The first Media Center PCs, entertainment-oriented PCs running a variation of Windows XP, feature less stringent copy protection for recorded TV programs than originally planned. Manufacturer Hewlett-Packard (HP) released the first Media Center PCs in North America on Oct. 29.

Copy Protection Relaxed

Formerly known by the code name Freestyle, Media Center PCs feature a built-in TV tuner card and digital video recording (DVR) capabilities. (See "DVR Lives on After UltimateTV" on page 25 of the Aug. 2002 Update.)

Microsoft had said that all TV programs recorded on a Media Center PC would be encrypted on the hard drive so they could be played back only on that same machine. This could have hampered Media Center's sales because other products, including standalone digital video recorders such as TiVo and ReplayTV and some Sony PCs, allow users to record and share recorded TV content with no restrictions.

As a result, Microsoft changed this policy shortly before releasing the product. Instead of restricting all copying, Media Center PCs will support a technology called Copy Generation Management System-Analog (CGMS-A), which allows broadcasters to insert data into a TV broadcast defining whether the broadcast may be copied and shared without restrictions, copied only once, or not copied at all.

If the broadcast has no CGMS-A data or is defined as unrestricted, then users will be able to transfer it over a network to other Media Center PCs or to PCs with the latest version of the Windows Media Player. (ISVs such as RealNetworks will be able to use the DirectShow APIs in DirectX to support playback of these shows in their digital media clients.) In addition, Microsoft is working with vendors of DVD authoring software to allow users to copy these unrestricted broadcasts to a DVD, then play this DVD on another PC or consumer DVD player. The company expects this feature to be available by the end of 2002.

In cases where the broadcast is restricted, it will be limited to the Media Center PC's hard drive. (There is no provision to allow creation of a single copy.) According to Murari Narayan, director of marketing for Microsoft's eHome group, fewer than 1% of all TV broadcasts (mostly pay-per-view programs) are currently restricted using CGMS-A. However, if Media Center becomes popular, more broadcasters could decide to implement it.

Specs, Pricing, and Availability

Hewlett-Packard (HP) is making available three Media Center PCs in North America ranging in price from US$1,349 to US$1,999. Only the mid-range version, which costs US$1,649, will be available in retail outlets; the others will be offered exclusively online.

The amount of TV programming each Media Center PC can store depends on the size of its hard drive and the recording quality: the two more expensive models have 120GB hard drives and will store between 30 and 90 hours of programming; the least expensive one has an 80GB hard drive and will store between 20 and 60 hours.

In addition to digital video recording, all Media Center PCs feature a remote control and a custom interface delivered through Windows XP Media Center Edition, which enables users to play DVDs and audio CDs, and to play and organize digital media files in specified formats (Windows Media Format, MP3, and WAV). HP's two more expensive models boast a writable DVD drive (DVD+R/+RW); the cheapest one has a CD-ROM writer.

Samsung plans to release a Media Center PC in South Korea by the end of 2002, and NEC in Japan sometime in 2003.

The MediaCenter site is www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/mediacenter/.