ZDNet Definition for: Media Center

Additional Resources

FastPictureViewer WIC Codec Pack 1.50 (Windows)

A set of free 32-bit and 64-bit codecs that enable full support for raw image formats from 12 manufacturers, covering 300 digital cameras in Windows 7, Vista and XP. Provides thumbnail support in Windows Explorer, along with viewing and slideshows in Photo Gallery / Photo Viewer and Window 7's Media...

Tags: Codec, Photograph, Axel Rietschin Software Developments, Microsoft Windows, Media Center PCs, Microsoft Windows 7, Operating Systems, Software, Personal Technology, Home Entertainment

Software downloads 2009-11-27

East Anglia: some new angles, but no arrests for hacking

Investigation..."If the Republicans regain control of the Senate any time soon, you can expect a full-blown Inhofe-fuelled investigation."Horrors! Imagine that, someone actually wants to INVESTIGATE to see if the "science" of global warming holds water pardon the pun? You mean people actually want to KNOW if these drastic changes to...

Tags: Blogging, NETWORKING, SECURITY, Junkscience, East Anglia, e-mail, hacking

Discussion threads 2009-11-25

HP Pavilion dv4-2045dx

Editors' note: This review is part of our 2009 Retail Laptop and Desktop Holiday Roundup, which covers specific fixed configurations of popular systems found in retail stores.The HP Pavilion dv4-2045dx offers more multitasking muscle than many of the other mainstream budget retail laptops we've recently reviewed. Helped by a 7,200rpm...

Tags: Keyboards, Notebooks, Desktops, Processors, Overall IT, lid, Hewlett-Packard Co., AMD Turion II, Advanced Micro Devices Inc., keyboard, HP Pavilion

Product reviews 2009-11-24

GoPro Motorsports HD Hero

GoPro had a hit on its hands with the first-generation GoPro Hero. The small camera combined decent video quality and rugged reliability in a small package that was easy to use in action-based scenarios. However, the Hero wasn't without its flaws. Finicky battery choices that often cut recording sessions short...

Tags: Corporate communications, Engineering, battery, video, camera

Product reviews 2009-11-24

Sony VAIO VGN-NW270F/S

Editors' note: This review is part of our 2009 Retail Laptop and Desktop Holiday Roundup, which covers specific fixed configurations of popular systems found in retail stores.The Sony Vaio VGN-NW270F/S is a stylish, spacious laptop for high-definition fans with low budgets. For a reasonable $699 at Best Buy, the Vaio...

Tags: Desktops, Sony Vaio, laptop computer, Sony Corp.

Product reviews 2009-11-24

Asus Essentio CG5270-BP004

Editors' note: This review is part of our 2009 Retail Laptop and Desktop Holiday Roundup, which covers specific fixed configurations of popular systems found in retail stores. The Asus Essentio CG5270-BP004 bears a striking resemblance to a young teenager trying too hard. With its oversized, canted case, it's easy to...

Tags: ASUS

Product reviews 2009-11-24

Toshiba Satellite U505-S2970

Editors' note: This review is part of our 2009 Retail Laptop and Desktop Holiday Roundup, which covers specific fixed configurations of popular systems found in retail stores.The Toshiba Satellite U505-S2970 is a thin-and-light laptop that is neither thin nor light. It feels solidly built, but this is a 13.3-inch laptop...

Tags: Notebooks, Network technology, laptop computer, satellite, Toshiba Corp., Toshiba Satellite

Product reviews 2009-11-24

HP Pavilion dv6-1375dx

Editors' note: This review is part of our 2009 Retail Laptop and Desktop Holiday Roundup, which covers specific fixed configurations of popular systems found in retail stores. HP had better hope its Pavilion dv6-1375 is not sitting on retail store shelves directly next to the Sony Vaio VGN-NW270F/S. Both are...

Tags: Desktops, HP Pavilion, Hewlett-Packard Co.

Product reviews 2009-11-24

Is Google the Center of the Universe?

It's not even a year since the triumphalism of Jeff Jarvis's Google 'reverse engineering' book 'What Would Google Do?' hit the book shelves, but it seems an age ago now. Jarvis's publisher Harper Collins claims this book is 'all about you' in their promo blurb - how you...

Tags: Google Inc., Rupert Murdoch, Jarvis, Wiki, Online Communications, Oliver Marks

Blog posts 2009-11-24

Numbers of new Core i7 iMacs are turning up DOA

Reports are flowing in that some of the recently-shipped iMacs with Core i7 Intel processors are shipping dead-on-arrival. Whoops. A currently 36-page thread on Apple's official support Forums has a whole slew of unhappy customers listing their already-deceased desktops. Many of them cite...

Tags: Apple iMac, Apple Inc., Reports, Desktops, Media Center PCs, Hardware, Personal Technology, Home Entertainment, Rachel King

Blog posts 2009-11-24

Is it time to go quad-core?

I need a new laptop. My oldest son's laptop finally bit the dust, and he's pretty well attached to it, both for personal and school purposes. As a likely film major, my Mac would serve him well (at least through the first year of college, at which point he'll...

Tags: Quad-core, Processors, Semiconductors, Hardware, Components, Christopher Dawson

Blog posts 2009-11-23

HP Pavilion P6230y

Editors' note: This review is part of our 2009 Retail Laptop and Desktop Holiday Roundup, which covers specific fixed configurations of popular systems found in retail stores.The $680 Pavilion P6230y is another midrange HP desktop PC that looks good on paper, but can't keep up with the competition in...

Tags: Desktops, LANs, Semiconductors, Network technology, Processors, DVD, HP Pavilion, Hewlett-Packard Co., ASUS, graphics, chip

Product reviews 2009-11-23

Hands on with new Roku Channel Store; is cable TV still worth the cost?

Not available on the N1000I don't see any options for this on my N1000.Bummer.Has the resolution improved on HD content?That was one thing I'd like to know. I can see a future, where everything you would ever need in the home will go thru the internet. I am already set...

Tags: Cable, TVs, TV & Home Theater, Network technology, Advertising & Promotion, FrameChannel, video quality, Roku Inc., cable television

Discussion threads 2009-11-23

XBMC 9.11.b1 (Mac)

XBMC is an award winning media center application for Linux, Mac OS X, Windows and XBox. The ultimate hub for all your media, XBMC is easy to use, looks slick, and has a large helpful community. Try it now! XBMC supports viewing and playing a vast library of audio,...

Tags: Team, Apple Macintosh, Media Center PC, Media, Team XBMC, Media Center PCs, Team Management, Apple Mac OS X, Advertising & Promotion, Personal Technology, Home Entertainment, Management, Operating Systems, Software, Apple Mac OS, Marketing

Software downloads 2009-11-22

Dell Inspiron i1470-3282CRD

Editors' note: This review is part of our 2009 Retail Laptop and Desktop Holiday Roundup, which covers specific fixed configurations of popular systems found in retail stores.At what cost to battery life? That's the question we're left asking Dell after testing its Inspiron 1470-3282, a $729 laptop sold at Best...

Tags: Notebooks, Processors, Dell Inspiron, laptop computer, processor, Dell Computer Corp.

Product reviews 2009-11-21

HP Pavilion dv4-1555dx

Editors' note: This review is part of our 2009 Retail Laptop and Desktop Holiday Roundup, which covers specific fixed configurations of popular systems found in retail stores. With its stylish, Imprint-finish chassis, excellent audio output, and remote control, the 14-inch HP Pavilion dv4-1555dx is best suited for students and others...

Tags: Microsoft Windows 7, Desktops, Notebooks, HP Pavilion, laptop computer, Hewlett-Packard Co.

Product reviews 2009-11-20

Gateway One ZX4800-02

Editors' note: This review is part of our 2009 Retail Laptop and Desktop Holiday Roundup, which covers specific fixed configurations of popular systems found in retail stores.The good news about the Gateway One ZX4800-02: it's not a Nettop. Nope, instead this is a full-fledged, $750 all-in-one desktop, complete with a...

Tags: Keyboards, Desktops, Monitors & displays, Processors, Gateway Inc., desktop

Product reviews 2009-11-20

Gateway DX4822-01

Editors' note: This review is part of our 2009 Retail Laptop and Desktop Holiday Roundup, which covers specific fixed configurations of popular systems found in retail stores.Although we weren't fans of Gateway's midrange Gateway DX4300-03, the $520 DX4822-01 makes a more convincing argument with budget-minded features like a spacious hard...

Tags: Video cards, DVD, Consumer electronics, Semiconductors, Processors, Gateway Inc., Intel Corp.

Product reviews 2009-11-20

Asus Essentio CM5570-AP003

Editors' note: This review is part of our 2009 Retail Laptop and Desktop Holiday Roundup, which covers specific fixed configurations of popular systems found in retail stores.The $480 Asus Essentio CM5570-AP003 is a stripped-down version of the CM5570-AP006 we reviewed in July. It uses the same basic tower but replaces...

Tags: Video cards, Semiconductors, Network technology, DVD, Processors, Consumer electronics, 64-bit, Intel Corp., ASUS, Intel Pentium Dual-Core, graphics, chip

Product reviews 2009-11-20

Asus K60IJ-RBLX05

Editors' note: This review is part of our 2009 Retail Laptop and Desktop Holiday Roundup, which covers specific fixed configurations of popular systems found in retail stores. Buying a budget laptop often means cutting corners, so let's take a look at the Asus K60IJ-RBLX05. With a 16-inch screen and a...

Tags: Processors, Notebooks, ASUS, processor, laptop computer

Product reviews 2009-11-19