Windows Media Center Edition is fast becoming an optimal solution for connecting your home theater with your home computing experience. I stepped through the process of connecting an Xbox 360 as a Media Center Extender with no significant issues during the install. If you already have Windows XP, it seems a little shortsighted for Microsoft to expect you to purchase a second full license of XP, which at this point is absolutely necessary if you want to build a DIY MCE. At least they are kind enough to provide a list of certified hardware for MCE.

AVSoft makes a couple apps you shouldn’t be without in managing your media for both Media Center Edition or just plain’ol Windows XP. AV Media Copy helps transfer your songs to a second drive, your network or to another computer without breaking the folder hierarchy or losing any of the album art. Album Art Fixer finds missing album art and puts it in the proper place to be detected both by Windows Media Player and Media Center to help eliminate those missing icons. If you aren’t ready to step up to Media Center connectivity, you can still access your music library on your home network with the help of WIremote, which acts as a Web interface to any music tracks listed in Windows Media Player 10.

[tags]mce,windows xp,media center,windows media player[/tags]