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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESIONSGeneral Buying XPMCE Hardware Using XPMCE GeneralWhat is Windows XP Media Center Edition? Windows XP Media Center Edition (or XPMCEfor short) is a special version of MS Windows XP designed for use on a monitor or television screen and with features targeted at home entertainment such as storing pictures, music and video. It can be controlled with a remote control instead of a mouse. Most major PC manufacturers build one or more Media Center PCs, such as Sony, Dell and HP. However, with the release of XPMCE 5, Microsoft has relaxed the licensing allowing many more manufacturers to build PCs based around the OS What’s the alternative to XPMCE? Most of the functionality of Windows XP Media Center Edition can be replicated by standalone software packages. However, for ease of use XPMCE is a good choice. What changed between XPMCE v4 and XPMCE v5? A redesigned interface, support for HDTV, built in DVD burning, Media Center Extender support and syncing to portable device....amongst other things. In what countries is XPMCE available? Australia, Austria, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, Switzerland, USA and the UK. Can I use my Media Center PC as a normal computer? You can do everything with your Media Center PC that you could do with Windows XP - word processing, playing games and of course, listening to music. Remember though that if you are using a TV screen you may find it difficult to read small text. Buying XPMCEWindows XP Media Center Edition is not available as a standalone product. You must buy it pre-installed or bundled with a Media Center PC. HardwareWhat makes a Media Center PC special? A Media Center PC must be relatively high spec to cope with the demands placed on it - typically a fast processor, high capacity hard drive, fast graphics card and advanced audio card. Many Media Center PCs reject traditional beige styling for a modern look that doesn't seem out of place in your living room or in your home entertainment stack. Do I need a TV tuner card to be able to use XPMCE? Your Media Center PC will need similar inputs and outputs to any other AV device, so yes you will need a TV tuner card if you intend to capture a signal from a TV aerial. Make sure you get a TV Tuner card or plug-in device that is XPMCE certified if you want to use XPMCE.
See the link below for reviews of such devices: Using XPMCEThe answer depends on the size of your hard drive. XPMCE can record at four levels of quality - Fair, Good, Better, and Best. The better the quality, the more space the recording will take up. Microsoft say that 'Fair' uses up 1GB per hour and 'Best' uses 3GB per hour, with the others somewhere in between. Can I play recordings made by XPMCE on other software? Not at the moment. The file format used is called DVR-MS and is based around MPEG-2 with some extra meta data. It is exclusive to XPMCE although Microsoft claim to be working with other software manufacturers on allowing them access. |
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