or clear the following options:
   • Play Web media in the bar. Automatically play media files in the Media Bar rather than your default media player; NOTE this option is selected by default.
   • Ask for preferred types. When you open a media file from the Web, receive a prompt about whether you want to open the file in the Media Bar. In the future if you choose to open the file in the Media Bar, all files with this same file format will also be opened in the Media Bar.
     If you choose not to select Ask for preferred types, a dialog prompt appears when you open a media file from the Web. If you select the Remember my preference check box and then click Yes, Internet Explorer will open all subsequent files of this same type in the Media Bar. NOTE If you click No, subsequent files of this type will be played in the default player.
   • Reset preferred types. Clear the list of media file types that are automatically opened in the Media Bar.

Using Media Bar Controls

You can use the Media Bar's simple user interface to play media files from within the browser without opening a separate media player. The following table describes the Media Bar controls.

Turning Off Online Media Content in the Media Bar

If your computer is connected to the Internet when you view the Media Bar, you automatically see media content that is currently live online. If you do not want to view this live content, you can turn off the Media Bar's display of online media content on the Advanced tab in the Internet Options dialog box.

To turn off the display of online media content in the Media Bar

1. On the Tools menu, click Internet Options, and then click the Advanced tab.
2. Select the Don't display online media content in the Media Bar check box.