Media Center is Dead. Long Live Xbox One?

Farewell Windows Media Center, we hardly knew ye.

Tech blogger Paul Thurott announced on his blog yesterday that with the coming of Windows 10 the rumors of Media Center’s demise will no longer be exaggerated.

Media Center, which was relegated to being a paid update upon the release of Windows 8, will not be part of Windows 10 at all according to a tweet from Micrsoft’s Gabe Aul:

In a follow up tweet Aul mentions a “DVD option” in Windows 10 for those that used WMC to play DVDs.  What he does not mention is any solution for those that used Media Center’s DVR functionality to record and playback live TV.  Thurott says that, according to his sources, this capability will be coming to the Xbox One, and possibly this year.

The ability to watch live TV has been part of the Xbox One since launch and digital tuner support is currently in testing for members of the Xbox One Preview Program, likely to be released to the general public in the next month or so. With that in mind DVR functionality is certainly a logical next step.

If this information does turn out to be accurate get ready to see a run on external hard drives compatible with the Xbox.  The console’s built in 500 GB hard drive is already proving to be too small for many users, and that’s before adding off air HDTV to the mix of games, apps, and video from the Xbox store.  However, as more people cut the cord, an Xbox One DVR may go a long way to keep network TV accessible without cable or satellite. Is a DVR in the Xbox One something you’ve been waiting for, or is it something you’ll never use?