Last month, Microsoft released their new Windows Media Centre 2005 operating system, actually the third version of this operating system, and a range of manufacturers, including HP, Acer, Toshiba, Optima and white box vendors have launched PCs around the new Microsoft software.

Effectively a full version of Windows XP with a new Media interface controlled by keyboard, mouse and/or remote control, this new version of Windows smoothly blends today's varied digital media options into the standard XP operating system.

While Windows can already display photos as slideshows, play mp3 music, play video clips and let you watch live TV with a suitable TV card or USB adapter, the Windows Media Centre interface brings live TV broadcasting, recording and pausing, DVD and video viewing, FM and online radio stations, CD and mp3 playing, digital photo and video viewing and online broadband video broadcasts all within a simple, easy to use interface that is easily controlled by a DVD-like remote control.

While Linux competitors exist (and we looked at an Australian Linux entertainment solution previously in the Beer Files), along with a range of digital devices to let you access your PCs digital media and display it on your existing television, the convergence of digital media and TV viewing into everyday PCs is, in this reporter's humble opinion, a great stride forward for today's consumers.

While no Australian electronic programming guide exists, letting you even more easily select programs based on genre and offer even simpler point and click scheduling of TV recording, or the ability to record directly to a blank DVD, (you need to record to the hard drive first before transferring video to a blank DVD), the price point and the simplicity of accessing your digital media in this new way in Windows is very appealing.

Indeed, it will eventually filter down into every PC sold, be it desktop or notebook, and in the not-too-distant future all computers will let you watch and record TV as well as control all digital media functions with a very convenient remote control. As an aside, the Windows Media Centre is officially spelled at the Windows Media Center, and no localised version with our spelling of Centre is planned for release.

Microsoft and selected manufacturers have also released their competitor to the iPod, with a video capable device that links into Windows Media Player 10 (on regular or Windows Media Centre PCs) to transfer movies, music, photos and TV shows onto a portable player that is similar in size and shape to the original Nintendo GameBoy Advance system (not the current, smaller flip-top unit). Creative was first out the door with the Portable Media Centre, but a host of other manufacturers are set to follow.

Two Windows Media Centres we'll look at today are the new units from HP and Toshiba.

HP MCPC
From $2999
www.hp.com.au

HP's new Media Centre PC (MCPC) lets you run all Windows XP software while smoothly integrating the ability to watch, record and pause live TV, manage photos, slideshows, mp3 music and playlists, manage videos, play FM and online radio stations, play DVDs and more.

Running the new Windows Windows Media Centre operating system and using better than normal hardware, the media side of things is controlled with a DVD-like remote control. Press the green 'Windows' button on the remote, and the Media Centre interface appears, letting you smoothly go through all of the TV and media capabilities, including instant messaging, all with a remote control. The keyboard and mouse are also wireless, and the unit can be plugged into a large screen TV as well as a regular monitor.

It's the first real PC experience that replicates the 10-foot experience of sitting down on a couch to watch TV, especially when coupled with a large screen.

HP have modified their version of the Media Centre PC by customising it for HP technology. A digital camera dock is built-in to the top of the desktop, letting you dock an HP camera for instant transfer of digital photos and mini-movies. A second hard drive slot lets you plug in a 160Gb personal media drive for storing any kind of digital content. The MCPC already comes with a 160Gb internal hard drive, while the extra drives cost $399 each, and you can buy as many as you want and can afford. It also runs Apple's iTunes instead of the Windows Media Centre to play music, and uses HP's own custom photo viewing application instead of Microsoft's 'My Pictures' program.

There are three different models available, from RRP $2999, while each model comes with a 17" LCD monitor. If it's time to buy a new PC, it's worth considering the new Media Centre PCs. The remote control access to all of your digital media, plus the ability to watch, record and pause live television as well as access online TV, online and FM radio alongside full Windows XP compatibility delivers the logical next step in PC evolution.

Toshiba Qosmio
$4999
www.toshiba.com.au

Toshiba's new Qosmio is a powerful notebook computer and a complete home entertainment system in one. Toshiba claim to have enhanced their Media Centre offerings with technology from their existing AV expertise, giving it quality speakers, dedicated technology to improving video quality and technology to quieten noisy high-speed DVDs. It's also changing the way we watch and record TV and other digital media from almost anywhere, as it is a fully portable system, while retaining full PC and Internet capabilities.

As with all other Windows Media Centre PCs, the Qosmio lets you watch and pause live TV, record it to hard drive, watch DVDs, listen to CDs and play mp3, tune into FM and online radio, transfer, store, edit and email your digital photos, use them as a slideshow with music playing, manage your video collection and control it all with a DVD-like remote.

In addition, it's a Centrino powered notebook computer, with 1Gb of memory, an 80Gb hard drive, a DL-DVD burner that stores 8.5Gb of data, 802.11b and g wireless networking and a 15 inch widescreen. It's great to see that Toshiba have included a dual layer (DL) DVD burner as standard. The only other company I know to have done this as standard with their latest notebook range is Sony. Their notebook also has an AV input, letting you use the LCD screen for other devices, such as an Xbox or Playstation 2 games console, or video camera, just by plugging in the right cable and pressing a button on the computer. The screen is then changed into another monitor, and it's a very handy and welcome feature we'd like to see one day on all notebooks on the market.

The screen uses a special coating to make it even brighter and sharper than regular LCD screens, and the unit has quickstart technology which lets you turn a dedicated CD or DVD player on in around 10 seconds. You don't boot into Windows but into special, fast loading software that lets you start watching or listening virtually immediately. This technology has also been extended to TV viewing and recording, meaning you can get home, turn on the 'TV' on your notebook, and even record programs, all without needing to boot into Windows first.

It's cheaper than buying a separate LCD TV, DVD recorder and high performance notebook and you can easily connect it to a regular TV for that even bigger screen experience. A 17 inch widescreen model with 160Gb of hard disk space is $5999. Eventually the technology will filter into virtually all of Toshiba's notebook models.

Other models

Acer have released a Windows Media Centre desktop model, while their notebook version uses proprietary media centre software and hasn't been upgraded to the Windows Media Centre software as yet. Optima, an Australian PC manufacturer has released a unit that looks very similar to a DVD player which will sit even more comfortably alongside existing AV equipment. We'll bring you reviews of other Windows Media Centre units in future editions of the Beer Files! Alex Zaharov-Reutt