Driving The Digital Home

The performance and connectivity of PCs is coming to the world of consumer electronics. Combining the convenience and remote control of many consumer electronics devices with the rich content available to PCs over the internet, consumers can enjoy the best of both worlds on their own terms, from the comfort of their living room.

Worldwide, consumers are becoming more technically savvy and demanding of the technology they use in their everyday lives. Trends clearly show that PC and Internet users want to share media between their digital devices throughout their home, on their own terms. One study indicates that by the end of 2007, 183 million devices will be connected in a home entertainment network. While the numbers will vary from country to country, consumers will demand to experience entertainment “on their own terms.” This is the core of the digital home vision.

Intel’s Viiv technology, for example, is designed to deliver a great digital entertainment experience in the home. Consumers can download their favourite movies and songs. You can record live TV with an optional TV tuner card and remote. Organise and share all your photos. Or play games with competitors from around the world. You can now do it all from the comfort of your couch-with a click of your remote control.

At the heart of Viiv is a suite of hardware and software that offers new entertainment experiences. Consumer electronics-like features for simplified entertainment will make devices in the digital home more fun and easy to use. After initial bootup and when enabled on the system, consumers will have the ability to instantly turn Viiv-enabled PCs on and off, similar to a TV. The PC keeps functioning even after it’s turned “visually off”: for example, while the PC in the living room looks like it’s off, it can still continue to stream music through a digital media adapter to the connected bedroom stereo.

Enhancing performance and responsiveness are the latest processors supporting dual-core computing, which is uniquely suited for multitasking and multi-user entertainment.

Intel has driven greater cross-industry support-such as the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA)-by collaborating on specifications for accelerating the development of interoperable products, while also striving to to make premium digital content available, because hardware or devices alone will not deliver the digital home vision. A continuing stream of first-class digital content will make the power of new digital devices even more appealing.

Driving the multi-faceted digital home vision also requires a serious commitment by PC and CE industry leaders to collectively develop guidelines and specifications for interoperability. Historically, these industries have followed independent product development paths based on different technological foundations. Because their two sets of products weren’t built on the same technologies, they typically don’t work together.

Recently, to help drive greater cross-industry support, a cross-industry group to collaborate on specifications for accelerating the development of interoperable products was formed. The Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) aims to simplify the sharing of digital content among networked CE devices, mobile devices and PCs.

Leading entertainment providers worldwide are working with Intel to enable countless hours of on-demand, Internet-delivered, digital entertainment that is easy to access and enjoy on Viiv-based PCs connected to a choice of screens in the living room-or even on the go.
The Personal Computing and Consumer Electronics industries are riding a massive digital media wave, buoyed by the rise in broadband Internet access, escalating consumer interest in all things digital, and cross-industry efforts to satiate that interest. The launch of Viiv in early 2006 demonstrated the need to accelerate the realisation of the digital home vision, where consumer electronics and computing devices interact transparently, and personalised content can be delivered on any device, anytime and anywhere.

You will soon be able to download entertainment from the world’s biggest online providers. If it’s out there-movies, music, or games-you’ll be able to get it. Instantly.