10 quick hacks to extend Windows Media Center

TechRadar have posted another of my magazine articles I wrote for Windows Vista Magazine, this one is 10 top tips to extend Windows Media Center:

Windows Media Center is designed to be an all-singing all-dancing entertainment hub. As good as it is out of the box, it can easily be improved by one or two hacks, tweaks or addons. If you’re a regular user of Media Center, you’ll find some of the following tips indispensable. Enjoy!

1. Watch TV without a tuner

How would you like to get live TV and recorded TV into Windows Media Center even if you don’t have a TV tuner card? What if you do have a tuner card and you’ve forgotten to record Newsnight?

There’s a fantastic and free application called TunerFree MCE that enables you to get BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 content into Windows Media Center using the internet as its source.

Once you’ve installed TunerFree MCE you have access to on-demand and live content from the UK’s terrestrial channels.

Head over to TechRadar to read the full article including tips on:

• Watch TV without a tuner
• All-in-one remote
• Enable Movies Guide
• Pair one remote to one system
• Enable DVD Library
• Use your iPhone or PSP as a remote control
• Adjust the skip intervals
• Faster responses from the forward and rewind buttons
• Watch and record anywhere
• The Media Center Swiss Army knife