Entertainment is an important part of our lives, and as social and economic times change, so too does the popular definition of entertainment. In the past decades, technology has also come to influence the public concept of entertainment-with new advances in what is possible, we are continually introduced to new manners of personal leisure. When social conditions and technological advancements align, great things happen-and the proverbial planets are currently in alignment. Combine the Internet, which allows information and services to be delivered in real time, with the proliferation of digital audio and video, and the technical capabilities are there. With recent world events, which have re-focused the consumer's attention on personal time and the enjoyment of friends and family, the social conditions are also there. The result? -A significant and fundamental shift in home entertainment.

Consider how the importance of personal entertainment has varied over the decades-from the rapturous 20's, to the chemical serenity of the 60's, to the pinnacle of pop in the 80's. Despite social and economic changes, entertainment has always been a driving force in American culture. However, while citizens have always turned to the various social messages of movies and music for personal enjoyment, only recently has entertainment turned its focus so strongly towards the home. While the advent of the television and the radio originally brought entertainment into the home, more recent developments-such as the mainstream availability of the Video Cassette Recorder in the early 80's-are responsible for personalizing home leisure. Far from idle, technology has continued to develop new ways of entertaining families together in the home since then. The Internet age brought information, multi-media and even commerce into the home; however, the entertainment benefits of the home PC rarely and awkwardly crossed into the realm of high fidelity music or high definition video-until now. Recently, technology advancements have closed the gap between the best attributes of the PC and the home theater.

Amalgamated with social and political events, the home entertainment industry is being revitalized. With the recent tragic events invoked by terrorism and the current economic situation, a huge national re-prioritization of values has placed an unprecedented importance on the home and family. The economy reflects this change, with an increase in home entertainment spending-including video rentals, home technology, and information-based entertainment services-and an understandable decline in travel, vacationing, and other means of outside entertainment.

The correlation of these conditions and events has brought a product and a market together, and promises to make easy-to-use digital entertainment "servers" the next necessary component in the newly-networked, interactive home theater system. However, "Home Theater" may no longer suffice to describe these new systems, as the entertainment is moving away from a "theater"-where the role of the home-owner is often limited to that of an audience member-and towards a world of entertainment services, where interactive participation becomes a vital quality in the entertainment experience. With the ready availability of online shopping for music-mainly in the traditional CD format but increasingly as downloadable digital files-and the abundance of online entertainment news and information services, the time is right to combine these activities with home audio and video components for a truly revolutionary experience. While listening to your favorite import CD, research the artist to find similar titles and purchase them online-all from a new networked entertainment "server".

While "entertainment servers" and "networked audio" and similar terms hint at these types of capabilities, they fall far short when examined closely. The current definition of a "networked entertainment center" includes anything from single-remote component systems, to home network systems such as X10 that enable the control of electronic devices throughout the home from a single PC. Very recently, this definition also included more sophisticated concepts-such as MP3 servers, Internet radio, and digital cable service-which provide the user with some control over the media over a network. However, while these systems are networked in a sense, and they do posses limited graphical user interfaces, they do not fully harness the technology available.

Now consider the "entertainment server"-devices such as those produced by OpenGlobe ( www.openglobe.net ) and it's partners. The technology-used by prime HiFi and entertainment manufacturers such as Kenwood, Escient Convergence, and even Compaq's iPaq Music Center-connects home audio and video devices into Internet-based services. Companies such as AMG ( www.allmusic.com ) provide rich Internet content, which is managed by OpenGlobe's services and delivered to the consumer-where it interacts with components in the home to provide a powerful and intuitive consumer experience. From the home, these services provide ways to get more "in touch" with media collections (CD, DVD, etc.), to identify collection gaps and discover your personal media preferences. Applying the service model to home consumer electronics, and providing the ability to expand personal media and merchandise collections from the convenience of your couch. In some cases, the devices may also participate in a home network, integrating audio and video entertainment systems like never before.

In addition to the trend of developing new hardware components with new features and higher-precision audio/video capabilities, these new devices introduce the concept of dynamic and informative interfaces and interactive entertainment. These capabilities-completely new to home theater and audio-allow consumers to personalize their entertainment within their homes. They combine the act of listening to music with the ability to learn about the artist at the same time-or to purchase concert tickets to see the performance live. The move from home entertainment products to home entertainment services transforms the system into a networked portal from which you can enjoy your favorites artists, purchase CDs and DVDs, research upcoming titles and artist biographies, and even create custom programs and play-lists remotely over the Internet. Technology is helping to simplify our lives, allowing us to enjoy ourselves from within our homes and to stay close to our families.

By moving the emphasis away from traditional home entertainment and towards a network, interactive experience, there is also a simplification within the consumer electronic industry. Entertainment technology has always targeted the consumer, but until now the devices were static-that is, they performed a function when a button was pressed, and did not stray outside of those bounds. The marketplace developed newer products with more widgets and dials, and consumers upgraded when the new features justified the new expense. The consumer was limited to the role of first a purchaser, and later of an audience member. With the recent introduction of digital entertainment, the possibilities became endless; yet most digital devices retained the 'static' model of operation, mimicking legacy audio and video playback systems, and denying the consumer of an interactive experience. These systems-regardless of their capacities and capabilities-stand alone. There is no interface to home networks, no Internet-savvy services, not even-except in some rare cases-centralized remote control support. Visual feedback has been limited to on-screen textual menus or limited LCD displays, and visual media management is non-existent. The devices have no concept of their environment-there is no logic to determine the preferences of the user, non context-sensitive metadata to determine that lovers of Eric Clapton might also be interested in his music videos on DVD, or works by his once-collaborator B.B. King.

These stand alone components-while quality devices of their own right-had limitations because they were not developed with the perspective of the Internet age, and the timely circumstance of technological, social, and economic intersection. By removing these limitations, several key consequences occur:

The first has already been discussed-the consumers gain the freedom to access, manage, and purchase digital media and information on their own terms. Home entertainment can be planned and managed from anywhere via the Internet. Music play lists for a dinner party can be arranged prior to the return commute. Shopping, exploration, and understanding are achievable through a context sensitive online interface, removing the need to visit any outside venue.

The second-and less obvious-consequence is a subtle market shift that occurs with the introduction of dynamic, digital entertainment systems. Because home audio and video entertainment is evolving from static collections into dynamic arrangements of audio, video, and information, a new understanding of the consumer is obtained. The consumer in turn gains the ability to opt-in and receive special promotions, advanced notice of new titles, and other market advantages-again, on the consumer's own terms. User data, combined with back-end intelligence is able to serve promotional CD/DVD data provided by such entertainment powerhouses as AMG-opening a new channel to the consumer, while enabling consumers with a valuable service. Internet radio, online audio/video shopping, artist biographies and other information converge and correlate to discern patterns in your entertainment preferences, simplifying your life while greatly enhancing your home theater experience.

How is this done? Using a combination of digital technology, Internet Access and a slew of online services. The devices themselves, which run from small enhanced MP3 components to full CD/MP3/TV/DVD entertainment servers, are one component, but the heart of the system comes from the services that feed it - a growing collection of A/V catalogues and encyclopedias designed to inform the audiophile and enlighten the home theater enthusiast. However, certain key technologies are necessary to drive these services - and they are a key differentiator between home entertainment servers and their less-capable digital media cousins.

While conventional entertainment devices provide high quality audio and video, the new generation of Internet-enabled consumer electronics products exploit the full potential of the Internet and provide full-screen graphical user interfaces on consumer's televisions screens. Logic, pattern recognition, and user data enable the home entertainment system to understand personal preferences, and even viewing/listening habits. Management of personal collections becomes a visual experience that is dynamically assisted and context-sensitive. Rich media capabilities enable the use of high-quality visual interfaces. Media Management is integral to the device, and performed using the same rich interface. And-perhaps most importantly-Consumer Electronic brand manufacturers and the consumer are directly connected to each other, enabling the entire home entertainment industry to enter the users home. This type of solution-pioneered by OpenGlobe-is revolutionizing our concept of consumer electronics, and is enabling a new era of networked home entertainment.