PC magazine guide windows XP media center edition 2005

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Title:

Personal Author:

Ulick, Terry

Publication Information:

Indianapolis, Ind. : Wiley Publishing, 2005

ISBN:

9780764569784

Subject Term:

Microsoft Windows (Computer file)

Interactive multimedia

Available:*

Library	Item Barcode	Call Number	Material Type	Item Category 1	Status
Searching... PSZ JB	30000010075946	QA76.76.I59 U44 2005	Open Access Book	Book	Searching... Unknown

Learn to use your power well

As much as this book is about how to buy and use a Media Center PC, down deep it is.about how owning one changes the way you watch TV and manage your entertain-ment content. Like all good revolutions, this one empowers you.

The revolution has begun-in your living room!

Now PC Magazine gives you control of this new era in entertainment

One device. One remote. If that isn't a revolutionary approach to entertainment, what is? Now a former PC Magazine contributing editor and digital lifestyle pioneer shows you how to activate all your MCE's power. You'll never again worry about missing the end of a TV show, finding that special photo, or having the perfect soundtrack ready to go. You can even say good-bye to your stereo, DVD player, and TiVo -- your MCE PC replaces them all!

You'll be empowered to
* Select and set up a Media Center Edition PC
* Decide whether to use it for general computing
* Record and pause live TV
* Edit, store, and share digital photos and videos
* Control all your media with one remote
* Connect and use both a TV and standard monitor-at once
* Build your home network around your MCE
* Transfer content to DVD
* Put Media Center on any TV in your home with a Media Center Extender

Author Notes

Terry Ulick tives on the front lines of the tech revolution. An early PC Magazine columnist, he created the first online digital photo service for AOL and developed ways to put TV information into MSN TV, Web TV, and Ultimate TV

Acknowledgments	p. vii
Introduction	p. xvii
Part I Introduction and Setup
Chapter 1 Planning to Use a Windows XP Media Center Edition PC	p. 3
Putting It All in One Box	p. 3
Portrait of a Windows Entertainment PC	p. 5
Both a PC and an Entertainment Center	p. 5
A New Way to Watch and Record TV	p. 6
Listening to Music and Radio	p. 7
Viewing Your Video Library	p. 8
Watching a DVD	p. 8
Getting Other Content Using Online Spotlight	p. 9
Adding More Programs	p. 10
Going Digital: The Main Ingredients	p. 10
Analog Content and Devices	p. 12
Digital Media and Devices	p. 13
Summary	p. 15
Chapter 2 Setting Up Your Media Center PC	p. 17
Choosing the Right Media Center PC Form Factor	p. 17
Tower	p. 18
Desktop/Rack Mount	p. 19
Cube	p. 20
Laptop	p. 21
All-In-One	p. 22
Media Center PC Components	p. 23
Which Old Equipment You Should Keep	p. 24
Computer Monitor	p. 25
TV	p. 25
Stereos and Speakers	p. 27
Satellite or Cable System Set-Top Box	p. 28
Equipment You Will Want to Get	p. 28
Home Network Equipment	p. 29
Media Center Extender Devices	p. 31
Internet Connection	p. 31
A New TV	p. 32
Wireless Keyboard and Mouse	p. 32
Putting It All Together	p. 32
Summary	p. 34
Chapter 3 The Windows XP Media Center Edition Operating System	p. 35
Windows XP under the Hood	p. 35
How Media Center PCS Use Windows XP	p. 36
Setting Resources in Windows XP	p. 36
Everyday Computing and Media Center	p. 38
Media Center Operating System	p. 38
Three Versions so Far	p. 39
First-Time Setup Process	p. 40
Summary	p. 55
Chapter 4 Media Center Experiences	p. 57
Media Center Start Screen	p. 57
User Interface	p. 59
Items on the Start Screen	p. 60
Media Center Experiences	p. 62
My TV	p. 62
My Music	p. 64
My Pictures	p. 65
My Videos	p. 68
Play DVD	p. 69
Radio	p. 69
Online Spotlight	p. 71
More Programs	p. 72
Settings	p. 73
Media Center Messenger	p. 73
On-Screen Caller ID	p. 75
Summary	p. 75
Part II Media Center Edition PCs and Devices
Chapter 5 Choosing the Right Media Center PC	p. 79
Standard PCs versus Media Center PCs	p. 79
Media Center PC Hardware Requirements	p. 80
Media Center PC Hardware Differences	p. 81
Media Center Remote Control	p. 88
Network Connections	p. 89
Final Considerations when Choosing a Media Center PC	p. 90
Summary	p. 90
Chapter 6 Getting Audio and Video In and Out of Your MCE PC	p. 91
Video	p. 91
TV Tuner Card	p. 91
TV Sources	p. 95
Video Cards	p. 99
Connecting TVs and Monitors	p. 100
Audio	p. 101
Sound Card	p. 101
Powered Speakers	p. 103
Connecting to a Stereo or Amplifier	p. 103
Getting Sound Into Your System	p. 104
Summary	p. 104
Chapter 7 Media Storage: Adding and Replacing Drives	p. 105
Hard Drives	p. 105
Internal Hard Drives	p. 106
External Hard Drives	p. 111
Optical Drives	p. 112
Types of Optical Drives	p. 113
Installing an Optical Drive	p. 114
Summary	p. 117
Chapter 8 Home Networks and Media Center Extenders	p. 119
Networking Basics	p. 119
Media Center PC as Network Hub	p. 122
Media Center PC as Entertainment Server	p. 122
Media Serving	p. 123
Media Center Extender Devices	p. 123
Installing a Media Center Extender	p. 124
Making Extender Connections	p. 125
Network Connection	p. 126
Summary	p. 132
Part III Watching and Recording TV: Playing and Burning DVDs
Chapter 9 My TV and the Program Guide	p. 135
Display Configuration and Calibration	p. 136
Display Configuration Setup	p. 136
Calibrating Your Display	p. 140
Setting Up My TV	p. 145
Getting Program Guide Information	p. 145
Editing Your Channel List	p. 147
Watching Live TV	p. 148
Turning Channels and Adjusting Volume	p. 150
Full-Screen and Windowed Viewing	p. 150
Using the Program Guide	p. 151
Viewing What's On	p. 152
Finding Shows	p. 153
Searching for Programs	p. 153
Customizing the Guide	p. 155
Summary	p. 157
Chapter 10 Recording and Playback of TV Programs	p. 159
Recording TV Shows	p. 160
Recorder Settings	p. 160
Manual Recording of TV Shows	p. 164
Advanced Recording Methods	p. 171
Additional Recording Features	p. 174
Playing and Managing Recorded Shows	p. 175
Playing a Recorded Show	p. 176
Managing Recorded Shows	p. 179
Summary	p. 179
Chapter 11 Playing and Burning DVDs	p. 181
Playing DVDs	p. 181
Parental Controls	p. 185
Aspect Ratios	p. 189
Burning TV Programs to DVDs	p. 189
Bundled DVD Recording Software	p. 190
Using Prime Time to Burn TV Shows to DVD	p. 192
Compatibility Issues	p. 196
Copyright and Rights Issues	p. 196
Summary	p. 196
Part IV Music and Radio
Chapter 12 Playing Audio Files and CDs with My Music	p. 199
Getting Your Music Files Ready to Play	p. 200
Content Protection	p. 200
Setting Up Your Music Files for the First Time	p. 201
Listening to Music with My Music	p. 203
Playing Music Files	p. 208
Playing and Copying Audio CDs	p. 211
Summary	p. 214
Chapter 13 Managing Playlists and Music Libraries	p. 215
Managing Playlists	p. 215
Creating Your Own Auto Playlists	p. 218
Editing Track Information	p. 222
Creating Playlists in Windows Media Player	p. 225
Creating Playlists in Media Center	p. 227
Managing Music Libraries	p. 230
Copying Music from Audio CDs	p. 230
Music Files that Work with Media Center	p. 233
Music You've Bought Online	p. 233
Summary	p. 235
Chapter 14 Listening to Broadcast and Internet Radio	p. 237
Tuning to FM Broadcasts	p. 237
Connecting an Antenna for FM Reception	p. 238
The Radio Menu	p. 239
Creating Presets	p. 241
Navigating Live Radio	p. 241
Pausing and Replaying Live Radio	p. 243
Tuning to Internet Radio	p. 244
Summary	p. 248
Part V Viewing Photos and Home Videos
Chapter 15 Viewing and Managing Digital Picture Libraries	p. 251
Building a Digital Photo Library	p. 252
Scanning Pictures Yourself	p. 252
Using a Photo Service to Scan Your Pictures	p. 253
Getting New Pictures in Hard Copy and Digital Format	p. 253
Managing Your Digital Photo Library	p. 253
File and Folder Names	p. 254
File Dates	p. 255
Finding Picture Files	p. 256
Files from Your Digital Camera	p. 257
Viewing Photos in My Pictures	p. 257
Navigating Picture Folders	p. 259
Viewing Your Pictures	p. 259
Panning, Zooming, and Rotating Pictures	p. 260
Editing Images and Printing Pictures	p. 262
Picture Touch-up	p. 262
Printing Your Pictures	p. 263
Summary	p. 265
Chapter 16 Creating Slideshows Using My Pictures	p. 267
Slideshow Settings	p. 267
Playing a Slideshow	p. 270
Navigation in a Slideshow	p. 270
Playing Music During a Slideshow	p. 270
Fine-Tuning Your Slideshow	p. 271
Summary	p. 271
Chapter 17 Playing Home Movies with My Video	p. 273
Getting Videos into Your Media Center PC	p. 273
Use Movie Maker to Capture Video	p. 273
File Formats for Videos	p. 274
Viewing Videos with Media Center	p. 275
Controls for Videos	p. 278
Information about a Video	p. 278
Adding Videos from a Video Camera or Digital Camera with Video	p. 278
Making CDs or DVDs from your Videos	p. 280
Summary	p. 281
Part VI Expanding Media Center
Chapter 18 Adding More Programs to Media Center	p. 285
The Launch Pad	p. 285
Adding Programs	p. 287
Easy-to-Find Add-on Programs	p. 289
Examples of Add-on Programs	p. 291
Prime Time	p. 291
Napster 2.0	p. 291
Solitaire	p. 293
Gem Master	p. 293
Otto	p. 293
Sync to Device	p. 293
Summary	p. 295
Chapter 19 Accessing Internet Content from Online Spotlight	p. 297
An Internet Portal	p. 297
Using Online Spotlight	p. 299
Sites Featured in Online Spotlight	p. 300
Music Sites	p. 301
Movies	p. 302
News and Sports	p. 304
Summary	p. 305
Chapter 20 Final Thoughts about Media Center	p. 307
Media Center PCs versus Dedicated Devices	p. 307
Cost Comparison	p. 307
Changing Habits	p. 308
Media Center: A Work in Progress	p. 309
Overcoming Media Center Limitations	p. 309
Instant-On	p. 310
Reliability	p. 311
Ease of Use	p. 311
Final Thoughts on Digital Entertainment	p. 312
Part VII Appendixes
Appendix A Media Center PC Manufacturers	p. 315
Appendix B Media Center PC Applications and Devices	p. 317
Appendix C Media Center PC Reference Sources	p. 319
Index	p. 321

Available:*

On Order

Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Table of Contents