What is Media Center PC ?

My one of the friend has bought a PC, when i asked him which system he has bought, he replied "Windows Media Center". It sounds me strange. Can any body let me know whats that? Is it a normal operating windows or something diffrent?

With Windows Media Center you can enjoy your entire digital entertainment library in full glory on your PC or even on your TV.Media Centers combine all forms of digital entertainment. A media center is a stylish entertainment center component that can not only play movies, burn DVDs and record television, but also has the ability to access all Internet content.

You can do all that and more by transforming your PC into a self-contained media center. All you need is the right software, and possibly some extra hardware, to give your machine new life as a jukebox, a high-def digital photo frame, a movie theater, and a TiVo clone.

This PC has the functions like Integration of all forms of media, entertainment and communication functions including TV-reception (analogue TV, DigitalTV via terrestrial-, cable-, satellite-, IPTV-, webTV-networks), broadband Internet access, IP-telephony, video-telephony, e-mail etc. into one common user friendly GUI (graphical user interface) controlled with a remote control or wireless keyboard by the family members typically in the living room.

Ability to receive digital media files (via direct video signal, computer network or USB)

Ability to store digital media (usually on a standard computer hard disk drive)

Ability to play back digital media through standard television or hi-fi equipment

Simplicity (compared to a computer equipped to accomplish transfer, storage and TV/hi-fi playback)

Cost savings (compared to a computer equipped to accomplish transfer, storage and TV/hi-fi playback)

Portability (compared to a computer equipped to accomplish transfer, storage and TV/hi-fi playback)

You don't necessarily need to buy new hardware, and the software part of this upgrade could be easier than you think. In fact, if you're running Windows Vista Home Premium or Vista Ultimate, you're set: Microsoft baked Windows Media Center right into the OS.

Media centers have unlimited potential for entertainment, whether you like to watch humorous video clips or online news content or music videos.Today, Windows XP Media Center based-PCs are very popular all-in-one entertainment devices that you can access music, photos, TV, movies, and the latest in online media all from the comfort of the couch with a remote control.

Mac OS X Leopard users already have basic media-center software in the form of Apple's Front Row, though third-party alternatives are also available. And Linux users have several free options, including Freevo and LinuxMCE.

All of those applications scan your PC for photos, music, videos, and the like, and then present them inside an oversize, TV-friendly interface (commonly known as a 10-foot interface, meaning it's easily viewable from the couch). So when we talk about turning your PC into a media center, we mean installing software that finds, catalogs, and plays your media files--and looks good while doing it.

There are several common applications for which media centers are beginning to gain popularity. Simply put, any application requiring the playback of digital media based files, but not requiring the full features and flexibility of a personal computer stands to benefit from the reduced size, reduced complexity and reduced cost of media centers when compared to similarly equipped PCs.

The top–rated media centers have dual processors, like the Core 2 Duo which excels at multitasking.
Media Centers require a hard drive large enough to store video files, 250GB or more. In terms of RAM, 2GB (2048MB) will effortlessly run most applications.
A high–quality graphics card is imperative for playing DVDs, TV, digital video or games. Generally, you should look for a dedicated 256 MB video card and surround sound ability.
Media centers should provide all ports or connections necessary to connect to TVs, cable television, stereos and peripherals such as video cameras. Most provide several types of audio and video options. They should also come with a wireless keyboard/ mouse combo and a remote control.
This criteria compares the suggested retail price to the included features. A good system with a low price rates better than a average PC with a higher base price.
The manufacture should at least offer a one year parts and labor warranty. They ought to also provide several ways for customers to contact them and post helpful online information.

Media Centers combine all forms of digital entertainment.Windows Media Center in Windows Vista features some great advancements over previous versions, including an improved user interface with easier navigation and breakthrough media visualization. Windows Media Center also offers built-in support for archiving TV shows directly to video DVDs, faster overall performance, and an improved platform for content owners to deliver new online entertainment services and experiences. Most notably for U.S.-based customers, Windows Media Center offers support for digital cable service, by means of a digital cable tuner.

With a media center, you can:-

1. Record Television
   
2. Play Music
   
3. Access the Internet
   
4. Burn DVDs/CDs
   
5. Watch Video
   
6. Organize Photos/Videos
   
7. Life Management
   
8. Chat

Media centers perform the best with a good dual processor, a high–end 256MB graphics card and at least 2 GBs of RAM. It is also beneficial if the hard drive is large enough to hold a fair amount of video. We’d recommend at least 250GB. Most systems offer various upgrades; however, we compared non–upgraded systems.

Hi Dodger,

My name is Ron, and I’m part of the Windows Outreach Team. I’d need a bit more info, but your friend could be saying a couple different things here.

If what he’s saying is he has a specially-built media center PC, then he might be using something along the lines of a tower (or even a small form factor) PC that’s specially built for home media center duties. HP and others have these. Here’s an example of a Sony one: http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...tegoryId=30348

However, he may just be saying that he’s running a version of Vista (or even XP) that has the Media Center built into it. You can learn more about that here: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/win...ia-center.aspx

Hope these help.

Cheers,
Ron
Windows Outreach Team