08.01.2008 — Today is the last day to enter your Media Center installation in Microsoft's Windows Media Center Ultimate Install contest.

If you're the lucky winner, you get a free ride to CEDIA 2008 and a press party thrown in your honor (Saturday, Sept. 6).

Last year's winner, Imperium Smart Systems, was lavished with free press, and this year's champ has even more to gain: flight and accommodations for CEDIA 2008, a trip for two to Microsoft, $1,000 in cash, a professional photo shoot of the job, and a bunch of goodies for the accommodating homeowners – Xbox360 Elite, games, a couple of Zunes and more.


Todd Rutherford of Microsoft's eHome group says the company has received a variety of entries. He reminds dealers that the contest is not just about home control, but about "the entire Media Center experience."

He says, "None of our criteria is centered on using Media Center as a [home] controller. We're looking for a wide range of Media Center solutions that represent different aspects of utilization in a custom-installed system. We want to discourage people from thinking that only Media Center-based control systems will win."

With all the home automation products built around Media Center these days, sometimes we just forget that the product is "a great entertainment source," as Rutherford calls it.

For more information, visit Microsoft's Ultimate Install Contest site.

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