Intel to Market PCs as Home Entertainment Hubs

wantobe writes "Yahoo! News is reporting that Intel is developing their own "new technology" to convert home computers into entertainment hubs. Does anyone even really want this?" From the article: "Analysts say the chip bundle and software will transform the PC into an all-purpose multimedia device designed to function as a CD and DVD player, digital video recorder, game console, as well as a machine for traditional data processing and Internet."

Comments

Use?

[TekMonkey]

My computer can already do all of this, without some fancy package from Intel. I'll be interested to see how this goes...

Re:Use?

[biryokumaru]

my computer is my only home entertainment system... its got movies and tv shows, and no commercials... intel is full of shit.

Re:Use?

[Ohreally_factor]

My computer can already do all of this, without some fancy package from Intel. I'll be interested to see how this goes...

You pretty much nailed it. This is about packaging and marketing. Now what would be nice would be if they packaged some nice open source software, polished it up, and gave it back to the community. More likely they'll go with Redmond, though.

Yes, people wants that

[redhog]

I do have several (non comp.nerd) friends who allready uses thir PC:s (or rather a special-purpose PC) as "media-centers"...

Re:Yes, people wants that

[The Bubble]

I've heard of something like that... I think it's called an 'X-Box.'

It probably won't catch on, though. Surely not.

And if Intel

[ScrewMaster]

can resist the temptation (and pressure) to embed strict DRM into the thing, I might be interested in giving it a try. Intel does have some experience with digital video, you know. But I'm sure it will be just as DRM-encumbered as anything comparable coming out of Redmond, so I don't really see the point. I'll stick with MythTV or something similar.

eShmoo

[Doc Ruby]

Everyone wants this: a consumer-easy, completely configurable single device for multimedia handling that integrates CDs, DVDs, local storage (HDs), and the Internet for playing (and even recording), sharing and moving around our multimedia, regardless of format or form factor. If that's what Intel is selling. Otherwise, they're just competing with Dell and others for that market with another inferior attempt, because those retailers are increasingly turning to AMD and others for chips.

no, not really...

[Anonymous Coward]

integrating technology is fun, but not when all the companies creating the technology just want to limit everything.

i can see it now......the simpsons error 404.

or rebooting my tv/dvd/cd player every 10 minutes because the buggy DRM software that microsoft wrote.....

The PSX does most of

[antifoidulus]

being a CD and DVD player, digital video recorder, game console, as well as a machine for traditional data processing and Internet.except for the last part. And unless you are single, that is a good thing. Why? Because if you have a family, different members of the household want to be doing different things at the same time. If you have everything rolled up into 1 box, you are going to have some real fights over who gets to use said box...
I'll just take everything seperate thank you very much

Re:The PSX does most of

[ScrewMaster]

Yes, and not to mention that if one of those separate devices goes south, you don't lose ALL of those devices. Kind of like those combo printer/copier/fax units that HP has been pushing. No thanks. I'll stick with my component system, thank you very much.

Re:The PSX does most of

[cnettel]

But it never happens that different people want to do the same thing, if "same" is still the same if one family member wants to watch his disk recorded favorite show, while another wants to watch hers? And they're on the same disk?

That's why several interconnected devices of more or less similar types (some will have large screens, some will have small ones, some would have none at all, some systems will be portable), possibly based on different "use niches" that are already existing (from this point of view, a walkman and an Ipod are basically equal), would actually add something. IMHO, to just connect all kinds of stuff together without at least some degree of central storage and coordination is a quite hard engineering problem. It's also easier for non-geeky users to know that all their "stuff" is on one device, so they for example know what will break if they take something with them on a holiday or throw it out the window.

So, tell me, why do you prefer separate devices that you can't interface to each other, can't customize over just as many real possible simultaneous users, with higher flexibility? The number of devices would be lower, no need for a DVD and a VCR to each display/TV if you have many, as they all serve the same purpose and the data would probably be centrally stored anyway.

We already have this

[JPM NICK]

As a fellow computer literate person who reads this site, I know many of us will post "I can already do this." For you, rolling your own TiVi like box is not only possible, but fun. For most people it is a burden, along with maintaining it. I am sure Intel will come up with a nice chipset to make a lot of this easier to integrate into an already exisiting home. This is the same cycle the car industry goes through. 5 years ago kids all over the country were putting small TV's into their car for a high cost. Just like a computer guy might build his own home entertainment computer. Now adays, a Honda Oddesy comes with a DVD player and a TV. We can not snap judge technology we already have avail. to us as a group of computer savvy people, because 90% of the people out there do not know about it or do not know how to use it.

Re:We already have this

[Cyno]

Intel doesn't have to redesign the P4M. They already have motherboards and chips up to 1.7 Ghz that would do everything we're talking about in the space and heat requirements of a home entertainment device.

This is more a packaging problem than a hardware problem at this stage. We just need a company like Apple to make a nice looking box, that's all.

hd makes it possible.

[mobiux]

I tried making my own entertainment system a while ago, the problem i had was the resolution of my 27" tv.

I could barely read webpages at 800x600.
With HD tv's coming more popular, i think the idea is going to catch on more.

Re:There is better alternative

[feldsteins]

Plus Apple has a lot more experience and expertise in engineering Really Small computers.

Re:Old Marketing

[bonch]

Anything to appear relevant after all the IBM Cell buzz, I guess.

Noise Factor

[daniel23]

Computers can do all this for some time now, nothing new to expect here.

But how much noise does that box make? When you go shopping for silent components, the price moves up rapidly. Or you have to compromise on performance like with Via C3.

Still, nothing new here. Where is the news?

Mini-mac, I say. Apple threatens to offer a viable solution to the above dilemma and intel blows some marketing dust in the public eyes to the tune of "me too!".

Hello? MacMini is the iPod for the livingroom...

[ScuxxletButt]

Most of the people I know buying the MacMini are using for this purpose. $500 is pretty cheap for soemthing like this.

Re:MythTV

[NtroP]

I dunno where Intel is going with this, but I don't think that specialized technology is needed for it. MythTV or other offerings (for all sorts of platforms) are all that's really required.

Yes, but if it's all "integrated" by Intel, DRM works a lot better.

It all depends on how they implement it...

[masterOfTheObivous]

As another poster mentioned, the Centrino/Pentium M setup worked marvelously for Intel- and now with the release of Sonoma they might have antoher hit.

But the point is, while one can put together a very nice HTPC setup using a Mini-ATX (think: Shuttle) using MythTV or Sage, one still has to battle with the enclosed space, which could lead to cooling problems. The VIA C3 is very popular because it's based on the small Mini-ITX formn factor and it's nice and cool. But it still isn't very powerful.

If Intel could make a specialized chip that was optimized for video and audio processing and was capable of high speeds while remaining cool, they might very well have a hit on their hands. Combine this with some sort of media center software similar to MythTV that took advantage of these features (I'm thinking similar to AMD's Cool'n'Quiet or Intel's SpeedStep) and Intel might have another hit on their hands. It'd be just the thing they need right now, since AMD seems to be stealing the limelight.

Of course, it could also turn out to be a big flop. have you seen Sony's miserable media endeavours, such as their media software on the Vaio? Talk about bloat!

In any case, only if Intel manages to provide some tangible benefit such as a cooler processor or media optimization would the tech community or manufacturers embrace it.