I agree with you to a point. There is a high cost of entry associated with media center, but that is mostly indicative of the computer under the tv solution. Yes I admit that when I setup my media center I put it in a small form factor case, but where this solution really shines is the extender model. If you can use any old computer in your house as a backend and stream to the extender then the cost of entry is not nearly as high since you already had the majority of the hardware purchased for a different use. This would mean your cost of entry would most likely be (assuming Home Premium) $300-$400 plus the cost of an extender. If you already own Xbox 360's then you are even further ahead in the game.

I agree that the price point for the average consumer is considerably lower than the enthusiast, which hampers wide spread acceptance. Media Center may be expensive, but that is the price some of us pay for the best multi-room/unified media platform.

The reason the price jumps from $50 to $300 is because Centon's CEO said at CEDIA that the price range will be between $300-$600. Saying you would like it for $50 is pretty much saying you wont get it because it is above your price range. There is no way this will cost around $200 at the launch of the product. A Hauppage 2250 cost around $200 when first released and it wasnt a quad cable card tuner only a dual QAM tuner.

Once economies of scale kick in it could be possible to see prices drop considerable, but that wont be for quite a few months after the launch.

I know have become a bit of an HD snob, and no thanks to your podcast Ben. I know Microsoft wasnt divulging much information, but was there any hint if this was going to support their HD Streaming. As it stands I dont really use their streaming service for this very reason...coupled with some loading errors while using the interface.

This doesnt seem like big news. Win7 was already starting to receive praise from members on TGB when the built in NetFlix addon was made available. We all knew that Vista was lurking in the shadow of Win7 so this was inevitable. However, I am more disappointed that there werent greater improvements in the software. At the very least they need the inclusion of streaming HD content. To be honest this addon isnt even used in my house despite our NetFlix subscription. This is mainly due to the lack of streaming HD...plus we get the loading circle and no streaming video unless I close MC and restart it half the time. Most blu-ray players today have a much better NetFlix option with greater functionality.

If you are going to play Microsoft you need to step to the plate.

I still think that one of the best starts we can get on repairing the economy would be a thorough audit of the Federal Reserve (if our money isnt worth anything, what does it matter how the markets do?) Monetary reforms seem to be a bit lacking these days.

Not so much a recession antidote, but I would kill for media center to just work. I Dont know about you Ben, but I am sick of having to hack a system to get it to work no matter how slick the interface. When it does work, the WAF couldnt be higher though.

I still think that one of the best starts we can get on repairing the economy would be a thorough audit of the Federal Reserve (if our money isnt worth anything, what does it matter how the markets do?) Monetary reforms seem to be a bit lacking these days.

Not so much a recession antidote, but I would kill for media center to just work. I Dont know about you Ben, but I am sick of having to hack a system to get it to work no matter how slick the interface. When it does work, the WAF couldnt be higher though.

It is hard to say what the country could benefit most from, but at this point I feel it would be vital to audit the Federal Reserve.

As Thomas Jefferson said:

"If the American people ever allow private banks to control their currency, first by inflation and then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them will deprive the people of all their prosperity until their children will wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered."

I dont know what would be perfect for the economy, but I imagine a good start would be if the bill to audit the Fed actually passed in the Senate. I am of the opinion (feel free to disagree) that much of the financial crunch could be attributed to the steep devaluation of the US currency, and much of our debt being held by foreign investors.

As much as I detest my cable company I am hardly willing to replace one poor subscription service for another. Paying a premium for their services then having to endure endless commercials is hard enough to swallow from my cable provider. Luckily there are workarounds on platforms such as media center, which i intend to use. If I cant get the same thing from Hulu I would rather not waste my time.

I wouldnt mind paying a monthly fee if I had a choice between commercials or a subscription service without, but we all know we cant have our cake and eat it too.

On a slight upside, media center developers are integrating the Hulu desktop into media center....sorta.

This would give me another reason to put money into the economy now before my money becomes worth less later! Via buying a surround sound system I mean.