N
net1
Guest
Microsoft has unveiled a new version of its Windows XP Media Centre, along with an array of new devices and services aimed at capturing consumer spending on movies, pictures and music.
The PC, which hooks up to televisions and allows users to view movies, listen to music and flip through digital pictures with a remote control, runs a modified version of Microsoft's flagship Windows software and is to be incorporated by several PC manufacturers.
The world's largest software maker said it would back up the new version of Windows Media Centre, which adds features such as instant messaging and the ability to display high-definition television, with a $100 million-plus marketing campaign. This week Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates confirmed that the company has ear marked $20 billion investment over the next six years to ensuring it has a large slice of the digital media market.
The system is designed to swap and share content with a variety of devices, such as portable music and video devices as well as the X-Box video game console and portable entertainment systems in some vehicles.
Media Centre PCs, which are mostly priced between $1,000 and $2,000, also allow users to listen to music stored on hard drives, view digital pictures and access a variety of other content.
The new Media Centre also offers the ability to swap instant text messages while watching TV, record and play back high-definition video, as well as a more advanced programming guide that allows users to search for movies.
The PC, which hooks up to televisions and allows users to view movies, listen to music and flip through digital pictures with a remote control, runs a modified version of Microsoft's flagship Windows software and is to be incorporated by several PC manufacturers.
The world's largest software maker said it would back up the new version of Windows Media Centre, which adds features such as instant messaging and the ability to display high-definition television, with a $100 million-plus marketing campaign. This week Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates confirmed that the company has ear marked $20 billion investment over the next six years to ensuring it has a large slice of the digital media market.
The system is designed to swap and share content with a variety of devices, such as portable music and video devices as well as the X-Box video game console and portable entertainment systems in some vehicles.
Media Centre PCs, which are mostly priced between $1,000 and $2,000, also allow users to listen to music stored on hard drives, view digital pictures and access a variety of other content.
The new Media Centre also offers the ability to swap instant text messages while watching TV, record and play back high-definition video, as well as a more advanced programming guide that allows users to search for movies.