Microsoft unveiled its Windows XP Media Center 2004 operating system and announced key digital content providers. Major PC manufacturers planning to offer Windows XP Media Center PCs include Dell, Sony, Gateway, HP, Toshiba and more than 40 other OEMs worldwide.
The key new capabilities of Windows XP Media Center 2004 include:
- the ability to connect the Media Center PC to a standard or widescreen TV or a high-resolution display, such as a plasma or projection TV, to create a dynamic home theater environment. This includes enhanced support for 16 x 9 displays.
support for adaptive de-interlacing and video scaling, enabling a sharper picture on high-resolution progressive scan displays
PVR capabilities to record live TV and radio
the ability to record TV shows on standard DVDs or Video CDs and play them back on virtually any set-top DVD player or PC
the ability to browse an online programming guide up to 14 days in advance, or to select category filters to display just the programming you want, such as sports, movies, news, music, or kids
better tools for viewing full-screen images of digital photographs on a monitor or TV screen
better tools for building a digital Media Library using Windows Media Player 9 Series
support for 5.1 surround sound in Windows Media Player 9
an Online Spotlight service that highlights downloadable content from Microsoft partners, including CinemaNow (1,200 movies on-demand), Movielink (new releases and classic films from the big Hollywood studios), MSN TV (news, weather and financial information), Napster (500,00 tracks of downloadable music), WildTangent (online gaming), Musicbrigade (an archive of music videos), and Live365 (an Internet Radio network with some 5,000 stations).
