Recording and Watching TV

For music, videos, photos, and DVD playback, Media Center provides a different interface than Windows Media Player, but its feature set is essentially the same. What makes a Media Center really shine is its unique ability to play back live TV, record individual TV shows or series, and allow you to manage a collection of recorded programs from a comfy chair with nothing more than a remote control.

Before you can begin recording TV, you need to have the right hardware. The most important ingredient, of course, is a TV tuner. Tuners can be internal cards (PCI or PCI Express) or external devices that connect through a USB port. After installing a tuner, you next have to provide a television signal (from an over-the-air antenna, ...

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