Who`ll Plant Their Flag At The Top Of The Living Room Summit? [by staci] : Over the years, various forces -- cable, PC, consumer electronics, hardware manufacturers -- have outfiltted expedition after expedition in the hopes of conquering the living room and, with it, the home and minds of consumers. So far, no single company, device or concept has pulled it off although some have come close. This coming year is no different; he 1-2 combo of CES and MacWorld, where the latest rumors have Intel and Apple unveiling their first joint production, are the staging grounds for the first expeditions of 2006. (In fact, if I start charging now for everytime I hear or read about the living room in the next few weeks, I could have a really good time in Las Vegas.)

A taste of what`s ahead:

--Intel`s hope on the Microsoft side is the Viiv platform, the Centrino concept taken to digital media.

-- Microsoft will launch a Media Center upgrade based on its upcoming Vista OS, which will make HDTV accessible and work with CableCards.

-- Rumors persist that an Apple-Intel mini-media center is on the way in the form of an updated Mac Mini.

-- If it`s successful in acquiring Scientific Atlanta, Linksys owner Cisco will be making a big set-top/network push.

-- New consortium HANA is working on standards for HDTV that would enable HD programming across household networks.

-- Once the initial Xbox 360 demand is filled, Microsoft will push its media-center qualities harder.

Do you think anyone will summit this year? If so, which company or device? If not, who will come closest? Who has a better shot -- Wintel or Antel? Please drop me a note and let me know if your comments can be published. [Dec.22, 05] | Broadband |Media Hardware | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

To