A PC that doubles up as a TV

You may want to record your favrourite movie/programme to view it later. Since video cassette recorders (remember VCRs?) are virtually non-existent, you can either give the movies a miss or hunt down a DVD online.

Else, you can buy a PC that doubles up as a TV - in other words, a Media Center edition by Microsoft. The company claims it has sold around 80,000 Media Centers in India in its nine months of existence. Recently, the IT major added the electronic programming guide to it as an "intelligent feature".

The TiVo, which can record and show pictures/audio from a PC, could be a cheaper though restricted substitute for the Media Center. Unfortunately, it's not yet available in India. WiZo is a desi version of TiVo.

A Media Center can be likened to a hybrid between a TiVo and PC. "Inclusion of EPG will take Media Center's 'Pause Live TV' idea further. We are now giving an electronic search engine that can search for programmes across 80 channels," says Rishi Srivastava, director, Windows Client Business Group, Microsoft.

The service is freely downloadable for all 'authorised' MCE owners. He promises that Microsoft will soon enhance the Media Center with remote viewing features enabling remote viewing of various channels (wirelessly) in different rooms in a house.