If this book lies open in your hands, either you've heard of Windows XP Media Center Edition and its phenomenal capability to unite the worlds of computing and entertainment, or you're a close personal friend or relative of the author, wondering what those months of lost sleep and solitary scribbling were all about.

Either way, you're now officially in on the best-kept secret of the world's largest software company. Microsoft's Windows XP Media Center Edition blends the capabilities of a conventional PC with essentially every electronic entertainment device that is currently cluttering up your living room. It's a digital video recorder that lets you record and rewind live television; it's a digital jukebox that gives you unfettered access to your entire music collection; it's an intelligent DVD player (often a recorder as well); and it's even an FM radio with a replay button. It also offers new entertainment experiences as a sophisticated playback machine for your digital photos and home videos.

The Media Center software is designed to offer you the best of both worlds: a sophisticated, state-of-the-art computer operating system that can "get down to business" without any compromises in features or functionality—all delightfully hidden (if you so choose) behind a user-friendly interface that a child could control. It's the perfect balance of work and play.