The news about Apple's release of the Boot Camp Beta, which allows Intel Mac users to dual boot Windows and Mac OS X on their machines, was received with open arms by the tech community this week.

According to Apple's instructions, Windows XP Home/Pro SP2 are the only two supported versions. You'll need "a bona fide installation disc for Microsoft Windows XP, Service Pack 2, Home or Professional (No multi-disc, upgrade or Media Center versions.)," it states. However, Barb Bowman and Doug Knox figured out a way to get Media Center 2005 running as well. After all, MCE is still just Windows XP at the core. The instructions are pretty simple, and basically involve merging the two MCE discs into a single DVD. I wonder if this has anything to do with the fact that Macs lack a physical eject button for optical drives, meaning that you wouldn't be able to switch CDs during setup?

Anyway, Barb's using an external USB TV tuner with MCE on her MacBook Pro. I'm thinking the Mac Mini would end up being a nice, compact, and relatively cheap PVR for the living room with a similar setup. Interesting possibility, eh?