The difference between Windows XP and media centre

asharon

What is the main difference. If you are buying a laptop but it is just for everyday use would it be better to go for XP or is Media C ok ?

kateshortforbob

A lot of new computers are coming with media centre these days, whether they are for everyday use or not. Media Centre is basically the same as XP, but with some extra features stapled on top. It has a special interface for interacting with media ie. watching DVDs, watching and recording TV, looking at photos, listening to music etc. Media centre was originally designed for PCs that were going to be attached to TVs, for use in the living room. However, a "Media Centre" PC shouldn't just be about the software. To take proper advantage of the media centre facilities, a machine should come with a TV tuner (mostly for Freeview, rather than just the terrestrial channels these days) and at the top of the range, twin or dual TV tuners, allowing you to watch one channel while recording another. Media centre PCs (including laptops) should also come with a remote control, so that you can access the XP Media centre facilities in the same way you would use a stereo or TV.

The bottom line is: are you going to use the features? If you just watch the occasional DVD, listen to an MP3 or two, the existing software (XP + anything your supplier throws in) should be good enough. If you're interested in watching TV on your computer, it could be useful, although you can buy TV tuners in the form of PCIMIA cards or USB devices separately. These usually come with software to use.

If you find a machine at a decent price with media centre and the hardware to make use of it, having it won't do any harm. However, if a supplier is charging an excessive markup on XP for features you won't use, don't bother.

asharon

Thanks. No the extra features wont be used really, well they might at a later date, but I just wanted to check that it didn't slim down the Xp features or anything like that.

gaming_guy

asharon wrote:

Thanks. No the extra features wont be used really, well they might at a later date, but I just wanted to check that it didn't slim down the Xp features or anything like that.

it does on the networking side

asharon

buy you can still set up a wireless network to another computer ?

kateshortforbob

Yes, you can set up a wireless network using XP Home. The networking features of media centre are about making it easier to send music, video, pictures etc. around your home network, so you can access your music collection from a computer in another room, for example. You can purchase something called a Media Centre Extender to access the media centre in the bedroom from the tv in the living room. You can also (IIRC) connect to an XBox this way.

I can't remember exactly what difference is in other networking stuff. I'd be interested to know what's missing. However, it shouldn't cause problems setting up a home wireless network - that's half the purpose of media centre!

asharon

Thanks for the replies