(image courtesy of Lifehacker!)

Continuing on the whole media center kick, there’s a way to turn an old, beat up Windows PC into a cheap but effective Windows Media Center to connect to your TV. If I don’t do something like soft-mod my XBox, I’d love to take an old PC lying around my house that’s starting to reach the end of its days and re-purpose it as a media center, and this Lifehacker article shows you how.

Your first step is to get and install a video capture card. You can use an XBox or XBox 360 already on your network as the front end, or you can use the box itself. Either way, the article will walk you through using your web browser and a really cool interface to record shows to your old re-purposed PC or to another machine on your home network for storage, and then play them through the your new (old) media center system.

[ Lifehacker :: Turn Your Windows PC into a Media Center Powerhouse On the Cheap ]