Microsoft 'Windows TV' To Debut At CES 2011?

With the keynote just a day away, predictions for the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the world's largest gadget expo, are in full swing.

The latest rumor, as reported by the Seattle Times, is that Microsoft will unveil an Internet-connected television running a simplified version of its Windows operating system. Such a device would be Microsoft's answer to smart TV offerings from the likes of Apple and Google, as well as smaller upstarts like Roku.

The Seattle Times writes:

Microsoft's going to make a splash in this market with a stripped-down version of Windows tailored for set-top boxes and connected TVs. The software is a version of its embedded device software, overlaid with the Windows Media Center interface, with media streaming and remote-control capabilities.

These new Windows TV boxes have been glimpsed online since Microsoft unveiled its new embedded software lineup in April, and then again at an Intel conference in September.

The boxes are expected to cost around $200 and go on sale later this year. They'll pose a serious challenge to the new Apple and Google TV devices, largely because the Windows boxes have a polished and familiar TV-program guide that makes it easy to blend and navigate both online and broadcast content.

The Seattle Times does not cite any sources that might shed light on the the likelihood that such a device will debut, the author of the post noting that this is just one of several devices he is "expecting to see this year."

Yet Reuters reported in November of last year that Microsoft was eyeing a re-entry into the TV space.

"The software powerhouse has held talks with TV networks to create a new subscription-based TV service on its Xbox gaming console that would rival efforts by Google Inc, Apple Inc and Netflix Inc," Reuters wrote.

Comments

[JohnUSA]

11:27 AM on 01/05/2011

Good news for Google. Now more users will watch YouTube.

[llibsetag]

09:35 PM on 01/04/2011

I can't decide...Do I want the BLUE Screen Of Death OR The RED Ring Of Death from my MS-WebTV-XBOX-Zune-Windows TV?

[intentions]

02:15 AM on 01/05/2011

Haven't seen a blue screen since Windows Me. But I have seen quite a few spinning beach balls within the last few years.

Before you knock the Zune, you might want to use one. My friend ditched his iPod touch for one and he swears he will never go back. If you are at all a music fan, and not just an Apple fanboy, I suggest you listen to them both with good headphones. You will realize the Zune has much better sound quality.

I will give Apple credit though. Their marketing is top notch since it can make any one of their fans think they know much more than they really do.

[4RealMan]

05:56 PM on 01/05/2011

Exactly. It has been well over 10 years since I've seen a blue screen of death. more than 10 years! Apple fanboys need to put an end to that argument.

[llibsetag]

09:33 PM on 01/04/2011

WINDOWS TV? Great...No w I can get the Blue Screen Of Death on my TV too, Thanks Ballmer!

Scene 1 : Fade up inside of a secret boardroom somewhere in Redmond, WA: "I Got IT! Let's Buy WebTV & put a new logo on it & BOOM! We will be great innovators too & totally monopolize the TV TOO!
GENIUS! BWAHAHAHA! "

AAAAAANNNN NND Cut! Fade to black.

P.S.: Microsoft Partners own HUGE portion of Comcast Cable too, so if you think the "monopoly" is an overstatement & wonder why Google TV had such a "hard time" with the cable people....think again.

[MrVee]

04:57 AM on 01/06/2011

What is your problem? This isn't new for Microsoft. XBOX 360 is already tied into Netflix, Vuze and the Zune to stream movies and a number of other online service. You need to get out more dude.

[SezMichael]

09:32 PM on 01/04/2011

Windows can't even make Media Center worth looking at yet.

[MIKEinNYC]

09:10 PM on 01/04/2011

What it all comes down to is that I find the stuff on my computer to be more interestin­g than the stuff that on my TV. On the other hand, I'm not interested in sitting around in front of a computer doing computer stuff with a bunch of friends and relatives. Computerin­g , in this sense, is a lot like reading a book.

Which is not to say that there's no room for some kind of marriage. For instance, it would be nice if we could use the internet to deliver full HD programing to our TV sets as an alternativ­e to the cable and satellite companies and over-the-a­ir companies. Nothing wrong with a little competitio­n.

[thinkb4uleapII]

08:57 PM on 01/04/2011

Microsoft's new slogan: Why innovate when you can just copy!

[ElimGarak]

04:51 AM on 01/05/2011

Umm... Yea, when did Apple come out with their first TV product? About 10-12 years after an equivalent product came out from MS? Or was it only 5 years after a much superior product appeared on the market? No, wait, at around the same time that MS came out with version four of that TV product that could do dozens of things that Apple TV still can't do.

[thinkb4uleapII]

08:55 PM on 01/04/2011

Oh great, now my TV can get a a virus.

[thx1139]

08:53 PM on 01/04/2011

MS has some great products in this area and just needs to consolidate and market. They have Windows MediaRoom (AT&T Uverse set to box uses this), Windows Media Center, and Xbox 360 (which also can be an Uverse satellite). Us Media Center users have said for a long time they need to dedicate more people to the product and really market it.

Finally they need to integrate with Microsoft Kinect and get Kinect integrated into TVs.

[Trout Bum]

07:52 PM on 01/04/2011

Will it come with Ctrl Alt Delete Keys?

[Sing Out and Slap Iron]

04:48 PM on 01/04/2011

Isn't Microsoft the MS in MSNBC?

[MIKEinNYC]

09:11 PM on 01/04/2011

MS=Microsoft
NBC=Nothing But Crap

[gfs5541]

04:12 PM on 01/04/2011

You would have thought that Microsoft learned their "WebTV" lesson, but nooooooo.

[jgeurian21]

05:04 PM on 01/04/2011

Given that WebTV is the father to the Xbox and 360, I would say it worked rather quite well. Your comment would be akin to lampooning Apple for the horrid 1st gen AppleTV sales as they sell 1+ million AppleTV 2nd Gen units.

[CurrencyIsKing]

03:46 PM on 01/04/2011

Microsoft has missed on a lot of consumer electronics, but they hit it out of the park with the Xbox, and I am thinking Windows TV will be closely related to Xbox. Look for a big Microsoft win here.

[chaallus]

03:29 PM on 01/04/2011

my dad still uses a WebTV from 1996!

[tonewheel]

03:14 PM on 01/04/2011

At 2X the price of Apple TV.

Users will love the familiar blue screen....

[SaveTheMarshMouse]

03:24 PM on 01/04/2011

Ha - exactly

[docbungle]

03:24 PM on 01/04/2011

Also, I'm betting with 2x the functionality of Apple TV.

[J0E1]

03:04 PM on 01/04/2011

It's amazing that Microsoft is always two steps behind Apple and Google at all times in every product category except perhaps desktop OS.

[ElimGarak]

03:30 PM on 01/04/2011

No, what's amazing is that with the original version of Media Center coming out in 2002 and millions of users world-wide, people still think that Apple and Google came up with the idea first.

[mados123]

03:43 PM on 01/04/2011

Oh snap!