MS fanboy all the way. Most of the time if not all the time he has no facts to back up anything he writes. And like the others have wrote, front row is not meant to compete with Media center at least not yet. And when Apple makes that product that does it will be 100 times easier and better.

There is no comparison yet. Apple still does not have a media center type computer despite all the claims and expectations when the Mac Mini first came out. I would love to see something like this from Apple.

Yeah, it is Jobs' and Apple's fault. They dared release a computer that some people felt was perfect for their entertainment system (which it isn't even close to being), then rambling on and on about how great it would be for their entertainment system (why? I don't know, its not even component size) if only it had this, that, and the other thing, which is basically everything you need to make it into any type of media center.

Better yet or maybe even in the time being, partner with someone who has it figured out already. Tivo! I'm still waiting for the Home Media features from Tivo to work with 10.4 much less iTunes compatibility.

TiVO home media works for me on 10.4. I think when I installed it, it ran, then said it didn't install, or there was an error, but it was installed and works fine. The hack to get AAC music to play also works. I'm more interested in trying to get TivoDesktop 2.0 working on the mac.

Both are just copying what TiVo does. Microsoft 'cause they're greedy and Apple 'cause they're trying to make off something other than iPods, for when the bottom falls out of the mp3 player market.

quote: Sophistication is usually associated with products that are deceptively simple on the surface and yet fully functional

we agree on the definition, but that is exactly what Apple's FrontRow is not...

Well, who said that IR is the way to go with a remote? Mac mini's are perfectly capable of being a media center, and you can already do it from 3rd party products (some of which use blue tooth, some of which use regular wifi)...all of which are better than IR for this type of application.

Some people's 'remote' is also their cellphone, see www.salling.com

Apple just gave something extra to iMac users, but they don't get this market...not yet.

Apple will eventually integrate a TV tuner if they feel they're ready to really put their place in TV stands across North America. The problem with MCE is that the only affordable ones that everyone would jump onto use standard NTSC signals. Yawn. Front Row 1.0 is just the appetizer, wait until they get more content into H.264 HD and more people have computers fast enough to watch HDTV stuff, and possible they'd integrate an HD recorder and burn stuff onto their superdrives (what will BluRay drives be called? Ultradrives?) and then Apple will finally be ready for the ultimate killing. But for now Apple is being smart and waiting things out. I certainly applaud Apple's decision to have only six buttons on the remote although ultimately they may need to put a numerical keypad there... or the click wheel.

It is all about the interface, Thurrott. I assume and I hope as Apple adds functionality and adds iApps to Front Row, they keep the iPod-like interface.

I have never seen MS media center so I don't know how it works, but what I see in Front Row is a parallel, virtual desktop - call it the media rack, that sits in the background like the Dashboard, coming into play when needed and going away when it isn't needed. This may be an application that is in iLife, which would be cool, but it acts more like a virtual desktop in the OS. Thus it is has all of the QT, gpu, cpu power waiting in the wings and keeps the computer always nearby. It isn't a set top box hooked to a computer, it isn't a game console that can play DVD's - it is a virtual face to the device we call a Mac.

I would like to see Apple open Front Row to 3rd parties, like it does the Mac, who will add apps that can also be accessed via the FR rotisserie model. So if Apple doesn't want to add TV, Comcast or Elgato, can. It would create a Front Row ecosystem, like the iPod ecosystem and give developers the stage to innovate where Apple doesn't have the resources.

Probably won't happen until the interface is stable and Apple feels secure in releasing some control (yeah, right) but it would be like creating a whole new environment (like the Palm) with standards that could outcompete M$'s borgware.

MCE is now in about it's third iteration (MCE2005 Rollup2) with Vista on it's way. Front Row is v1.0

MCE supports all major content delivery formats - Analog/DigitalTV, DVD/CD, ripped Audio, Stills, Digital Audio, FM tuners, Internet Radio (note: can't currently mix analog and digital over-the-air tuners)

Front Row supports DVD, iTunes and still images. No TV or o-t-a radio

Until Front Row integrates tuner support (hmmm... wonder how ElGato stocks are looking) then it's just a nice add-on for an iMac. Add tuner support (and smart recording capabilities) and MCE fanboys will need to be worried, but until then it's second fiddle.

It's hilarious to see all of the early griping comments whose authors obviously didn't even bother to read the whole article. If they did, they would see that their indignanat rebuttals are arguing pretty much exactly what the author is saying here.

Well, the first Mac TV came out some 10+ years ago - while it was not much of a success, neither are the Media PC's. Most PC TV tuner card manufacturers have been selling an add-on function albeit until recently when HDD's prices dropped like a rock, most people did not offer recording capababilities. The Apple II offered a version tied into a Pioneer laserdisc player so the idea of a media center has always been there - until recently as HDD's prices are reasonably priced now, it was hard to garner much ethusiam.

The main problem is that the bulk of people do not want to pilot their TV via a PC - and since TiVo/faux-vo does the trick for less than $150, most people are satisfied. The early adapter/tech-geeks can run a NON-DRM version either with a hardware add-on or even with Apple's free giveaway from YEARS ago (search Apple Developer's site for HackTV or WhackedTV) ...

MS's problem is of course they have no clue about consumers and designed a system first to sell enmcoders/servers & a DRM to Hollywood and then kludged it to work minimally for consumers ... as usual, a** backwards and that's exactly what consumers think of it.

Is exactly how I describe the response to this article.

Like a few Apple products, this is v1 - not ready for the front room yet (hence not Mac Mini. There's also the fact that it uses features the Mini graphics card doesn't support - but probably will in the first Mini Intel media edition with build in IR on the front) . . . where I see it useful is in the situation a friend of mine is in - living in shared accomodation where an iMac gives him CD, computer and DVD player in one single package. (And as no TV tuner, no need to pay UK TV licence for it either).

Seems pretty stupid to use IR and not bluetooth for the remote.