# The Computer Revolution/Communication/Media Center

Media center is defined as: “a library, usually in school, that contains and encourages the use of audiovisual media and associated equipment as well as books, periodicals, and the like”. A media center is also a certain type of computer which generally follows the definition but offers it all conveniently at your user’s finger tips.
A computer now has the option of allowing an individual to watch television. This particular Media Center gives the option of television, radio, downloading pictures, and recording. This Media Center comes with the Windows XP. The Media Center is considered convergence as it is the joining of many Media Centers into one unit. For those that have limited space or do not know which to buy a computer or a television why not go with the PC that uses the Media Center.
A media center has many functions ranging from mixing music to editing photographs. Media centers can be developed and produced as a model of a series for customers to choose from. Or depending on the company, a person may be capable to build a media center from internal components to exterior and monitor size. Some of the main highlights of a media centers are the ability for not just one user to enjoy them but many. This quality of a media center becomes valuable for families and schools. Were more than one ideal software is needed, for instants a media center may have software loaded onto it that runs a film editing program and another program that allows music manipulation and creation. These are just some examples of software that are usually found on a media center.

# Multimedia gone Portable

Playstation Portable
       Functions:
   ** Play games
   ** Play Movies
   ** Play music
   ** Surf the web
Cites
media center. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.0.1). Retrieved November 25, 2006, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/media center

# Tablet PC

Microsoft has created a portable computer that can replace the need to carry around a pad of paper! The tablet has a touch screen that works with a stylus so that you can write things down and directly save to your computer.
There are a few different models available, depending on the size and performance you need.
* Convertible Model
Looks like a typical laptop, but you can flip the screen.
This may become the most popular version because the keyboard is familiar and most accurate in recording data.
* Slate Model
Works only with a sylus pen, and the software for handwriting can't quite keep up with our demands. You can use a detachable keyboard to overcome that obstacle and this is the most portable and lightweight option.
* Rugged Model
Similar to the Convertible Model, but is more durable for use in industrial applications.
Retrieved March 6, 2007 from http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/tabletpc/evaluation/about.mspx

## Hand Held computers

Hand held computers allow you to play you favorite movies, music, and pictures while your out of the house.

# Home Media Center

Home theater computers of some form have become a common staple in many modern personal media centers. There are many products and software being developed that are bringing the internet to televisions in high definition. Boxee (http://www.boxee.tv ) and Roku (http://www.roku.com/ ) are small flash memory based devices that allow online services such as Netflix, Hulu, and various sports companies to be streamed in high definition to your television.
There are also ways to set up a media server on a host computer that has music and video files stored on local and non-local drives. Windows Media Center is the most popular as it is installed on most newer versions of Windows, which can connect to Microsoft's XBOX 360 and stream over the local internet. There are also alternatives such as XBMC which is open source (http://xbmc.org/ ) and TVersity which has a free and a commercial version (http://tversity.com/ ) which create a media server that can be accessed by any internet connected streaming capable devices such as the XBOX 360 and Playstation 3, as well as over the internet through a mobile web browser.