MCE doesn’t make the top ten?

I was bummed to read PC World’s Ten Reasons to Buy Windows Vista and not find Media Center on the list. Why? We’re doing lots of exciting new stuff with Media Center:

  • OCUR – Record premium HD content!
  • Visual refresh to the start page, galleries and overlays
  • Music library perf improvements
  • Support for chained DVD changers
  • Re-thinking of how we organize experiences like music, pictures and videos
  • TV mini-guide
  • And much much more…

More on system builder information disclosure

I spent some more time today learning about the information that gets posted to the system builder site. Sounds like the DVD changer hardware requirements were in fact published in a hardware requirements spreadsheet that got posted to beta place and if you had access to beta place then you had access to DVD changer information pre-launch. However, it does sound like there has been a breakdown somewhere because the hardware requirements information that was made available during the beta time frame has not been posted to the system builder site post launch. What I’m doing now is getting in touch with the owners of the system builder site and giving them the information on both the DVD changer and away mode so that they can add that information as an addendum to the power point that you folks are already aware of. Is there any other Emerald hardware requirement information that you would like to see disclosed?

I’m sorry, this situation clearly sucks. I thought the information had always been available and when I dug into the situation last week it looked like it was available but digging even deeper (thanks for pushing so hard) it looks like we screwed up. You can believe your conspiracy theories but this really looks like an accident.