Microsoft gave my group, the Association of PC User Groups (APCUG) a private presentation of the new Media Center PC. In addition to being a full featured and powerful desktop computer, this computer played and edited DVDs, music and data CDs, MP3 music, as well as offering enhanced still image editing and display. Now being distributed by several major manufacturers, and featuring Microsoft’s new Windows Media Player version 9, these Windows XP machines may be the next popular generation of personal computers, available in desktop, notebook, and tablet configurations. It was also hinted to by some Microsoft insiders that a new generation of the popular handheld Pocket PCs may soon offer many of the same advanced features. This is not surprising, as last year (2001), at a private Microsoft presentation for APCUG, Microsoft demonstrated a Pocket PC with full multimedia capacity. Many of the newer Pocket PC models now coming on the market can play MP3 music, video from an attached DVD player, streaming video from the internet or a digital camcorder, read still photos captured by a digital still camera, and utilize other forms of multimedia. As some of the newer and more powerful Pocket PCs appear on the market, multimedia editing will become available in a computer that weighs but a few ounces and will fit in a shirt pocket!

Another example of the blurring of the distinction between TVs, DVD Players (one of the hottest items being sold this holiday season), VCRs (approaching obsolescence), the popular “time shifting” TV recording peripherals (like Replay TV and TiVo), and personal computers is the new PCTV Deluxe. This product, recently introduced, is produced by Pinnacle Systems, and is just now becoming available in the major computer and electronics stores. Priced at under $200, this device is about the size of a VHS videotape, and provides for “tapeless” recording of TV shows, camcorders, videocassettes, and other similar forms of media. PCTV Deluxe connects video devices to the computer (desktop or notebook) using the universally available USB connections, supporting both the newer lightening fast USB 2.0 standard, or the older USB 1 standard. This device also allows the user to “timeshift” his TV viewing, using his existing computer hard drive, rather then a separate external device. Simply, if the user wants to take a break from watching something on TV, he can time-shift the program, resuming the show at will from the time he left. The device streams the video to the hard drive, simultaneously recording current video, and playing the time-shifted video. The user can also select and create his own “instant replays”, and zoom in on any desired scene. Use of this device is made simple with the 41-key, full featured, remote control, which is included with the unit. Video

With the PCTV Deluxe, the user can watch TV, DVDs, or other video in a small window on the monitor while using the computer for computing tasks, and go to full screen TV as desired. It should be noted that a typical computer monitor is higher resolution than a typical TV, and may have a superior picture and sound.

Another function that many readers of this column may find helpful is the ability to copy videocassette tapes to recordable CD or DVD discs. Using the universal MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 video formats, both of which offer substantial compression, aging tapes, which may be subject to deterioration, may be replaced by long-life digital media. Other video sources, such as TV, camcorder, and DVD may also be used as sources, and burned to CD or DVD discs. The discs can be played back on the computer or any compatible player. Being able to store time-shifted video to disc also allows for the editing out of commercials or other unwanted content, as well as allowing for digital quality zooming and stop action viewing. Using this feature, the PC becomes a digital replacement for the set-top VCR, offering features that analog videotape cannot offer.

While many users have difficulty programming VCRs to tape a series of shows, now the PC can perform that function. PCTV Deluxe includes access to TitanTV, www.TitanTV.com, an online and interactive TV schedule, which allows users to easily schedule, record, and watch selected shows, with the ease of a click of the mouse. Including a customized cable, satellite, or over-the-air directory, TitanTV offers a comprehensive listing of TV shows. Clicking on a show allows the computer to record the selected show, or display information on the show. Digitally recorded TV has about the same quality as a DVD. Using the included trial version of the Pinnacle Studio 8 video editing software, or other video editing software, videos can be edited as desired. Once viewed, a show can be left on the hard drive, burned to a CD or DVD disc, or deleted as desired, freeing up hard drive space.

With the increasing availability of products like PCTV Deluxe, media center computers, and the upcoming release of Microsoft Windows Media Player 9, computers will become even more of an entertainment utility than they currently are.

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