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Windows XP Media Center Edition Review

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the transparent-holes dept.

Harpreet writes "It took 2 months but someone finally published an informative review of the new Windows XP Media Center Edition operating system. AnandTech's review has got everything you could want, including pictures galore. It looks like the folks who make the Linux based Video Disk Recorder have a new standard to live up to." Update: 01/08 21:06 GMT by T : Read on below for a different (Free software, CD-based) approach to computer-A/V integration.

Trunkboy writes "There are a lot of PVR projects out there (Freevo, TiVo, Dave&Dina, etc... but MoviX is a little different. MoviX is an entire distribution (linux of course) that is designed to play avi/mpg/mp3/etc files from a computer. Upgrading is easy, because it boots from a CD! Videos/music can be stored on a local hard drive, or on a network share. This project is incredible, but needs more developers. Stop in and give Roberto a hand -- MoviX shows some great potential!"

10 of 407 comments (clear)

  1. Well by TerryAtWork · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Let's see how much unwanted DRM they lumber THIS one with...

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    It's Christmas everyday with BitTorrent.
    1. Re:Well by Daniel+Phillips · · Score: 5, Insightful

      ...and that's why You'll always put a "personal firewall" on Your windows-machines and never let them out unless You specifically tell it to.

      Putting a firewall on a box that's already running hostile code is a non-starter in terms of security. Remember, Microsoft has complete access to your system, and can do whatever they want to your firewall, including ignoring it completely. You'd be much better off front-ending your XP box with a firewall running on a Linux machine.

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  2. Freevo by Any_User · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This seems like a push to remove Freevo and the other Tivo-like software out of the market. The only problems with the PVR software your run on your general purpose computer is that other software gets in the way. I would prefer a dedicated machine for PVR usage and another for generalized computing.

  3. Some things are better left off the computer by FortKnox · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I have a TiVo.
    I use a TiVo instead of piping my cable through my computer for a reason.
    Its the same reason I have a football games on my GameCube.

    Some things are just better without the PC.
    Why would I use awkward PVR abilities of my PC (requiring me to sit in a specific spot, and use a mouse) when I can plop down on my couch and pick up the TiVo remote?
    There's a reason speciliazed components sell better than PC software geared to do the same thing.

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    Good quote, too many chars. Seriously, the slashdot 120 char limit sucks!
    1. Re:Some things are better left off the computer by Zathrus · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You don't get it. Yes, a HTPC can do more, but it doesn't do it as well. Nothing on the home built front comes close to the usability or features of a TiVo within the PVR realm. Sure, you can build one that does other stuff, and that's a valid thing, but every solution out there is kludgy and inelegant.

      Of course, if you'd bothered to read some of my past comments you would've noted that I recommend AVSforum for HTPC needs, and that they've been doing HDTV time shifting for two years now. I know quite well of what I speak.

  4. MSFT marches on.... by Giant+Ape+Skeleton · · Score: 5, Insightful
    This is just further evidence that any technological convergence is by necessity, first and foremost, a marketing convergence.

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    The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.
  5. More cliches by M.C.+Hampster · · Score: 5, Insightful

    We need to develop some sort of global cache list so we can add the following from the article:

    Today's PCs on the other hand are infinitely more powerful than current set-top boxes...

    Isn't this a bit of an exageration? Obviously, they can't be "infinately" more powerful, but are they even considerably more powerful? I'm not too familiar with the spec's on PVR's, but I would bet they aren't that weak.

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    Forget the whales - save the babies.
  6. Do I really want this? by Beebos · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Do I really want my PC recording The Simposons while I play Unreal Tournament 2003?

    I don't think so! I have a 3.06 P4 with an ATI 9700 and its pretty much maxed out while playing UT 2003. I bet them same will be true with the upcoming Doom title.

    I'd much rather have my Replay 4500s doing their recording thing while I'm doing my computing/gaming thing.

    You can get two or three Replays for the price of a Media Center PC, I think. You can hook them up to your network and share programing between them, your PCs and friends on the net. And they won't steel CPU cycles from your PC.

  7. The ASF wrapper also currently prevents transcodin by t0qer · · Score: 5, Insightful
    The ASF wrapper also currently prevents transcoding into other media formats, such as DiVX.

    No it doesn't :)

  8. Yikes! Huge file sizes! by McSpew · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Any TiVo owner will immediately spot this little issue: namely, that 93GB of disk space equals 5 hours 8 minutes of record time at best quality. Even if the space available for PVR functions is 75% of 93GB (as implied in the screenshot), that's still about five hours for 70GB of disk space.

    Maybe MCE's definition of "best" quality is dramatically higher than TiVo's, but TiVo can store about 9 hours at "best" quality on a 30GB HD. On a machine with 70GB of disk space, it would easily be able to record over 20 hours at best quality. Why can MCE only squeeze a quarter as much video onto the same amount of space?

    Also, I find it ironic that MCE has such grievous hardware requirements. It requires a TV tuner card with hardware MPEG-2 encoding, yet still requires a really fast CPU, fast RAM and a fast, big hard drive. Admittedly, TiVo's aren't sharing their hardware with other apps (in most cases), but first-generation TiVos managed to squeak by with a 50MHz PowerPC and 4400RPM hard drives. Surely, MS can squeeze stutter-free performance out of moderately powerful CPUs and HDs, can't they?