Microsoft releases new Edition of its Media Center - where is Apple's ?

Microsoft yesterday released its Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004 (via PVR Blog). If you are not familiar with it, check out their interactive demo. They are even bringing it to strange countries like Germany !!

For someone like me, who is living in an area, where Tivo won't be available for the foreseeable future, this could be exciting news... but I am using Mac OS X... bummer...

So, where is such a software from Apple ? They announced their Digital Hub Strategy a long time ago and I really like the iLife-Suite - but where is the fully integrated iPVR-Solution for my Digital Hub ??

Steve ? I'm afraid we are falling behind... behind Microsoft ! Can you really let this happen ??

Comments

[iCarus]

Who in the heck would want all of this coming from a company like Microsoft. I don't know if I'd want all of my eggs in one (corporate) basket like that anyway. If your machine bites it (which, on a PC would be a frequent occurance), you won't be able to watch TV (assuming your PC would be the bridge b/t your cable tv acces via TiVo), wouldn't be able view DVD's.

Besides, you can use your Mac and TiVio in conjunction with each other, and with the bluetooth mouse and keyboard, you can run your mac from a greater distance than an infared remote (which would be a limiting way to interact with video content anyway). Really, the remote is the only differnence between what a Mac hooked into your tv and TiVio would be. It would also be easy to create an interface like the XP MC edition offers with a software like flash, or any web content generator.

[Matthew Smith]

Have you looked at products like the USB eyeTV? There is also a product from Formac that links via firewire and has similar features. They are both priced similarly to a TiVo.

[stingerman]

While Apple has many of the ingredients for Media PC, it doesn't make sense, since you basically are dedicating a PC for TV. It has not been a success for MSFT thus far and if you look at the prices, it will be a small niche in the future as well. A dedicated device like Tivo is a lot nicer, less expensive and integrates very well with the Mac.

[Bjoern]

...well, your are all right ! Having a Tivo-Box would be much better than putting everything into my pc, mac, whatever - I totally agree !!

BUT you have overlooked a small detail: I'm living far, far away from Tivo-Land and they will probably never ever bring their service to Europe, after they failed in Britain... very unfortunate...

@Matthew: Yes, I have looked at eyeTV and their product is about to get better here in Germany... might be an interesting alternative...