Windows Media Center
Windows Media Center is a digital media player and recorder developed by Microsoft. It allows users to play and view videos, music, pictures, and recorded TV on Windows PCs. Features include a program guide, DVR, DVD playback, and media streaming.
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Windows Media Center: Digital media player and recorder for Windows PCs
Windows Media Center allows users to play and view videos, music, pictures, and recorded TV on Windows PCs. Features include a program guide, DVR, DVD playback, and media streaming.
What is Windows Media Center?
Windows Media Center is a media player application developed by Microsoft for Windows XP Media Center Edition and later Windows client operating systems. It was first introduced in 2002.
Media Center provides an integrated entertainment experience on the PC by combining TV viewing, video recording, DVD playback, photo viewing and music playback functions into a unified interface. Key features include:
- Live and recorded TV viewing with an interactive program guide, DVR functionality and Media Center Extenders support.
- Support for watching, recording and streaming video content.
- Music and audio CD playback and rip music to local libraries.
- Photo viewing, slideshows and support for multiple photo services.
- DVD and video file playback with DVD menu support.
- Gaming via integration with Microsoft Xbox.
Media Center also offers plugins and addons to expand functionality such as online content streaming, Blu-Ray playback, YouTube streaming, weather forecasts and more. Skins allow users to customize the look and feel.
Over the years, Media Center gained adoption as an easy to use home theater PC software, though it faced competition from alternative media center applications and streaming devices. Support was discontinued in Windows 10, however it still remains popular for some home theater PC enthusiasts.
Windows Media Center Features
Features
- TV tuner functionality
- DVR capabilities
- DVD and CD playback
- Photo viewing
- Music library
- Media streaming
- Remote control integration
Pricing
- One-time purchase
Pros
Intuitive interface
Seamless Windows integration
DVR functionality
Media streaming capabilities
Cons
No longer supported by Microsoft
Limited to Windows PCs
Requires specific hardware
Steep learning curve
The Best Windows Media Center Alternatives
Top Media & Entertainment and Media Center Software and other similar apps like Windows Media Center
Here are some alternatives to Windows Media Center:
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Plex
Plex is a feature-rich media server application that allows you to bring together your personal media library, organize it beautifully, and stream it to all of your devices. It provides a single interface through which you can easily access and enjoy your personal media, whether you are at home or...
Emby
Emby is an open-source media server designed to help you organize, play, and stream your media collection across devices. It allows you to bring together your personal videos, music, photos, and live TV into one unified platform that is accessible from any device on your network.Some key features of Emby...
Kodi
Kodi is an open-source media center application developed by the XBMC Foundation. Originally released in 2002 as Xbox Media Center for the original Xbox game console, it was later ported to other platforms including Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android.Kodi allows users to play and view various digital media files including...
Infuse
Infuse is a feature-rich media player application developed by FireCore for iOS and Apple TV devices. It supports playback of a wide variety of video, audio, and photo file formats including MKV, AVI, MP4, MOV, FLAC, AAC, and more. Some key features of Infuse include:Intuitive and user-friendly interface for browsing...
Universal Media Server
Universal Media Server is a free, open source DLNA-compliant media server that allows you to stream your media files like videos, music and photos to a variety of media devices like smart TVs, gaming consoles, mobile devices and media players. It supports a wide range of media formats including MKV,...
OSMC
OSMC (Open Source Media Center) is a free and open source media center distribution based on Kodi. It provides an easy way to convert a Raspberry Pi, Vero 4K +, Apple TV, or PC into a dedicated media center and Kodi box.Some key features of OSMC include:Based on Debian Linux...
MediaPortal
MediaPortal is an open-source media center software for Windows PCs. It allows you to manage and play various media content including videos, music, photos and live TV on Windows PCs connected to big screens in a home theater setup.Features:Free and open source softwareSupports wide range of video, audio and image...
MiniDLNA
MiniDLNA is a lightweight, easy-to-use media server software that is designed to stream audio, video, and image files from a computer to devices on a home network. It works by scanning media files stored locally on a computer, indexing the metadata, and making the files discoverable and streamable to certified...
Serviio
Serviio is a free, open source media server that enables you to stream your media files like videos, music and photos to devices on your home network. It works by organizing and indexing your media library and then transcoding files on-the-fly as needed during streaming.Some key features of Serviio include:Streaming...
PS3 Media Server
PS3 Media Server is a free open source cross-platform media streaming application developed by the PS3 Media Server team. It was originally called PS3 Media Server since its main function was to stream media files to a Playstation 3. But it now has support for streaming to many other devices...
JRiver Media Center
JRiver Media Center is a feature-rich media library, organizer, and player software application for Windows. First released in 2002, JRiver MC aims to be a one-stop media solution to download, manage, convert, play, stream, and sync audio, video, and images across devices.Some key features of JRiver Media Center include:Extensive format...
OpenELEC
OpenELEC (Open Embedded Linux Entertainment Center) is a lightweight Linux distribution that is purpose-built as a media center operating system. It comes preconfigured with the Kodi media center software and is optimized to provide a smooth and user-friendly media playback experience on home theater PCs (HTPCs).Some key details about OpenELEC:It...