QuickPlay

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

User interface of HP Quickplay for Windows Vista

QuickPlay is a technology pioneered by Hewlett-Packard currently used in their Pavilion line of consumer entertainment notebook computers beginning with the dv1000 series and above, including the new Pavilion HDX series. This feature allows users to play their music CDs, DVD movies, and MP3s stored on the hard drive in a separate Linux partition without booting to the main operating system. The last revision of QuickPlay "Direct" 2.3 uses Windows XP Embedded instead of Linux. This technology has been expanded to include the Compaq v3000 and many other Compaq notebook models, and has also been emmulated by other computer manufacturers such as Dell, Alienware, and Toshiba in their own notebook product lines.

QuickPlay software revisions up to version 2.3 shipped on notebooks with Windows XP Media Center Edition have two components. The first component is a "Direct" function that provides instant access upon boot, with use of the QuickPlay external button found on the notebook or included remote, and the second component is a QuickPlay application used in Windows. The latest versions of QuickPlay software have additional karaoke and game functions.

As of 2008, QuickPlay versions 3.0 and newer included in notebooks shipping with Windows Vista, do not provide users with instant access to the software, as the "Direct" function no longer exists due to unresolved compatibilty issues. Users must first boot into Windows and access their user accounts before the software can run. It is currently unknown if or when HP plans to release newer versions of Quickplay, with a direct boot function.