Microsoft is expected to announce a planned update to
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004 at a conference in
October.
It will also launch the first devices using Media Center
Extender technology, bringing it all to market in time for
Christmas.
The annual event will include a presentation by chairman and
chief software architect Bill Gates.
Windows XP Media Center Edition is a superset of the Windows XP
operating system, designed to make the PC the media and
entertainment hub for the home.
The PCs come with a remote control and a TV tuner card. Users
can watch DVDs; manage digital audio, video and picture files; and
play, pause and record live television; in addition to using the PC
for traditional tasks.
An update to Windows XP Media Center Edition has been in the
works for a while. The product, codenamed Symphony, has been in
beta testing since early this year. The end-product is expected to
be called Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005.
The update includes new features, including support for more
portable media players, DVD burning, high-definition television and
an improved user interface.
A key new feature is support for wireless technology and, in
particular, Media Center Extender, a technology that lets users
wirelessly connect TVs to the Media Center PC.
Media Center Extender was first announced by Gates at the
Consumer Electronics Show in January. It will be offered in set-top
boxes as well as in new TVs, Microsoft has said.
Gates demonstrated one HP flat-screen TV with the extender built
in. The technology supports 802.11a and 802.11g for wireless
transmission of data from the Media Center PC to the Media Center
Extender device.
Joris Evers writes for IDG News Service