Absolute Beginners Guide to Windows XP Media Center

In This Chapter

• The importance of having an active Internet connection for your Media Center PC

• How to reestablish or modify an Internet connection within Media Center

• Choosing an automatic connection for retrieving guide data

• Choosing a manual connection for retrieving guide data

• Using Media Center's Online Spotlight to download movies, music, and software, or to access news and tips

Although it's possible to operate a Media Center PC without an Internet connection, doing so would cripple some of the most interesting and compelling features of the device. These include the interactive program guide, Internet-only radio stations , the ability to look up liner notes and details for audio CDs, and access to a wide range of content, software, and services available through a Media Center feature called Online Spotlight (see Figure 23.1).

So, to ensure that you are getting the most out of your Media Center, you'll need to configure and confirm your Internet connectivity.