commentary The forthcoming update to Intel's Viiv will see the media centre PC move from the living room to the home office. Asher Moses explains why.
Before anyone mentions it, no, we haven't been smoking any particularly potent herbal products lately, nor were we repeatedly beaten over the head with a two by four on the way to work this morning. Hear me out.
Thus far, every play to bring the PC into the living room has revolved around plonking an entire machine down in the lounge, right next to your existing home theatre equipment. In our opinion, this method was doomed from the outset.
The only moderate success of Windows Media Center-equipped PCs has highlighted the fact that most consumers aren't interested in having an all-singing, all-dancing computer in their lounge room. We're not interested in editing word documents, manipulating spreadsheets, browsing the Web or playing games in a three metre interface from the couch (as opposed to sitting directly in front of the screen like we normally do when interacting with a PC). Rather, we'd simply like to watch/record TV, view DVDs and play other audio/video files on-demand through a simple, intuitive interface.
This is where the genius of Viiv comes in. Shortly, Intel will release a range of "digital media adapters", which connect to your existing home theatre components (e.g. your TV, stereo system, etc) and can stream content wirelessly from any Viiv-certified PC. Bingo!
The existence of digital media adapters will totally remove the need to have a media centre PC taking up space in your living room, unless you're one of the few users that finds it practical to do anything other than passively soak up multimedia content whilst relaxing on the couch.
As a result, the PC in your home office will likely act as a digital media hub, distributing content wirelessly throughout your house to various media adapters. And since the Windows Media Center Edition operating system used by all Viiv-enabled machines is virtually identical to Windows XP when it's not in media centre mode, you can go about your regular office-related tasks -- word processing, web browsing, etc -- while others are seamlessly streaming content in the lounge.
Such multi-tasking makes dual-core processors a necessity, which explains why Intel requires all vendors of Viiv machines to adopt a dual-core processor before gaining certification.
Suddenly, the logic surrounding some manufacturers' decisions to offer Viiv machines in an office-like tower form factor -- for example, the Acer Aspire e650 -- is beginning to make sense.
What do you think? Will the PC pull out of the lounge room, leaving your home office machine to act as both a media hub and a productivity workhorse? Have your say below!
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John Smith
29/03/2006 01:08 AM
Everyone doesn't have this now? Why not just use a capture card to record to your TB drive as a TiVo, and share that drive wirelessly to all the PC's around the house that are next to TV. Who gives a flip about processor power? That's stupid. Its all about wireless bandwidth and DRIVE speed. I'd have to have 5 machines streaming from my multimedia server to choke the drive, also 5 to choke the wireless, but about 10 to choke the processor. The write has no imagination. I know I'm not the only one who has this setup already.
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stephan
29/03/2006 01:38 AM
The article states, "Such multi-tasking makes dual-core processors a necessity, which explains why Intel requires all vendors of Viiv machines to adopt a dual-core processor before gaining certification." 3.0GHz with a 800MHz bus provides a lot of power. Please explain why dual-core is so important.
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MANI
29/03/2006 01:43 AM
Um, is this a press release or what? Viiv brings NOTHING we didn't already have in 1999.
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SA
29/03/2006 02:09 AM
Ummm... you are describing Front Row (with Bonjour) + Airport Express (the next gen). Obviously, the market will go where Apple dictates not where Microsoft wants it to go.
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geoweb
29/03/2006 02:13 AM
I agree with the comments - the technology has been around for year - but wasn't that true for iPod too? I think the innovation here is to make it brain dead simple to use. I don't want to think that much at the end of the day - just want to veg. I tried multimedia pc - I got a few migranes over it, and I have given up on it.
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Scott Fletcher
29/03/2006 02:14 AM
Is "Viiv" just marketing? I haven't found any specifics regarding Viiv (beyond the descriptions of some components and some marketing hype) that explain why Viiv is revolutionary, or even necessary to accomplish what the article's author described. I'm not usually one to pile on with anonymous criticisms, but I agree with the other commenters: this artcle needs some more specifics as to why Viiv is the lynch-pin in our home entertainment experience, or how it 'enables' us to realize the vision proposed in the article. As far as I can tell, Viiv is just a bunch of high-end computing gear from Intel. I suspect that EVERYONE will be selling similar horsepower for a similar (or lower) price soon. I'd love it if someone could correct me if I'm wrong.
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Anonymous
29/03/2006 02:16 AM
Holy crap! They've invented the SERVER! I Dunno why they can't just call it that.
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Pawn
29/03/2006 02:17 AM
in all reality i think this is another waste of money i like the idea to be able to have a wireless keyboard and mouse in front of me able to play games watch tv chat on aim. while sittin on my couch watching tv gaming in one corner of my screen and chattin on aim in the other corner why would i just want a tv again its a computer on my 65" tv i mean come on have you ever played world of warcraft widescreen mode on a 65" tv its jaw dropping
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Technopundit
29/03/2006 02:19 AM
This is a matter of form over function, though a simplified interface is also a big calling factor. A big, whirring PC sitting next to the TV is not esthetically appealing. Sure, it's something a tech-savvy consumer can piece together now, but who wants to? As for the dual-core issue, soon those processors will cost as mch as a mid-range processor does now. In the mean time, some development is necessary to produce a small, practical, easily installed device.
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pawn
29/03/2006 02:22 AM
and to the comment about a whirring computer fans and such i have a water cooled PC with 5 fans all quiter than a pin drop so im not sure where you are going but viiv is old hardware with a new name IMO
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gregglooker
29/03/2006 02:22 AM
As an early adopter of the HP Media Center 545 28 months ago, I can attest that plunking a computer in the middle of the Great Room's media rack is a painful experience. Some painful memories: Running Media Center (as the secondary monitor, I had to mount a 17" LCD on the wall above the media rack) on the 60" Sony was a painful, horrible experience what with trying to do all the fun Media Center stuff on what was the second monitor, losing the mouse, losing the keyboard, having to pull the electrical plug out of the back of the freakin computer, having Media Center tell me the brand new DVD can't be played because of a licensing error, and even when I got a DVD to play, halfway through the movie, the freakin Media Center starting skipping and freezing up such that we gave up trying to watch DVD's altogether via Media Center DVD Player (we use WinDVD now). Not to mention the noise itself from the computer, and the heating problem in the rack. Regardless, purchased an HP VIIV Media Center and so far am thrilled with its performance. Still have some problems with the custom 16:9 video settings, but can't wait to play any DVD to any of the four home theaters in the house with VIIV 1.5!
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yotish
29/03/2006 02:30 AM
Problem with this is the people that do have a computer home media setup currently are those who couldnt care less about mini-tower to more than likely their full size tower sitting next to the TV. The few this new design will appeal to will be the wealthy that buy up every new little gadget in bliss. Only to waste away its purpose in their house as dinner topic to the neighbors who don't have one. If I could twiddle my finger in the air for all to see i would :P -Jeff
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Eivind Eklund
29/03/2006 02:38 AM
The statement about dual-cores is idiotic. Streaming data does not consume much CPU, and real time scheduling (which is what is critical here) is actually easier to do with a single CPU that with two. This seems to be just a marketing trick from Intel.
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Anonymous
29/03/2006 02:40 AM
Wow! Now if someone would just invent really big TVs to display all that content on. You know, something like a laptop screen, but bigger? :-P
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RokuUser
29/03/2006 02:52 AM
I use a Pentium III I pulled out of the trash to serve tunes to my Roku. It lives in the basement. Why can't Intel concentrate on beating AMD, rather than try to build for markets they continually misinterpret, and then abandon when they realize there's no easy money to be made?
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JC
29/03/2006 02:56 AM
I thought that MCE is really just XP Home with some media interfaces correct? If so, who the hell will want this? Seriously, I am not using anything less then XP Pro for my desktop computer, period.
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Olivier
29/03/2006 03:04 AM
How is viiv a revolution? We can already do all of that without it. Digital media adapters have been around for years. That's all just marketing to me...
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Pawn
29/03/2006 03:47 AM
With the computer market today companies tend to Re-market products such as this viiv that are already readily available to the people who know what they want. the fact is most people dont know how to install a cd drive in there computer so im going to agree with a previous post by yotish and say that most of the gamers and technical savy people are saying why invent something that already exists easy to sell to the rich people who have the money but dont know what Ghz stands for. All im trying to say is why spend the money
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Julio
29/03/2006 03:48 AM
That sounds interesting, of course, was already done. http://www.hauppauge.com/pages/products/data_mediamvp.html (new hw with 802.11G is to be launched). And, btw, works with ReplayTV or MythTV with mvpmc.sf.net, and has been working for quite some time.
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Anon_12431243
29/03/2006 03:49 AM
Unfortunately, sitting on the couch and PASSIVLEY absorbing media isn't going to cut it for many people who've spent a small fortune getting on board with an HDTV. The computer is a DVD-Player, Stereo, Television, PVR, communications device, Xbox 360, etc. Only using it for video would be a waste of money once you've added a big screen monitor. HTPCs will evolve without giving up useful features at a pace equal to the pace that which people create new fad devices for our parents and grandparents.
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yhamade
29/03/2006 04:09 AM
Here's why you need Dual Core: The Viiv platform isn't just a "dumb" hardware device that allows you to stream music and video from your PC to your living room. It allows you to stream HD video from your TV and record it on your PC, while streaming the same or different content to OTHER devices in your house (say MP3s to your shower radio, and a different TV program to your kids' TV in their room). Doing all of that simultainously can be processor intensive if the bulk of the heavy lifting is happening from your PC in your Home Office. And no, I don't work for Intel or anyone else who's making money off this.
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stubs2
29/03/2006 04:20 AM
This type of functionality is already available. Look at the Squeezebox(slimdevices), Roku, or even offerings from Linksys, Netgear and other consumer equipment manufacturers. This is just marketing hype.
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corwin
29/03/2006 04:26 AM
I've been doing this since 2003 with XBOX Media Center and streaming everything off my Mac Laptop. GET WITH THE PROGRAM. This is also why XBOX360 media centre sucks, it only supports Windows XP Media (uhhhhh, what about Linux, OSX?) - http://www.xboxmediacenter.com/
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Brad
29/03/2006 04:30 AM
This article reinforces the old saying "If you can't do, teach . And if you can't teach, become a journalist". Viiv is nothing more than a hardware DRM solution for Microsoft and Media Center is just WinXP Pro with a few new programs. I built a Via Epia ITX box that looks nearly identical to my home theater equipment that uses no fans and runs ubuntu Linux and MythTV. I paid a fraction of the cost a Intel/MS solution would and I can do anything with my media unlike this DRM from hell system. Plus I built it three years ago. It would be nice if C/Net would hire someone with any amount of technical ability.
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FatalSysError
29/03/2006 04:35 AM
I was disapointed to find out this article wansn't worth the time it took to load. Not only do you not go into deal as to what Viiv is, (a media extender that "hooks up" to existing hardware?) you rave about Windows media center, dual core hardware, and certifications. You might as well write the article on the back of the money you were paid to write it. I don't know what the authors credentials are, but it wouldn't be worth my time to hold a discussion with him.
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furious
29/03/2006 04:48 AM
JUNK Article, I want my time back!
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mememme
29/03/2006 04:57 AM
if you like to play PC games... the powerful living room PC will not go away
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Anonymous
29/03/2006 05:37 AM
"Such multi-tasking makes dual-core processors a necessity" what a complete rubbish... :D
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John Doe
29/03/2006 05:38 AM
WRONG WRONG WRONG First off, ever hear of Myth TV? It can be configured for client/server. Second - If no one wants to play games or surf the web, why then do cable companies offer DVRs with games? Why did TiVo recently add games to their DVR? Games are a nice thing to have when TV just plain sucks (which is most fo the time). Third - The ultimate DVR would be client server based. It would let me record four shows at the same time. It would let me expand to any room in my house just by adding a client. I could record any show to a DVD. It would let me show picture slideshows with music and play music files (all formats not just MP3). It would show video files I download (not just AVI, but all formats). It would have games - lots of them - and not just crapy games - hard core off teh shelf games. It would even have the ability to make internet video conf. calls to my friends (as easy as a phone call). It would also let me rip my DVDs and store them for later playing using an easy to use menu system that shows the covers of the DVDs in thumb nailes (easy enough for my 5 year old son to use so won't be able to destroy his DVDs). I would not have to pay a monthly fee or an enormous fee to "activate" any feature. Now, write an article that actually deals with what consumers really want and not just some corporate minded focus group that doesn't represent the true masses.
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kurdt
29/03/2006 06:39 AM
Multitasking doesn't require dual-core processors. Computers have been multi-tasking for over 30 years, and doing it just fine with a single core on a single chip. If you've got a web browser and an IM client open at the same time, you're multi-tasking already. No need to spread marketing lies.
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Sharpie
29/03/2006 06:53 AM
Old news. It's called the Media Center Extender or xbox. Take your pick.
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Pawn
29/03/2006 06:56 AM
I was following this article all day as to what people would say and wasnt i just on the bullseye as a matter of fact i hit a doulbe bull. so before these companies start marketing things we really could do without take some actualy consumer idead to thought. CNET hire someone who knows more about technology and when it was available not just what a company can refurbish
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I hope the author works for Intel
29/03/2006 08:03 AM
What a load of marketing crap...
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anon
29/03/2006 08:05 AM
How do you report an offensive article on this thing?
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efra
29/03/2006 09:22 AM
living room pc won't move to home-office. The opposite makes more sense. pc will shrink and get a better look then will serve as the long waited converged system - tv+hifi+recorder+phone+internet+games+*. But this may be bad for industry...
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Asher Moses
29/03/2006 09:29 AM
Hi guys, Thanks for the comments, however, I'd just like to clarify a few things. 1. We're an Australian publication writing for what's predominantly an Australian audience. Digital media adapters/extenders aren't yet available here, at least not in anywhere near adequate quantities. 2. Since our's is a mainstream audience, Viiv is a big deal for us. Of course, tech savvy users have ALWAYS been able to do these things long before the technology trickled into the mainstream. However, what Viiv has done is make this a seamless process that even mum and dad can configure. Cheers - of course, any further feedback is welcomed.
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Nemo
29/03/2006 10:26 AM
Pie in the sky...oh wait lemme guess, you wanna watch that DVD at full resolution and have some rediculous 6/7 or 8 way speakers too? well just sit down on the DRM verification probe and we'll get started...
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Mark
29/03/2006 10:40 AM
Gee wiz, I have just built a media centre PC based on Suse 10 & Myth TV. According to this article I've made a terrible mistake as I used a single core Athlon 3700, let me say the system does everything the article mentions and more and the Athlon handles it all just fine.
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Anon
29/03/2006 10:56 AM
Viiv is a heavily DRM infested and technologically restricted system. Buying a proprietary incompatible system like Viiv is a consumer nightmare. Viiv simply will not work with anything except Viiv. What the consumer really want is an open interoperable system that is not contaminated and crippled by DRM. You want something like a Myth box or Myth client/server system. Geeks can cheaply build a Myth system out of old recycled computers, and non-geeks can buy pre-built Myth systems from a number of places such as MonolithMC.com
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jgag
29/03/2006 04:13 PM
The idea is fine. I do this to some degree now with a sqeezebox / slimserver, which offers higher audio quality and less DRM. (and I have paid for everything I play!). But I still use my laptop!
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balder
29/03/2006 08:54 PM
True all that ViiV does, can be done now. And this article seems based on bias or ignorance. But let's not forget that this is mostly about standards and usability, when judging ViiV. We can build a fanless system doing all this, but it takes knowledge and time. Try asking people in the street, what a htpc is, how you build a silent one, and how you make it connect wirelessly, and then see how many you have to ask before getting an answer. Let's also remember, that we are the superusers and that there are quite a lot of users for everyone of us. This is about what they didn't know they could (and needed). And I for one is pleased, that factors like energy, noise and connectivity is getting increased attention from the big companies. Even Intel is getting with the programme now. If Intels competitors realised, that marketing actually works, we might even see improved competition in the market.
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cubicleslave
04/04/2006 01:32 AM
You guys have all missed the whole point of viiv. True, almost everything it does could technically be done before, but remember, the general population is not technical. We're talking about a population that often complains how hard it is to program their VCR! What viiv brings to the table is mainly interoperability and appliance-like ease of use through the use of standards. Will your mom or dad know about setting up WEP passwords, WPA, gateways, and IP addresses? Maybe a few moms and dads could, but I'd argue that the vast majority can't. And another thing: Viiv will enable all the devices you own to share DRM-protected content. I don't think you could do that before (legally). And lastly, I would prefer to sink all my money into one super-kick-**** machine (quad processor?) rather than spreading it out over several lower performing machines. That makes a good case for using media center adapters.
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Jeff Archer
29/11/2006 04:40 PM
I currently use the media centre PC as a media storage device located in the office. I use an Xbox 360 as the interface in my living room connected up to a denon home theatre and projector system. You are correct the P.C belongs in the office where you can download media from the net and enjoy it on the couch from the simplicity of the Xbox remote. I have tried wireless streaming media options but the quality is very poor. The Xbox is connected to the office PC via cat 6 cable.
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Methusela
11/09/2008 02:02 PM
If only Amiga had VGA!
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