Microsoft responds to Apple TV by promoting Windows Embedded connected home solutions

September 7, 2010 | By Surur

Like every industry Apple enters, their new Apple TV is making waves, even if those so far are not very large.

Microsoft has also responded, by showing they do in fact have a product to answer the challenge –Windows Embedded Standard 7.

Windows Embedded Standard is based on Windows 7, and in the most recent revision comes with Windows Media Centre.

The video below shows how a set-top box running Windows Embedded Standard 7 can be customized by the OEM to deliver a unique experience targeted at a sports fan, but OEMs can easily personalize the look and feel of Windows Media Centre to meet their branding and naming and the needs of their target audience. It also demonstrates how such a device can play an integral role in the networked household, allowing consumers seamless access to all their content from multiple rooms in the home.

More interesting in the video than the custom Windows Standard box however was the role of the Xbox 360, which in fact is much closer in functionality to the Apple TV, but in fact can also play games.

Windows Mobile also makes a brief cameo appearance, but we hope Windows Phone 7 can play a much bigger role in the future Microsoft Connected Home, possibly as a streaming host and target and also remote control.

Read Microsoft’s press release related to the video here.

About Surur

Site Admin and Windows Phone enthusiast, he has been using Windows Mobile devices since before they were called PocketPC’s. He is currently sporting a HTC 7 Trophy.

Tagged video, windows embedded standard, windows mobile

Fahad

Microsoft has had an excellent product in Windows Media Centre for years, however, has not been able to make any inroads into Mass Market because it does not address what the market needs at all. Product management for MCE is extremely flawed. The only way it works best is in an HTPC connected to the TV, a setup with usually costs upwards of $500 depending on the configuration. By comparison, a TiVo costs between $200 – $300, a boxee box is estimated to cost $200, Apple TV will cost $100, and a Roku costs $70 – $130.
The cheaper alternative to connect MCE to the TV is using a Media Center Extender, like an Xbox or the ones from dlink and linksys. While they are cheaper, they are way too dependant on the existence of a computer running windows media centre. The xbox media center doesn’t even start till the computer is running and connected to the network.
Fahad

(continued from above)
In order for Media centre to be even remotely successful, Microsoft needs to let Media Centre boxes operate independent on a computer, and have a connection to a computer as an option. The box should connect directly to the media, be it YouTube, Hulu, Netflix, DVD, SD Card or Network Media without being dependant on a running PC.
What they need is a Media Centre that primarily streams content from the web, with the option of being able to connect to network media priced between $100 – $200 in order to make this mass market. Until then, this will continue to remain a toy of the hobbyist.
The Xbox is their Trojan horse. They just need to release a software update that lets media centre run independent of the computer. Better app development tools would be welcome too.

Surur

Isn’t that, except for youtube, the definition of the Xbox 360?
mark

Agree. They're going to lose this market to Apple and Google as they have several others. It's not just the usual MS PC-centric blindness. They also haven't let go of their IPTV vision as the broader play. And that's taking forever and is still only something like 10M users after more than a decade.
GP007

You do understand that what you're asking for MS has already and has been selling to cable box makers for a few years right? MS is at v2.0 of it's MediaRoom software which is what they sell to service providers and cable tv companies to use. It's out there and it works, AT&T's Uverse uses it iirc, and that's probably just one of them.

They also showed months (if not last year) Silverlight for set-top boxes which does everything you asked for again. "Media Center" is just the PC side, it's the one you know about because most people don't care to look deeper into everything else MS does that gets zero press for some reason.
qmt49

I'm continually amused by armchair critics who think they know how to run a massive corporation better than Microsoft. A few high-profile products like Kin and Zune which have not sold well, and suddenly everyone thinks Microsoft doesn't have a clue what they're doing.

Microsoft know exactly what they're doing. The Xbox 360 is their competitor to the Apple TV, and it's sold far, far better than that piece of crap. You can play games, do Facebook and Twitter, watch movies from Sky/Netflix/Zune, and soon Zune music will be there too. Plus you can transfer your own media. And Kinect will open up a whole new world of UI, doing away with the remote control and allowing you to navigate your digital media simply by speaking or moving your hands around. This is the true revolution of Kinect – not for games, but as a replacement for the remote control.

http://www.martinschmidler.com martinschmidler

You are right with the Xbox part, but I have to disagree about "MS know exactly what they're doing".

KIN is the proof. Did you read the blog post from MiniMSFT, shortly after KIN was killed? There seem to be a hell lot of managers who simply don't have a clue about what consumers really want. Apple has a lot of flaws, but at least Steve Jobs (or the people responsible) know how to create tech-products that everyone can use.

Personally, I hope MS will now promote the Xbox much more as something that can be used for movies/media. And they should add some new features to compete with Apple as well.

djguapo

When I think of the Microsoft equivalent of Apple TV, Windows Embedded Standard is the last product on my mind. I think of XBox 360, Media Center Extenders, and Zune HD's TV-out.
Ken

Did anyone see the "Play Blu-ray" option on the 360 extender?? I wish he would have explained how that works

http://twitter.com/random404 @random404

Good eye. To me that means the set top box has a blu-ray player and is being streamed to the 360. It's not unheard of because Sage tv does that to it's extenders.

douche slayer

if only microsoft had a device like the xbox 360 with windows media center that has almost 50 million users. Hmm it streams content from the network with a wide variety of codecs, streams music, play and record tv, and play all local content on internal or external media/storage devices . Oh wait a minute, you're either a troll,hater or blind and ignorant fanboy.
GP007

It's not for you to configure, it's sold to the box makers directly to use as the OS on the cable/Sat TV boxes they give you in your home. It can also be used by any OEMs to use in media servers/player boxes which have been sold for years now that are way better than the AppleTV by a lot.

Windows Embedded isn't something you buy and then install and setup yourself like a HTPC.
Joe

can someone tell me where I can buy that set top box. I have tried to find it, without any luck. I would like to buy it.