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A media center is a computer adapted for playing music, watching movies and viewing pictures stored on a local hard drive or on a (sometimes wireless) network, watching DVD movies and often for watching and recording television broadcasts. Some software is capable of doing other tasks, such as finding news (RSS) from the Internet. Media centers are often operated with a remote control, connected to a television set for video output, and can often function as a normal personal computer. A media center can be purpose-built, or created by individuals by adding media center software to a PC or some other computer, for example an Xbox. Windows Media Center is an application designed to serve as a home-entertainment hub. ...
Media Center, or formally, J. River Media Center is a multimedia application that allows the user to play and organize various types of media on a Windows based machine. ...
Image File history File links Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (768 × 1024 pixel, file size: 63 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Example of Media Center system. ...
Image File history File links Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (768 × 1024 pixel, file size: 63 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Example of Media Center system. ...
This article is about the machine. ...
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Size comparison: A 12 cm Sony DVD+RW and a 19 cm Dixon Ticonderoga pencil. ...
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A television remote control A DVD Player remote control A remote control is an electronic device used for the remote operation of a machine. ...
TV-out with S-Video connector TV-out is commonly used to label the connector of equipment offering an analog video signal that is acceptable for a television AV-input. ...
The Xbox is a sixth generation era video game console produced by Microsoft Corporation. ...
Functionality and advantages
Typical, complete media centers offer the following functions to the user: - 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 playback 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)
Though media centers are often built using similar components to personal computers, they are often smaller; media centers sometimes have hardware that is not usually seen in personal computers, such as receivers for remote controls, or television tuner cards. Media centers have not seen widespread popularity but are starting to take hold in the UK and the United States.
Common applications 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 PC's.
Common applications include:
- Digital Sign Systems
- Automotive Entertainment Systems (i.e. limousines, tour buses, car stereos
- In flight/room entertainment and Video On Demand Systems
- Mobile sales professionals
- Portable collections for travelers and audio/video enthusiasts
See also It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Media PC. (Discuss) A home theater PC, or HTPC for short, is a personal computer connected to a television. ...
It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with HTPC (Home Theater PC). ...
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The Shuttle XPC SN25P Small form factor (SFF) computers are housed in smaller cases than typical desktop computers. ...
It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with computer. ...
Stand-alone software CenterStage logo and dock icon CenterStage - The Mac Media Center is an open-source project set to build a powerful and intuitive media center application for the Apple Mac OS X platform; this project was inspired by the launch of the Mac mini, an ideal Mac to use as part...
Apple Inc. ...
Freevo is a GPL open source application for Linux and BSD designed to run a homemade personal video recorder. ...
Front Row Music menu screenshot Front Row is a software application for Apples Macintosh computers that acts as a front-end for QuickTime, DVD Player and the iTunes and iPhoto libraries and allows for users to browse media on their computers using the Apple Remote. ...
GB-PVR is a free Personal Video Recorder (PVR) software program for Microsoft Windows that allows a computers TV tuner card to be used to record and pause live TV, much like a PVR box such as TiVo. ...
Media Center, or formally, J. River Media Center is a multimedia application that allows the user to play and organize various types of media on a Windows based machine. ...
MediaPortal is an open source media center software that acts as front-end for Personal Video Recorder (PVR), video, pictures, music and many more functionalities. ...
MythTV is a Linux application that turns a computer with the necessary hardware into a digital video recorder, a digital multimedia home entertainment system, or Home Theater Personal Computer. ...
My Media System main menu screen My Media System movie screen My Media System is an application that manages, displays and plays media content such as videos, music, pictures, and more. ...
SageTV Media Center is a popular digital video recording software package for Windows and Linux. ...
Windows Media Center is an application designed to serve as a home-entertainment hub. ...
This June 2007 does not cite any references or sources. ...
Windows Media Center Extenders are set-top boxes that are configured to connect via an Ethernet or Wireless network to a computer running Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition or Windows Vista Home Premium/Ultimate to stream the computers media center functions to the Extender device. ...
Media center operating systems GeeXboX is a free Linux distribution providing a media center software suite for personal computers. ...
LinuxMCE is an free and open source designed to allow a computer to act as a Media PC / HTPC (Home Theater PC). ...
Knoppmyth is a portmanteau of Knoppix and Mythtv. ...
A typical Windows XP MCE 2005 Menu Windows XP Media Center Edition (MCE) was a version of Windows XP designed to serve as a home-entertainment hub. ...
TV Tuner Hardware - Vista View Saber Cards. Analog and Combo.
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