This week Media Center blogger Chris Lanier joins me in an interview recorded a few weeks ago he talks of his disappointment with TV Pack, the Enthusiasts verses Custom Installer debate and this thoughts on Windows 7. I also have your email and news items.
One thought on “The Media Center Show No.194 – Chris Lanier returns”
What Chris fails to call out (and a flaw in is premise/conclusion logic re his marketing conclusions) is that WE ARE ALL CUSTOMERS and have been for over 6 years. I pay hard cash for this stuff. So to say there is no market, or it is not defined, is just not correct. His last point about Cable providers being the competition is right on. Using ATT as an example it is stated that it is using the Microsoft foot print so that is a win/win. The way that Media Center competes with the cable/att paradigm is at the productivity base, e.g. the desktop. The dual role of Productivity base/plus server based computer (MCE enabled), aka an Extender server is the sweet spot. That way a user at their desktop running MCE becomes the center of the home “solar system” (quoting Ballmer re “solar system”) and the extenders are the slaves fetching up content from the dual purpose PC (Interactive USer/Server). That way you do NOT pay the cable companies for all the remote boxes, and you squeeze out the cable company as the only source of content (as the PC can be used as the content gateway). Also, since the center of this ecosystem is the productivity PC, it can be used to broker out, manage, fetch, record, rip, control, monitor, whatever content. The “fork” strategy (MSFT is the expert chess/knight piece re strategy) is that you can do BOTH with the Xbox, ether have it as a slave or use it to “go direct” either via the internet or local DVD. So i will not rant more here.. but Chris. U sound like you need some rest. Get well. I think you need to take some advice given to me and “slow down”. Get on the Windows 7 bandwagon. Think more about the PC centric center being the desktop (managed and tuned) and the “forked” strategy. Windows 7 will level the playing field out and it is a rock solid center (star) of the ecosystem… Oh, and lastly re the “PC centric” focus. It is not just the PC… it is the API’s…and familiarity. Also, one last thing about strategy (and i would love to play you in chess if you are online), I think you are confusing the FORK strategy (aka the knight movement) as MARKETING CONFUSION, or mixed message… It is neither and it is intentional. What may seem like uncertain direction is tactic and a redirection strategy, much in the way that a snake charmer uses a slight of hand to distract the Cobra. At least that is my take… Give it some thought. Stop fighting the cobra head on 😉 and try some charm (i should do the same LOL)
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What Chris fails to call out (and a flaw in is premise/conclusion logic re his marketing conclusions) is that WE ARE ALL CUSTOMERS and have been for over 6 years. I pay hard cash for this stuff. So to say there is no market, or it is not defined, is just not correct. His last point about Cable providers being the competition is right on. Using ATT as an example it is stated that it is using the Microsoft foot print so that is a win/win. The way that Media Center competes with the cable/att paradigm is at the productivity base, e.g. the desktop. The dual role of Productivity base/plus server based computer (MCE enabled), aka an Extender server is the sweet spot. That way a user at their desktop running MCE becomes the center of the home “solar system” (quoting Ballmer re “solar system”) and the extenders are the slaves fetching up content from the dual purpose PC (Interactive USer/Server). That way you do NOT pay the cable companies for all the remote boxes, and you squeeze out the cable company as the only source of content (as the PC can be used as the content gateway). Also, since the center of this ecosystem is the productivity PC, it can be used to broker out, manage, fetch, record, rip, control, monitor, whatever content. The “fork” strategy (MSFT is the expert chess/knight piece re strategy) is that you can do BOTH with the Xbox, ether have it as a slave or use it to “go direct” either via the internet or local DVD. So i will not rant more here.. but Chris. U sound like you need some rest. Get well. I think you need to take some advice given to me and “slow down”. Get on the Windows 7 bandwagon. Think more about the PC centric center being the desktop (managed and tuned) and the “forked” strategy. Windows 7 will level the playing field out and it is a rock solid center (star) of the ecosystem… Oh, and lastly re the “PC centric” focus. It is not just the PC… it is the API’s…and familiarity. Also, one last thing about strategy (and i would love to play you in chess if you are online), I think you are confusing the FORK strategy (aka the knight movement) as MARKETING CONFUSION, or mixed message… It is neither and it is intentional. What may seem like uncertain direction is tactic and a redirection strategy, much in the way that a snake charmer uses a slight of hand to distract the Cobra. At least that is my take… Give it some thought. Stop fighting the cobra head on 😉 and try some charm (i should do the same LOL)