Media Center PC

The concept of Media Center PC is probably pioneered by Microsoft's Windows Media Center edition. Being dominant in PC operating systems, Microsoft still feels the need to be relevant in the living room. Windows Media Center edition, as a software package, is a pretty solid product from Microsoft. Its innovative use of 3D animated user interface is exemplary in the media center software industry. Not even Apple's highly regarded designers have conceived such things. Apple's Front Row (a light version of media center software available only on Mac mini) was only released not very long ago. And its design and functionality is not yet on the same level as Windows Media Center edition.

However, Microsoft imposed the artificial restriction that Windows Media Center is only available on new PCs with a brand new copy of the Windows operating system. Granted there are hardware requirements that can be ensured by Media Center PC manufacturers, so support volume is low, but as we can see from TVedia media center software, that technically it is possible to produce a media center software product that runs on a wide range of graphics cards, consumes system resources that can be adequately provided by a PC a couple of years old, and supports a variety of remote control devices. Even though the initial release of TVedia 4 has no Personal Video Recording function yet, PVR software category is not new, and PVR software companies have traditionally supported a large number of TV tuner cards and older PCs.

So, here comes TVedia. Being an independent software producer, we are much more free to innovate.

  • TVedia's Flash like animated user interface can be displayed on graphics cards with or without 3D acceleration.
  • TVedia's seamless UPnP implementation is a first in the media center software category.
  • TVedia media center's ability to manage and handle very large media collection, even over a home network, is even unsurpassed by the new Windows Media Center bundled with the much delayed Windows Vista.
  • The ability to playback both Windows DRM protected content, and music purchased from iTunes Music Store will probably never be matched by Windows Media Center edition.
  • The integration with most popular photo sharing web service Flickr, and online video sharing sites like YouTube and Google Video proves once again that TVedia media center will let its users stay on the cutting edge of digital entertainment.
  • And finally, the open source media center front-end layer gives its users total control over the experience.