Windows 7 Media Center: The Transition to a Jam-Packed Entertainment Hub
Windows 7 Media Center is a great entertainment hub is an understatement. Way back, Windows XP had started it as a simple concept of watching TV on a PC under its XP Media Center. However, there was not much follow through and acceptance then. During the Vista days, the hype and attention was revived only to die again after so many issues plaguing the OS. Now, Windows 7 Media Center is all what you can ever dream of and the transition is so remarkable. Microsoft has indeed put in so much incredible effort to get it perfectly so appealing this time around. It shows how dead serious they are in making the PC an integral part of the home theater setup.
In this article, let us explore in detail the transition of the Windows Home Theatre Personal Computer through its Media Center.
- Easy Setup and Searching – Windows 7’s Media Center setting up and use of digital broadcast TV was trimmed down to its basic and made very simple. It even provides two ways to optimize your ATSC digital experience through scanning for more channels option and tweaking through the digital TV antenna signal strength option.
- Accessibility through launching tasks from the Start Menu – Navigation of the app’s features was also simplified by allowing the user to launch WMC tasks directly from the Start Menu. Also, WMC supports the jump list feature of the OS.
- All in One Media Center gadget – WMC features can be easily accessible from the desktop with the gadget which is installed upon the initial start of WMC. Launching TV recordings and Internet TV from your desktop is just a click or touch away.
- Browsing on your Favorite pictures – Sorting your photos, viewing and displaying them as slide shows and searching them using the new library feature of the OS are just some of the ways to tinker your photos.
- Endlessly listen to your Favorite songs – While relaxing and listening to your playlist, the cover art from all albums displays as a scrolling background for the song that’s being currently played.
- A Free Internet TV Service – Not having a TV tuner installed on your PC is no longer a drawback with Windows 7 Media Center. Virtual channels include popular shows from many genres from the Web.
- Integration of Games – Windows games can now be played inside WMC and can be accessed by just clicking their corresponding icon.
- A Special Feature for Sports Enthusiasts – WMC Sports feature goes even beyond what Vista offered by enabling you to select how much information you want to display for each sports league you follow.
- A Live Sneak Peek – A thumbnail that can be played backwards and forwards at the same speed can be displayed when you’re watching.
- A Turbo scroll for both channels and music – Skipping in-between channels through the use of the arrow button on the remote and alphabetized listing of artists are just some of the quick and easy ways of manipulating WMC.
In terms of functionality and interface, Windows 7 Media Center is several notches higher than what Vista Media Center had offered. A solid proof of how Microsoft’s investment was not put to waste. Windows 7 Media Center transcended from a mere product to an in-demand technology no doubt.
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Filed under: windows 7 features