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| EMagazine Volume 5 Issue 4 Aug / Sep 2000 |
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Toys Article - August 2000 - [HTI Home Page] |
HomeTech Hot Products Continuously Updated [Click Message To Learn More] |
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Devices such as the Turtle Beach AudioTron are the future of distribution for broadband signals that enter homes through residential gateways - cable modems or DSL connections. This technology will quickly move beyond audio, providing whole-house digital video access to movies, television programming, etc. that are stored on PCs or the Internet. Digital entertainment is migrating from the computer room to the living room. |
As Home Toys readers well know, convergence systems are making their way into the world of audio. It's no revelation that PC-based audio has existed for over 20 years, but only during the past 12 to 18 months have personal computers become involved in playing and recording popular music at the mainstream level.
Sound card and computer speaker sales are strong, so we know that many music fans are abandoning their home stereos in favor of PCs. But abandoning the stereo is a complete shift to the PC in most cases, not a marriage of the two platforms. So has home audio convergence truly arrived? We believe so, based on new home audio networking products due to hit the market in the fall.
One
such device is the Turtle Beach AudioTron™, which will reach U.S. and Canadian
stores in September for less than $400. Similar in size to a DVD player, the
AudioTron can call up any digital audio file stored on a home PC and then play
it in any room of a house, either through an existing home theater system or
with a separate pair of powered speakers. If the PC has a cable modem or DSL
connection, the AudioTron can even access Internet streamed audio.
It's relatively easy to store CDs on a computer hard drive. Software for CD "ripping" has been available for over four years, and the process is as simple as placing a disc in a CD-ROM drive and pressing start. Some titles, such as Voyetra's AudioStation 4.0, even let users tap into online databases containing song information and cover art automatically.
After the CDs are stored, users access custom playlists or single tracks - using a remote control - while relaxing in the family room, bedroom, kitchen, etc. Add the ability to retrieve Internet streamed audio - a radio broadcast from a favorite rock station, or an overseas sporting event - and the benefits of convergence emerge. Audio from your personal CD collection, or from around the world, is available anytime and anywhere.
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Devices such as the Turtle Beach AudioTron are the future of distribution for broadband signals that enter homes through residential gateways - cable modems or DSL connections. This technology will quickly move beyond audio, providing whole-house digital video access to movies, television programming, etc. that are stored on PCs or the Internet. Digital entertainment is migrating from the computer room to the living room.
"Thin" operating systems are also being built into home theater components, such as Windows CE in AudioTron. While some end users may fear domination by a single OS manufacturer, standardization will permit interaction among different brands of components. For example, with a touch of a wall panel or remote button, your television, stereo, lighting, and other devices will synchronize. This won't even require custom programming.
In the coming years, the PC as we know it will be no more. Instead of a multi-function box located in a spare bedroom, the home computer will become a powerful information server for everyday devices. This trend will take on such magnitude that Turtle Beach has created a PC2CE™ group to study it and create a new generation of consumer products.
So what's this boil down to? Get ready to experience a new dimension in home audio access, one that will lead to dramatic changes in our media consumption habits during the next decade.
