Chris

Does this satisfy you

http://thedigitallifestyle.com/cs/blogs/ian/archive/2009/01/07/toshiba-to-launch-av-devices-with-network-player-and-microsoft-s-extender-for-windows-media-center-technology.aspx

Eric B. Kim, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Digital Home Group, Intel Corporation, says, "Intel's consumer electronics platform, including the Intel® Media Processor CE 3100 and Widget Channel, provide performance, flexibility and Internet compatibility, which help Toshiba to develop a new generation of connected devices. These new services will extend the Internet into the TV viewing experience, and transform the way consumers enjoy personal entertainment."

"Innovation is changing the definition of TV -change powered by software and web services. People now want to easily find and enjoy their PC and Internet-delivered content on all their screens," said Enrique Rodriguez, Corporate Vice President, Connected TV Division at Microsoft. "Toshiba's integration of Extender for Windows Media Center technology in their products will deliver rich experiences including the aggregation and intuitive navigation of content or the blending of information and services from the Web."

 It sure does, I'm not sure how I missed that!  Thanks for the pointer.

So back to my original question

Will this be the first Extender not based on a Sigma Designs Chip??

 I believe so, however I don't know what Samsung is using in theirs.  D-Link, Linksys, and HP are all Sigma.

Looking at the white papers for the Sigma 8622 (the one used in the second-gen extenders) and the Intel CE 3100, it looks like they are replacing the Sigma chip. It looks like the Intel chip does the same thing, it's just MUCH beefier.

Here's the link to the 8620-series chip from Sigma's website:

http://www.sigmadesigns.com/Products/EM8620L/pdf_files/EM8620L_br.pdf

Here's the link to the Intel chip from earlier in the thread:

http://download.intel.com/design/celect/downloads/ce3100-product-brief.pdf

 The 8620 series is several years old, there are much better options in the Sigma line now (and even before the v2 were released).  Anyway, the PIka spec (which has since been pulled off the web by Microsoft) never defined a specific processor that must be used.  OEMs have always been able to develop on whatever processor they want.  People use Sigma because they have a dev kit/reference design for the Extender.  The long and short of that is that Sigma has already done most of the work, and OEMs just need to finish up the firmware, branding, licensing, and other junk before they take a product to market.

It is very exciting to see other developers dip their toes into the waters of media center.  They seem to be doing it in a safer way than companies like Linksys in the past.  This isnt going to be a stand alone extender, but have the capabilities built into existing products.  With this type of endeavor it makes it far less dangerous for the manufactureres and far easier for the average consumer to get into the home theater PC.  Most people have a PC, and giving them the option to open up media center more readily without having a front end is a cleaver solution. 

 I still dont know how this will be handled, but it is nice to see Manufacturers seeing the potential of this product. If only the television industry could see it too...and Microsoft for that matter.

 :(

 My two existing Toshiba LCDs cry out in pain.

Now that they are officialy joining the BluRay group and they also announced the Extenders for their line of "DVD and Network Players", I can start hopping that the dream of a blue-ray player with low-noise and power consumption can replace my xbox.

If  this network/dvd players become a reality, maybe Tageril TVs can become happy again with some other Toshiba relatives joining them on the rack. ;)

I still think the last two attempts on Extenders were a failure due to the bad specifications Microsoft had put together. Maybe the third is a champ, like it was with Windows. Who knows. :)

USArcher:

 Wow so does this mean a MediaCenter TV Widget is on the way for ALL Yahoo enabled TV's? I was thinking of getting one of the new 240hz refresh Samsung 55" tv's that have the Yahoo TV Widget built in.  I was going to use the netfix one, but a Media Center widget would be even bettter!    More info please :)

Wow this is good news,  this completely passed my by in Jan,  Hope this comes to the UK.  Will be on the lookout for a nice big TV for the bedroom  at the end of the year.  Would be great to have an extender built in! 

Here is the Video there are many more on Youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MycVmZAPqw

I think the coolest thing they have coming is the CELL TV with 8 digital tuners

I could be wrong but thats not the standard background for non XBOX 360 extenders. I think it uses the 3D interface like the XBOX 360 where the background is animated

it looks difrent form the non animated background of the DMA2100

heres the prototype