PVR Wire interview with Microsoft's Mark Schwesinger

Well folks, you've seen the ads, you've heard the hype -- and some of you have probably already bought the software.

Of course, I'm talking about Microsoft's Vista -- and if you're a PVR nut like me, you probably picked it up to try out the Media Center features built in to Vista Ultimate.

We went one better than that, and decided to have a chat with Mark Schwesinger, Program Manager for the Media Center PVR team at Microsoft. Here's what Mark had to say about Vista, Zune, MCE and Apple...

PVR Wire: Zune. Bright start, rapid drop-off. How will MCE be affected by Zune and any related products or services? Will we see a close integration in future? Are there plans for Zune-based content on MCE?

MARK: At the moment there's nothing I can tell you about Media Center and Zune integration. All I can say is Zune is a great product and it's super exciting to see Microsoft entering this space. I'm sure with the future releases of both Media Center and Zune we'll continue to see improvements and closer alignment.

PVR Wire: Do you think Apple TV is likely to be something that will give Microsoft cause for concern?

MARK: Apple TV is an interesting product, but in my opinion Windows Media Center plus Xbox 360 offers a much richer experience. Think about it -- for the same price as an AppleTV, you get the ability to extend the Media Center user interface, you get live and recorded HDTV (in 720p and 1080i), your music, your photos, Media Center SportsLounge, and all the other Media Center online experiences, AND you get the #1selling video game console on the market, with its video download service -- which also features HD downloads.

PVR Wire: What do you think of Apple TV? Is it something you would purchase, or are there other media extenders out there that have caught your eye?

MARK: I already have a Media Center connected to my TV, so I don't have much of a need for this. I think the Xbox 360 is a better media extender -- if that's what you're looking for. Only the Xbox 360 and Windows Media Center lets me extend live HD content to any room in my house. What, with an AppleTV I have to buy shows that I already pay for with my normal cable or satellite subscription? That doesn't make sense to me, and we think it won't for consumers either.

PVR Wire: How closely integrated will MCE be with Windows Home Server?

MARK: Windows Home Server provides some new opportunities for the connected home, improving file sharing, back-ups, central storage and remote access. These are all great steps forward for the connected home. We'll certainly be looking at how we can take advantage of these features in Media Center to enhance home entertainment in the future.

PVR Wire: How will the rapidly-advancing world of streaming, video downloads (YouTube, Joost etc.) compete or integrate with MCE in future? Are video downloads playing a bigger part in the development of MCE than you anticipated?

MARK: Media Center has a rich extensibility experience and world class 10 foot design. I can't think of a better place to integrate streaming and video downloads. We have great partner experiences today, like SportsLounge and the upcoming Starz Vongo movie download service, and continue to work on bringing new partners and better experiences all the time.

PVR Wire: Can you see a time when MCE will be more like an all-in-one, off-the-shelf, set-top box like TiVo or Apple TV, rather than a PC-build OS which often requires extensive tweaking and configuration?

MARK: Someday I could see Media Center or Extender just about anywhere -- TVs, set top boxes, DVD players etc. But in the meantime, we have great partners working on living room form factors and we're doing everything possible to make the Media Center experience as simple as possible regardless of what type of device you find it on.

PVR Wire: Can you see a time when MCE will be the standard for Windows Desktop PCs, or will the ordinary desktop version of Windows always win through?

MARK: I think we're almost there. This past Christmas for example, 80% of all PCs sold at retail were all Windows XP Media Center Edition. With the release of Windows Vista I think we are going to be closer to this and you might expect. It's no longer a separate version of Windows, but an integral part of Windows Vista Home Premium and Windows Vista Ultimate. As a result, no longer will Windows Media Center be limited by country or form factor, now everyone that wants it can get it. We're going from shipping in only like 30 international locales to shipping in over 190 locales worldwide. And because Windows Vista Home Premium and Ultimate offer so much great value to the user, with features like Windows Aero, scheduled backup, DVD Maker, and of course Windows Media Center, I expect to see a large percentage of users buying them.

PVR Wire: MCE in future; what will be the significant developments in the next release?

MARK: We are currently in the planning phase of our next release. I'd love to give you all the details but we're still working on them.

PVR Wire: What's the one thing in MCE that you're most pleased with at the moment, or the feature you tend to use the most yourself?

MARK: This might be a little too obvious but the feature I truly use the most is the PVR experience. Every single day I sit down in front of my Media Center and watch some TV shows. With Windows Vista, I'm able to record digital cable and premium channels (using a CableCARD)...all the greatness of the Media Center PVR experience and stunning HD quality! And oh yeah, have I mentioned Xbox 360 can extend that HD with all the clarity of the original broadcast (720p and 1080i)?

PVR Wire: What PVR do you own at home? Are you purely an MCE man, or do you have TiVo or something similar?

MARK: All MCE!