Jake Ludington's Digital Lifestyle

Building your own Media Center PC is entirely feasible even if Microsoft isn't clued in on the fact that users shouldn't need a new copy of Windows XP just to run the Media Center code. For about $130, you can pick up an OEM version of XP Media Center Edition from a handful of legitimate retailers. Making sure you have compatible hardware is a little more complicated, because the list of supported TV Tuner cards is smaller than many of the MCE competitors like Beyond TV and SageTV. Fortunately, Microsoft just released the Designed for Media Center Edition approved hardware list, including a recommended list of DVD decoders, graphics cards, TV tuners, remote controls and wireless routers. Most of the approved hardware should be part of the logo program.