All Topics  
Media center

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Media center
 
 
  Topics Media center Topic Home

The term media center refers either to a dedicated computer appliance
Computer appliance

A computer appliance is generally a separate and discrete hardware component specifically designed to provide a specific compute resource, and which often resides on a dedicated computing platform....
 or to a specialized personal computer
Personal computer

A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose original sales price, size, and capabilities make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end user, with no intervening computer operator....
 software, both of which are adapted for playing various kinds of media
Electronic media

Electronic media are media that utilize electronics or electromechanical energy for the end user to access the content. This is in contrast to static media , which are most often Desktop publishing, but don't require electronics to be accessed by the end user in the printed form....
 (music
Music

Music is an art form whose media is sound organized in time. Common elements of music are pitch , rhythm , dynamics , and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture ....
, movies, photos etc.). A media center may also allow watching DVD
DVD

DVD, also known as "Digital Versatile Disc" or "Digital Video Disc,"is a popular optical disc data storage device media format. Its main uses are video and data storage....
 movies and watching and recording television broadcasts.

The media itself may be stored
Computer storage

Computer data storage, often called storage or memory, refers to computer components, devices, and recording medium that retain digital data used for computing for some interval of time....
, received by terrestrial
Terrestrial television

Terrestrial television is a term which refers to modes of television broadcasting which do not involve satellite transmission. . The term is uncommon in the United States while more common in Europe....
, satellite
Satellite television

Satellite television is television delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by a satellite dish and set-top box. In many areas of the world it provides a wide range of channels and services, often to areas that are not serviced by terrestrial television or cable television providers....
 or cable
Cable television

Cable television is a system of providing television to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through fixed optical fibers or coaxial cables as opposed to the over-the-air method used in traditional television broadcasting in which a television antenna is required....
 broadcasting or streamed from the internet. Stored media is kept either on a local hard drive or on a (wireless
Wireless LAN

A wireless LAN is a wireless local area network that links two or more computers or devices using Spread spectrum or OFDM modulation technology based to enable communication between devices in a limited area....
) network attached storage.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Media center'
Start a new discussion about 'Media center'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


The term media center refers either to a dedicated computer appliance
Computer appliance

A computer appliance is generally a separate and discrete hardware component specifically designed to provide a specific compute resource, and which often resides on a dedicated computing platform....
 or to a specialized personal computer
Personal computer

A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose original sales price, size, and capabilities make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end user, with no intervening computer operator....
 software, both of which are adapted for playing various kinds of media
Electronic media

Electronic media are media that utilize electronics or electromechanical energy for the end user to access the content. This is in contrast to static media , which are most often Desktop publishing, but don't require electronics to be accessed by the end user in the printed form....
 (music
Music

Music is an art form whose media is sound organized in time. Common elements of music are pitch , rhythm , dynamics , and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture ....
, movies, photos etc.). A media center may also allow watching DVD
DVD

DVD, also known as "Digital Versatile Disc" or "Digital Video Disc,"is a popular optical disc data storage device media format. Its main uses are video and data storage....
 movies and watching and recording television broadcasts.

The media itself may be stored
Computer storage

Computer data storage, often called storage or memory, refers to computer components, devices, and recording medium that retain digital data used for computing for some interval of time....
, received by terrestrial
Terrestrial television

Terrestrial television is a term which refers to modes of television broadcasting which do not involve satellite transmission. . The term is uncommon in the United States while more common in Europe....
, satellite
Satellite television

Satellite television is television delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by a satellite dish and set-top box. In many areas of the world it provides a wide range of channels and services, often to areas that are not serviced by terrestrial television or cable television providers....
 or cable
Cable television

Cable television is a system of providing television to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through fixed optical fibers or coaxial cables as opposed to the over-the-air method used in traditional television broadcasting in which a television antenna is required....
 broadcasting or streamed from the internet. Stored media is kept either on a local hard drive or on a (wireless
Wireless LAN

A wireless LAN is a wireless local area network that links two or more computers or devices using Spread spectrum or OFDM modulation technology based to enable communication between devices in a limited area....
) network attached storage. Some software is capable of doing other tasks, such as finding news (RSS
RSS (file format)

RSS is a family of Web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works?such as blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video?in a standardized format....
) from the Internet
Internet

The Internet is a global network of interconnected computers, enabling users to share information along multiple channels. Typically, a computer that connects to the Internet can access information from a vast array of available server and other computers by moving information from them to the computer's local memory....
. Media centers are often operated with a remote control
Remote control

A remote control is an Electronics device used for the remote operation of a machine.The term remote control can be contracted to remote or controller....
, connected to a television set for video output
TV-out

The term TV-out is commonly used to label the electrical connector of equipment providing an Analog television acceptable for a television AV input....
, and can sometimes function as a normal personal computer.

A media center can be purpose-built, modified or created by individuals by adding media center software to a PC or some other computer, for example an Xbox
Xbox

The Xbox is a History of video games video game console produced by Microsoft. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console market, and competed with Sony's PlayStation 2 and Nintendo's GameCube....
. Lately, some video game console
Video game console

A video game console is an game development that produces a video signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game. The term "video game console" is used to distinguish a machine designed for consumers to buy and use solely for playing video games from a personal computer, which has many other functions, or arcade machi...
s (Playstation 3
PlayStation 3

The PlayStation 3 is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment, and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation ....
 and Xbox 360
Xbox 360

The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft, and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the History of video game consoles of video game consoles....
) with their network services can act as a media center devices by default.

Functionality and advantages

Typically, complete media centers offer the following functions to the user:

  • Integration of all forms of media, entertainment and communication functions including TV-reception (analogue TV, DigitalTV via terrestrial-, cable-, satellite-, IPTV-, webTV-networks), broadband Internet access, IP-telephony, video-telephony, e-mail etc. into one common user friendly GUI (graphical user interface) controlled with a remote control or wireless keyboard by the family members typically in the living room
  • Ability to receive digital media files (via direct video signal, computer network or USB)
  • Ability to store digital media (usually on a standard computer hard disk drive)
  • Ability to play back digital media through standard television or hi-fi equipment
  • Simplicity (compared to a computer equipped to accomplish transfer, storage and TV/hi-fi playback)
  • Cost savings (compared to a computer equipped to accomplish transfer, storage and TV/hi-fi playback)
  • Portability (compared to a computer equipped to accomplish transfer, storage and TV/hi-fi playback)


Though media centers are often built using similar components to personal computers, they are often smaller; media centers sometimes have hardware that is not usually seen in personal computers, such as receivers for remote controls, or television tuner cards. Media centers have not seen widespread popularity but are starting to take hold in the UK and the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
.

Common applications

Mythtv Blue Menu
There are several common applications for which media centers are beginning to gain popularity. Simply put, any application requiring the playback of digital media based files, but not requiring the full features and flexibility of a personal computer stands to benefit from the reduced size, reduced complexity and reduced cost of media centers when compared to similarly equipped PCs.

Common applications include :

  • Digital Sign Systems
  • Automotive Entertainment Systems (i.e. limousines, tour buses, car stereos)
  • In flight/room entertainment and Video On Demand Systems
  • Mobile sales professionals
  • Portable collections for travelers and audio/video enthusiasts


See also

  • Digital media receiver
    Digital media receiver

    A digital media receiver or digital media adapter is a home entertainment device that can connect to a home network to retrieve digital media files from a personal computer or other media server and play them back on a home theater system or TV....
  • Home theater PC
    Home theater PC

    A Home theater PC or media PC is a technical convergence device that combines the functions of a personal computer and a digital video recorder....
  • Media server
    Media Server

    A media server is a computer appliance, ranging from an server providing video on demand, to, more commonly, a small home computer storing various digital media....
  • Small form factor
    Small form factor

    Small form factor computers are housed in smaller computer cases than typical desktop computers. While the term has no exact definition, it generally includes cases designed for motherboards smaller than the standard ATX Comparison of computer form factors....
     PCs
  • Quiet PC
    Quiet PC

    A quiet PC is a personal computer that makes little noise. Common uses for quiet PCs include video editing, sound mixing, home servers, and home theater PCs....


Devices

  • Telly
    Telly (home entertainment server)

    The Telly home entertainment server is range of computer systems designed to store, manage, and access all forms of digital media in the home. Based on Interact-TV's Linux Media Center software, it provides user managed libraries for music, photos, and all forms of video from recorded television programming to DVDs....
     Home Entertainment Server
  • Dreambox
    Dreambox

    The Dreambox is a Linux-powered DVB DVB-S, DVB-T and DVB-C digital television decoder , produced by Germany multimedia vendor Dream Multimedia....
  • Moxi
    Moxi

    The Moxi family of products is made by Digeo?, Inc. a Paul Allen-backed company that provides home entertainment products including digital video recorders ....
  • Niveus Media
  • Hauppauge MediaMVP
    Hauppauge MediaMVP

    The Hauppauge Computer Works MediaMVP is a network media player. It consists of a hardware unit with remote control, along with software for a Microsoft Windows Personal computer....
  • MediaImpact Media Center
  • Daboda HMC-1 Multicodec Media Center
  • Klegg MediaShare
  • AppleTV
  • Xbox
    Xbox

    The Xbox is a History of video games video game console produced by Microsoft. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console market, and competed with Sony's PlayStation 2 and Nintendo's GameCube....
     (With XBMC)
  • Popcorn Hour


Stand-alone software

  • Acer Arcade, (Windows)
  • Entertainer (Project), (Linux) http://www.entertainer-project.com/
  • Beyond TV, (Windows)
  • BOXEE
    BOXEE

    Boxee is a freeware cross-platform media center software with social networking features that is a Fork of the open source XBMC software with some custom and Proprietary software additions....
     (Mac OS X, Apple TV, Linux)
  • CenterStage
    Centerstage

    CenterStage is a Media Center Application that allows digital content stored on an Apple Macintosh computer to be played on a standard television set....
     (Mac OS X)
  • Dell MediaDirect
    Dell MediaDirect

    Dell MediaDirect is a software application that is published by Dell, Inc. and is pre-installed on the computers they sell. It provides DVD and CD playback and recent editions include features such as an address book and calendar....
     (Windows)
  • Elisa
    Elisa (software)

    Elisa is a project to create an open source cross platform media center solution. Primary development and deployment platform is Linux and Unix operating systems and also currently support Microsoft Windows and also hope to support Mac OS X in the future....
     (Linux/Windows)
  • Entertainer (Linux)
  • Freevo
    Freevo

    Freevo is a personal video recorder application for Linux, BSD, and Mac OS X similar to MythTV. It allows easy playback of videos, DVDs, pictures, music, and watching live TV....
     (Linux/Mac OS X/Windows)
  • Front Row
    Front Row

    Front Row is media center software for Apple Inc.'s Macintosh computers and AppleTV for viewing and downloading video, photos, podcasts, and music from a computer, optical disk, networks using iTunes or iPhoto, and the Internet using an Apple Remote....
     (Mac OS X)
  • GB-PVR
    GB-PVR

    GB-PVR is a PVR application, running on Microsoft Windows, whose main function is scheduling TV recordings and playing back live TV. This PVR also acts as a home media center, then it brings together in a single application a digital video recorder, a radio station online tuner, a music and movie player, a library of images, ......
     (Windows)
  • iTheater
    ITheater

    iTheater: Mac Media Center is an open source project that aims to build a media center application for Mac OS X. Utilizing the power of the Apple Macintosh platform, iTheater will capitalize on the rich media environment that is created by programs such as iPhoto and iTunes and create a media center application for all Macintosh users....
     (Mac OS X)
  • J. River Media Center
    Media Center (software application)

    Media Center, or formally, "J. River Media Center" is a multimedia application that allows the user to play and organize various types of media on a Windows based machine....
     (Windows)
  • MediaCentre (Mac OS X, Windows, Linux)
  • MediaPortal
    MediaPortal

    MediaPortal is an open source media center software that acts as front-end for Personal video recorder, video, pictures, music and many more functionalities....
     (Windows, GPL License)
  • MythTV
    MythTV

    MythTV is a free software Linux application which turns a computer with the necessary hardware into a Computer_network Streaming_media digital video recorder, a digital multimedia home entertainment system, or HTPC....
     (Linux)
  • My Media System
    My media system

    My Media System is an Open Source application for Linux, that manages, displays and plays media content such as videos, music, pictures etc. The target platforms of this application are Set-Top-Box and Home_Cinema_PC....
     (Linux)
  • MyCast Orb
    Orb (software)

    Orb is a freeware Streaming Media software that enables users to remotely access all their personal digital media files including pictures, music, videos, webcams and television....
     (Windows)
  • Pinnacle PCTV MediaCenter (Windows)
  • Pinnacle TVCenter PRO (Windows)
  • SageTV
    SageTV

    SageTV Media Center is a proprietary software, commercial digital video recorder software package for Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows and Linux. It requires that the host PC have a hardware based TV tuner card....
     (Windows, Linux and Mac)
  • SesamTV (Windows)
  • Sofa
    Sofa

    Sofa may refer to:In general:* A piece of furniture also called a couchIn music:* Any of four bands of overlapping eras:** Sofa , a post-indie band active since the late 1990s...
     (Linux and Mac OS X) (development stopped around 2005)
  • Nero MediaHome (Windows)
  • TVedia
  • Windows Media Center
    Windows Media Center

    Windows Media Center is an application designed to serve as a Media PC. It is included in Windows XP Media Center Edition and premium editions of Windows Vista ....
     (Windows)
  • Wellton Way MultiMedia Center (MMC) (Windows)
  • XBMC Media Center (Linux
    Linux

    Linux is a generic term referring to Unix-like computer operating systems based on the Linux kernel. Their development is one of the most prominent examples of free and open source software collaboration; typically all the underlying source code can be used, freely modified, and redistributed by anyone under the terms of the GNU GPL license...
    , Mac OS X
    Mac OS X

    Mac OS X is a line of computer operating systems developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc., and since 2002 has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems....
    , Windows
    Microsoft Windows

    Microsoft Windows is a series of software operating systems and graphical user interfaces produced by Microsoft. Microsoft first introduced an operating environment named Windows in November 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces ....
    , Xbox game-console
    Xbox

    The Xbox is a History of video games video game console produced by Microsoft. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console market, and competed with Sony's PlayStation 2 and Nintendo's GameCube....
    , free)


Media center operating systems

  • GeeXboX
    GeeXboX

    GeeXboX is a free Linux distribution providing a media center software suite for personal computers. GeeXboX uses MPlayer for media playback and is implemented as a Live CD....
     (Linux)
  • LinuxMCE
    LinuxMCE

    LinuxMCE is a free and open source software platform designed to allow a computer to act as a home theater PC , personal video recorder, and home automation system....
     (Linux)
  • KnoppMyth
    KnoppMyth

    Knoppmyth is a portmanteau word of Knoppix and MythTV. It is a Archlinux based operating system using Knoppix configuration scripts and Knoppmyth-specific scripting that installs and configures the MythTV Personal Video Recorder software and a number of add-ons....
     (Linux)
  • Mac OS X
    Mac OS X

    Mac OS X is a line of computer operating systems developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc., and since 2002 has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems....
     (via Front Row)
  • Mythbuntu
    Mythbuntu

    Mythbuntu is a specialized operating system based on Ubuntu and MythTV Following the principles of KnoppMyth and Mythdora, Mythbuntu is designed to simplify the installation of MythTV on a home theater PC....
     (Linux)
  • Mythdora
    MythDora

    MythDora is a specialized operating system based on the current Fedora release and MythTV 0.21. Like KnoppMyth, MythDora is designed to simplify the installation of MythTV on a home theatre PC....
     (Linux)
  • (Linux)
  • Windows XP Media Center Edition
  • Windows Vista
    Windows Vista

    Windows Vista is one member in a family of operating systems developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business Desktop computer, laptops, Tablet PCs, and media center PCs....
     (Home Premium and Ultimate editions
    Windows Vista editions

    Windows Vista is available in six different marketing editions. All editions support both 32-bit and 64-bit processor architectures, except for Windows Vista Starter, which supports only 32-bit architectures....
     only)
  • XBMC Live (Linux
    Linux

    Linux is a generic term referring to Unix-like computer operating systems based on the Linux kernel. Their development is one of the most prominent examples of free and open source software collaboration; typically all the underlying source code can be used, freely modified, and redistributed by anyone under the terms of the GNU GPL license...
    )


External links