Paul Thurrott on Front Row

Get your copy of Front Row from http://www.machacker.org/viewthread.php?tid=239&page=1#pid713 enjoy, and if you can't get the download straight away, then bare with it, it took me a while

The reason why DVD player doesnt work on your powerbook is because the iMac has a newer version of the DVD player App. The reason why he couldn't get a screen cap from DVD player is because Apple doesn't let you take one. Don't you love retarted assumptions?

Does no one else see where this is really going to go? Apple has 30" cinema displays. They are eventually going to make a high end 30" iMac, complete with TV tuner and (I hope) a cable card slot. For most people 30" would be enough. If they do that, then I am there. You can already see how this would work really great in a living room setting, with the built in iSight camera, Front Row software with nice, large icons. I know someone will say this: "but if Apple puts in a TV tuner that will kill the iPod video store" That is not the case. The videos on the store right now are just appetizers, something to get people used to video on an iPod. H.264 has what they call "scaleable bitrate" meaning that a small file size will look good at any resolution. The only thing wrong right now is processing power. QT7 videos don't run too well on my iBook G4 that runs at 933mHz but that doesn't bug me. You can see where Apple needed to switch to Intel, they will be able to make UBERpowerful hardware that will run with less power and generate less heat. More suitable to the iMacs shape and size. Give it a year, especially with the cable card, and we will see if I am anywhere near right. I have a feeling I am. If not, oh well it was a guess. One that would be really cool if it were to come true. It's called "The big picture." Step back and take a look.

Yes, I find that weird. I could not get dvd player work on my powerbook. http://www.gadgetsonthego.net/2005/10/front-row-1st-thoughts-on-my-powerbook.html

I'm a HUGE Apple / Mac fan, but Front Row is indeed a bit too simplistic when compared to other media center solutions. It's their first step, I understand that, but for Front Row to be of serious use, it needsa number of features added to it. (Some of which I really don't expect to see, such as Video_ts folder support, or ability to use subtitle files.)

I think there were two things that I did not like about his review, although he is correct that Front Row is no Media Center. The first would be that Paul complains that Front Row is simply eye candy that opens up iPhoto, iTunes, etc in the background. Paul says that the program should be more independent instead of just opening programs in the background. I question what is wrong with this. Why have Front Row run it own music/movie software when apple has already created great programs to do that? Not to mention an apple can run multiple programs at one time without creating major slow downs, unlike wintel machines. Second would be that Paul says that Front Row uses too much text entry instead of graphics. Paul claims that Media Center does music searches better when you choose a album by looking at the cover art. What type of nonsense is this. First, I dont have all the album art for my music. Second, even if I did, who could remember what the album art looks like for each individual artist. For music, text is the most simple, and the best solution to this problem. Now for movie trailers, graphics are excellent because they clearly show what they are.

Front Row isn't trying to be Windows MCE (yet). At this point it is basically an iPod style interface for all your media. I think it will be pretty neat by 3.0 or so but I think some of the other third party options have more promise. The main thing the third parties need to improve is their ten-foot-interface. A lot of the mock-up I have seen wouldn't work well on a TV from across the room. At least Front Row got that part right.

does it seem suspicious that thurrott couldn't get any screen grabs of the dvd player when its the only component that doesn't work with the hacked front row? and this review came out on the same day the hack was released into the wild. weird?

Apple is all about simple and elegant design. MS Media Center seems firmly aimed at the geek crowd. Would you want to hand over a MS Remote to your grandmother? "Have fun, granny!" Yet even my grandma has an iPod shuffle. Cramming gobs of features is not the golden goal of consumer electronics. The goal should not be getting the most features for the money. Those are the same type of people who get tight poodle perms because they want their money's worth.

ok, so call me stupid, but how/where do I get a copy of Front Row?