The Linksys Media Center Extender gives you the ability to play programming from your PC without forcing the PC and the TV to be next to each other. Click photo for larger image.

I love my Media Center PC. It gives me the TiVo-like ability to record a TV show while watching another part of the same recording; and it lets me pick out and record a show from an on-screen TV directory.

But there's one thing I really dislike about it. In its stand-alone form, I can't connect it to my TV unless my PC is right next to the TV. That's where a Windows Media Center Extender comes in.

I've been using a Linksys Media Center Extender, a box that attaches to your TV set giving you the ability to play programming from your PC across a local area network -- so the PC and the TV don't have to be next to each other. They don't even have to be in the same room.

To set up your Linksys Media Center Extender, plug it into your network -- or connect it wirelessly to your home hot spot using its built-in 902.11g network adapter. Then load its software onto your Media Center PC. When you're ready to watch a recorded program, use the remote control to turn it on, wait a moment until it syncs with your PC, which also must be turned on, and then control it from a menu that looks identical to the one on your Media Center PC.

By using multiple Linksys extenders, you can have your PC in your home office and be able to watch recorded shows in your family room or your bedroom as long as you have an extender on each TV set.

There are a couple of drawbacks that I have found so far. First, you'll get occasional network congestion, which makes the TV motion choppy. Sometimes it can play havoc with the pleasure of viewing a show; other times, you may not encounter it for weeks. I haven't been able to figure why it happens when there's no other action on our network.

The second drawback is that the Linksys Media Center Extender doesn't allow you to play a DVD from your PC. You need a separate DVD player. If you don't have enough inputs to your TV, you may have to unplug and replace wires to change from your PC to your DVD and back again.

Despite its drawbacks, you may find yourself using your Windows Media Center Extender as much as you do the media center capabilities of your PC.

Street prices for the Linksys Media Center Extender range from $230 to $300. You can find detailed product information at www.linksys.com.