On Sep 12, 2015, at 2:16 AM, Manfredi, Albert E <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
Amazing, isn't it, that no one seems to know.
Microsoft recently announced that after a dozen years, it would no longer
include support for Windows Media Center (WMC) in the upcoming Windows 10.
WMC was novel when introduced as a special edition of Windows XP in 2002. The
premise was to leverage the power of PC hardware to enable an all-in-one
media center, capable of playing DVDs, videos, photos and music with a 10
foot remote control interface. Perhaps the biggest feature, at a time when
not everyone had a DVR, was the live TV recording functionality it offered
when paired with PC TV tuner devices.
While WMC never really became hugely popular, it has a dedicated and vocal
community. The user interface was clean, relatively simple, and one of
Microsoft’s better UI implementations. The DVR capability let you own your
own recorder with the expandable space of a PC hard drive, as well as not
having to pay a fee for the electronic TV guide as either the TV providers or
TiVo charge. Over time, WMC also added a number of improvements that extended
its functionality: plug-in support, extenders (Xbox and third party set-top
boxes for viewing), access to online content, and extensibility (via Windows
Media Player) to support formats not supplied by Microsoft.
Despite these improvements, the focus in home entertainment shifted to
consumer electronics (CE) devices. The cost and simplicity of renting a
plug-and-play DVR from the TV service providers outweighed the benefits of
WMC, and streaming services starting around 2008 spread quickly to Blu-ray
players and other devices that were easier to set up and maintain than a full
fledged Windows PC in the living room. WMC ceased development in 2009 with
the Windows 7 release. A port for Windows 8 was offered based on requests
from the WMC user community, but it offered no new features.
Not only that, but a cheap PC will do in a pinch, and you aren't limited to
a handful of pay-only sites that will soon make up the difference in price.
Really, Craig? I guess you haven't used any of these sites. Pull-down menus,
keyboards, I seem uniquely capable of not running into such insurmountable
obstacles. I must be some sort of genius.
I’d be remiss to not mention the current crop of popular streaming devices
here. They are also not direct replacements for a HTPC, but they are part of
the reason that WMC is discontinued. As the hardware platforms for these
devices have become more powerful, handling HD video and multichannel audio
(well some of it) easily, they offer simpler ways to get your non-cable TV
media fix and are staple devices for cord-cutters who have little interest in
having a PC in the living room. Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast, and Amazon Fire
TV offer a plethora of streaming choices including free, paid, ad, and
subscription-based, as well as local media capabilities through either apps
like Plex or connected to other home servers.
Mindless hype sells news stories better than some small attempts at
education, it seems. Let's watch this bunch of hype fizzle like all the
previous ones.
