2006 08 24
for the
NCAD Workstation
Microsoft now provides 3 variants of its mature desktop Operating System Windows
XP
Professional (32bit)
Professional x64 (64bit)
Media Center Edition (32bit)
While awaiting the arrival next year
of
Vista,
WinXPpro x64, is the available choice for most users wanting highest performance and
endurance. However, for applications that require proprietary drivers,
there may be delay in obtaining necessary updates that enable success in the new
64-bit compilation. The solution is either dual-boot, or defer adoption of
x64. If x64 is not desirable for your multi-media computer, you may
consider MCE.
NCAD
Media Center
Windows XP/Media Center Edition 2005,
MCE,
is the third generation of an effort, by Microsoft, to facilitate convergence of
computing with multimedia content, including real-time broadcast. In the
U.S. local broadcast stations continue broadcasting the long-familiar, analog,
low-resolution, NTSC signals over-the-air, OTA. In the late 1990s, the
FCC mandated
implementation of the successor to National TSC -- ATSC, Advanced
Television Systems Committee.1
In the Cincinnati region, all local stations transmit ATSC for most programs.
ATSC is a digital transmission, providing Digital TV or DTV. Standard DTV,
SDTV, emulates the lo-res result of analog NTSC. Compared to SDTV,
High-definition DTV, HDTV, provides a 10-fold increase in data per second for
higher quality audio and video. Reception, tuning, processing, and display
of HDTV requires appropriate antenna, cabling, reception, electronics, and
display technology that renders the bits streaming in OTA. As with NTSC,
ATSC broadcasting is free and not protected with encryption. In contrast,
most cable and satellite broadcasts, providing otherwise comparable formats, are
encrypted.
Often, the first supplement to the base Media Center pc is a TV tuner card,
which captures selected channel (frequency) NTSC analog broadcast and encodes
the analog information into the digital MPEG-2 format, a recordable file stream.
The NCAD Media Center,
NMC, may simply
represent your choice of an O/S; or, now, or later, be elaborated into a
complete multimedia management station, enabling:
1. Computer as intelligent TV director console, allowing windowed,
simultaneous viewing and/or recording of multiple NTSC or ATSC program streams.
2. Stream control: Pause, record, replay, of all multimedia content -- audio
and video.
3. Digitization of legacy analog streams, such as hi-8 video tapes.
4. "Back-end" Internet access to rich content supplementing real-time
broadcasts with program information and content metadata.
5. Optionally transparent interplay between unidirectional broadcast
reception, and interactive 2-way internet communication.
6. Content Library development.
7. Composing, mixing, editing, for new content productions.
8. Freedom from keyboard; control via MCE remote control device.
9. Distribution of central MCE to remote sites (bedroom) via
Media Center Extender.
10. Management and Presentation control, by Extender Users
11. Video Conferencing and Publishing.
12. Security camera integration, recording, and internet access.
13. Smart home functions monitor and integrated control and N access.
The NMC is an alternative, or supplement, to cable and satellite TV
service. With the NMC, there is no monthly fee.
For most of my life, i have not had or wanted a TV, generally regarding it as
too much bad for little possible good. Mainly, i am unwilling to
waste my time and focus on the diversion of an
advertiser's program. With the NMC, opportunities include more control of the
"screen", consistent with my program for Life.
For a young family, the NMC
represents an investment in free learning and enrichment, enabling full control of the
content available to precious, young, inquiring minds. Relief from the
ridiculous exposure to indignant, distracting sales messages not applicable to
any current interest.
Trust NCAD to provide you with honest, knowledgeable guidance to the most
satisfactory starting point on a system that endures and scales as your budget
enables new investments in this open-ended platform.
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FootNotes
1. Acronyms and terms
http://www.atsc.org/document_map/documents/T3_543.pdf
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