When it comes to Home Theater PC’s Microsoft has a stranglehold on the market due to their inclusion of Windows Media Center into most consumer versions of Windows. That stranglehold is very quickly being broken, first by Hulu Desktop and now by Boxee for Windows.

Boxee for Windows has been released today for Windows (albeit in an Alpha version) and it works very well. Despite the Alpha status it is expected to be heavily downloaded by Windows users who up until today have been neglected by the Boxee team. Up until this point there have only been Unix based versions available but now that has all changed.

The application still has a few quirks, as is expected with pre-release software but don’t let that dissuade you from checking it out. When it comes to a pure content stance Hulu is still in the lead but now that Boxee has a much larger user base I expect the quantity of their content to grow very rapidly.

Some of the newest additions to this version of Boxee are Digg video content , MLB.tv (requires subscription), Tumblr music service, and Current. There are many other content providers such as Netflix that have place holders but are not yet functional.

If you either have or are thinking about getting a Home Theater PC, Boxee is a great addition.

Check It Out> Boxee, Download, Hulu Desktop, via TechCrunch

www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_txF7iETX0

When it comes to modern gaming consoles Microsoft is clearly in the lead with the Xbox 360, and they are not content to just let it be awesome. They are obsessively updating it and tweaking it to make it better. Sure there are always things for people to complain about but that is just natural.

This last week has been one of announcements and rumors for the Xbox team. First came Sky Player for watching live TV in the United Kingdom and then the rumors about a Hulu player coming for those in the United States.

As if this news was not good enough, today at E3 the following was announced:

• Twitter on the XBOX!!!!!! (Yet another reason to buy a 360 Messenger Kit)
• Facebook!!
• Full Downloadable Games!!!!!
• 1080p Instant Video Streaming
• Zune Video Marketplace
• Project Natal, a full body motion control system with speech recognition
• Metal Gear Solid: Rising

These announcements today is yet another example of Microsoft climbing it’s way back to the top. First Windows 7, then Zune HD, Bing, and now Xbox 360 enhancements, this is turning out to be a very good season for Microsoft.

UPDATE: Last.FM streaming music will also be available to Xbox Live Gold users

Check It Out> Twitter, Downloadble Games, Project Natal, Metal Gear Solid,