Microsoft Expands Media Center Options

[James Fee]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,116880,00.asp' target='_blank'>http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,116880,00.asp</a><br /><br /></div><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/xpmedia_logo.jpg" />"<i>Selling Windows XP Media Center Edition PCs will soon no longer be the exclusive domain of mostly large, multinational PC makers, Microsoft says. In an effort to boost sales of premium versions of Windows, Microsoft will make the superset of Window XP Professional Edition available also to the system builder channel. This means that white box makers--the PC stores selling systems with no brand name--will also be able to build and sell Media Center PCs. "We've recognized that our work with Media Center going only through our large, predominantly multinational OEMs is something that we could actually take further if we were to directly engage the system builders channel," the head of Microsoft's Windows client business, Senior Vice President Will Poole, said in a presentation at the company's Worldwide Partner Conference.</i>"<br /><br />Well this is a start. I'd still like the opportunity to build my own MCE. :(

[butch]

Well this is a start. I'd still like the opportunity to build my own MCE. :(

I read somewhere that it is an OEM version, so as long as you buy some hardware, you can get it. But, I did not verify that, yet....

[butch]

Well this is a start. I'd still like the opportunity to build my own MCE. :(

I read somewhere that it is an OEM version, so as long as you buy some hardware, you can get it. But, I did not verify that, yet....

[butch]

Sorry, I don't know what happenned, maybe because I posted form my pocketpc, I didn't mean to post 3 time the same things... :oops:

[rlobrecht]

I'd love to build my own as well. If it truely is an OEM version, maybe places like Directron http://www.directron.com/systems-operating-systems.html will get it. They sell other OEM OSs.

[James Fee]

Sorry, I don't know what happenned, maybe because I posted form my pocketpc, I didn't mean to post 3 time the same things... :oops:I'm sure there are ways around the OEM issue, but it needs to be boxed up IMO.

[Felix Torres]

Sorry, I don't know what happenned, maybe because I posted form my pocketpc, I didn't mean to post 3 time the same things... :oops:I'm sure there are ways around the OEM issue, but it needs to be boxed up IMO.

:D

One step at a time.

MS gave the big-name vendors two years to milk Media Center for extra profits and they did very little creatively on the HW side.
Now, they're giving the white box shops a shot at it.

This should lead to some creative solutions as folks combine the Media Center OS with some of the nice asian HW floating around.

And yes, if its a generic OEM release it will also be available for those of us interested in building our own.

Eventually it *will* show up as a boxed retail version since Longhorm will subsume both Media Center and Tablet PC editions, but realistically, why would you *want* to pay extra for the retail version?
The OEM version is just as legit, both versions come with no docs, and the OEM version is 40-50% cheaper...

The HW co-buy requirement is generally interpreted very leniently and if you're building your own you'll be buying HW anyway...

This should tide do-it-yourselfers quite nicely for the next year or so.

I know I'll be picking it up as soon as I can verify that it works with my AIW card...

[James Fee]

:D

One step at a time.

I can't wait that long... http://members.cox.net/jamesf1/emots/hyper.gif