The Battle for the Digital Home
The idea of technology convergence has been bandied around for years; but now that the emphasis has shifted away from the red herring of an all-in-one wonder-device to a world where connected devices share data and information, the c-word has a new air of credibility. Data convergence is the new black; and whether it’s IT companies falling all over themselves to cash in on new consumer electronic markets, or CE blue chips looking to the world of computing for connectivity and user-friendly software solutions, the marketing mantra remains the same: we’re entering an exciting new world of connectivity and convergence, and the digital home is the catch-all term to define it.
So who’s behind the wheel of the digital home bandwagon? It goes without saying that the big guns on all sides of the traditional digital divide are driving data convergence technologies. From the computing side, Intel, Apple, and Microsoft are all at the table and looking to play "all in." Microsoft’s ambitions in the digital home are well documented and well underway, with Xbox, Smart Display, Media2Go, and Windows Media Centre already rolled out. Apple’s iPod steals a march on high-design, computing-based consumer electronics, while its Rendezvous technology is at the vanguard of networking solutions; and Intel is full steam ahead in its drive to embed Wi-Fi into CPUs.
Meanwhile, Sony, Panasonic, and Philips are all lining up to develop hard-disk-based home entertainment hubs that exploit the possibilities thrown up by the explosion in wireless and broadband technologies. Panasonic is all set to launch its AVC Server, featuring DVD-RAM, 120Gb hard disk, and Wi-Fi connectivity. Philips is launching a wireless version of its Streamium broadband radio; and its iPronto universal remote control is able to do everything from turning up the air-con to turning on a movie, taking in broadband along the way. Which just leaves Sony...aside from the inevitable firepower of the forthcoming PlayStation 3, there's also the company's CoCoon media server, which taps into broadband to retrieve electronic programme guides and uses an 80GB hard disk to record for up to 90 hours. Interestingly, all three firms are looking to Linux to provide the OS backbone for many of these devices.
Of course, Wi-Fi is only half of the connectivity story, and the telco giants are also determined to take centre stage in any new era of data convergence—not least of all to recoup the $100 billion they’ve already shelled out for 3G licences across Europe. Suffice it to say that Hutchison, Vodafone, and Orange are rolling out high-bandwidth networks across city centres in several European countries, bringing streaming video (and the ability to remotely access and control the digital home) to mobile phones.
It’s anybody’s guess whether any one of these key groups will dominate the digital home space. All three are hugely powerful—and all three are acutely aware of each other’s strengths and limitations. It’s a technological world in flux and, as such, all of the major players are competing and collaborating in equal measure to develop new technologies, ratify new standards, and generate new markets.
Dan Hutchinson is a Senior Editor at Digital Home Magazine, which premieres on May 29th.
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