Microsoft has posted a short video that takes you from their work to get the PC to the living room even before Media Center. It’s short, but shows the evolution fo the interfaces along the way as well including a quick overview of Windows 7 Media Center.
Evolution of Windows Media Center
Media Center Timeline
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1997 Microsoft acquires WebTV
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1998 released WebTV Plus that included a TV tuner and programming guide
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1998 June - WebTV for Windows built into Windows 98 with support (drivers etc) for TV Tuner Cards in Windows
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2001 Bill Gates keynote address for the Windows XP Launch showcased version 2 of SnapStream's PC DVR product (predecessor to Beyond TV). Note this love for Snapstream’s product was likely at the same time Microsoft planned to release their competing product in the very next year!
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2002 Windows XP Media Center Edition Released
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2004 Digital Tuner support and hardware extender support (including Xbox)
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2006 Vista Home Premium includes Vista Media Center
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2009 Windows 7 includes newest version of Vista Media Center – there will be a few exciting surprises for this one: Stay tuned for news on that very soon.
Video discovered via Entertainment 2.0
