Unsurprisingly, the biggest draw at Microsoft's booth at CEDIA this year is Windows 7. Surprisingly, at least for me, the enhancements to the Windows 7 Media Center experience aren't all in the interface. Microsoft reps Ben Reed and Kevin Collins gave me a rundown of new features this afternoon, and I'll be honest: there was so much I've already forgotten most of it. But a few details stuck in this old noodle.

First, Windows Media Center now supports Switched Digital Video (SDV) tuning via CableCARD, opening up Media Center users to a vast number of digital cable channels they couldn't access before. What's more, end users can now add CableCARD tuners to their own PCs, instead of being forced to purchase a PC already so equipped.

Windows 7 users also have more freedom to view digital cable recordings in more places. So-called "Copy Freely" content can now be moved between PCs, and even copied to portable video devices, whereas a Media Center Extender was previously the only way to move digital cable recordings from place to place. Needless to say, these are very welcome changes for digital rights advocates.