Windows Media Center PCs aren't ready to rule the home just yet.
Remember Microsoft and Intel's "Digital Joy" ad campaign, which touted Windows Media Center PCs as the perfect holiday gift? Well, if that's joy, I'll take heartbreak.
Personally, I would rather be trapped in a bomb shelter with Donald Trump than plant an ugly, noisy Windows machine in my living room (see "Keep the PC--I'll Take TiVo," March 2004). But over the past year, Microsoft has spiffed up Media Center--the OS can now stream live TV, recorded shows, music, and pictures from a PC to your home entertainment gear via a third-party set-top box. And companies like Creative and IRiver have come out with portable players that let you carry around your favorite TV shows (provided you record them on a Media Center PC).
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