I've been a fan--and a steady user--of Windows XP Media Center Edition since for almost three long years now, and have watched this trend-setting product evolve through three revisions, all of which have built on the successes of the past and added new features, fixed problems, and made the underlying platform more stable. Now, three years after I first set my sights on this intriguing multimedia champion, XP Media Center Edition (XP MCE) is at a cross-road. It still offers the premium PC experience, with amazing and unparalleled digital media features. But too, it's still a computer, and not necessarily the type of device one would want in the living room. In other words, the same old arguments about Media Center seem to apply today as much as they did when the product first shipped in 2002. If you're not familiar with Windows XP Media Center Edition, and the Media Center PCs on which it runs, please refer back to my earlier reviews of and, the versions of this product that preceded XP MCE 2005.

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We've got a lot of ground to cover, and I don't want to waste any time or space revisiting the past. Let's see what's going on with Media Center these days. Three years of feedback While Microsoft can hardly be faulted for basing the feature set of its first Media Center version on internal testing, field tests, and surveys, the company now has a large body of dedicated users who are clamoring to provide the company with feedback about the product.

Some of the feedback was surprising, according to Windows eHome Division General Manager Joe Belfiore, who noted that while almost 50 percent of all Media Center buyers were using the machines in their dens, studies, or home offices, 27 percent use the machines in their living rooms, and 23 percent use them in bedrooms. Oxford Speaking Dictionary English To Urdu Free Download. The usage patterns are interesting as well, and point to the success of Microsoft's current strategy of augmenting Media Center PCs with Media Center Extenders, which allow users to enjoy Media Center content remotely on other TVs in their home (see below for more details, and also my ).

58 percent of Media Center users watch TV on their PCs, while 27 percent have their Media Center PC connected directly to a TV set. Most Media Center customers are happy with their machines, too: 89 percent say they are 'satisfied,' while 66 percent say they are 'very satisfied.

That said, there is still certainly plenty of room for improvement. Customers told Microsoft that the features they'd like to see most in XP MCE 2005 include improved TV quality, easier music management, the ability to save recorded TV shows to DVD, multi-tuner and HDTV support, archiving/backup of personal memories (photos, home videos), and the ability to enjoy Media Center content in other rooms in the house, and on the go. Design goals To that end, the company began working on 'Symphony,' the product that became Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005. Don't be fooled by reports that this release is a minor upgrade, it's not. First, there's been a not-so-subtle change in the way in which Microsoft perceives XP MCE. In the past, XP MCE was sort of a high-end niche product, since it was available only with special types of PCs which came with bundled TV tuner cards. Now, that vision has changed dramatically.

'When we talked about Media Center in the past, we tended to refer to it as the version of Windows that came with a remote [control],' Belfiore said. 'But it's also worth mentioning that in this version in particular Media Center represents the version of Windows that is the highest end, most complete, and best version of Windows, even when you're sitting at your desk using your mouse and keyboard. It's the best PC experience you can get as a consumer.'

Second, for the first time since XP shipped in 2001, Microsoft has taken the opportunity to provide XP MCE 2005 with a brand new visual style (discussed below), highlighting its prominence and importance in the XP line-up. And finally--and perhaps most importantly--Microsoft has imbued XP MCE 2005 with a rousing set of upgrades that takes a previously excellent but somewhat flawed product to a whole new level. The visuals in XP MCE 2005 are stunning. So are the new features, which are, yes, refinements, but also major usability wins that will have customers grinning to themselves as they discover the product's improved functionality. You'll see what I mean by that in a bit. Introducing XP Media Center Edition 2005 Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 is a major improvement over previous versions of XP MCE, with changes both to the underlying Windows desktop and the Media Center experience. If you're an existing Media Center customer, you'll want to get this upgrade as soon as possible.