Everybody but Apple on media center PC bandwagon

[peter2002]

The only bright spot in the PC biz right now are convergience PCs that allow you to watch and record your favorite TV shows when you want, plus you can easily skip the commercials or other slow points in the programs.

HP's $1,399 Media Center is leading the way. Gateway ($4,099 PC media system with 42" plasma monitor included), Sony, and even Dell says "watch this space" for their spin. Unlike TiVo, you don't need a subscription, and with DVD burners standard, HD space isn't an issue plus you can view on your TV or anywhere else.

But at Apple Computer Inc., which uses its own proprietary operating system, executives have decided against marrying TV viewing with personal computing.

"The idea for a lot of customers to move their PC right next to their television or entertainment center isn't exactly going over well," said Greg Joswiak, Apple's vice president for hardware marketing.

"When it comes to how these things work in the living room, we have what we think is a better approach, which is not that the computer has to go right next to these devices, but that all these devices should talk to each other."

HP Media Center fans point out that all a user has to do is plug the cable TV cord into the back of the PC to essentially turn it into a television.

http://www.latimes.com/technology/la...s%2Dtechnology

I imagine this is just a temporary oversight. Apple will probably have their own system by this summer to make it easy to record, burn and watch TV on their Macs. The key thing you need is a video card which has a cable jacks in/out. Most of the major graphics card makers have them for under $200. Plus you need software and preferably a 200GB HD or better.

Pete