Life|ware Unveils New Media Center Servers, Microsoft Shows UP

September 2007 By Jeff O’Heir

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Since losing major marketing support from Hewlett-Packard earlier this year, Exceptional Innovation, the developer of the Life|ware home control and automation platform, has moved more into the hardware side and has formed closer relationships with Microsoft and other manufacturers.

CEDIA Expo 2007, held this week in Denver, also marks the first time Microsoft has established a direct presence at the show. In the past, CEDIA members slammed Microsoft for its lack of direct support, despite the growing acceptance of Media Center-based PC as part of the home network and entertainment environment.

“Our software and hardware alliances in the CEDIA market have created a huge amount of interest in Windows Media Center as the platform of choice for the digital home,” Scott Evans, group manager in the Entertainment and Devices eHome Division at Microsoft, said in a statement. “As a result of our growing collaborations, Microsoft decided the time was right to establish a direct presence at the custom installation channel’s most eagerly anticipated annual event, CEDIA EXPO. We are fully committed to making Windows Media Center-based devices the most compelling entertainment solutions, and we are here to demonstrate our support for the custom channel.”

Microsoft is also demonstrating its new Extenders for Media Center, which are designed to deliver digital media content to up to five zones in a home.

Meanwhile, Life|ware announced an entry level and a four tuner CableCARD version of its Windows Vista-based Life|media servers. The machines come in five flavors; range from $3,500 to $11,500; run on Intel’s 2 Duo or 2 Quad processor platforms; are designed for CableCARD, Blu-ray and HD-DVD drives; provide up to 4 TBytes of storage; and come in three- and four-space rack mount and set-top versions. In the past, Life|ware promoted HP’s Zseries of Media Center PCs, which the company discontinued.

“We’re building hardware products out of necessity,” said Mike Seamons, Life|ware’s vice president of marketing.

Seamons said the LMS-754 Life/media server will allow users to simultaneously access multiple broadcast streams, including high-definition digital cable, in four zones.

“That is a huge win,” said Matt Peters, president of Wireless Home, a custom installer and Life|ware partner based in Naples, Fla.

Peters explained that previous flavors of Windows Vista only allowed users to watch one live broadcast stream at a time. The new quad-tuner technology, he said, will help drive sales and makes Media Center systems a stronger piece of the home network. The new servers will be available in the fourth quarter, Seamons said.