Convergence to turn the living room into an entertainment hub

Convergence to turn the living room into an entertainment hub

Your home PC may not remain just that and metamorphose into a 'digital home' if Acer's plans come to fruition. Boasting a differentiated product range and a leadership position in digital convergence, Acer feels the marriage of broadband interactive multimedia and wireless technologies will lead to development of convergence products that will redefine our lifestyles.

The new Acer Aspire L family desktop which packs in functions seen in a high-end Media Center desktop into a compact and slick body as well as devices like the Acer Media Gateway MG3001-p that's able to hook up to external technologies via a wireless connection, an array of LCD TV's, multimedia notebook PCs, digicams that deliver 8-MP resolution, and nifty Pocket PCs, all are incremental moves towards bringing a complete multimedia entertainment centre into the homes of end-users.

The merger and overlap of technologies is turning digital devices into into multi-utility and multi-application products.

The coming year will see leading players of the computing industry like Intel and Microsoft delivering high-definition programming in a more seamless form. Users are also being promised upgrades in the speed and quality of transmission of video, still pictures and music from and to portable gadgets.

The launch of Intel's 'Viiv' consumer PC platform – based on Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition (MCE) OS - is in the offing, which has already pushed up demand for entertainment PCs. Microsoft is also going to unleash its next-gen OS, Windows Vista, as also a Vista-based update to Windows' Media Center Edition. This update will feature a technology called CableCARD that allows users to access digital cable channels bypassing the cable box.

Apple Computer Inc. that took the world of digital music players by storm through its iPod is also reported to be interested in its share of the 'digital convergence pie'.

Industry analysts also feel that digital content producers and distributors be they television, telematic or telecommunications operators hold the key to all future development of convergence thereby driving the content and services that cater to consumer needs.

The entertainment PC of the near future would come loaded with features like built-in multimedia capabilities including DVD and receiver, digital/analog TV and digital sound appliances as well as streamed audio and video capabilities, feel experts.

And if the computer majors' plans run aground, then set-top box makers will surely laugh all the way to the bank as these devices are increasingly starting to resemble PCs - Digeo Inc.'s Moxi Media Center being a case in point.