OEMs Get Media Center Update

An update to the Media Center functionality in premium consumer editions of Windows Vista adds support for a new copy-protection scheme for TV broadcasts, as well as several additional broadcast standards. The update responds to OEMs’ requests and could spur demand for TV-capable PCs in Europe and Japan. However, the update is not available for current Media Center owners and lacks some features that Media Center enthusiasts have been hoping for, such as support for the H.264 video codec (used for high-definition digital content) and DirecTV satellite broadcast systems; the latter was first promised in Jan. 2006.

New Copy-Protection, Broadcast Standards

Media Center is a remote-controllable interface for Windows used to access audio and video on a PC. It was introduced in late 2002 as a separate edition of Windows XP and was bundled exclusively in PCs with built-in TV tuner cards and digital video recording (DVR) functionality. Over time, Microsoft made Windows XP Media Center Edition available for all PCs, and then it built the interface into Vista Home Premium (the most common consumer edition) and Ultimate (the most expensive edition, which combines consumer and business features with a handful of extra capabilities).