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SFF MEETS WINDOWS MEDIA CENTER 2005... - 2006/11/03 17:39
Processor speeds are crashing through barriers, memory is getting faster and hardware more reliable and stylish. This combined with the forthcoming capacity-compressing dual layer DVD's and dual TV tuners; an evolution in computing has meant that the next step towards efficiency and value for money is here - and this time, it's not meant to be hidden in the study, office or spare room. In essence, the SFF PC is a computer that has evolved to a point where it is possible for it to be a 3rd of the size of a standard PC, and that a computer can be small, stylish, quiet and reliable without stifling performance.
A SFF PC can be connected to a TV, monitor, projector or slim TFT and offers the extra bonus of high portability; many models have stylish optional carry cases. The following will amaze and astound you, and make you wonder why you're wasting space, power and money on anything else; this is a quick look at what else a Windows Media Center 2005 equipped SFF PC can do!!
Microsoft Windows Media Center Edition 2005 is an essential requirement for a complete home entertainment system. An operating system much like a version of Windows XP Professional it includes a sleek application named 'Media Center' which launches at the touch of a button from your remote control. Designed to be operated from the comfort of your sofa, Media Center is destined for the new generation of SFF PC which can effectively replace your digital TV set-top box, your VCR, DVD player, Radio and CD player all in one small ShoeBox sized, quiet, reliable and stylish PC, its even broadband internet ready. You will never again have to horde masses of VHS tapes or DVD's with no labels, anything you watch can be instantly downloaded to your hard drive at the touch of a button!
There are styles of SFF to suit any individual's taste or colour scheme in your home, the bog standard 'neutral beige' is a thing of the past, and about time too. An SFF PC is so small; it doesn't look out of place, it can even take on the disguise of a HI-FI. The colourful animated interface of Media Center moves flawlessly, user friendly and there's only one remote control for everything! Genius.
With one of our ShoeBox Media Center Systems all your video, music and photos are easily accessible, you can watch, pause and rewind live TV (perfect for bathroom breaks!), schedule recordings and access a FREE 14 day TV guide (Electronic Programming Guide *Internet connection required) at the touch of a button, with a full cast list and synopsis for everything on. There's a few ways to search the guide for what you feel like watching, mostly by name, or by genre, maybe a comedy? Search by GENRE, select the sub-category Comedy and a list of all the scheduled comedies will appear for you to browse at your leisure. A couple of great features are the Other Showings button to find out when the next episode is on and the Record Series button, which means you wont have to search for it again, and that you'll never miss an episode of your favourite TV program. You can enjoy High Definition TV, Dual TV Tuner (so you can watch one channel whilst you record another) and FreeView TV capability to receive extra channels free! One of the best features here is that you can pause live TV, which means no more scrambling for a tape, at a push of a button the hard disc in your SFF PC will record from where you left off for when you return, and the added bonus is that you can then enjoy the reminder of the program ad free, by fast forwarding through the ads!
Music fans have all they need for their own virtual jukebox thanks to the included Windows Media Player, when you play a CD you can instantly add it to be stored in your directory. For example, as a clickable picture of the album cover in which all the artist and track information is stored, making it simple finding the song you want to hear instantly. Media Center also has the added capability of integration with online music services like Napster and MSN Music, allowing you to stream and download the songs and video you want. Media Center also automatically recognises MP3 players and gives you the option to synchronise data with your PC, this way the collection on your MP3 player and Media Center music library are always up to date.
Your photo collection is also just a button away; you can download your photos from a digital camera or CD, and select and create animated slideshows to music. Many other useful functions are available to add on to Media Center, including weather forecasts, playlist editor, alarm clock, and plenty of games.
You can even connect your XBOX game console to your PC by means of Media Extenders, so all the media on your PC is accessible through a network by other similar goods in your home, such as a PC and printer in another room. With a networked SFF PC you would have access to the other PC and printer from one central point (the sofa!). Media Center can support up to five of these to ensure everyone in the family gets their share of the fun, all with super fast internet connection and with Wireless Networking, there is no trail of wires and no compromise to the quality of your media. The accessibility of media is down to the design of the menus. Personal pop up icons which contain all your programs/music/photos appear next to main menu options, and the remote control allows fast access with useful shortcut buttons. You can even turn this PC on/off with your remote, and be watching a DVD within 10 seconds! You can do all this and still enjoy all the perks of a Windows XP operating system on your PC, to surf the web, work, and send/receive email etc - neat!
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