The Media Center update was probably restricted to OEM because of the dumb accounting rules that Sarbanes Oxley puts on companies. Microsoft can't distribute it for free the same why the iTouch updates cost money. They didn't account for them on a subscription basis.
And MS could have gotten by that by simply charging for the upgrade ala the iPod Touch. I would have happily paid $50 for it if it came with support. Same thing with 802.11n, Apple just created an installation CD and charged a minimum amount for it.
But since it breaks WebGuide, I would have probably thought long and hard about installing it. I guess the advantage of Windows 7 is that hopefully all this stuff works together.
I have long thought that Media Center was treated like the redheaded stepchild over in the eHome division, I think this just proves it. Unfortunate, as this is a Microsoft product that even a Mac user like myself love. It has so much potential beyond just being a fancy DVR.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
scottM @ Aug 15th 2008 11:48AM
The Media Center update was probably restricted to OEM because of the dumb accounting rules that Sarbanes Oxley puts on companies. Microsoft can't distribute it for free the same why the iTouch updates cost money. They didn't account for them on a subscription basis.
Jim Mallory @ Aug 19th 2008 6:15AM
And MS could have gotten by that by simply charging for the upgrade ala the iPod Touch. I would have happily paid $50 for it if it came with support. Same thing with 802.11n, Apple just created an installation CD and charged a minimum amount for it.
But since it breaks WebGuide, I would have probably thought long and hard about installing it. I guess the advantage of Windows 7 is that hopefully all this stuff works together.
I have long thought that Media Center was treated like the redheaded stepchild over in the eHome division, I think this just proves it. Unfortunate, as this is a Microsoft product that even a Mac user like myself love. It has so much potential beyond just being a fancy DVR.