Too loud to serve all needs

Microsoft is prepping a line of media extenders that beam content from Vista-powered PCs to home entertainment centers, just in time for the holidays, reports the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Linksys, HP, D-Link, and Niveus are launching extenders for Microsoft, with prices starting around US$ 300, the cost of competitor Apple TV.

Though Microsoft enjoyed success with the Xbox 360, which also acts as a media extender, users have decried a need for a quieter alternative, complaining that the gaming console is too noisy.

Microsoft launched media extenders for Vista's previous incarnation XP, which reportedly "never took off."