Microsoft Reveals Plans for XP Media Center
Upcoming version of Windows will transform the PC into a digital entertainment hub, complete with a remote control.
Scarlet Pruitt, IDG News Service
Microsoft released details on Windows XP's upcoming media trappings Tuesday, revealing the company's plans to make the PC an all-in-one digital media center, replete with video, photos, music, and TV programming.
The Windows XP Media Center Edition, formerly code-named "Freestyle," is set to ship to original equipment manufacturers in time for the end-of-the-year holiday shopping season in the U.S., Canada, and South Korea, the company says.
It will be available in Japan in the first half of next year.
All-in-One
The media center will allow consumers to listen to, store, and organize digital music, watch DVDs, and access and browse personal digital video files.
Users will also be able to watch TV on their PCs as well as pause, rewind, and play back live TV programming with the Media Center's included personal video recorder. A remote control is included, allowing users to use their PCs like a TV.
The product will also be tailored for storing, sorting through, and viewing digital photos. Users will also be able to produce digital slide shows, with music added, the company says.
Microsoft has already announced deals with OEMs such as Hewlett-Packard, NEC, and Samsung Electronics to bring the Windows XP Media Center to market.
Consumers will be able to purchase PCs with the software preinstalled and all hardware included by the end of the year, the Redmond, Washington, company says.
