Home networking proponents have long said that entertainment is the engine that will drive consumers to the connected home. Now those once-futuristic entertainment products and services are starting to stream to stores.
Audio and video servers, for instance, will soon enable homeowners to access music, video, and digital image libraries from connected points in a home. That means that new Diana Krall track you just downloaded from the Web will be able to play on a remote client device in the kitchen--without an expensive custom-installed multi-room audio solution. In some cases, users can even access libraries from another home using the Internet as the bridge.
At the recent International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, consumer electronics companies including Panasonic, Pioneer, and newcomer Moxi were among the exhibitors that announced development of a new type of consumer electronic device: media servers. Media servers are large-volume hard drives that can store music, movies, and digital photos, and distribute them to various points in the house.
Pioneer's AV Client, for example, due out later this year at a price below $1,800, will connect directly to a home A/V system. Add-on devices in other rooms will connect over a network to the main server and play back source material through TVs or music systems in other rooms. The 60-MB hard disk compresses digital audio and video in several ways: by ripping content from a DVD or CD using its internal disc drive, by downloading content from the Web, or by transferring digital audio or video files from a home's connected PC. The system also promises to stream Internet radio stations and video services
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