Aaron, Jed, and Josh have arranged for a more in-depth briefing for us on the Media Center functionality in Vista.

Location: A VITO*-only hospitality lounge purposely erected on the front lawn of the LVCC, usually only accessible to corporate executives, rainmakers, etc.
RSVP: Exclusive, invite-only.
Time: The lunch hour of noon to 1.00pm.
Fiji water, our own Barista to fix the coffees, sumptuous digs.

Microsoft has a new segmentation of the functions of Windows Vista around themes that resonate: if I remember correctly, three of them are Memories - for media created by users, MC Video (forget what the official moniker for this is) for Media Center TV funtions, and Music. Three distinct areas were set up for the briefings, with each area showing off both a desktop viewing area - the two-foot experience, and an enlarged viewing area for the ten-foot experience.

Check this out:
Memories: the default photo cataloguing function in Vista is going to be more powerful than ever, and in this, I include all current 3rd-party software. Not only is indexing totally integrated into this, but the ability to insert metadata information into these photos lets users archieve greater control and help their creativity. Demoed: Vista, Kodak WiFi digital camera.

Video: CableCard. Not using an IR blaster/dongle to control channels and being able to use the Media Center guide to program channels is a definite plus - the cable from Comcast plugged directly into the computer. With the newly announced JV with DirectTV, even satellite programming will be accessed directly from the Media Center remote.

Music: Vista really shines here! You can slice and dice you music many more ways then a Ginsu(r) knife. Too many options to list here, but be rest assured, ITMS must be feeling the heat Vista is bringin'. More on this is my CES newsletter


VITO: Very Important Top Officer of a corporation, usually C-level execs.