MCE and Wii Media Center

Media Center
Vista released a new version of Media center with a new reworked menu. The reason for the change (http://mediacenter.mattgoyer.com/archives/category/vista/)
1. Content is king
2. Context is king
3. Vista is more scalable

Looking at WMC, seems to have the common windows idea of putting everything handy even when people don't use it. Maybe reworking the menu to allow for a more personalized menu to be used. Though I think the this may be accounted for by the modular design so people can add and remove pieces. Possible idea if 2D/3D menu direction: Adaptive menu for each user.

Control still seems limited to the remote and therefore the same mismatch between control and menu that occurs on the Wii will occur if using Wiimote to control the PC. The gap will be even larger for the PC the the Wii menu.

Control of the media (i.e. music and video preview) will also be effected by the contyrol method. Use of the Wiimote may explore using gesture to control the universal aspects of the remote control buttons (i.e. skipping a song may be a gesture) but gestures may also be use to control new forms of media previews (i.e. show first frame or last frame).

The Window Media Center Vista Menu Hierarchy

• Tasks
• Burn CD/DVD
• Sync
• Shut Down
• Add Extender
  
• Pictures + Video
• Picture Library
• Play All
• Video Library
  
• Movies
• Movie Library
• Play DVD
• Movies on TV
• On Next
• Genres
• Top Rates by Star Rating
• On Now
  
• Search
• Title Search
• Actor Search
• Director Search
  
• TV
• Recorded TV
• Live TV
• Guide
• Search
  
• Music
• Music Library
• Play All Music
• Radio
• Search
  
• Spotlight
• More Programs
• Online Spotlight

• Tools
  

Seems to me that all reviews of media center note but ignore the massive upgrade required for most machine, I updated less than 6 months ago and still miss in HD Tuner(got a normal digital analog card), RAM and Memory. The frills seems to be a big focus. This may be just me but I still use Window Classic style windows and buttons without effects, so I think that things always look bad if its locking up and I don't think about it if its running quickly.


Hands up if you don't like being such looking through Windows

// Mac's hand goes up: http://centerstageproject.com/
// Freevo's hand goes up: http://sourceforge.net/projects/freevo/
// Sage's hand goes up: http://www.sagetv.com/
//Playstations's hand goes up: http://www.game.co.uk/lowdown.aspx?lid=6956&cm_sp=PS3-_-topnav-_-media
// Xbox's hand goes up: http://www.productwiki.com/xbox_media_center/
// Wii's hand goes up: http://www.redkawa.com/mediacenters/wiimediacenterx/
Fully integrated Media centers are the direction of Home computing.

About to go to friends house this afternoon and do some "research" on the Wii and its menu structure. Going to try and get the basic menu hierarchy. Depending on the fetaures of a base system (i.e. no game), going to see if the menu system on Nintendo games are similar (Wii PLay, Wii Sports) and look at other makers games. If the base systems's menu is lacking a particluar program may have to be looked at. (Idea follows http://www.redkawa.com/mediacenters/wiimediacenterx/). which may be a nice baseline for further research (i.e. Takes principles from bridging the gap in 2D/3D interface/control and using new technology with the current media center format.

Go McLaren, Ferrari can have Kimi we got new blood.