OK...I will try to answer this without too much confusion.

Accessing the home automation system can be done in a several different ways. You can do so by navigating to Lifeware through a Media Center and it's associated display (TV), as you described above. You can access it through a client pc running XP, such as you might have in your home office. You can access it through a touchpanel pc, such as our Life|point or a Pelham-Sloane TP, for example, or you can access it through a tablet pc or UMPC running XP/XP-embedded such as the Samsung Q1. -OR- You can use a combination of any or all of these methods. Think of the system in terms of a basic 'star' topology, with a single server and multiple client machines. Lifeware is software that is built onto the Windows XP platform. As I mentioned before, we encourage folks to use it in conjunction with MCE to fully utilize the capabilities of both MCE and Lifeware for a truly seamless experience, but MCE is not a requirement. On a side note, you can also trigger scripts, such as a 'I'm Home' lighting scene, through other devices such as a lighting system dimmer or audio system keypad, for example.