Coming Soon to a Home Theater Near You: Media Friendly Computers

by Edward B. Driscoll, Jr.
Summer/Fall 2003

The concept of a media-friendly PC has been around since the mid-1990s, when manufacturers first built home theater PCs. It took a little while for the technology to catch up with the actual idea however, and those early PCs were just a tad under-powered, performance-wise. In the end though, these computers didn't catch on because their clunky user interfaces remained PC- (not TV-) centric, they were unstable and they cost too much. Also, their fans were noisy.

The situation has been changing lately. Sophisticated after-market video cards are common, frequently including with higher-powered processors, television tuners and the ability to record TV shows to a hard drive. These use the same technology that lies at the foundation of modern DVRs (Digital Video Recorders) such as TiVo and ReplayTV.

Along with specialized video cards, today's fast processors and inexpensive RAM mean that the day of the media-friendly PC has finally arrived. With quieter fans and attractive cases, the industry is trying to convince you that you need a computer connected to your television. Microsoft must agree, since in early 2002, they created a TV-friendly variant of Windows XP called Windows XP Media Center Edition. Though PCs using this operating system were first aimed at the dorm-room market, they are now increasingly adding options that would make them attractive for the living room.

OEM Only
Windows XP Media Center Edition (MCE) is available only pre-installed on OEM (original equipment manufacturer) computers that are designed specifically to store and playback audio and video. Microsoft's Jodie Cadiuex, a Windows Media Center marketing manager, explains, "If it doesn't work well the first time around, consumers tend to not want to go back any time soon. We felt very strongly that for a positive consumer experience, it should be OEM only."

Media Variety
MCE has built-in TV capture software, for ReplayTV- or TiVo-style television recording and time shifting. Typically, the tuner in the PC can receive cable, satellite or broadcast television via coaxial, composite or S-video inputs. The computer controls the satellite or cable receiver by way of an infrared emitter placed in front of the box to be controlled. The user selects TV programs for recording using a DBS-style electronic program guide. A built-in copy protection mechanism for recorded TV shows was initially planned, but that feature was removed from the final version of Media Center.

In addition to their built-in DVR functions, many of the computers running MCE can also play and burn DVDs and audio CDs. They all come equipped with a remote control so that most media functions can be controlled from the couch. The wireless remote is essential if media-friendly PCs are ever to invade the living room.

The original home theater PCs were designed to use the existing television in a home theater. While there were many video cards that made this possible, users found the standard Windows interface too difficult to read and navigate using a remote from 10 feet away. The average television does not reproduce computer graphics and text very well. Microsoft designed MCE specifically to address this problem. Its desktop and menus make use of only a few large buttons per screen accompanied by large readable type. Gateway has introduced an additional readability solution: it offers a large high definition plasma TV screen as an option for its Media Center Edition PCs.

Media Center Edition PCs often come equipped with front-mounted slots that take a variety of media card formats, making it easy to pop in a card from your digital camera and then view and edit photos. All can play traditional digital audio formats (CD audio, MP3, Windows Media, Real) through the stereo speakers and subwoofers that come standard with many packages.

DIY
Of course, it is possible to build a media-friendly PC yourself, albeit without Windows MCE. Video card manufacturers such as ATI have been selling cards capable of viewing television on a PC for years. In the past few years, new software includes DVR functions and remote control capability as well. Sound card manufacturers, such as Creative Labs, are also getting into the game with audio cards that also come with remote controls.

Purchasing all of these functions bundled in a turnkey system is very convenient, on the other hand, especially if you have no interest in building your own computer. Media-friendly PCs also break the myth that computers are isolating. The interactive media computer can become the center of a family activity in the living room. Let's look at some of the leading media friendly PCs in the market today. The first in this list, the Sony VAIO, does not make use of MCE, though it was nevertheless designed as a media-friendly computer. The rest do come with MCE installed.

Born on the VAIO
Sony (www.sonystyle.com) makes a media-friendly VAIO (Video Audio Integrated Operation) for the living room. It's certainly got the firepower to support those kind of operation: Much of the hardware is similar to the HP Media Center PC, but it also includes an input for Memory Sticks, FireWire ports and a DVD writer.

Although the VAIO allows for easy sharing of MP3s, photos and videos among networked computers, Sony's SonicStage media software does not permit the conversion of CDs to the MP3 format. This is a machine that looks like it belongs in the 21st century, with many convenient features (such as front-mounted media control buttons), glowing LEDs and a matching keyboard.

Hewlett-Packard: The First Wave
Hewlett-Packard (www.hp.com) was one of the first manufacturers to begin selling PCs equipped with Windows XP Media Center Edition, with several models whose list prices range from $1,349 to $1,999.

The two lower priced units come with stereo speakers, but the top of the line units include six (5.1) Klipsch ProMedia speakers that make up a THX certified surround sound rig. Those speakers plug into a Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 24-bit Dolby surround sound card. Besides the operating system, the software includes PVR functionality and a six-in-one media reader.

The Gateway To Media
Gateway (www.gateway.com) released their Media Center PC in several configurations this past fall. The flagship model starts at $3,999 and includes the spectacular Gateway 42-inch plasma TV, a 2GHz P4, 256MB of PC2700 memory, a CDRW/DVD combo drive, NVidia GeForce4 MX440G graphics and a 60GB hard drive. For those on a tighter budget, Gateway offers a package that starts at $1,599, including a 17-inch LCD.

Smaller Players Jumping on Bandwagon
Two smaller vendors have recently begun offering media-friendly PCs as well. (Of course by the time you read this, everyone and their brother will be selling Media Center PCs.) ABS Computer Technology's (www.abspc.com) product starts at $1,699 without monitor, or $2,299 with an 18-inch LCD. It includes a 2.53GHz P4, 512MB of RAM, a 120GB hard drive, a Pioneer DVD writer and a Nvidia Geforce4 MX440 graphics processor, all wrapped in a handsome silver tower.

Cyberpower Inc. (www.cyberpowersystem.com) offers its Media Center PC with a 19-inch LCD and a range of processors, from the 1.8-GHz P4 for $1,499 to the 3.06GHz chip for $2,059. Similar to Gateway's PC, the unit's stock LCD monitor can be replaced with a 42-inch plasma TV for an extra $2,999. The CyberPower's silver case also looks like it could blend into a media room.

Laptops and Apple
While all of the above units are desktop PCs, Toshiba announced at the January 2003 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that that it will ship some of the first Windows XP Media Center Edition Notebooks, but no concrete details were available.

What about Apple? Clearly, we won't see a Macintosh Windows Media Center Edition PC anytime soon. In the past, Apple did a superb job of introducing interesting media-friendly devices. This includes software, such as QuickTime, and hardware, such as the gorgeous 16X9 flat panel LCD monitors and the iPod MP3 player. A few companies are offering hardware tuners with digital recording capabilities for the Mac platform. One example is the studio DV/TV product from Formac Electronic. When controlled with the TiVeRon program guide software, this external device supports basic digital VCR functions, including remote scheduling, but does not have a time-shifting feature. At this point, Apple does not appear to be aggressively pushing the Mac towards the living room in the same way that Microsoft is pushing the PC.

Invasion of the Living Room
The computer is escaping from the office and invading the living room and the rest of the house as well. The technology is converging from two directions.

From the stereo rack, we see more computer-like DVD players and DVRs. Coming from the other direction, we see media-friendly computers. It is clear that the technology will soon meet on the TV screen.