Since the UK launch of Windows Media Center earlier this year there have been a number of imitations. This is largely due to the fact that you can't buy Windows Media Center on its own, you have to buy a pricey PC too. Alternatively, you can pick up software such as interVideo Home Theater, which does almost everything Windows Media Center does for under £100.

In essence, Home Theater allows you to organise and play digital audio, video and image files on your PC using a TV-style remote control. If you have a TV card and lots of hard disk space, Home Theater allows you to pause and record live television broadcasts. You can create photo slideshows, watch 16 TV channels at once and print any digital image or still video shot. It also serves as a DVD remote.

This is a cheap way to get the Windows Media Center experience, but it still requires a fast PC. A 1.6GHz Intel Pentium 4, 128Mb of memory and a good sound card are the minimum specifications - anything under this and it takes an age for anything to happen. Also, it doesn't come with an electronic programme guide, which is essential for digital TV scheduling.

Contact: Koch Media
www.kochmedia.co.uk