You can use it as a personal video recorder to record, pause, and rewind TV.  This also works with TV that has a set-top box, like Digital Cable and satellite TV.  The free program guide lets you schedule your favorite shows to be recorded.  It's constantly up to date, and shows you the next ten or so days of TV programming.  The base price includes one regular TV tuner for standard definition TV, and another for broadcast reception of HDTV over the air with an antenna, or potentially Digital Cable.  With this, you can record one show while watching another.  Or, you could watch a recorded program while an HD show and a regular show are recording.  The RadMedia will wake up to record shows that are on while you are away, and it will go back to sleep to conserve energy.  You can also search for programs by actor or director, and configure the guide to record a particular movie in the future whenever it becomes broadcast.

The RadMedia also connects your family photos and home movies to your TV.  With the included remote control you can present slide shows of your photos to friends and family.  Optionally you can add a second hard drive that automatically backs up everything on the first drive, which comes recommended to protect your data over the years.

With the RadMedia, the Media Center interface is loaded when the PC is turned on, so the Windows desktop and other Windows functions don't get in the way.  After some brief setting up, you can use the remote control and the wireless keyboard and mouse to begin configuring the TV program guide for your city.  One of the original appeals with the RadMedia was free broadcast HDTV.  With the right antenna and the right positioning, you can potentially get a better looking high definition TV picture than what a Cable TV company delivers.  This is because Cable companies often might apply additional digital compression to digital TV (so they can squeeze in more channels).  Although support for HDTV from DirecTV or Dish has been rumored in the past, it is unlikely to ever happen and you should continue using a regular satellite DVR for HD.

An Example CableCARD™

Now with Windows 7 new options are available for TV reception in Media Center.  Now you can receive unencrypted digital channels (High-Def and standard) over Cable, depending on your Cable provider.  Typically at least the local networks are available in HD unencrypted.  Additionally depending on your Cable provider you may be able to buy a Digital Cable Tuner device, sometimes called a DCT, which is what you could plug your TV cable into.  Then instead of renting a big Cable box or Cable DVR you can rent a CableCard (cheap or free) which you plug into the DCT.  The CableCard allows Cable subscribers to access the expanded HDTV tier as well as watching and recording premium movie channels.  Currently CableCard technology doesn't allow for On-Demand TV or Pay-Per-View programming, but Windows 7 supports additional technologies that will.  As long as you didn't care about On-Demand TV or Pay-Per-View you could readily replace your Cable box with a RadMedia HTPC.  In some Cable markets there are other hurdles, but overall Windows 7 is very much improving the home theater PC.  Other DVRs have limited space perhaps causing you to delete shows you haven't got around to watching.  An HTPC will allow you to store as much recorded TV as you have hard drive space. You can buy more storage as you feel you need it.  The RadMedia can allow you to record up to five HD channels at once.

The base price includes essentials to make your Media Center work optimally.  This thing is loaded.  You get a remote control and a wireless keyboard with media center remote controls built into it.  A cordless mouse is also included so the RadMedia can be used as a regular computer from your couch if you like.  It also by default includes a Wireless-N network adapter for connection to the Internet through a home network.

The RadMedia allows you to watch DVD's and Blu-Ray movies.  Now is the time to experience high definition digital movies through an HTPC.  Build your home movie library with over 5000 Blu-Ray disc titles now available.  Optionally you can add a Blu-Ray burner that can allow you to store high definition home movies on recordable BD-R or rewriteable BD-RE discs, playable on other Blu-Ray players.

The RadMedia HTPC is fast and powerful.  With the right TV, you may find that using it as a regular PC from the couch is viable for a moderate amount of use, although it's intended as one of a home's additional computers.  You're well suited to take advantage of Windows 7's features and capabilities, including video editing with Windows Live Movie Maker, and copying audio CD's onto the RadMedia with Windows Media Player.  With Windows 7 you can access videos, music, and pictures from other Windows 7 PCs with a HomeGroup.  If each PC in your home used Windows 7, anything could be played across your home network on the big screen TV with an HTPC. Media Center PCs include the capability to stream media content to other TV's in the home by adding Media Center Extenders, connected over a home network.

With the RadMedia you get more than just the obvious appeals, such as a high definition DVR with a free program guide, and the ability to enjoy the new high definition movie discs.  You get access to music services online, like Rhapsody, Pandora, Napster, and the Zune Marketplace.  Or, you can buy or rent movies that are streamed to your PC over the Internet, using iTunes, the Zune Marketplace, Amazon Video On Demand, or Blockbuster Online.  You can enjoy movies and TV shows through Hulu.com and watch on your main TV.  With a Netflix account you can stream certain TV and movies in high definition.

As an HTPC, or home theater PC, by definition you're going to get high fidelity audio and video.  You can get video with full fidelity 7.1 audio on a single HDMI cable, or get the video through DVI, or VGA cables, and get the audio from a digital SPDIF cable, or a set of analog cables.

Finally, as a PC that's been designed as a living room appliance, the RadMedia is the Media Center PC done right.  A number of trade secrets are utilized to make this system whisper quiet.