Can smart HDTVs bypass the media PC altogether?
If you don’t own a media PC yet, do you actually want one? Now would be a good time for anyone who makes media PCs to step up to the plate and deliver an updated value proposition…Any volunteers? It was supposed to be the breakthrough product of CES 2006: a personal computer platform designed for incorporation into the living room entertainment cabinet, that would serve as the centerpiece of a component-rich environment full of choice and diversity. It was an idea touted by both AMD and Intel, and backed up by Microsoft. And if you ask consumers directly, the media PC isn’t all that bad an idea. But it hasn’t taken off. Indeed, if any technology has ended up underwhelming the public to a greater extent than, say, HD DVD, it’s the Viiv and Live media PC platforms from Intel and AMD, respectively, and the Media Center software that’s now part of Windows Vista Home Premium and Ultimate. With regard specifically to Viiv, in which manufacturers and retailers had the highest hope and perha
