There is a full-day Media Center Edition Boot Camp at EHX. The 1/2-day sessions in the past were excellent -- the good, the bad, and the ugly of mce, tips and tricks, and some business considerations.
Prelim agenda:
1. Intro to Media Center Edition
2. Survey of products and services related to MCE
- MCE hardware
- Automation software for MCE
- Exploring MCE plug-ins such as Outlook, Caller ID, and CCTV management
3. Optimizing MCE installations for the home theater
4. How to use MCE as a source for whole-house media distribution
5. Integrating MCE into traditional, proprietary control platforms
6. The business of MCE – how to sell, install and support MCE profitably
7. The dreaded PC service calls – how to handle them, profit from them
8. Technical tips and tricks
9. Video calibration through MCE
10. MCE versus other media servers: A lively debate
11. In the field: How MCE is being used by integration companies
12. The future of MCE and related Microsoft technologies
13. Do the MCE providers care about this channel?
14. Survey of MCE-related products on the EHX show floor
Here is some related reading material:
Windows MCE: The CE Pros & Cons (Published 9/04, before current version of MCE)
Microsoft's Media Center Edition may be right for the living room, but does it make sense for your business? We present both sides of the argument.
[Link: ce-pro.com] Developers Roll Out H.A. Apps for Windows (again, older story, from 9/04)
Third-party home automation vendors are rolling out plug-ins for Microsoft's Media Center Edition.
[Link: ce-pro.com] Executive Q&A: Joel Silver (June 2004)
Joel Silver is the founder of the Imaging Science Foundation and co-inventor of Microsoft's Media Center Edition Calibration Wizard.
[Link: ce-pro.com] Tips, Tricks & URLs for Media Center Edition
MCE is a dynamic platform, but it's a challenge to implement for whole-house applications. For this reason, tips and tricks abound. Here are a few.
[Link: blog.ce-pro.com]