Watching AOL Video on a Media Center PC

If you have a Media Center PC or a Media Center Extender connected to your living room TV, there's a lot of digital entertainment available for your enjoyment. One of the top Media Center destinations is AOL Video -- your digital gateway to all sorts of on-demand video programming.

AOL Video is a great way to watch on-demand videos on your living room TV. It's a great combination of AOL's vast library of video programming and Media Center's superb 10-foot interface. You navigate through the available videos from the comfort of your living couch, using your Media Center remote control. Now you can really watch what you want, when you want -- in your own living room!

AOL Video is available on all Media Center PCs based on the Intel Viiv platform. You find AOL Video in the More Programs section of Media Center.

Video Programming on AOL Video

What kind of programming is offered by AOL Video? You name it, it's there -- classic television programming, news reports, music videos, educational videos, movie trailers and full-length movies, and even the latest viral videos.

And here's the best thing. All the videos on the Media Center version of AOL Video are absolutely free of charge, no subscription required. Anyone can view AOL Video without paying a dime. (Note that AOL Video for Media Center is a bit different from the main AOL Video site on the web, which offers some newer videos for purchase. With AOL Video for Media Center, only free videos are offered.)

Browsing for Videos

Searching for Videos

Hi-Q Videos

AOL Video offers videos in both normal quality and in high-quality. Normal-quality videos begin streaming playback almost immediately. High-quality or Hi-Q videos take longer to download and play, but they play back at DVD quality -- which looks great on a big-screen TV. So if you want the best-quality picture on your Media Center system, look for videos that display the Hi-Q logo.

All the Hi-Q videos you've downloaded are available from the My Videos section of AOL Video. They're stored on your hard disk, so you can watch them any time you want.

And More...

And if you like AOL Video, chances are you'll also like AOL's other Media Center offerings. That's why the main AOL Video screen offers options for AOL Pictures, AOL Radio, and AOL Music on Demand -- all great entertainment experiences for Media Center's 10-foot interface!

Michael Miller is a writer and commentator on technology and digital lifestyle topics.