Striving to reignite interest in Windows XP,
Microsoft is set to unveil the latest version of its Windows XP
Media Center Edition operating system.
At a launch event, Microsoft will position Windows XP Media
Center Edition 2005 as its best operating system for consumers. The
company is set to announce that it has sold over one million copies
of the product to date and that it expects to sell at least 19
million more by 2007.
"Media Center 2005 is going to catapult the operating system
much more to a mainstream status," said Dave Fester, general
manager of Microsoft's Windows Consumer group.
"If you look at the massive interest and demand by consumers for
digital entertainment in music, photos, TV, this is the version of
Windows you want."
Microsoft's is aiming high with its projections for Media
Center, said Rob Enderle, principal analyst with The Enderle Group.
"IT is basically saying that a third of consumer machines will be a
Media Center of the next few years. I think that is probably
aggressive," he said.
The update to Windows XP Media Center Edition, codenamed
Symphony, has been in beta testing since early this year.
The update includes a host of new features, including support
for two TV tuners, DVD burning, over-the-air high-definition
television and satellite in addition to cable TV.
The software also offers improved support for mobile devices and
a refreshed user interface.
A key new feature is support for wireless technology and in
particular Media Center Extender, a new technology that lets users
wirelessly connect up to five TVs to the Media Center PC.
Also, users can now exchange MSN instant messages through their
TV and remotely program their Media Center 2005 system through a
service offered by MSN.
Microsoft has hosted events in September or October for the past
two years to introduce new Media Center products for the December
shopping season.
In 2002, the software manufacturer announced the first version
of Windows XP Media Center Edition, followed by an update, Windows
XP Media Center Edition 2004, last year.
With the 2005 version, Windows XP Media Center is finally a
finished product, said Enderle. "This is a significant step. Last
year's product was interesting, but this year's product feels
mature and where we go from here will be minor enhancements."
Windows XP Media Center Edition is a premium version of Windows XP,
designed to make the PC the media and entertainment hub for the
home.
In addition to traditional PC tasks, the system can serve music,
pictures, video and live television to portable devices, stereos
and TVs while also enforcing digital rights set by content
owners.
Users can access the Media Center PC with a remote control
through a special user interface on their TV.
Along with the release of the updated Media Centere operating
system, Microsoft and hardware manufacturers are set to announce
the first devices that use Media Center Extender technology, new
Media Center PCs and new digital audio receivers for an audio-only
experience.
For example, Hewlett-Packard plans to announce four new Media
Center PCs, a Media Center Extender and two products dubbed Digital
Entertainment Centers that look like standard consumer electronics
hardware such as VCRs or DVD players instead of PCs.
Gateway and Dell also are announcing new systems that run the
updated Microsoft operating system.
The Media Center unveiling will also be combined with the
introduction of new portable media players from suppliers including
Creative Technology and Samsung Electronics.
Additionally, Microsoft plans to announce Windows Media Player
10 Mobile for Windows-based mobile phones and personal digital
assistants. The software turns these devices into portable media
players that will work with Media Center PCs, allowing users to
take content with them.
Windows Media Player 10 Mobile also includes support for
Microsoft's new "Janus" digital rights management (DRM) technology,
which allows subscribers to online music services that support the
technology to download vast music collections.
The software will ship on many devices, starting with a new
smart phone from Audiovox and a new Axim X50 PDA from Dell.
Existing devices can be upgraded, but users will have to get an
upgrade from the device maker, according to Microsoft.
Also for portable devices, Microsoft is introducing a new logo
programme called "Plays for Sure". The logo will appear on media
players and online music and video services to indicate
interoperability.
Microsoft will also officially launch its MSN Music store in the
US and a similar service in eight other countries through a
partnership with Loudeye.
The download service will be available in the US, Norway,
Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Netherlands, Spain, Austria and
Switzerland.
The MSN Music Store, Microsoft's response to Apple Computer's
iTunes, is also available through Windows XP Media Center's TV
interface, along with dozens of other online services that provide
music, movies, radio and other content.
Windows XP Media Center 2005 is the centerpiece of a Microsoft
marketing effort to revive interest in the three-year-old Windows
XP operating system.
Without a new version of Windows scheduled until Longhorn in
2006, Microsoft is betting XP Media Center 2005 will move consumers
to buy new PCs.
Media Center PCs cost more than plain Windows XP Home machines,
with price tags from around $900 to more than $1,999 for the more
expensive systems.
In an effort to make Media Center PCs more affordable, Microsoft
has relaxed the hardware requirements for the systems: a TV tuner
card and remote control are no longer required.
However, buyers of a dressed down system without a TV card or
remote are likely to upgrade their systems to be able to get the
full Media Center experience, analyst Enderle said.
To expand the availability of Media Center, Microsoft is now
making it available to the system builder channel. Previously the
operating system was the exclusive domain of mostly large,
multinational PC makers.
Now white box makers - PC stores that sell systems without a
brand name - are also able to build and sell Media Center PCs.
"We're making it affordable for the masses," Fester said.
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 is available on PCs from
many suppliers. Users of the 2004 version may be able to upgrade,
but need to contact their hardware supplier for information,
according to Microsoft.
Joris Evers writes for IDG News Service