The Parental Controls in Media Browser can be used to lock an entire Media Collection by using Folder Security.
This can be useful if you have some specific media collections that you want to have locked (and optionally hidden).
Note: In this tutorial we assume that you only want to lock a specific Media Collection, not individual media based on MPAA ratings.
If you are looking for Parental Controls based on MPAA ratings, have a look at this specific topic.
Requirements
- Media Browser 2.2.1 or higher
- a Media Collection you want to be locked down
Configuration
Start the Media Browser Configuration Wizard from the start menu.
(start > All Programs > Media Browser > Media Browser Configuration Wizard)Click “advanced” in the top menu.
Go to the “Parental Control” tab.
tick “Enable Parental Control”. This will unlock the other settings on this tab.
Set “Max Allowed Rating” to “NC-17”
optional: adjust unlock period (hours) so the Media Collection is automatically locked again
optional: tick “Hide Blocked Content” if you want the Media Collection to be hidden from view if it’s locked
Set a 4 digit PIN (numbers only) and click Save
Go to the “Folder Security” tab.
Click Load Folders. All existing Media Collections will now be displayed.
Highlight the Media Collection you want to be locked and select “CS” from the dropdown menu under “Folder Rating”.
Exit the Configurator.
A refresh of the Mediabrowser Service may be required. If your changes do not show up, right click on the Media Browser Service tray icon and select “Refresh Now”.
How it works
After you've configured the necessary settings, start Media Browser.
If you did not enable “Hide Blocked Content” you will still see the Media Collection, but once you enter the collection you are presented with the “Enter PIN” window. After entering the configured PIN, you will be allowed access and you can see the contents of the Media Collection.
If you have “Hide Blocked Content” enabled, you will not see the Media Collection on the EHS at all. In that case you will have to use the “lock/unlock” button on the EHS to enter the PIN. Where this button is located depends on the theme you use. For more details about where to find this button, have a look here.
In both cases the Media Collections will be locked again in the followin circumstances:
- you exit Media Browser (e.g. back to the start menu strips) or Windows Media Center.
- You lock the collection again using the “lock/unlock” button.
- The “unlock period” set in the configurator has been reached.
Removing Folder Security
As of Media Browser 2.2.3 (codename Pegasus) you can simply remove folder security from the configurator for a Media Collection.
Go to the “Folder Security” tab.
Click Load Folders. All existing Media Collections will now be displayed.
Highlight the Media Collection you want to be unlocked and press Remove button next to the “Folder Rating” dropdown menu.
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