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EMI Music, Napster to support Portable Media Centers in Europe
Mar. 17, 2004

[Updated Mar. 18, 2004] -- Microsoft announced this week that EMI Music and Napster will support its Windows Mobile based Portable Media Centers in Europe. Microsoft made the announcement at CeBIT 2004, where it also revealed that hardware manufacturers Creative Technology and iRiver International plan to ship the devices in Europe by the end of 2004. The devices will run a specialized version of Microsoft's Windows CE embedded operating system, to be called Windows Mobile software for Portable Media Centers.

Portable Media Centers (PMCs) enable users to copy digital media content from their Windows XP PCs for portable viewing. Multimedia content types initially supported will include digital music and videos, digitally recorded television shows, and digital photos, according to Microsoft. The photo above is of a PMC concept prototype demonstrated by Microsoft in January 2003 at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

According to Microsoft, content can be moved from Windows XP based PCs to PMCs using new Smart Sync technology, which will provide a direct link between Windows Media Player on a PC and a PMC. Thanks to the use of Windows Media Audio (WMA) and Video 9 Series compression technology, a 40GB PMC will hold up to 175 hours of video, 10,000 songs, or 100,000 pictures, Microsoft says.

Microsoft says it is localizing Windows Mobile software for Portable Media Centers so manufacturers can ship devices in Europe, Asia, and North America during the second half of 2004. Language support will include English, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese.

Device manufacturers Creative Technology, iRiver, Samsung Electronics, Sanyo Electric, and ViewSonic have all agreed to build Portable Media Centers, according to earlier Microsoft announcements.

Creative and Samsung PMC prototypes
(click each image to enlarge)

"Following the phenomenal success of digital music players, adding video and photo-viewing capabilities is the natural next step in personal entertainment," commented Paul O'Donovan, principal analyst in the Consumer Applications and Emerging Technologies Group at Gartner Inc. "Music videos are one example where video capabilities will be compelling, especially to a whole generation of European consumers that watch music TV. I believe that if the price is realistic and the right video content is available, shipments of this type of device could rival music-only players by the end of 2007."

"We're sure that Portable Media Centers will be one of the hottest gifts next holiday season," said Todd Warren, corporate vice president of the Embedded Devices Group at Microsoft.

Windows Mobile based Portable Media Centers are being demonstrated this week at CeBIT in the Microsoft booth (Hall 1, Stand 7I 2), the Creative Technology booth (Hall 23, Stand C16), and the Intel booth (Hall 2, Stand A46).



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