XP Media Center Features

• Windows XP Media Center basically turns your computer into a media center that plays and records music, movies and photos and transfers them to portable devices. You can connect an XP Media Center computer to a television or stereo system to play back the content.

  For several of the features, you need to have high-speed Internet access.

DVD Playback

• XP Media Center PCs include a progressive-scan DVD player that can look up playback details for chapters and DVD content online.

TV

• The My TV feature lets you watch and record television programs. You need to hook the computer up to an over-the-air antenna, cable or satellite to use this feature.

Music

• The My Music feature lets you store and sort music from your audio CDs and from your downloaded albums.

Videos

• My Videos is a revised version of the My Videos folder from Windows XP. You can sort videos and play .avi, .mpg and .wva files.

Pictures

• Use My Pictures to download photos from your camera and to sort and share them with others.

Recordable Media

• You can use XP Media Center to transfer music, photos or videos to recordable CDs or DVDs.

Online Access

• The Online Spotlight service lets you purchase or stream music, movies or television programs.

Device Synchronization

• Sync to Device lets you download music and videos to portable devices -- MP3 players or smartphones with music/video capabilities. You can also backup your media to an external hard drive or other storage device.

Remote Control

• XP Media Center comes with a remote control that lets you access your media files without needing to use the keyboard or mouse.