Media Center PC Launches

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.