Absolute Beginner's Guide to Windows XP Media Center (Paperback)

~ Steve Kovsky (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Absolute Beginner's Guide to Windows XP Media Center teaches the reader all about the technology that Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates calls the centerpiece of his vision for the home of the future. After all, why settle for just a television set, a DVD player/recorder, an MP3 audio jukebox, a game machine, a digital photo viewer or a personal video recorder when you can have all of the devices wrapped up inside a nimble Windows XP computer with online access? Windows XP Media Center brings it all together for the first time, and adds push-button access to rich online services that transform the idea of interactive TV from a pipedream to reality. It's time to put away the keyboard and mouse, grab hold of Media Center's remote control, and hang on for the home entertainment experience of a lifetime!

Absolute Beginner's Guide to Windows XP Media Center is your key to enjoying the home of the future - today! Here's a small sample of what you'll find inside:

Watch, pause, rewind and record live television with push-button ease! XP Media Center provides the functionality of standalone TiVo or Replay TV persona video recorders - but with no subscription fees!
Save your favorite TV shows and movies to your hard drive, then burn them onto DVDs that you can play anywhere!
Shoot and edit your own home movies using XP Media Center's easy controls, then burn them onto DVDs that you can share with family and friends.
Enjoy your favorite TV shows, DVD movies, music and more - on your computer screen or your television.
Rip, organize, and burn your favorite music tracks to CDs that work in any CD player.
Capture, edit, and sort your own digital photos using XP Media Center's user friendly tools, then display them on your TV.
Listen to FM Radio on your Media Center PC. You can even pause, rewind and fast forward live radio!
Use your Media Center remote control to tap into all sorts of exciting online services from movie and music downloads to news, games, shopping, and more.

About the Author

Journalist and author Steve Kovsky has covered every aspect of high technology in the past 19 years. His reports have appeared internationally in newspapers, magazines, television, radio, and on the Internet. Currently, he is a Contributing Editor for ZDNet AnchorDesk and a Technology Commentator on CBS Radio (KFWB AM 980, Los Angeles). In addition, Kovsky serves as Vice President and Editorial Director for Centric Events Group, an organizer of technical trade shows and conferences across North America. His first book, High-Tech Toys for Your TV: Secrets of TiVo, Xbox, ReplayTV, UltimateTV, and More, was published in March 2002 by Que Publishing.

Product Details

• Paperback: 408 pages
• Publisher: Que (February 20, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789730030
• ISBN-13: 978-0789730039
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,232,496 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The key to setting up and using Windows XP media, March 13, 2004

By	Charles Ashbacher "([e-mail])" (Marion, Iowa United States([e-mail])) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

The capability of windows XP to organize and execute multimedia files is most impressive. It is clear that incorporating intelligence into our entertainment devices is a trend that will continue and even accelerate. In this book, you learn how to implement what is clearly one of the major first steps in that direction.
The ability to control the playing of music and video files stored on DVDs and other large storage devices in conjunction with the intelligence of modern software dramatically changes the home entertainment experience. Furthermore, the large amount of content over cable and satellites that can be captured for replay expands the options to the point where a high degree of organization is necessary. All of the areas, from finding and recording broadcast events to organizing the material for easy playback, are covered in the book. Other critical areas such as privacy and parental controls over content are included. Creating and enjoying personally generated content such as home movies and music CDs is also covered.
If you are interested in what the XP media center can do, then this book will satisfy that interest. If you are about to purchase such a system, then this book will help you with the nontrivial install and setup.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not relevant for today, October 8, 2006

By	SBJ400 "SBJ400" (Mt. Laurel, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

This might have been a good book in 2003...but not today. If you are planning on rolling your own media center, you will definitely need as current a reference book as possible!