Windows Media Player vs. Windows Media Center

Q: What is the difference between Windows Media Player and Windows Media Center?

A: At first glance, both Windows Media Player and Windows Media Center appear to do the same thing. Both can catalog and play your music, either stored on your hard drive or from a CD, and both allow you to watch DVDs in full screen mode.

The real difference is that Windows Media Player is a software program for your computer while Windows Media Center was designed to be married to your television.

That is why Windows Media Center has large fonts and simple navigation features. It is also why you see some Windows Media Center PCs bundled with a remote control. The remote control’s purpose is to navigate through Windows Media Center much like you would the menus on a DVD movie.

The problem with Windows Media Center is that most noobies don’t want to have to figure out how to hook up their computers to their televisions. And for others it’s just simply not practical to locate their computer in their living room next to the television.

And if that weren’t enough strikes against Windows Media Center, new products such as Apple TV, TiVo and other television set-top boxes that don’t come at the cost of a new PC are gaining popularity quickly.

My advice to noobies? Stick with Windows Media Player if you want to watch movies on your computer and a DVD player if you want to watch movies on your television. If recording television shows is what you seek, go with TiVo or your cable or satellite provider’s branded DVR.

This post was originally broadcast Friday, June 8, 2007 on Tech Talk with Noobie, a weekly radio show on WCBK 102.3 FM in Martinsville, Indiana. Tech Talk with Noobie airs every Friday between 11:30 a.m. and noon. If you have a question you would like Noobie to answer on the air, simply e-mail your question to .