There's a huge range of media players available today and seemingly, more and more are announced each week. The key points to consider when buying one are what file types does it support? make sure that you check your other devices in the home and the common file types that you already use. A lot of camcorders, for instance, record in the MPEG4-AVC format, so make sure you buy a device which supports this format.
Other things to consider are what additional services are provided with the media player? For example some devices can access the Lovefilm service giving you the option of renting films and watching them instantly over your broadband connection. Picasa is another service provided by some media players that allows you to view photos that you have uploaded.
The Xbox 360 is one of the best selling games consoles in the UK,but it can also function as a media player, and if you connect your Xbox to your home network you can use it as an extender for your Windows Media Center. This means that you can enjoy your digital content on a second TV by using your Xbox to stream it.
If you want to use your Xbox as an extender you'll need to ensure that your network has a PC running Windows Media Center connected to it. Windows Media Center is a feature included in some editions of Windows 7 and, if equipped with a TV tuner card, lets you use your PC to watch, record, and pause live TV. For more info on how to get up and running with a Media Centre check out our Guide to Media Centre.
