Intel and Microsoft are days away from a national ad compaign to promote the "Entertainment PC" shown here:

The HP Media Center

According to this article the companies seek to "show off how entertainment PCs can be used to view photos, listen to music and watch video throughout the home, not just the den or bedroom where computers are traditionally found."

The campaign is titled "Digital Joy" which alone should set off warnings bells. There is nothing joyous about anything Microsoft has produced over the past five years. Intel and Microsoft are also launching a new Web site, at www.digitaljoy.com (at least that's what the press release says; the Web site is currently blank).

I believe that homes in the future will indeed be streaming all types of A/V content between all types of devices. But I do not believe that Microsoft has enough credibility to succeed in the living room, not yet at least. The XBox is a good first step. But when Microsoft uses the term "PC" in the same sentence as "home entertainment," I just don't see much good coming of it. You don't want to create the impression, no matter how erroneous, that consumers will one day have to reboot their TVs.

I hope I'm wrong because I do want to see home networking get to the next level. But I'm more likely to bet on Sony, Apple and Linksys succeeding in this area than Microsoft.