Windows Media Center remains one of Vista's most underrated features, offering a slick, couch-friendly interface for watching TV shows and movies, listening to music, enjoying photo slideshows, and more.

But it's also a hacker's delight, able to perform all kinds of nifty tricks with a tweak here or a download there. Let's take a look at seven free and easy things you never imagined Windows Media Center could do.

1. Copy recorded TV shows to your iPod
Why buy the iTunes cow when you can get the Windows Media Center milk free? In other words, instead of paying Apple for TV shows you've already recorded on your PC, copy those shows to your iPod for on-the-go viewing. Normally this is tricky: WMC saves video in the DVR-MS format, which neither iTunes nor iPods can recognize. But freeware utility iPodifier makes simple work of converting DVR-MS files to an iPod-friendly format.

Sure, these might not be a surprise to you, it doesn't take too much googling or curiosity to figure out that you can watch Netflix from within Media Center, but I have to say, having an HTPC (or homemade TiVo, if you will) has enlightened me in a couple of ways.

Namely, I have no idea if there are new movies or TV shows out there. I have my Law & Order reruns, and whatever ends up on the Adult Swim lineup. But finding out about new stuff? I have to pick up and man-handle a physical copy of the Onion to broaden my horizons. Which is a little lame, because whenever something runs long they just tell you it's continued on their website, so why do I even bother touching something paper?

Because I'm having lunch at a pho joint and enjoying an hour of no TV and tubelessness. I haven't done that in over a month, I feel like I'm getting out of touch with my inner pho.

the above image google imaged. i have no idea who to credit