New Rule: Windows Media Center 2005 should be called:

[Blackmesa]

"Only idiots buy me, this is as close to a computer as you can get without a mouse and keyboard, windows XP has everything I have and lot more, dont buy me, ever period"

that's the only new rull for now.

thoughts?

[Mondial]

Media Center PC's are about the interface for accessing multimedia content. While there are plenty of freeware programs and external devices that can reproduce the same type of experience, most people aren't technically savvy enough to care to attempt implementing them. A MCPC contains this in one fairly straight forward package, and sales continue to gain momentum as prices drop. Granted it is still a computer, but it is a lot better experience today than it has been.

Adam

[Blackmesa]

I agree and thats why Im so upset. HTPC's are very cool indeed, but now that microsoft is trying to capitalize/control and they will only ruin it. I will admit, one the of the coolest things about HTPC is that its uncommon. I'm looking at the advertisement for MS and I see this 12 year old little kid playing around with one. I'm sorry, but if my kids wont be touching my home theater let alone my computer. Its not some simple little happy device that everyone can just jump on and mess around with, otherwise it would suck. Microsoft is trying fit this product into the family scene and it will only degenerate its image/features/usefulness. In a sense what I am trying to say is that microsoft is making this for newbies and its NOT for newibes. I dont want to walk into starbucks and see two idiots running an HTPC off their HDTV with stock television speakers discussing how cool it is. It WONT BE COOL at that point. Catch my drift?

HTPC was invented by end users, not by anyone! Its a phenomona of the merge of Television, Home Theater and Computers development and implemented by non other than elite and inovative users. Making it mass market will change it, and for better or worse i wont like it.

[Mondial]

I suspect there will always be ways for you to build your own piece that is better than what Microsoft cares to put out.

Have you seen the latest Digital Entertainment Center from HP?

http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=4032221

[m00n]

I dunno.. This seems cool for some things, but I can't say I'd give up my existing gear to run my theater off this. I have a hard time believing that a PC can come close to the audio quality that my harman kardon gear can.

Now, what will be sweet in my opinion is when PCs and gear learn to speak a common scripting language such that you have a console so to speak that shows all your gear, you can add and remove gear from the console and script events to happen. Such as

1) Start projector

2) Dim lights

3) From a PC, play some custom "Welcome to my theater" 5.1 demo

4) Have ablilty to preset your DVD audio choice so that you can....

5) Fade directly in from the custom demo and directly start the movie thus skipping all 214 disney trailers.

THIS would be cool!

[Olorin]

Yeah, I have to agree with Mondial on this one. The product isn't really for guys like us -- we'd either do the research and build our own HTPC or buy traditional HT gear that is outside the bounds of what folks who would buy the MS HTPC would buy.

Some of you guys forget that we are the 2% lunatic fringe.

[Blackmesa]

But that 2% paves the way!

[rplace]

don't see it as a HT *or* HTPC issue. I would really love to have a HTPC as one of my many components.

For casual listening if you rip all your CDs to an uncompressed format like .wav then had a nice, easy, convenient interface to access them through that would be worth the price of a high end computer to me. Now throw in the fact that you can organize all your digital pictures and watch them from your projector on the same 100 inch screen where you watch your DVDs. Oh wait with enough HDD space you can put all your DVDs on this gizmo and access them in seconds rather then going to the cabinet, opening the case and dropping it in the DVD player.

Have you ever priced an escient fireball or similar product?

http://www.escient.com/products.html

That just covers the music end. Now price the same thing for DVDs. Better yet how about the 30,000 yes 30K:

http://www.audiorevolution.com/news/0104/16.ces.html

I used oneit is wicked cool I would buy on in a second if money were no object, but I bet you can do about the same thing with a HTPC.

Spend 15 minutes on this site:

http://winsupersite.com/reviews/windowsxp_mce2005.asp

Before you write off the HTPC. I am not a huge MS fan, but think this has a place in many, but not all of our homes in the future. Perhaps I have missed the point of the original post, if sosorry.

I would probably not buy one from commercial vendor, but I would buy a case made for a rack mount i.e. looks like a piece of stereo gear and build one myself. I think for 1000 bucks you can have a smoking HTPC that looks and feels like a DVD player or Amp.

[wheelman]

What the heck is so bad about it? I mean come on this is windows xp with sp2 you can muk with your computer, or go out sit on the couch and do the same darn thing. I think that is real cool wether Bill Gates has anything to do with it or not. Your watching tv, "OH I feel like checking out the Klipsch forum, BAM" It's right there. I cant' posssibly see how anyone would have an issue with this OS. I think I will be trying an oem version very soon. I think it would be cool going through my saved pictures, mp3's, WAV files, Internet radio, downloadable music videos and such right on my hometheater setup piped right from my desktop. I still will enjoy my other gear this is just an added bonus. If you have a wireless keyboard, and mouse. I am sure you can play your computer games also. If I am wrong then I don't see no reason to buy it( heck maybe for something new to look at it's xp sp 2 rock solid with a fresh crisp new look ), but if you can do everthing I said above then I see it beeing a pretty cool thing from the same old same old.

[wheelman]

You know I may not get it after all. I love xp pro, and I can do what I need other ways. By the looks of it after checking the windows media site for a quick read. I would still have to buy something else to do what i want to do. If do buy some wireless stuff. I guess there really would be no need for windows media ( other than the new look which would be nice). I still want my desktop setup, but beable to go to my hometheater setup wirelessly. I think it's possible and cheaper without getting the windows media. I am not a hundred percent sure though. I really am just getting my feet wet with this computer stuff.

[kenratboy]

I have a feeling we are just getting started with HTPC's.

In 5 years, I bet there will be some awesome stuff available. Once you get FOP (Fibre to premice or something, basically VERY fast internet access) and the movie industry allows streaming 1080p movies, I imagine the computer will start to become very, very important in the home theater. With this will be a awesome display and sound system

[DrWho]

----------------

On 4/27/2005 12:42:57 PM m00n wrote:

I dunno.. This seems cool for some things, but I can't say I'd give up my existing gear to run my theater off this. I have a hard time believing that a PC can come close to the audio quality that my harman kardon gear can.

----------------

You might be surprised what some cheap upgrades to a pc can do as far as quality goes...besides, most all of the movies and music we listen to has had a pc involved in some way or another (and the trends are quickly increasing).

The reason " mass consumer" HTPC gear hasn't become popular is simply the fear of piracy. The higher the quality, the better the bootleg versions will be.