RSSXbox 360 Focus of New XP Media Center
By Ed Oswald | Published October 14, 2005, 11:28 AM
As reported earlier in the week, Microsoft released the second major update to Windows XP Media Center Edition, and Xbox 360 is playing a central role. With the console and a Media Center PC, users will have the ability to stream multimedia from the computer to anywhere in the home.
The feature is made possible through the inclusion of Media Center Extender in every Xbox 360. Microsoft hopes that the new functionality will drive not only Xbox sales, but PC sales as well.
PCs equipped with Media Center Edition did not sell well initially as customers balked at the high price tags. However, as prices dropped late last year and into the early part of this year, sales of the machines doubled in only six months.
Microsoft says it wanted to create something that would give the customer more control over where they can view content and on what device.
Statements by Microsoft officials also seemed to hint that more Media Center Extender enabled devices could be in the pipeline, as the company puts a bigger focus on the newest of its operating systems.
Additional new features in Update Rollup 2 include e-commerce enhancements, easier access to online movies and multimedia, instantaneous startup and shut down, called "Away Mode," as well as support for dual-HDTV cards and 200-DVD changers.
Still unanswered, however, is what role Media Center will play in Windows Vista. Microsoft has so far declined to talk specifics about any future plans, although it is expected that MCE could be made a standard feature of the base operating system rather than a separate SKU.
Windows XP Media Center Edition Update Rollup 2 is available for download via FileForum.
One word: "SLINGBOX" renders Microsoft's plans, once again, too little, too late. Once again, cheaper, better, more useful and less limited, and finally, MORE SECURE (who wants a Blue Screen of Death during the big Deathmatch or the big Superbowl game?)
http://www.slingmedia.com/
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I checked out slingbox. Not too impressed. If you have or are thinking about getting a media center PC to go with the xbox 360 or even without it, check out www.orb.com. I have watched recoreded and live programs from my Media Center at work, friends houses, even on my phone (although that kind of sucked). The best part .... it's free!
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Look at this the other way. I already have a Media Center computer in my living room. I also have one of the original xbox's. Does this make me want the new xbox? Yes. The media center extenders suck and hopefully the 360 will do it right. If it does, I am sold.
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I'm sold. :) Though, I will just be upgrading my current system to MCE. No sense in buying a new machine when I could just buy a copy of the oem MCE disc and get a compliant tuner card.
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and yet there is still no benefit of buying an Xbox 360 :)
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True gamers understand the whole package that the Xbox 360 offers, go to their site and read up. I pre ordered mine at Game Crazy the day they started taking pre orders. Go to a Game Crazy and have someone explain it to you there very informative, much better than GameStop or EB.
I sure your waiting for the PS3 next fall because of the blueray.
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Anyone see anything compelling to go out and get a PC to add to my X360? They sure aren't selling me on any of the benefits of having both...
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