09.03.2008 — AMD, Crestron, HP, Intel, Lifeware, Microsoft and Niveus Media have founded the Media Center Integrator Alliance (MCIA) to "provide both integrators and manufacturers with best practices and training for technologies using Media Center."

Perhaps Windows Media Center hasn't been the runaway mass-market success that Microsoft and partners had intended. Now the key players are turning to the channel – the folks that can provide the best experience from the myriad Media Center services that consumers don't tend to know about.

The Alliance, which launches during the CEDIA Expo 2008, has four key missions, according to Microsoft's Kevin Collins, chairman of the board and president of MCIA:

• Drive awareness of Media Center
• Document best practices for installation, integration, and more
• Train installers on Media Center "from soup to nuts"
• Institute some kind of certification program

Since MCIA is new, the group hasn't hashed out specific plans. Working groups to address publicity, training, documentation and certification will form after CEDIA.

Collins explains that there are three main levels of MCIA participation, in addition to the top tier of founding members.

"Contributors" are major companies that "want to have significant offerings in the Media Center ecosystem," Collins says. For $10,000, Collins says, contributors get special use of logos and PR opportunities; chairmanships of working groups; and voting privileges.

"So you have a lot of power to really push things through," Collins says.

"Participants" may be manufacturers or software developers that have a substantial stake in Media Center, but may not have the resources of the big guys. Participants pay $2,000 to "participate."

Finally, at the "Integrator" level, members pay $500 to participate in working groups. "They don't have voting privileges," says Collins, "but they can contribute. The main draw is getting information that is consolidated and vetted from the Alliance."

In other words, join up as an integrator, and you get access to the documentation, training and other resources that come out of the Alliance.

The founding board members of MCIA are Gabe Gravning of AMD, Fred Bargetzi of Crestron, Ameer Karim of HP, Greg Schlechter of Intel, Seale Moorer of Lifeware, Kevin Collins of Microsoft, and Brian Paper of Niveus Media.

What? Crestron?!

Except for Crestron, the founding members are the usual suspects. AMD and Intel have been quiet in the CE pro channel lately, and HP has been in and out, demonstrating more enthusiasm lately with its Windows Home Server and MediaSmart extenders.

Lifeware and Niveus, of course, are the original channel champions, with automation software, Media Center servers and technical support befitting home systems integrators.

Though many CE pros don't take Microsoft seriously when it comes to home systems, the Redmond giant has been warming up to the channel over the past few years, and has been extremely influential in driving product development and support of professional installers.

But Crestron?!

The manufacturer of high-end control systems has floated in and out of the Media Center camp, and most recently is "out" but on the sidelines.

The company is coming out with a new media server, but it won't be based on WMC.

"We wanted it to be a Media Center, but we asked Microsoft for a lot of changes [to the platform], and it wasn't in their immediate road map," says Crestron VP of technology Fred Bargetzi.

Still, Crestron has confidence in Media Center and wants to be in the thick of things. "We're part of the Windows Media Center racing team," Bargetzi says. "We're very much interested and very involved. We want to see the success of Media Center. Once Microsoft makes some requested changes, there is no reason not to implement it. We are contributing to that process."

Read the MCIA Press Release

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