Michael Gartenberg: Windows Media Center 2005 - The last missing piece

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Michael Gartenberg: Windows Media Center 2005 - The last missing piece

Michael Gartenberg from Jupiter Research has long been a fan of Microsoft's Media Center over TiVo. Today, he posted a lengthy piece explaining why the release of MCE 2005 is a milestone without peer:

MCE 2K5 is important. This OS will serve as the hub for Microsoft’s home strategy and is the cornerstone for a vision of allowing you have your content live in one central location but still have the flexibility to access that content in other rooms in your home on TV screens or stereos, take that content with you on your laptop, burn it to DVD or CD, use a portable media player to take audio and even video and pictures and with WM10 Mobile, take it on your PDA and Smartphone as well. No one else has this clear and articulate a message about the PC as a hub for the digital home for all content, including TV, Video and Pictures.

I must admit, with MCE 2005, Microsoft does have an entire digital lifestyle, end-to-end solution. My only worry is whether or not the market exists for such a device, as it seems people are only slowly adopting each new technology and aside from a few gadget freaks like myself, few would be able to take advantage of every available option in the new release.

PC World also has a first impression review.

by Matt Haughey October 12, 2004 in Windows Media Center XP

Comments

The PC World impressions were helpful. I apologize if this has been covered elsewhere, but does anyone know an approximate cost of building one's own Media Center devices? OS and hardware? Also, given the focus on WM10, does this mean that should WM10 ever find its way to the Mac, Macs would be able to also hook up to this?

Posted by: Chris Karr at Oct 12, 2004 2:40:42 PM

I still don't think Microsoft gets it. Wherever Microsoft looks, it sees "Windows". But the living room device (aka Tivo) like the PDA like the cell phone like the iPod requires a different OS and interface.

Posted by: pb at Oct 12, 2004 10:39:57 PM

I walked by Microsoft's staging area at digital life today while they were demoing the Media Center and thought it was funny that so much of the language they were using to describe it was what I associate with TiVo, i.e. "if you'd like to watch this show again, you can subscribe to a season pass for it."

I don't think I like the idea of a media center, or at least not the way Microsoft has it right now. I'd love for all my devices to be able to talk to one another but I'm a big fan of small pieces loosely joined and their way just doesn't do it for me.

Posted by: lia at Oct 15, 2004 11:17:37 PM

first - sure, they'll sell some (and you can't really call it a media PC without a TV tuner card - a non TV tuner PC is ... um ... exactly like a PC today?) so to save themselves embarassment, they're going to call any PC over $800 dollars a media PC. So, they'll be quick to label any numbers a success.

But if you look closely - it's pretty apparent MS just wants to show the networks and studio they have something and that they should start giving MS a $.10 for every show broadcast.

Who's messing with all that now? People with TV PC tuner cards? DVR's? TiVo?

What is that audience?

People who want to edit or move broadcast/movie files around with complete freedom?

People who want convenience?

People who want to record and manipulate HD files?

THe PC media TV setup doesn't deliver you any of that.

Sure, we're all gadget freaks but keep in mind, HDTV has only penetrated 8% of US HH's and DVR's only about 4% of US HH's - hell, digital cable is only at 50%.

at least 50% of people already think we have too many channels and TV's are too confusing, they're definitely not going to want this.

But someday - a true media PC - where EVERYTHING and EVERY type of media is on demand - that's when people will switch off the TV and start watching the PC.

Posted by: jbelkin at Oct 16, 2004 3:17:21 PM

I have digital cable with a dvr. I have a PDA. I have wireless internet through out my home that I use for my lap top quite frequently. I just took the next step and had a buddy of mine build me a media center. I guess I am a gadget freak but not to the extreme that I have seen in others. So far I like it but it has its limitations. Besides my wife saying that leave it to a male to make the simple process of turning on the TV set take too long, I do not have the same options as my DVR box. I can't watch and record as many of the same channels at the same time as my DVR box allows. I do have to say that the picture is much improved when watching DVDs compared to my DVD player. Over all the promised freedom has not been delivered but that may partially be due to my own limitations rather then the device. I do like the fact that I have eliminated the clutter of electronics and CD racks that use to occupy an entire wall of my living room. The install is clean and its quite a conversation piece. At the 1700 build price, I could have purchased a piece of furniture at the same price to hold everything that this one device replaced but that just wouldn't help me scratch my gadget itch. I frequently hear my grandfathers voice in my head stating as to why he had not purchased a color TV yet...."They haven't perfected it yet."

Posted by: Johan at Mar 6, 2005 8:57:49 PM

Media Center 2005 is NOT READY FOR PRIME-TIME!!! Or does it even come close to meet the need of those who would use it -- for example, me! i wanted something to convert my hi-8 to DVD and my VHS library to DVD.

here's an example -- just out of the box, a dell i9300 with Angel tuner. Media Center will not release the TV tuner and therefore it cannot be safely removed. Additionally, will it NOT allow the device to be used by other applications -- not even Windows Movie Maker --

Dell's support says "well, that's a Microsoft problem -- not ours" although they advertise the capability of converting VHS.

consumers need to be aware that this software is not ready to perform as advertised!!!

Posted by: e at Dec 4, 2005 11:05:32 AM

I just bought an HP win MCE 2005. Well, it is a dissapointment. I can only watch / record one show at a time. I am used to recording one show and watching another with my Scientific Atlanta DVR. In addition, changing channels is slow and the new TV Guide is not as nice as the one included with the DVR (the cable company one). I guess I need another tuner.. I am going to keep trying to get this thign to work, because I like having my 4k mp3's and my pictures and family videos accessible for visitors etc. (Can't play AAC / IPOD files from the Windows Media player...another problem, we have 3 ipods in this house and a single server holding all the data.

Good luck to other newcomers.

Posted by: Andy at Dec 17, 2005 6:43:34 PM

Yes... one of the HUGE reasons I decided to buy the Dell setup I have now is the ability to convert VHS to DVD...

NOPE

MCE in theory will do it... but I can't find any support anywhere to explain why MCE works great for everything EXCEPT inputing a signal from my VCR... it shows sound/video for 1/2 second then turns to snow... for 3 different VCRs & two different tapes... ?

Posted by: dag at Feb 4, 2007 1:09:49 PM

Michael Gartenberg: Windows Media Center 2005 - The last missing piece

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