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View Full Version : Windows Media Center 2005 to Support HDTV


James Fee
09-13-2004, 11:00 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=18378' target='_blank'>http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=18378</a><br /><br /></div>"<i>Microsoft represetatives at IDF last week, it's very likely that the upcoming release of Windows Media Center 2005 will support high defination televison signals. It was unwilling to comment officially, but was willing enough to provide us with an update to its release schedule. Refined from a general release of Q4 2004, a mid to late October launch is planned. Unlike the free update provided to Tablet PC users with Service Pack 2, it is still unclear if Microsoft will provide this upgrade free to current users of its Media Center product line. The ATI HDTV Wonder should be added to supported hardware in this upcoming release. ATI could not comment on Microsoft's planned features in unreleased products. This will however require ever larger hard drives to be shipped in Windows Media Center PCs that plan to support HDTV encoding.</i>"<br /><br />HD support is key if Microsoft plans to be a key player in this industry. Disturbing news is the possibility that Microsoft might not provide the update for free to existing MCE users. Again it would appear the early adoptors are the one's who always pay. :?

sbrown23
09-14-2004, 12:24 AM
Too bad it is supposedly OTA HD that you can record on the Media Center. No cable or satellite support at HD resolutions here. And that sux.

Why, MS? WHY?

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http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=18385 sez:

It moves on to another big feature, HD support. In a rather baffling move, the HD playback is terrestrial signal only, it won't take HD from cable or satellite. That you have to feed in at normal TV rez. To use the phraseology of the typical MC05 consumer, WTF? Someone screwed up big time here. If you spend the price of a nice car on a home entertainment system built around a MCPC, and it won't take your high def cable signal, how happy would you be? Seriously, who did this, and why do they still have a job?

Jason Dunn
09-14-2004, 02:47 AM
Too bad it is supposedly OTA HD that you can record on the Media Center. No cable or satellite support at HD resolutions here. And that sux. Why, MS? WHY?

I think the people to blame are the cable companies and networks actually - they don't WANT to let anyone decrypt the digital HD signal. They want to control the signal and the gateway (the decoder).

Ed Hansberry
09-14-2004, 03:20 AM
I have no doubt Gateway users wont get an update from Gateway. they have almost totally abandoned the MCE market. :-|

James Fee
09-14-2004, 04:29 AM
I think the people to blame are the cable companies and networks actually - they don't WANT to let anyone decrypt the digital HD signal. They want to control the signal and the gateway (the decoder).I've heard that argument too Jason, but its up to Microsoft to sign agreements. It is also the reason why there is no Stand Alone HD TiVo.

Jason Dunn
09-14-2004, 05:25 AM
I've heard that argument too Jason, but its up to Microsoft to sign agreements. It is also the reason why there is no Stand Alone HD TiVo.

True, but the content providers have all the power, so other than Microsoft buying a network or two, I think they have to make due with what they're offered...ultimately as we see more long-term success with Microsoft DRM, I think the networks will be convinced they can let their content be put onto computers and portable devices. Look how long it took to get the music studios on board - video is still in the nascent stages of being pirated, so it will take the movie studios a while to get up to speed. ;-)

Jon Childs
09-14-2004, 04:37 PM
With the cable card standard coming along and from what I understand mandatory for cable companies to support, I am really surprised that MS and/or Tivo can't get a standalone box that decodes cable HDTV. My cable company offers the Motorola 6208 PVR and it really isn't great, but if I want to timeshift my HDTV I really have no choice. I just don't see how this can ever really make it big without cable support.

ale_ers
09-14-2004, 07:56 PM
I've heard that argument too Jason, but its up to Microsoft to sign agreements. It is also the reason why there is no Stand Alone HD TiVo.

True, but the content providers have all the power, so other than Microsoft buying a network or two, I think they have to make due with what they're offered...ultimately as we see more long-term success with Microsoft DRM, I think the networks will be convinced they can let their content be put onto computers and portable devices. Look how long it took to get the music studios on board - video is still in the nascent stages of being pirated, so it will take the movie studios a while to get up to speed. ;-)

This is exactly why they should learn the lesson of the music industry. People are going to make movies digital and therefore portable just like they did with music. If the industry stays ahead of it and makes it legal and easy, people will pay for it rather than go through all the trouble of pirating it (and possibly ending up with a bad copy).

I think that if Napster (the legal one) and iTunes came before the P2P programs and they were easier (I personally don’t have the problems that others have with DRM, Napster just works for me on my PPC, my Digital Music Player and on a CD in my car), the music industry would be flourishing. Instead, digital music is wrought with incompatible players, proprietary standards and inflexible fee based models (I’d pay for Napster’s premium service if it also worked in my car like XM radio).