Microsoft Updates DVR and Unveils New PC Designs

[Suhit Gupta]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://news.com.com/2110-1041_3-5204671.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=news' target='_blank'>http://news.com.com/2110-1041_3-5204671.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=news</a><br /><br /></div>"Microsoft announced Monday the most updated version of its TV software for cable operators, Microsoft TV Foundation Edition 1.7, with features to support advanced digital recording and high-definition television. Released last year in its first incarnation, the software includes Microsoft's interactive programming guide--or channel guide--with tools to support video on demand, interactive advertising and digital video recording (DVR)."<br /><br />In other news (and we <a href="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=40596">reported</a> on this last week), Microsoft and HP have unveiled updated concepts of consumer and business PCs, plus a glimpse into the future of the Media PC. Here is <a href="http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,1583955,00.asp?kc=ETRSS02129TX1K0000532">another article</a> on the subject. I guess it is clear that along with all of the features in WinXP SP2 as well as those announced in Windows Longhorn, Microsoft is showing its dedication to the digital media market.

[James Fee]

How does this build upon Ultimate TV (if at all)? A couple of friends had them and they seemed really cool, though they all evenually ended up on TiVo (mostly due to the lack of support from DirecTV and Microsoft).

[Ed Hansberry]

Don't know what bits were in Ultimate TV so I can't say if any carried over into MCE or not, but MCE is totally built upon XP and shouldn't be looked at as the successor to anything MS had before.

[James Fee]

Don't know what bits were in Ultimate TV so I can't say if any carried over into MCE or not, but MCE is totally built upon XP and shouldn't be looked at as the successor to anything MS had before.
I've looked the specs and it appears that Ultimate TV was built using WindowsCE, but who knows. I think the only features that have been moved forward what the "lessons learned" and MSN TV, but even before UltimateTV, there was the Dishplayer DVRs from Dishnetwork that ran on a Microsoft OS.

[Kacey Green]

Let's not forget that microsoft doesn't seem to like being in any hardware buisness for long, except mice and keyboards :D
They frequently enter and exit markets, example: the WiFi hardware buisness.