It seems so long ago now, but I still fondly recall my first experience with Microsoft's Media Center software, which back in early 2002 was known by its codename Freestyle (see my preview). At the time, Microsoft didn't even know how it was going to distribute the software, which represented the company's first serious attack on the lucrative market for living room-based digital entertainment. Microsoft eventually decided to release Media Center as part of a unique Windows XP version, called Windows XP Media Center Edition, which I thought was a mistake, though the company corrected that somewhat by making the latest Media Center version available in two Vista product editions, Vista Home Premium and Vista Ultimate.
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