Our family transformation is complete. We simply don’t do live TV anymore. When I need to watch the news, a few clicks on my PC play the hot stories of the day in a window right behind my Outlook email. Whether we want to catch up on either The Dog Whisperer or Dog the Bounty Hunter in the living room, we turn on the Xbox 360 and in a few joystick moves we’re watching Ceasar Milan training humans to live with dogs. Before I get on my eight hour flight to Chicago, I load up my laptop with more episodes of Star Trek and Twilight Zone than my batteries can handle.
Introducing Media Center
Welcome to the world of PC-based digital video recording (DVR), courtesy of Microsoft Windows Media Center Edition, available both in XP & Vista versions. Although DVR appliances like TiVo have been available for some time now, I believe the PC-based DVRs will be the platform of choice over time because they offer so much more flexibility.
Watching TV on my Xbox
I recently built a new computer that is Media Center capable and I love it. Unlike DVR appliances, there’s no monthly fee. I can watch TV on my PC or through my Xbox in the living room, and by adding more hard drives I can store hundreds of hours of video. Because recorded shows simply show up on my computer as files, I can play those files anywhere I want, like my laptop or other PCs on the network. And of course if I record a movie that I want to keep, a quick DVD burn lets me permanently add it to my collection.
All the standard DVR functions are included.
If I ever do watch live TV again, I can pause it. There is a detailed program guide that I can search by title, director, or even actors. I can automatically record a TV series or a movie with just a click. Unlike TiVo, there are no additional monthly fees. And of course when playing back a recorded program, a few quick stabs at the skip button nearly eliminates all the commercials. I knew this would be a big hit when my wife said, “Wow, this is cool”.
Works with Digital Cable too.
All the major brands like HP and Dell supply packaged Media Center PCs. Just make sure the PC includes a TV tuner and a large hard drive. If you want to watch HD content from Oceanic, make sure the PC uses “Digital Cable Ready” technology. The Xbox 360 comes built-in with “Media Extender” software that lets you seamlessly access all the media (including music and photos) you’ve stored on your PC. If you have an old Xbox, you can find the software on eBay or through used outlets.
You’ll need a fast network connection if you want to play your recorded media throughout the house.
Hard-wired network connections are best but if you’re like me and have WiFi (wireless) in the house, you’ll need at least an 802.11g network. If you are planning to buy a wireless router, try to get one that supports the 802.11a standard as this seems to be what media extender devices prefer to use.
The Media Center PC has changed our family forever.
My wife and I don’t battle over whether we’ll watch Oprah or O’Reilly. My kids don’t view as much TV as they used to, perhaps because now they know their favorite shows are waiting for them. The real proof of our transformation was last weekend. We weren’t home and the kids were with a sitter. They watched countless hours of TV in our absence. When I asked my daughter if they watched live TV or the Xbox (i.e. Media Center PC recordings), her answer was, “We didn’t watch any TV Daddy, just the Xbox”. Ahh, technology.
