14 DAY TRIAL // The big question here is, of course, related to the Windows XP Media Center Extenders. In the context of Windows Vista hitting the market, what faith will be in stored for the Windows XP Media Center Extenders? Well, there are different facets to answering this.
First off, the release of Windows Vista will impact little to none the users of Xbox 360 extenders. In such a case, Microsoft will deliver a software update and the Xbox 360 extender will be shamelessly integrated with Vista.
Actually, the problem of Vista and XP Media Center extenders will affect most severely previous Xbox releases and older extenders. A software update will no longer be sufficient.
"Windows Vista incorporates better DRM, which will enable content like native digital cable support for HD. The Windows XP extenders aren't technically capable of being updated to support the new DRM requirement, so they will not support Windows Vista. They will continue to work just fine with Windows XP, though," stated Nick White, Windows Vista Program Manager.
Microsoft has thought up a mitigation to the problem. I will let you judge the level of customer satisfaction on this one. It involves using both Windows Vista and the Windows XP Media Center on separate machines connected in a home network. "Set up your home network to share files from the PC running Windows Vista to the PC running Windows XP, and the Windows XP based PC will aggregate all of your content and present it to your extender. This way you can enjoy Windows Vista at home and still use your extender to access all the content on both PCs," said White.