Vista SP1 Windows Media Center Meets the 2008 Beijing Olympics

Microsoft has poured a consistent amount of effort into occupying a place as close as possible to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games which are scheduled to debut next week. In this context, the Redmond giant has ensured that MSN and Silverlight 2 would be in the spotlight via NBCOlympics.com, but it is also going one step further. According to Microsoft's Brandon LeBlanc, users of the Home Premium and Ultimate SKUs of Windows Media Center on Windows Vista RTM and Windows Vista SP1 will be able to take advantage of a new service offered by NBC to access content from the Olympic Games.

"NBC is expanding its coverage of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games with an Internet-delivered catch-up TV service powered by TVTonic on Windows Media Center on PCs running Windows Vista Home Premium or Windows Vista Ultimate! With NBC Olympics On The Go and Windows Media Center, you will be able to create a customized channel lineup of your favorite events for automatic download to your PC. Download NBC coverage of the Games overnight, and take them with you to watch online or offline in up to HD quality," LeBlanc stated.

All that end users will have to do is grab their own copy of NBC Olympics On The Go. According to Microsoft, the item will be made available through the NBC Olympics option which is featured under the "Online Media" portion of Windows Media Center. Installing the Windows Media Center NBC Olympics service will provide users with content from NBC Sports. In this regard, Windows Media Center users will be able to enjoy coverage in HD and additional options which will allow controlling the video playback.

"The Easy Install requires no keyboard or mouse and sets everything up for you to begin watching content. However, more advanced users (and users with plenty of bandwidth) can choose to do a more comprehensive Full Install," LeBlanc stated. "The Olympics begin August 8th, and video will become available in NBC Olympics On The Go on that day. If you don't see NBC Olympics under Online Media in Windows Media Center on your PC - not to worry! It should appear very soon."