HP Offers Home Networking Technology

At the Custom Electronics Design and Installation Association (CEDIA) Expo in Indianapolis last week, HP demo'd a new technology for its high-definition television sets that will allow consumers to use them to access digital files stored on their PC's. According to HP, the technology, which is slated for distribution next summer, will allow its HDTV sets to communicate with a variety of devices on a home network, and will also allow consumers to access multimedia services over the Internet. The prototype HDTV sets that HP demo'd at CEDIA contain a built-in media receiver that enables them to communicate wired or wirelessly with PC's. HP plans to offer companion software with the TV sets that will allow consumers to create virtual databases of media content on their PC's: once a library of personal media is created and a wired or wireless connection is made, the company says, consumers will be able to use their remote controls to navigate those libraries and access their content. "This is among the world's most advanced television technology," Steve Nigro, HP's SVP and general manager of imaging and printing technology platforms, said in a prepared statement. "By creating even smarter HDTV's, HP will help consumers access digital content over the Internet or content that was previously quarantined on the PC. Now that content will be readily available through the heart of home entertainment--the TV."