Speaking of big names creating compelling apps and services for Media Center, CinemaNow is now offering HD movies for download over the Web.  Let me say that again - High Definition Movies over the Web and in Media Center TODAY and in Windows Media Video, making MCE05 the first consumer OS for delivery of HD-quality programming via TV, DVD, and the Web.

Right now the movies are all IMAX titles- stunning and visually breathtaking, selected in part to show off the quality of HD no doubt due to their oversized film stock that captures more video.  Maybe if we all rent a movie, they'll do more big-name movies in the future.  My son loves these movies as does my wife.  I'm going to win points for downloading one for him this weekend.

By popular demand, the Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 SDK is now available for online browsing and download at MSDN. Over the past few weeks, I've started to realize what a fundamental groundswell this SDK represents.  For the past two decades or so , we've looked at PCs as being fundamentally driven by keyboard and mouse (aka 2' experience).  MCE05 in particular represents a fundamental shift in the Windows application platform, offering a choice of 2' (keyboard and mouse) or 10' (remote control) control of an application or service.   If you're unsure of the future of the platform, just look at some of the names delivering applications for MCE - AOL, MSN Music, MSN TV, Napster, Newsgator, Reuters, NPR, Kodak/Ofoto, ESPN, ABC, Live365, Napster, Sonic, and more.  This could very well be the year of MCE as an application platform.  Some of the biggest names in entertainment and personal media are already behind it with more to be announced soon.

In fact, last year, the Emmy Award for Interactive Television was awarded to ABC's “Celebrity Mole“ Enhanced TV program available on MCE PCs. 

This is a key difference in my opinion between MCE and other PVR platforms. It's the Windows platform that is part of MCE's strength- anyone can build an app on top of it so a wide range of applications and services can be made available.  It's also a bonus that you don't have a $140+/year subscription fee for an Electronic Programming Guide with MCE or just plug in a new hard drive (internal or external) to add hard drive space. Look at the cost over a 4-5 year period and a MCE PC makes sense to me and it can also double as a full-fledged PC for browsing and more. 

Oh and did I mention the 10' Sync feature that works with over 75 portable music and media players? After this last trip, you can pry my MCE PC and Portable Media Center from my cold dead hands.  My wife actually wants a MCE PC for herself. What's next, my 14 month old son? (He loves Boobah and Teletubbies on airplanes)

Got any cool Media Center apps or services in the works?  Let me know.  I'm always up for a good beta test.  Have an idea for an app, feel free to share it with others here.

This is totally cool. MSN Music has a page offering up its RSS feeds and providing descriptions on how to implement. 

Joe Wilcox over at the Microsoft Monitor Weblog has a lot of good things to say about his experience with Media Center 2005 and a few about his frustrations at retail. Truth be told, we are working with retailers actively to improve the Media Center pre-purchase experience which you'll be hearing more about shortly here.  Unfortunately it takes time to get the teams trained and the products in-channel. But we need your help- Media Center owners regularly do check-ups at the stores and talk to the managers if the demo stations aren't set up correctly.  In fact, most of our team does and I actually do spot-checks when traveling across the country or the globe, generating trip reports that go back to our retail engagement team. 

Joe notes, “If not marketing, how about a little evangelism from Microsoft? Just through blogging, Microsoft created way too much buzz about next-generation-Windows Longhorn. How about blogging evangelism about Media Center, a product Microsoft sells today--not two years from now? My blog is a start.”

You're absolutely right Joe and I'm so happy to see you blogging on the topic. I guess you hadn't heard of my blog yet <g> but I'm not surprised as my ebb and tide has been a bit off. But,  I'm back and blogging on Media Center.  Lots more to talk about - including even more new stuff we're working on.  Stay tuned...

A few folks on our team have been hard at work on an ultra-cool flash-based “Media Center 2005 Design Studio” that helps you pick exactly the hardware you want for every room in the home and beyond. Just drag and drop devices like a living room PC, a portable media center and extender, tell it what type of cable/satellite connection you have and it will create a shopping list that you can email or print- even including pictures and recommendations on common cabling for setup.

Whether you're interested in a Media Center for the living room, bedroom, home office, or wherever else, check it out and give us your feedback.  It's a v1 and will get better, your feedback is appreciated.

Back from NYC.  The news: Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 and/or Microsoft “Digital Entertainment Anywhere“ related products swept last week's “PC Magazine: Best of Digital Life 2004” awards:

• Best in Show (Overall): Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005
• Best Home Entertainment: Niveus Media Center Summit Series (MCE05 LRPC)
• Best Home Entertainment: Dell W4200HD 42“ Plasma TV (great for MCE05 PC's from Dell)
• Best Personal Computer: Toshiba Qosmio G15-AV501 (MCE05 Laptop)
• Best Portable Music Player: Creative Labs Zen Micro (Syncs w/ MCE05/MP10)

and of course, the Portable Media Center won Best of CES last year too :)

Regarding Media Center 2005, PC Magazine had this to say:

“Three times is a charm, and never is this truer than with Microsoft products. With its brand new Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 operating system, Microsoft may have unleashed the perfect OS for a home PC. Fulfilling the promise of the previous two itera-tions, MCE 2005 is a markedly better OS, supported by markedly better graphics hardware (particularly the TV tuners). Whereas past Media Center PCs delivered so-so picture quality, the video quality is now comparable to what you get from a good TV. For virtually anyone buying a new PC for home use, we can't think of a reason not to go with an MCE 2005 box.
Price: In new PCs priced $500 and up

Congrats to the teams and partners

One of the biggest complaints I've heard from customers and family alike is how difficult it is to buy portable music players or subscribe to services because of fears about compatibility. I'm happy to say that in time for the holidays, there's a simple solution: the playsforsure logo (see right).  You'll see this logo start to show up on retail boxes, web services and more.  The idea is that if your portable media player and your service carry the logo, they work great together.  In fact all these devices will sync with both WM Player 10 and Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005.

Check out www.playsforsure.com for a complete listing of portable media players and services.

The community site for WM Player 10, www.wmplugins.com has re-launched version 2.0 with an all-new look, and all-new features including improved plug-in ratings and user reviews, and a new community forum system for discussion, feature suggestions, feedback, and general chit chat. Check it out.

A few of you have asked me to write a bit more about the Digital Entertainment Anywhere event at LA's Shrine Auditorium. (Watch the Bill Gates Keynote (300kbps, Broadband Internet Required) My description is in my own words and on my own time, and may not necessarily reflect those of my employer.

First of all, WOW.  This was my second major Windows launch and what a wild trip it's been.  For the Windows XP launch back in 2001 in NYC, I was the “backup guy“ for Joe Belfiore, built the core digital entertainment demos and watched Joe do the demos on-stage.  It was a great learning and partnership experience, back when Media Center wasn't even a product. I bring this up because it helped to provide perspective for this event. 

About six weeks ago, my Director approached me about being an on-stage demoer for a component of the Digital Entertainment Anywhere launch event held this Tuesday. I was flattered and honored, and of course excited. Then reality set in.  We had a TON of work to do to ensure the story came together in a compelling way.  There was a lot to talk about- new devices no one had seen, Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, the ultra-cool new HP Digital Entertainment Center for the living room and more.

I was to be one of three demoers on-stage but that changed quickly.  Next I knew, I was doing 4 demos vs the traditional 1, and working closely with an amazing group of individuals on the keynote.  The technical hurdles this team overcame were astounding.  Traditionally, a keynote consists of a podium, one or two projectors and perhaps a demo desk or bench.  For the DEA event, we had:

• Three standard (4:3) definition rear projection systems approx 20 feet high 
• One widescreen (16:9) high definition front projection system approx 20 feet high
• Two plasma displays
• One Dell LCD PC Display
• One HP LCD TV
• Wired for 5.1 Audio throughout
• One car w/ DVD Entertainment system
• A gaggle of new devices
• Two Media Center PCs including a pre-released version of the HP Digital Entertainment Center
• One TV and Media Center Extender connected to the HP Digital Entertainment Center
• Three motorized “carts“ containing demo equipment

What made this event so ambitious was that the main screens were all synchronized to both the opening music as well as the announcements Bill Gates was making on-stage. 

Building the demo hardware was an amazing team.  They took one of our conference rooms under lock and key and each corner of the room became a staging area for one of the sets - Den, Living Room, Bedroom, and Garage.  The demo equipment rolled in, we added demo content from my own Media Center PC at home - home pictures, videos etc. The demos were all real-world and we wanted to make sure that a human element came through. Technology shouldn't require you change your life, it should fit into your existing lifestyle and enhance it.  We designed the demos to try to get that concept across. 

On-location, setup started approx 3 days prior. Runthroughs and revisions to the blocking and flow were made, and technical issues were resolved quickly.  The only firedrill per se we had was an unscheduled IP address block change that was made after the keynote had already started.  All of our demos used real-world services (eg. MSN Music, NPR, Kodak Ofoto etc.) so this was a big issue.  All the demo systems acquired new IP addresses and were up within seconds of the change. 

Oh and to answer the question about my keynote joke to Bill about flying in coach- it was unplanned.  I was loosened up and so was Bill so we had a little fun.

After the event, walking the partner pavillion I talked to a number of partners and customers who were just so jazzed.  I couldn't believe the size of the ecosystem that's come together for Media Center in a relatively short amount of time.  Even the AOL for Broadband team's Music Video service which offers over 140 music videos and sessions@AOL was ready and there.  It's such a testament to the fact that Windows is a platform first, and Media Center is for the first time, offering a new way of building applications that work with a remote control or a keyboard/mouse. 

I'm sure I'll have more to say in the coming weeks but for me, the highlight wasn't the keynote, it wasn't the after-party, it was the MVP event.  I had a chance to meet so many of our MVPs and despite a long and stressful week, was so fired up by their energy, questions, passion and enthusiasm. Even better, the feedback kept rolling and we're already working on how v.next can be even better. 

Now, I'm going to take a little time to spend with my wife and son who have been so supportive throughout this long launch period. His favorite toy these days is my Media Center remote, something tells me he's going to show me a thing or two when i get home.

More soon. Thanks to everyone who played a part in this event. Truly a highlight in a wild and exciting career so far.

Wow, what a wild ride the last 45 days has been.  First, the launch of Windows Media Player 10 and Portable Media Center, now the launch of 11 partner services in the Digital Media Mall in Windows Media Player 10 including MSN Music, Windows XP Media Center Edition, Windows Media Center Extender, Media Center Extender Kit for Xbox, and even more on the horizon.  Oh did I forget to mention all the new portable players that offer better battery life and price than a certain Mini-sized device?  I continue to be so impressed by the dedication of our partners and the amazing amount of work our development team has done in a relatively short amount of time.

I cannot recall ever seeing so many cool things and all in time for the holidays. More to come.

If you have a Windows Mobile smartphone and the simulated wood-grain and metal switches of an Atari 2600 bring back the warm fuzzies, be sure to check out this new time-killer- Atari Retro 2.0 for Windows Mobile Smartphones.  Finally, games worth downloading.  :)

Thomas Hawk offers a good writeup on, “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” of MP10. 
Thomas- you have a # of good points which I've shared with the team.  I too would like to see sync to laptops. ;)

MSNBC's Gary Krakow calls it, “A video iPod from Microsoft” in his review of the new Creative Zen Portable Media Center, a Best of CES winner this year and now available in stores today (read on to the end for details).   A few choice quotes:

“Installation was pretty bullet-proof.   I upgraded my computer with Windows Media Player 10 and plugged in the Zen. As promised, the PMC was recognized and installed immediately.  Within just a few minutes all of my music and photos were available on the PMC.”

“The Zen PMC gets points for being quite easy to master. The startup/navagation screen looks just like the startup screen on a Media Center computer -– and that’s a very good thing. Without prompting, my wife picked up the device and was able to navigate through the menus with ease. She likes it. Thinks it’s cute. “

“Creative’s Zen PMC goes on sale today at Best Buy and Creative.com.   CompUSA, Amazon.com, Fry’s and Good Guys will be selling them soon.  MSRP is $499.99.  In the next few weeks expect to see PMCs from Samsung and iRiver as well.”

“Microsoft’s work centered more on the home computer -- and video -– with a Media Center Edition of the Windows operating system. Currently a second generation product, Media Center allows you to use your computer as a TiVo of sorts: recording and watching TV programs and videos at your leisure.“

I can attest to Gary's comments about the “Spousal Acceptance Factor”.  My wife and son love my Portable Media Center for family vacations, long car trips etc.  Yes, my son is only 14 months old, but believe me, having “Boobah” and “The Wiggles” as an emergency backup wherever you are is helpful.  That, I wasn't expecting.

If you're into Photos, Music, and Video, the PMC is a very cool product. It gets even better with a Media Center PC with seamless recording and playback of TV programs too.  If you want a demo today, go to your local Best Buy.

I'm very excited to announce that as of 6am Pacific this morning, we started propping Windows Media Player 10 in English, French, and Korean, with add'l languages coming in the near future.  What makes this release doubly exciting is that we've just learned that PC Magazine has given the player the coveted PC Magazine Editor's Choice Award and a rating of 4.5 out of 5.0. 

We're still staging out to all the servers so you may see minor delays in webpages and downloads - hang in there.  Welcome to More Music, More Choices with Windows Media Player 10.  Let me know what you think.  More to come- back to making sure everything's moving smoothly.

Windows Media Player 10
Windows Media Player 10 Download Page

Corey Gouker (MS MVP) writes extensively on his eval experiences w/ a PMC and Windows Media Player 10 (MP10). 

Expert Zone just posted some new articles by columnists who have been playing with evaluation Portable Media Centers including one by one of the co-developers of Quicktime for Windows.  If you're interested in more of the “How“ of Portable Media Center, check these out.

Using Windows Mobile-based Portable Media Centers and Windows Media Player 10 - Galan Bridgman

Using the New Windows Mobile-based Portable Media Centers with Windows XP - Barb Bowman

Viewing Recorded TV on a Windows Mobile-based Portable Media Center - Barb Bowman

[Editor's Note: Sorry about that, Galan's article isn't showing up correctly vs. my editor, may be time to upgrade the site again]