MEDIA CENTER: SERVING VIDEO TO SCREENS LARGE AND SMALL

摘要

Riches await the companies that develop a product that gains wide acceptance as the nerve center of the modern connected home. Players ranging from PC makers to consumer-electronics giants to service providers are all seeking the magic formula with products such as entertainment-oriented PCs, network-enabled PVRs, DVP recorders, and extensible TV set-top boxes. The home hub of the future will surely store and stream video delivered via satellite, terrestrial broadcasts, cable or phone lines, and the Internet. Moreover, the hub will serve clients throughout the home, as well as mobile devices such as cellular handsets and portable media players. Does such a product exist today? A PC running Microsoft's (www.microsoft. com) WMCE (Windows Media Center Edition) comes the closest. A hands-on evaluation in our Digital Den seeks to discern whether the PC can take the prize.