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New Microsoft Entertainment Products Continue Transformation of Digital Media

With release of Windows Media Player 10, Portable Media Center, and MSN Music preview, Microsoft's digital-media strategy supports a fundamental transformation in the way people create, access and share entertainment.

REDMOND, Wash., Sept. 2, 2004 -- Every once in a while, the dance between trends and technology achieves an almost perfect state of synchronicity that changes the way we experience the world. This may be one of those times. Among the trends: five years ago, less than 13 percent of Internet users had a digital-music file on their computer. Now, 70 percent of computer users listen to music on their PCs. And that is just the tip of the iceberg. Last year, more than 100 million digital photos were taken. More and more people are using PCs to view videos. By the end of this year, 9.5 million TV tuner cards will have shipped.
Clearly, digital technology is becoming the driving force behind the way we enjoy entertainment. A series of new products and services from Microsoft, along with services and devices from partners, will play a key role in this ongoing transformation. With the release today of Windows Media Player 10, Portable Media Center, and MSN Music preview, Microsoft is at the heart of a fundamental transformation in the way people create, access and share entertainment.

Laptop Battery "Our vision is to deliver a seamless, end-to-end experience for discovering, downloading, and playing music, videos, and more anywhere," says Jonathan Usher, Microsoft's director of Windows Digital Media Marketing. "These releases are an important step forward in delivering on that vision."

Digital media and entertainment are a major focus of Windows Vista. The new OS streamlines how you locate, manage and enjoy all of your digital media. Microsoft has taken a holistic approach, making digital media and entertainment an integral, almost organic part of your PC. a principle that is at the core of Pinnacle's products.

Thinkpad Usher says Windows Media Player 10 is central to Microsoft's digital-media strategy. Media Player 10 makes it significantly easier to perform common digital-media activities, and it offers a built-in online Digital Media Mall, which provides seamless access to leading online stores and services, including MSN Music, CinemaNow, MusicMatch, MusicNow, Napster and Wal-Mart. Windows Media Player 10 also includes support for more than 70 portable devices, and it enables users to automatically copy music, video, pictures, and recorded TV to portable devices.

And then, of course, we have the Standalone Server product, which is called Acronis True Image Server for Windows or Linux and that will manage a single standalone server. What type of computers can we back up, because in a medium to a large sized, even some small sized businesses, who knows what kind of computers they have They may have laptops, they may have desktops, they may just have anything and everything

Microsoft For its part, MSN Music will play a key role in making it easier for consumers to find and purchase their favorite music and discover new music. With this week's preview release, MSN Music offers access to more than 1 million tracks from nearly 3,000 record labels.

Pixelodeon 2007 brings together both old and new media to discuss the transformation of the entertainment landscape in a way that appeals to anyone who is passionate about film. Topics discussed at the event will include digital rights management, copyright and file sharing, as well as innovative ways consumers can access digital content. The video festival will introduce independent content creators who use the Internet to build communities and engage audiences, and highlight new video technologies that help audiences access content they want by eliminating barriers between filmmakers and end users.

Laptop Computers The Portable Media Center is an entirely new category of handheld devices designed to enable people to enjoy the digital music, TV, movies, and pictures they store on their PCs on a single mobile device. The first Portable Media Center, built by Creative Labs, includes a 3.75-inch screen (9.5 centimeters) and enough storage for 80 hours of video, 5,000 songs, and tens of thousands of pictures.

B Laptop Computer Notebook from Sony is the perfect blend of mobility, style, and performance. This notebook PC will become the center of your digital entertainment universe, whether you're home, at school, working, or on the road. Perfect for the digital road warrior, the computer will help you get the most out of your digital devices when you are shooting photos with your digital camera, making a home movie with your digital video camera or playing music on your MP3 player.

Laptop Computer The simultaneous launch of Windows Media 10, MSN Music, and the Portable Media Center is the result of a coordinated effort spanning more than a year and stretching across a wide range of groups inside and outside of Microsoft.

Desktop Computer "Our focus is on enabling customers to discover and play digital media wherever they are," Usher says. "Achieving this vision has required close collaboration among many partners, both internal and external. In particular, our hats are off to the engineering teams. They've pulled off something of a miracle by providing a truly seamless experience while preserving all the choice users expect in a Windows environment."

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