Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 OEM - 3 Pack
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- Family Line: Microsoft Windows XP
- Package Type: OEM (Media Only)
- Platform: PC
- Distribution Media: CD-ROM
- Version: Full Version
- Software Category: Operating Systems
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User ReviewRead All Reviews »
One good Media recorder
Pros
Can record TV, good interface
Cons
Records to DVD in DVR-MS format, not DVD VOB, total system price is high
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
It much better than a DVD recorder, so if you have the $800 for a new MCE PC and a DX9 video card like the nVIDiA GeForce 6600GT.
Why did I choose this?
I got a DVD recorder when my Sony SLV-81 VCR stopped working, but the DVD recorder had only 4 recording slots. So the DVD recorder went back to Radio Shack, and I got Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP Media Center Edition 2005 and an EVGA nViDiA NVTV from Newegg.com.
Description of Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP Media Center Edition 2005:
Windows(R) XP Media Center Edition 2005 has some of the features of Windows(R) XP Pro, like Remote Desktop, but cannot connect to a domain. So Windows(R) XP MCE got a good feature from XP Pro. The Media Center Application is the addition to Windows(R) XP MCE.
The Intergraded Experience:
Microsoft has made an application called Media Center, that let's you experience digital media. It has an area for each type of media, My TV, My Music, My Videos, Play DVD, Other Programs, and Online Spotlight.
My TV:
The My TV part of the Media Center let's you watch TV, record TV, watch recorded TV, and watch and record movies, and see TV listings (TV listings are FREE!). The TV listings work for Antenna, Cable and Sat systems. The watch TV feature is good because it works with the TV guide and tells you the name of the program that you're watching, and a program description. The TV guide is superb, very few errors, and in a word, great is a under statement. The recorder uses the TV guide for scheduling TV (Think of it! The money spent on the TV Guide magazine or Newspaper for the VCR Plus! code doesn't have to be spent on that! You can watch the News on TV.)
Recorder:
The TV recorder can work with the TV guide or you can program the recording channel and time yourself. The TV guide service works in the US and Puerto Rico (contact Microsoft(R) to find out if there are TV listings for your area). The record TV feature is intelligent that if the program was recorded before, or the program was changed, it won't record and will tell you why in the event viewer. For analog recording, it has 4 recording qualities, Best (4GB an hour), Better (2GB an hour), Good (1GB an hour), and Fair (500MB an hour). I can record at fair quality and it still looks good (but that's because of NVIDIA's Pure Video, more in my review here http://www.epinions.com/content_189902196356
My Music:
My Music is really just Windows(R) Media Player with the "10 foot interface". You click on it and you see a list of albums with the Album Art. Or you can look at your music collection by artist, and genre. It also has the visualizations from Windows(R) Media Player.
My Videos:
This is the area where your videos are. It has a picture of the video from a few seconds ahead of the beginning of the video. You can play WMV, AVI, and MPEG. You cannot play Real Video or QT formats.
Play DVD:
This area let's you play DVDs. This is useful if you want to watch DVDs on your PC, but if your PC is hooked up to a TV like mine is, your better off using a DVD player, as the computer takes longer to boot up and all of that.
Other Programs:
You can install other programs for Windows XP Media Center, like Napster. This is where your other media center apps go.
Online Spotlight:
This area is one of the best in the media center. You can access all kind of things here, from free online news to sports to downloading movies.
What's in the OEM box?
The Quick guide booklet, 2CDs, and the Product Key sticker. You have to buy the remote control somewhere else.
Summary:
So how well does all this technology work together? Very well. I've had no problems with crashing, so I think that it's very good, so if you have the cash, I highly recommend it.
I got a DVD recorder when my Sony SLV-81 VCR stopped working, but the DVD recorder had only 4 recording slots. So the DVD recorder went back to Radio Shack, and I got Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP Media Center Edition 2005 and an EVGA nViDiA NVTV from Newegg.com.
Description of Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP Media Center Edition 2005:
Windows(R) XP Media Center Edition 2005 has some of the features of Windows(R) XP Pro, like Remote Desktop, but cannot connect to a domain. So Windows(R) XP MCE got a good feature from XP Pro. The Media Center Application is the addition to Windows(R) XP MCE.
The Intergraded Experience:
Microsoft has made an application called Media Center, that let's you experience digital media. It has an area for each type of media, My TV, My Music, My Videos, Play DVD, Other Programs, and Online Spotlight.
My TV:
The My TV part of the Media Center let's you watch TV, record TV, watch recorded TV, and watch and record movies, and see TV listings (TV listings are FREE!). The TV listings work for Antenna, Cable and Sat systems. The watch TV feature is good because it works with the TV guide and tells you the name of the program that you're watching, and a program description. The TV guide is superb, very few errors, and in a word, great is a under statement. The recorder uses the TV guide for scheduling TV (Think of it! The money spent on the TV Guide magazine or Newspaper for the VCR Plus! code doesn't have to be spent on that! You can watch the News on TV.)
Recorder:
The TV recorder can work with the TV guide or you can program the recording channel and time yourself. The TV guide service works in the US and Puerto Rico (contact Microsoft(R) to find out if there are TV listings for your area). The record TV feature is intelligent that if the program was recorded before, or the program was changed, it won't record and will tell you why in the event viewer. For analog recording, it has 4 recording qualities, Best (4GB an hour), Better (2GB an hour), Good (1GB an hour), and Fair (500MB an hour). I can record at fair quality and it still looks good (but that's because of NVIDIA's Pure Video, more in my review here http://www.epinions.com/content_189902196356
My Music:
My Music is really just Windows(R) Media Player with the "10 foot interface". You click on it and you see a list of albums with the Album Art. Or you can look at your music collection by artist, and genre. It also has the visualizations from Windows(R) Media Player.
My Videos:
This is the area where your videos are. It has a picture of the video from a few seconds ahead of the beginning of the video. You can play WMV, AVI, and MPEG. You cannot play Real Video or QT formats.
Play DVD:
This area let's you play DVDs. This is useful if you want to watch DVDs on your PC, but if your PC is hooked up to a TV like mine is, your better off using a DVD player, as the computer takes longer to boot up and all of that.
Other Programs:
You can install other programs for Windows XP Media Center, like Napster. This is where your other media center apps go.
Online Spotlight:
This area is one of the best in the media center. You can access all kind of things here, from free online news to sports to downloading movies.
What's in the OEM box?
The Quick guide booklet, 2CDs, and the Product Key sticker. You have to buy the remote control somewhere else.
Summary:
So how well does all this technology work together? Very well. I've had no problems with crashing, so I think that it's very good, so if you have the cash, I highly recommend it.
