If you're looking to consolidate all of your digital media into a single, monstrous entertainment entity capable of delivering any part of your music, photo and movie libraries at the touch of a button, you're in luck; turning your computer into a media center isn't as hard as you might think.In fact, with the right software, some new hardware and a couple of cables, you'll be enjoying an incredible array of digital entertainment at your fingertips.

Difficulty: ModerateInstructionsThings You'll Need:DVI-to-HDMI cableMini stereo to RCA adapter1

Upgrade your RAM if your computer has less than 1GB. Without at least a gigabyte, your computer won't be able to stream movies and music steadily.

2

Upgrade your computer's hard-drive memory if you have less than 150GB worth. A digitally-encoded DVD takes up at least 1GB, so a hard drive smaller than 150GB doesn't leave you much room for a huge library of digital media.

3

Move your computer next to your television, and connect the two with a DVI-to-HDMI cable. Your TV, if compatible, will have an input on the back panel that looks like the DVI to HDMI cable end.Turn on your computer and flip through your TV's "Input" channels until you see the computer's boot-up screen. Your computer's screen is now showing on your television, and anything you play on it will show up on your TV.

4

Connect your computer's audio output jack to the TV's audio input with a mini stereo-to-RCA cable. Your music and movie audio will now stream through your TV's sound system.

5

Download and install a media-managing technology like Windows Media Center or Media Portal, both of which are free and easy to use.

6

Allow your media-managing software to catalogue your picture, music and video libraries. This feature is built into Windows Media Center and will automatically execute, but other software might require you to select "Catalogue" from the "File" menu. Once the software has archived all your digital media, you've got a computer media center!

References HubPages: Turn Your Old PC into an Awesome Media Center PCWorld: Turn Any PC into a Media Center ResourcesCNet: Media Center DownloadTeam Media-Portal

• How to Turn a Computer Into a Media Center [10/14/2010 03:00:01]