So here's how a day can go at CEDIA Expo. I take a morning meeting with the graphics card mavens at AMD, one of the driving forces behind the Media Center Integrators Alliance. They explain how their video solutions help empower the next-generation of digital media, and they haven't lied to me once in the ten years I've known them. I also find out that the MCIA, an industry group, is all aflutter with the imminent launch of Windows 7, which promises to provide even more robust entertainment features in it Windows Media Center.
That leads to the big news that Dish Network has brought a very early, unofficial proof-of-concept setup with their Dish programming available on a Media Center PC! Satellite TV on the computer has come close a couple of times but never happened, so I made a B line for B Hall.
Sure enough, a high-end Niveus home theater PC was part of the Dish display, although despite much preliminary talk, no formal hardware or partnership announcements have been made. DISH did however bring along a working prototype of their upcoming 922 box, too, and I definitely liked the many improvements that I saw. All in all, some profound revelations before lunch.
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