The 2007 release of Microsoft's Windows operating system, Windows Vista, included a new version of Microsoft's Media Center, an integrated interface for experiencing and managing video, music, and photos on the PC or connected TV. The new version enhanced the Media Center with a streamlined interface design, faster performance, and, most strategically for Microsoft, an enhanced "Online Media" section, where independent content owners could set up their own branded experiences for Media Center users. To help their Online Media partners create engaging marketplaces, Microsoft created a new presentation language, MCML (Media Center Markup Language) which enabled the same sophisticated graphics and rich media capabilities used in the Media Center itself, plus a software development kit (SDK) to help partners build their Online Media applications. Microsoft understood that many partners would need more than the code base alone to create an engaging and appropriate showcase; to bring the experience to life, they came to Method to create a reference interaction and visual design to ship with the SDK. Method's challenge was to design an interface that would not only provide a baseline that could serve as a standard across brands, but could also support the need of each partner to brand and customize their experiences as desired. To answer the challenge, Method created a brand for a fictitious media company, "Eko," and designed several key features for the Media Center experience (enhanced navigation, adding to a shopping cart, and so on). The Eko interface built on core interaction models Method developed for the Media Center interface while also, through the use of color, movement, and branded graphics, offering a clearly distinct experience for the new brand. The reference interface was designed to accommodate both the 10-foot and 2-foot experiences of TV and PC interaction, and to be navigated via any of the associated input devices: a mouse/keyboard, a remote with a 5-way navigation control, and gaming controllers like that for the Xbox 360. The interface keeps navigational and decorative elements minimal and subdued, allowing the content provider's media to take center stage. Method worked throughout with Microsoft to understand the capabilities of the still-under-development MCML, ensuring that the design took full advantage of the software's advanced graphics, without overstepping its capabilities. Microsoft's Media Center partners have responded with alacrity. The code has been used to create engaging Spotlight applications for Showtime (see related story), Napster, Reuters, MTV, Movielink, Comedy Central, and others. By helping its partners to create elegant experiences that support their brands, Microsoft enhanced its own. set-top box interface advanced tv video on demand convergence