|  The past ten years have completely changed the way we listen to music, watch movies and television, and take photos, and one thing is abundantly clear: The future of your media lies undeniably in the digital realm. Now you just need to find the perfect media center application to pull it all together. Earlier this week we asked you to share your favorite media center applications, and today we're back with the five most popular answers. Keep reading for a closer look at the favorites, then cast your vote for the media center app you count on to manage your digital media life. Photo by Aaron Escobar.
XBMC (Windows/Mac/Linux/Xbox/Apple TV) XBMC (aka Xbox Media Center) is a free, open-source media center application designed, in the beginning, for the original Xbox. XBMC has made serious progress over the past year or so and can now run virtually anywhere—including Windows, Mac, Linux, and Apple TVs. Not only is XBMC an incredible media center app with tons of great add-ons and customization options, but it's also spawned several popular forks, including Boxee (mentioned below). XBMC is in constant development and has gotten better and better at running on your PC, but if you've got an old Xbox hanging around, here's how to transform your classic Xbox with XBMC.
Boxee (Mac OS X/Apple TV/Linux) Boxee is an XBMC fork with an emphasis on taking your media center into the social realm. Like XBMC, Boxee is free and open source, but while it's aiming for the same platforms, Boxee currently only supports Mac OS X, Linux, and the Apple TV. Still, a pre-alpha release of the Windows version was released to a small group of testers just last week, so if you're on Windows and you like what you see, it may not be long before there's a Boxee for you. Despite its aim to be your social media center, Boxee's great interface and impressive features—including recent support for Netflix playback and integration with online video sites like Hulu—demonstrate that Boxee isn't slacking on overall innovation.
Windows Media Center (Windows/Xbox 360) Windows Media Center brings a full and robust media management to your Windows operating system. Not only does Windows Media Center provide access to all your music, videos, photos, and more, but it also sports fantastic DVR functionality (it's like having a TiVo without the monthly bills). Microsoft released the first version of Windows Media Center with Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, but Vista comes with Windows Media Center built in to its Home Premium and Ultimate editions. Sound interesting? Check out how you can turn your Windows PC into a media center powerhouse on the cheap with WMC, watch and schedule Media Center recordings from any computer, and stream Netflix Watch Instantly videos in WMC. Lastly, if you've got an Xbox 360, it works beautifully as a Media Center extender for Windows Media Center.
SageTV (Windows/Mac/Linux) SageTV is a cross-platform media center and DVR application. SageTV works great if all you want is a straightforward DVR, but it's also an awesome app for the consummate tweaker. In contrast to Windows Media Center, SageTV recordings are DRM free, so it's easy to convert your media and play back the files anywhere—and on any device—you like. SageTV is a commercial application that'll set you back $80, but a 21-day free trial is available if you want to kick the tires. For more, check out our old guide to building your own DVR with SageTV and adding a web interface that lets you play back and set up recordings from any web browser.
MythTV (Linux) MythTV is a Linux-based DVR and media center application designed as a free, open-source alternative to TiVo and Windows Media Center. First started way back in 2002, MythTV is the granddaddy of many of the media centers in this Hive Five and many that aren't. Currently several Linux distributions come bundled with MythTV, including the popular KnoppMyth live CD and Mythbuntu. MythTV's biggest hurdle for new users is probably Linux, but if you're willing to roll up your sleeves or you've already got a little know-how, this saucy media center has a lot to offer.
Now that you've seen the best, it's voting time.
This week's honorable mentions go out to the open-source Windows-based media center and DVR, MediaPortal, and Mac OS X-based XBMC fork, Plex. Whether the media center love of your life made the short list or not, let's hear more about it in the comments.    |