PC has entered the living room for sure. Ultimate symbol of this is visible in Microsoft’s creation of the XP media Centre edition exclusively for the purpose.

Special high capacity PCs

Did you know that there are special PCs which are made for the home specially for entertainment purposes with high capacity components and add on hardware? these new genre is called media centre PCs. currently HP, Dell and only handful of others are making these PCs (Hardware of it).

Specifications of a HP media center PC - See how high capacity and selected components have been used.

Major possibilities with a media center PC.

First make it your home audio player.

Already for some years people have been storing their favorite MP3 music and video in the PC and watching or hearing it out of it by connecting high quality monitors and sound system to the PC.  Media centre edition of windows XP has many advanced features to showcase.

Even if it is not for the XP media centre edition, simply making the PC your home audio player is highly entertaining. At the click of a mouse you can play your favorite songs if a high quality sound card is attached to a HiFi speaker system like the one from Altec Lansing or Klipsch. In any case, PC has entered the living room for sure.

Media Centre is also a PVR.

XP media center is definitely the most easy to use method for PVR (Personal Video Recorder).

PVR is a device like a VCR (Video Cassette Recorder) but records television data in digital format as opposed to the analogue format of the Video Cassette recorder. PVRs store the data in hard drive. PVRs have all of the same functionality of VCRs (recording, playback, fast forwarding, rewinding, pausing) plus the ability to instantly jump to any part of the program without having to rewind or fast forward the data stream. Two common PVR systems are TiVo (which is a celebration in the western countries already) and Replay TV. PVR is also known as DVR ( Digital video Recorder) also.

More about the XP Media Centre:

Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005,1 available pre-installed on Media Center PCs, allows you to get the most out of digital entertainment in a simple, connected way in any room in the home. Photos, music, television, movies, and games—you can experience them all to the fullest, while easily controlling everything from one place.

Media Center PCs deliver advanced computing plus easy-to-use integrated digital entertainment that you can enjoy when and how you want. All your digital media is in one place, accessible on either a PC monitor or TV display, using a single remote control. With Media Center, you can pause and rewind live TV or radio, digitally record an entire TV series or program category, watch DVDs and videos, organize and play your music collection, and showcase digital photos. 

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