Pros: Vista Media Center, media hubs flounder
updated 04:00 pm EST, Fri January 26, 2007
Media Centers Flounder
The version of Microsoft's Media Center software included with Vista has slim chances of conquering the living room during its lifespan, technology professionals said in a new survey published by financial news outlet SeekingAlpha. Responding to questions about Vista's chances of success as the underpinnings for a media hub, only 40 percent of the experts believed that its TV-oriented platform was good enough to wield a major influence in the home theater arena. A full 46 percent of that same audience saw either Media Center's interface or technical limits as enough to prevent it from ever gaining a foothold.
The apparent failure to win expert approval may be a sign of a timid response to media hubs and home theater PCs in general, SeekingAlpha's Paul Carton observed. Only 11 percent of all professionals in the survey expected the concept to explode in popularity in 2007, and 13 percent declined making any sort of prediction. This may cloud additional results that showed the Apple TV as front-runner, Carton noted, as the Cupertino-made hub may command what amounts to a niche market for the next one to two years.
