Microsoft introduced its new Windows XP Media Center Edition a few weeks ago. The operating system offers users an interface that is set up to facilitate organization and use of multimedia files like music, videos, and photographs. The first PCs and laptops are now available with Media Center Edition (MCE) 2005 pre-installed. To allow for even more convenient usage, a remote control is often included in the package. In general, multimedia PCs are a good idea, says Peter Knaak from the German consumer testing organization Stiftung Warentest in Berlin. "Nobody has to go buy themselves a digital video recorder when a PC is suitable for these recordings," Knaak says. That's in part because recordings made by the computer are relatively easy to edit. Administering a digital music collection is also easily handled using a media center interface. "The PC is becoming a multimedia hub that can act as a playback station for films, photos, and music over the home network," says a representative for Fujitsu Siemens Computers in Duesseldorf. Media Center software is a connector between the world of the PC and that of entertainment technology. "Anyone with a media center PC can do without a separate CD player, for instance, or can connect one to the computer," explains Microsoft's Nicole Radewic. Fujitsu Siemens's Scaleo C represents the company's entry in the Media Center Edition (MCE) 2005 derby. The machine, outfitted with a DVB-T-TV card, costs around 1,000 dollars. Yet few can imagine putting a PC in its traditional casing in their living room. This has spurred many PC makers and entertainment electronics firms to form partnerships to share their respective strengths. --more 1141 Local Time 0841 GMT
