The Windows Media Center, which is a component of Windows XP MCE and Windows Vista, aims to allow you to playback movies and audio files and display images easily, without making you install and launch additional applications. The Media Center itself already contains all applications required to play back multimedia files. It can even be used to control built-in tuner cards.

However, only very few computers come with a suitable remote control unit that would give you the real living-room feeling when using your Media Center PC. Most MCE users still navigate the depths of the multimedia suite’s user interface with the mouse and keyboard.

Now OrigenAE, maker of refined cases that came to our attention with an unusual HTPC last year, is offering several upgrade options that consist of a combination of an IR remote control and a corresponding reception module which can be used in any PC. All the user has to take care of is the installation – and that isn’t quite as easy as it might look at first sight.

Three of the models we tested require the reception module to be mounted directly into the case. If the case doesn’t have a transparent window, you’ll need to drill a hole through the side panel to accommodate the IR sensor. The IR221 variant is a little simpler, as it comes with an additional cable-bound IR sensor that can be mounted on the outside of the side panel or on top of the case.