Whatever happend to Microsoft Smart Display/Tablets? Are they still around? Does Windows XP MCE 2K5 support them?

[CZroe]

OK, My HTPC setup is nearly complete. I've got the Shuttle SN45G system with PVR250MCE TV Tuner, 1200JB boot and 1600JB storage drives and a 600GB-capacity RAID5 fileserver in the closet, XP Media Center Edition 2005 and the Samsung YH-999 Portable Media Center. My only problem is that the HTPC will be primarily for XP Media Center Edition functions, as it can be a resource hog when doing anything else and I do not want the performance degredation that comes from typical use as an all-around gaming/multimedia system.

But even with such limited use, I can imagine conflicts... ie, my brother may be playing a Gamecube game on the set when I'm ready to sync my recorded programming to the Samsung PMC and go off to work (No time to watch at home with two full-time jobs!). A Smart Display seems as if it were MADE for an HTPC setup because it would solve the problem immediately.

I have concerns however, that Smart Displays may still require XP Pro to operate as they were once said to. Earlier versions of XP MCE were based on a full XP Pro installation, so they wouldn't have a problem, but to avoid cannibalizing sales of XP Pro with the cheaper and now finally available OEM version of XP MCE (2005), they removed the ability to join domains making it useless as a general purpose corpoorate workstation. I'm sure they removed other abilities also. It can only join a domain if placed in the domain during initial setup and sadly, my fileserver is not set up as a domain server (yet). If MS wasn't concerned that Smart Displays did not support XP Home, why should they be concerned about MCE2K5 support? I need a definate answer on this before I buy.

I need recommendations for a good model. Because it would only be an alternative to firing up the HDTV monitor, I don't mind a small low-resolution model (Preferably, the smallest I can get @1024x768).

I know it uses Remote Desktop Connection, so I'm hoping none of my custom Powerstip resolutions and settings will do anything to it. If so, do they have any 16:9 widescreen Smart Displays? What has happened in the world of Smart Displays? Last I remember was when they were introduced with a host of deficiencies like 802.11b instead of 802.11g, no way to prevent a local user from bumping you off, no XP Home support and more. Has *anything* changed?

Edit: Just did a little eBaying and it looks like the only one available is the old Viewsonic that was reviewed ages ago. Was it the only one ever released? I can't find a MS product page to reference others like they have for Portable MEdia Centers. It appears like the initiative was killed off early (Too similar to MS Win XP TabletPC Edition?). Even though a Smart Display is just a dumb terminal with Windows software for accessing the PC over Remote Desktop Connection, I don't want to resort to using a laptop w/ RDC if I don't have to. I plan to use virtualization software for even surfing the web on the MCE machine to avoid unecessary formatting and performance degredation of the main system and a laptop would just circumvent that need at a cost I'm not willing to pay. I haven't even missed my other laptop since my brother broke the screen. I think it would have been pretty cool if they just made a tiny hand-held 1024x768 Smart Display used for alternative access when the main display was used for something else (As it will commonly be with an HTPC connected to an HDTV). If Smart Displays are truely dead, my vision is shattered.

 

[CZroe]

Bump

 

[SuperFreaky]

a smart display is a monitor that has built in software that can run a windows remote desktop connection?

 

[CZroe]

Yes. The Remote Desktop Connection software is actually running on a Windows Embedded core with it's own CPU and everything (Though You are actually using the remote PC's resources ).

 

[VirtualLarry]

I thought that MS was going to be enabling "concurrent sessions" under RDP in some version of XP MCE, specifically to support "Smart Displays". At least that was the theory given, for why TS/RDP in some XP SP2 beta versions supported concurrent sessions, although it was taken out of later versions and the final.

I wonder if anyone has hacked together a hybrid distribution of Windows, using Server 2003's TS/RDP service, along with the XP MCE services/apps? Probably not though, but that sounds like what you would need to pull this off.

 

[CZroe]

Originally posted by: VirtualLarry
I thought that MS was going to be enabling "concurrent sessions" under RDP in some version of XP MCE, specifically to support "Smart Displays". At least that was the theory given, for why TS/RDP in some XP SP2 beta versions supported concurrent sessions, although it was taken out of later versions and the final.

I wonder if anyone has hacked together a hybrid distribution of Windows, using Server 2003's TS/RDP service, along with the XP MCE services/apps? Probably not though, but that sounds like what you would need to pull this off.

Actually, while that would come in handy too, I was specifically talking about the TV, which it is connected to over DVI, being used for other things, like a game console. Because the TV is the only monitor the PC will have it will need another way to access the PC... RDC should do the trick and a Smart Display would do it nicer. Concurrent sessions would come in handy if someone were watching a DVD or playing a game on the PC when I needed to sync my recorded programming or something, so it is still very interesting! I'm sure MS removed it because they have no intention of supporting Smart Displays anymore. They seem to have been quietly killed.

 

[PlatinumGold]

if MCE allows RDP then smart display will work with it.

however, i don't know of a legitimate verwion of XP that allows concurrency yet tho.

there are registry hacks on the net if you search for them that allow rdp concurrency.