While Thomas thinks it’s all about the picture, that unfortunately is just a detail. There are plenty of other details that need attention as well… music library management is certainly a key piece — but I think it’s really much more about the whole package. MCE is too complicated, period.
Picture quality is so super important. I would agree with the observation that the television picture quality on a Media Center PC has never approached that of even an entry level non HD TiVo. This is the single biggest obstacle in the way of Media Center acceptance. We must get a better picture — preferably CableCARD or Satellite or IPTV HDTV. I’m hoping we see this improve in Vista.
Thomas Hawk’s Digital Connection: Media Center Gets Slashdotted
Don’t get me wrong, I want solid crystal clear images from my DVR and don’t think that’s too much to ask. I believe though, that until the computer part of the system is masked (no virus pop-ups, device drivers etc) this thing is in trouble from a mass adoption perspective. The idea of a 10′ UI is a good thing, it just needs some serious refinement. When I recently attended the Digital Life show in NYC, I stopped by the Microsoft booth and played with an MCE device, presumedly the latest. Switching between screens / modes required far too much wait time, with loading icons… I can’t possibly bring something like that into my living room without expecting a family conflict about how much more complex and annoying I’ve made things.
Technorati Tags: MediaCenter, Microsoft, Digital Life, Thomas Hawk
Library management is indeed important. Particularly the ability to efficiently and quickly run large .mp3 libraries. It is my understanding, though untested by me, from Matt Goyer at Microsoft, that library performance improvements will be coming with Vista. Super important as well.
For me — that’s even more important than picture quality. Granted I have no interest in degrading my viewing experience either…