Note: This page is based on pre-release versions of Windows Vista and will be in a state of change until the official release of Vista containing Media Center. As this release is much more open to the public during development I have decided to have this page live while I add content to it before the release.
Since Media Center is included as a Windows Component and sold at retail it makes it the first version which can be upgraded to from a non Media Center Edition OS. In some cases you may prefer to do a clean install but buy upgrade Media and take advantage of the cheaper Home Premium Edition (particularly if the only thing the system is used for is Media Center).Currently the Upgrade Paths are as follows:
| Current OS | Upgrade Path |
| Windows XP Media Center 2002 | Install XP SP2 to get Media Center 2004 |
| Windows XP Media Center 2004 | Vista Home Premium/Ultimate |
| Windows XP Media Center 2005 | Vista Home Premium/Ultimate |
| Windows XP Tablet PC Edition | Vista Ultimate |
| Windows XP Professional | Vista Ultimate |
| Windows XP Home Edition | Vista Home Premium/Ultimate |
| Windows 2000 Professional | Vista Ultimate |
| Windows 9x/NT4 | Windows 2000 SP4/Windows XP/Clean Install |
Microsoft are producing Vista for traditional 32 Bit (x86) and 64 Bit (x64) Extended Processors. Unlike previous versions there is no official minimum CPU speed. Most likely because CPU speed is not what it once was in terms of defining performance, Windows Vistas 800MHz minimum requirement is not going to make for a good time. For traditional Pentium 4/D/Athlon XP I would recommend 2GHz+, for Pentium M/Core/Core 2/Athlon 64 I would recommend 1.5GHz as a minimum for Standard Definition Content. For HD the requirements are higher.
Memory wise you will need at least 512Mb of ram for Vista. If you plan to use Media Center I'd go for 1Gb+, 512Mb will run Media Center and in each build the performance is getting better. But I still wouldn't want to run my living room off a system with less than a gigabyte, delays in UI performance would be expected.
For graphics you will need a Video Card with a minimum of 64Mb (128Mb for high def) of ram and support for DirectX 9. A Windows Vista (WDDM) driver is required and Certified Output Protection Protocol (COPP)/Protected Path support is nessisary to make use of HDCP protected content over DVI. The Video hardware itself must contain a HDCP key to transmit protected content, essential for Digital Cable (CableCard) and HD-DVD.
Microsoft recommend a 100 gig hard disk for Vista Media Center, however this will end up being a choice based on your tuner hardware and how much content you record after allowing for the 10 Gigabytes Vista takes up. See TV section for details on file size.
A seperate DVD/MPEG2 decoder is no longer required as Microsoft now include their own. Other codecs may still be useful for high end features (see DVD section) and can be installed without affected the Microsoft Decoder.
A Tuner card meeting the Windows Logo Premium standard for Windows Vista - See TV section for futher format breakdown. A Tuner is not required to use non TV functions.
No details yet exist on how retail owners would be supplied with a Remote/IR Set