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View Full Version : Windows Media Connect


Jason Dunn
10-19-2004, 08:00 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/devices/wmconnect/default.aspx' target='_blank'>http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/devices/wmconnect/default.aspx</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Windows® Media Connect makes it easy to enjoy music, photos, and video from your Windows XP–based computer to your stereo and TV. Now you can play your favorite content anywhere in your home. All your music at your fingertips. Copy your personal CDs to your Windows XP–based computer, and then create playlists to play all your music on your home stereo system through a digital audio receiver. No more shuffling and replacing CDs. Play music that you've purchased from an online store on your home stereo system through a digital audio receiver. Play video that you've purchased from an online store on your TV through a digital media receiver, connected DVD player, or set-top box."</i><br /><br />Here's another piece of the puzzle - what surprises me though is that a device like the <a href="http://www.rokulabs.com/products/soundbridge/index.php">Roku Soundbridge</a>, which runs embedded Linux I believe, is compatible with this software. It's nice to see Microsoft reaching out beyond the Windows-only world, but I have my doubts as to how far they'll really reach.

Felix Torres
10-20-2004, 05:04 AM
Here's another piece of the puzzle - what surprises me though is that a device like the Roku Soundbridge (http://www.rokulabs.com/products/soundbridge/index.php), which runs embedded Linux I believe, is compatible with this software. It's nice to see Microsoft reaching out beyond the Windows-only world, but I have my doubts as to how far they'll really reach.

They've reached as far as they have to; UPnP/AV is not an MS spec, but rather one that is OS-independent. What they've done is make sure they don't lose business for lack of it.
Beyond that, they've provided a standards based way to stream media files.
Clearly, they prefer people use Media Center Extenders, but they'll settle for what they can get.

The objective is to make Windows the prefered media-serving platform.
If the means reaching out to Linuxen or Apple, so be it...
Every little bit helps.