Viiv Ready PC Components Incompatible for DIY HTPC Builders
By Alexander Grundner |
February 22nd, 2006
Comments (1)
Not unlike many other write-ups that have come out from The Inquirer, today the site bashes Intel’s Viiv platform for being “stupid” and “incompatible.” I know that there’s a group of you guys out there (I’m not going to post names) who hate it when sites link to either the The Inquirer or The Register – mostly due to some shady/sloppy reporting they have been accused of in the past – but nonetheless, Charlie Demerjian article today highlights some legitimate problems with the whole Viiv/Vista MCE union.
First, consumers will be able to buy “Viiv ready” labeled PC components, but will NOT be able to create a 100% Intel Viiv recognized PC. As such, your newly built, Viiv ready powered PC will not work with future Viiv compatible devices (well, at least that’s the theory). The easier way of thinking about it is like this: Just because you can walk over to your local SportMart and buy your favorite sport’s team licensed jersey and equipment, that doesn’t make you an official player or gives you the right to play football against another NFL team. Note: Viiv ready components will be available for users to replace damaged components or for hardware upgrades.
Second, Charlie states: “[Y]ou can’t buy Media Center without an OEM PC, or at least you can’t buy it and stay in the license terms. So, there goes the main pillar of the must haves for the platform, the loss of any of which is an instant no-logo situation.”
Third, Charlie points out that many Windows XP PC owners today who see commercials about the wonders of Viiv will be confused and upset when they buy PC components off store shelves labeled as Viiv ready, thinking that they will be able to do what was advertised on their PCs: “Joe will see the logo on a box, plug in his DRM infected widget, and guess what, it won’t work. Any thoughts on his reaction? How about the reaction of the OEM to the support phone calls? ‘I paid $1500 for this, and it doesn’t work! The ads on my favorite reality TV show say it will do XYZ, and all my gizmos have the logo, so why does it not work?’”
Final thoughts: All might play out as Charlie has outlined, but if Microsoft allows specialty stores to sell the OEM version of Windows Vista MCE as they have with past MCE versions, the first two concerns, which are no doubt huge, will be for the most part null. Unfortunately, DIY-ers still will NOT be able to build CableCARD (and possibly satellite TV) ready PC because those definitely WILL require certification. One other thing… this is the first time I’ve heard of “Viiv ready” PC components. I was expecting to see “Microsoft certified for Vista MCE,” but the Viiv ready scenario works better for the reason that all Vista MCE PCs will be built exclusively on Intel’s Viiv platform.
Below are some links I found that are already previewing Intel Viiv ready products: (notice the logo says “Supports Intel Viiv“)
Anhui News - Intel Viiv Ready!
Softpedia - GA-8I945GMH - The First GIGABYTE Motherboard Featuring Viiv Technology
February 22nd, 2006 at 5:26 pm
Aw, another article by Charlie Demerjian. It must be true. :rolleyes: