All Round Entertainer
 
Microsoft’s new Media Centre is the next stage in home entertainment. It combines the benefits of a PC with your favourite entertainment facilities – watch DVDs, record TV, listen to music, download and watch your digital photos as a slideshow and even play games, all from a normal remote control. Media Centre lets you do everything normal PC’s do but in a much more user friendly way. From the comfort of your sofa you can browse the internet, play your PC games, use e-mail and msn messenger, and install and use programs designed for Windows XP.

Basically bringing all your home entertainment facilities into one box, through your normal TV, you can watch DVD’s exactly the same way as you would on a separate system. Microsoft’s ‘My TV’ system offers a simple way to browse, watch, and record TV, even on multiple channels at the same time, replacing your home VHS or DVD recorder. You can also burn what you have recorded on to a DVD.
 
 
 


 

 

The system also offers an alternative to your stereo. Enabling you to copy all your current CD’s on to the hard disk, you can use Media Centre like a juke box of your favourite songs. In addition to this, because you are connected to the internet you can also download new music from the ever growing list of legitimate music sites available.

A definite advantage is the ability to download and watch your digital photo’s from your digital camera. Like a 21st century version of slides (without the hassle of having to drag out acres of equipment to view your pictures) watching your photo’s on the big screen is a certain plus of the system. The software enables an easy to use cataloguing system so you can keep your pictures organised easily into sets.

Media Centre is the future now in terms of an entertainment system, how long before it is as commonplace as the TV in people’s homes? Not long is our prediction.