cM :: MORLEY|DIGITAL

Just heard from a custom a/v rep firm earlier this week that Fuze Media, developer of a Vista Media Center wrapper, has closed its doors.  Launched in August of 2007, Fuze introduced a custom Vista Media Center wrapper whose claim to fame was multi-zone audio with granular control.

Just a few weeks ago, they sent letters to customers stating they were no longer in operation and any tech support would be handled by an independent contractor previously associated with the company - at a premium.  Their toll-free number has been disconnected.

Fuze’s business model highlights the problems a technology company has in trying to address the custom A/V market.

1)  They spent their money and resources on developing a wrapper for Vista Media Center that only slightly expanded on its capabilities.  Media Center and the underlying hardware, when introduced into a home theater environment with its own issues of ethernet networking, HDMI, and RF is tough enough to manage on its own without adding an additional layer of proprietary software complexity.

2)  It’s an over-featured product that addresses a VERY small market - its main feature was granular control over multi-room audio, with the ability to individually control individual rooms from one screen.  Second zone audio functionality built into today’s A/V receivers coupled with volume control nobs and a wireless remote will deliver similar functionality for much less - and that’s just one option.

3)  They relied on a CableCARD partner for manufacturing their box whose priorities were divergent from their own.  Fuze was not a Microsoft OEM that was authorized to build their own CableCARD enabled media servers.

4)  They flat out did not understand the custom A/V installation business and the ecosystem of dealers, retailers, installers, and customers who do not have the same technology foundation that e-tailers of these systems do.  In fact, their Texas rep, before they dropped Fuze, used to call me to trouble shoot his CableCARD issues.  Fuze’s decision late last year to license its software to PC companies (only one picked it up - the manufacturer of their boxes) effectively KILLED their dealer network as dealers could no longer make any money on the hardware when people could buy direct.

All in all, Fuze’s model proves that the most important thing about the media center business has nothing to do with bells and whistles but rather policies and procedures.  Vista Media Center, out of the box, provides 95% of the functionality a high-end A/V customer could ever dream of wanting.  Properly training your dealers to sell, and more importantly, not OVERSELL the product by setting expectations and properly training installers on a totally new platform is what makes a product successful in this market.

Until PC companies understand this, they will continue to fail, or be relegated to selling a PC on the internet to technologists and computer geeks.

I’ve seen a lot of buzz around the web about MSI’s DIVA HTPC platform and its ability to support ATI’s TV Wonder Digital Cable tuner.  This is correct, but not for end users.  The MSI motherboard has the table built in for the AMD/MS OEM partners to put in their CableLabs information to enable playback of digital cable content including encrypted QAM content.  However, this table is not populated.  An individual is not able to enter into the necessary agreements with the relevant parties in order to get this information.  Furthermore, you must be direct with Microsoft to get the special COAs that have a digital cable activation PID.  Without this PID you will not be able to even enable digital cable during the TV Tuner setup portion of Media Center.  So buy DIVA because it’s a kickass HTPC platform, but please don’t waste your money if you think you’re going to get digital cable working.

Edit:  Amazingly, some people still aren’t convinced.  From MSI’s own website:  ”Support ATI OCUR capable for Microsoft OEM approved Integrators” - this doesn’t include end users.

Specialty media server company among licensed Microsoft Partners to deploy Media Center TV Pack 2008

The Woodlands Texas-August 13, 2008– Microsoft OEM Gold Partner and authorized digital-cable media server OEM Fluid Digital is proud to announce the integration of Microsoft’s Media Center TV Pack to enable an enhanced TV viewing experience.

“We’re excited about delivering even more value to our customers with native support for four digital cable tuners, an enhanced electronic program guide, and the ability to share non-protected digital cable content across PlayReady-enabled PCs and portable media devices,” says Chris Morley, Executive Vice President, Fluid Digital.

Fluid Digital Media Servers will begin shipping with the Media Center TV pack in Q4 of 2008. In addition to four digital cable tuner support, Fluid Digital will be able to integrate additional Clear QAM tuners in a heterogeneous manner, with the ability to remap channels to various tuners within the system.

“In my 32 years of designing and integrating home theater solutions, I have never experienced a technology progress so far and at such a rapid pace,” said Kevin Buchanan, President of Fluid Digital. “What Microsoft has been able to accomplish in the living room has been awe inspiring and we are pleased to be a part of the story.”

Fluid Digital Media Servers are sold through a vetted dealer network and are professionally installed to ensure years of hassle-free TV and media enjoyment. Fluid Digital Media Servers are a perfect combination of technology, art, and experience in the audio visual industry.

About Fluid Digital

Fluid Digital is among a handful of Microsoft Partners authorized to integrate Windows Vista with Digital Cable support. Fluid Digital was the first to market with AMD’s 780G chipset integrated in a digital cable media server. Fluid Digital is the only media server company in the business that is wholly owned by a custom A/V hybrid (retailer/installer) that enables them to have the fastest response time in the industry.

Contact:
For dealer inquiries, please contact Kevin Buchanan at 281-298-8778. For technical and capabilities inquiries on Fluid Digital media servers, please contact Chris Morley at 512-535-2659. Please visit our website at www.fluiddigitalmedia.com.

For more information on this press release and Microsoft’s TV Pack, please check out CEPro.

I’d say that my love affair with Microsoft’s Media Center started with a BANG last year when I was the first to launch digital cable tuners in Windows Vista.  And while I moved a lot of boxes for that company, I had no idea just how expansive the whole home theater ecosystem was and what it was like to actually integrate this technology into a real-world environment.  I learned very quickly that PC companies just don’t get it.  Their systems are built in a vacuum and treated like a PC.  The PC world shoves technology down the A/V industry’s throat so fast it almost turns most A/V dealers off of anything PC related. 

But not so at Fluid Digital.  I spent months not just focused on the hardware or the software, but the actual usability and real world experience that high end customers demand.  It’s one thing to sell this hardware to tweaks and geeks who have been waiting for it and are techno-savvy enough to deal with issues, but quite another to sell the product to someone who has never even heard of Media Center before.  And once you inject yourself into someone’s TV watching experience, you better be damn sure that your system is going to be more reliable than their cable box.  Because people can stand a blue screen or two with their computer, but interrupt American Idol and there will be blood.  I also took this philosophical approach when I designed MAINGEAR’s Axess HD.

So, here are some pictures of the last high end install done by a Fluid Digital dealer, Home Entertainment, Inc.  And yes, that’s Media Center being controlled wirelessly by a PSP.  You can watch and control 100% of your Fluid Digital media server any where around the world, including high definition premium cable channels, for less than $750 retail.

BTW, that new project I mentioned I was working on?  It should be announced at NVISION at the end of the month.

A little birdy brought this to me last week.

For full specs, read here.  I also received a mATX version of this mini-ITX powerhouse, the DG45ID.

This fulfills all the players I mentioned in my article I wrote for DailyTech last year entitled “Video Processing: A Race To The Bottom.“

That was nearly a year ago, and our options today are fantastic.  AMD’s 780G led the charge, followed closely by NVIDIA’s 8200 chipset, and now Intel’s G45 solutions are starting to enter the fray.  It’s a good time to be an HTPC enthusiast, that’s for sure.

Just to be sure, I did test the DG45FC @ 1080p over HDMI running H.264 content ~30Mbps with 2GB of RAM and an Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 and experienced about 28% CPU utilization.  Not bad in my book!  That was with Vista 32-bit and ArcSoft’s TotalMedia Theatre.