We already know that a Windows Media Center PC can stream HDTV via WiFi to an Xbox 360 via the Windows Media Extender functionality, so maybe we're sticklers on these kinds of statements.
On top of that, the description of the Apple TV as the "next-generation Mac Mini" strikes us as a little odd, since the Mini was never sold as a media extender (even though you can use it that way) and the Apple TV was never sold as a general-purpose computer (even though you can use it that way).
From a software perspective, a Media Center extender does only one thing: deliver the Windows Media Center experience to a TV without a PC attached to it.
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While it's technically always been possible to stream (using the 360's Media Center Extender technology), the new update gives the masses who aren't yet using a Media Center box a quick and easy way to stream video to the television.
Set-top boxes and media-extender devices that broadcast high-def video signals to TVs will also be sought out at the show.
Users can even choose where they want to watch a program, whether on a TV connected to a Media Center PC or one in another room connected to a Media Center extender.
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Even with the Media Center and its extender sidekicks, however, there are still glitches.
Extender for Windows Media Center.
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So now if Media Center can play the file, it can also convert it on the fly to a format that your extender supports.
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Because although we've always been able to add these codecs to Media Center anyways, the real crux has been when you try to watch the very same content on an extender -- like the Xbox 360.
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