What is a media center?
Q: What is a media center?
A: A media center is either a dedicated computer appliance or an application software designed to run on standard personal computer hardware, both of which are adapted for playing various kinds of media such as music, movies, and photos.
Q: How does one use a media center?
A: A media center typically has a GUI (Graphical User Interface) designed to be used with a living-room TV using a remote control. This remote control is commonly known by their designers as a 10-foot user interface.
Q: What types of media can be played on a media center?
A: Media centers are capable of playing movies (DVD, Blu-ray, and other digital video formats), watching and recording television broadcasts, and playing audio (CDs as well as MP3s, WMAs, and other audio formats).
Q: Where does the stored media come from?
A: The stored media may be kept either on the local hard drive or on a network attached storage device. It can also be received by terrestrial, satellite or cable broadcasting or streamed from the internet.
Q: Are there any additional tasks that some software can do?
A: Yes - some software is capable of finding news (RSS) from the Internet.
Q: Can any computer become a media center with the right software installed?
A: Yes - individuals can add media center software to any PC or other computer in order to create their own personalised version of it. Additionally, some video game consoles such as PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 have network services that allow them to act as basic media centers by default.
