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| EMagazine Volume 4 Issue 5 October 1999 |
Features |
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Interviews |
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Interview - Home
Entertainment Networks Avcast is complimentary to virtually every other home networking technology on the market. Since Peracom's focus is on entertainment rather than data transmission, and since Avcast works over coax cables instead of phonelines, power lines or RF, there is little chance for conflicts. In fact, future components from Peracom will enhance current home networking technologies. |
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1. What is an entertainment network and what makes it different from a data or communication network?
When most people think of home networking, they think of connecting PCs, fast modems and peripherals. This enables them to share files between PCs, share access to the Internet over a high speed connection, or share peripherals like a printer. We think this is important also. However, Peracom's Avcast technology extends the home network to include entertainment devices like TVs, DVD players, VCRs, DSS satellite receivers and Sony PlayStations. By adding entertainment devices to the network, you get similar benefits - you can utilize and enjoy these devices from multiple locations, namely from any TV in the home. If you can imagine watching a DVD movie, a video tape, or a pay-per-view movie on any TV in the home, you can imagine what Avcast by Peracom will do for you.
2. What equipment and wiring do I need to install to provide a basic entertainment network in my home? What will I be able to do with it? How do I interface / control it?
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Once the CableCaster is installed, a video device like a DVD player can be added to the network using a small black box called a MediaCaster. It attaches to the DVD player and injects the audio/video output of the DVD player onto the network on a specific TV channel, say channel 70. Once installed, any TV that can tune to channel 70 can view the DVD movie.
A final component is called an IRCaster. It attaches to a TV in a remote room. When attached, a user can take the remote control from the DVD player and control the DVD player from that remote TV. So now you can start, stop, pause, fast forward - even turn the DVD player on and off. You can begin watching a DVD movie in the family room, pause it, and finish watching it in the bedroom.
These three components form the Avcast Media Distribution Kit.
3. Can I buy an entertainment network today? If not ... when? If so ... where? What will it cost?
The Avcast Media Distribution Kit will be available in November 1999. It can be purchased from the Peracom website ( www.peracom.com ) or from a network of custom installers who buy it through the AVAD distribution channel ( www.avad.com ). The Avcast Media Distribution Kit will have a retail price of under $300.
4. Do I need a professional installer or can I do it myself?
The Avcast Media Distribution Kit is relatively easy to install. Assuming you can find where cable TV or your antenna feed enters your house, it is a simple matter to replace the splitter with the CableCaster. The other components are no more difficult to install than a VCR. However, there are going to be individuals who wish to have Avcast components installed professionally. For these people, we will offer a link on the Peracom website that will put them in contact with a professional installer in their area.
5. How does your entertainment network fit in with the concept of a "Home Network"? Will it be compatible with Home Networking systems in the future?
Avcast is complimentary to virtually every other home networking technology on the market. Since Peracom's focus is on entertainment rather than data transmission, and since Avcast works over coax cables instead of phonelines, power lines or RF, there is little chance for conflicts. In fact, future components from Peracom will enhance current home networking technologies. An Avcast component called a WebCaster (due in February 2000) will broadcast the display of your computer to every TV in the home. When installed, you will be able to surf the web, check email, or run any standard PC applications from any TV set. Avcast will bring computing capabilities to many rooms, using the TV as the user interface.
6. What set's a Peracom HomeConnex Network apart from the competition?
First of all, the HomeConnex name has been replaced by Avcast. Seems we had a little naming conflict with a company much larger than ours. What sets Avcast apart from other networking technologies is the fact that we use coax cable as the backbone. Coax cable has over 1 Ghz of bandwidth available, compared to a few Megahertz available over other mediums. What that allows Peracom to do is to send multiple streams of native, uncompressed, undigitized video simultaneously over the network. You can have up to eight video sources operating on the network at the same time.
Because of this incredible amount of available bandwidth, we have other options available to us too. Peracom is looking at ways of distributing IEEE1394 data or 100Mb Ethernet data over the coax at the same time as multiple sources of video are being distributed. This will open up the ability to send Dolby 5.1 surround sound from room to room; send MPEG video from set-top box to HDTV; send MP3 or MP4 music files throughout the house, etc. etc. The applications are limited only by your imagination.
Steve McConaughey is the Director of Sales & Marketing for Peracom Networks where he manages the Avcast Home Entertainment Network product line. Prior to joining Peracom, Mr. McConaughey was Director of Marketing for Hummingbird Communications Ltd. During his fifteen years in the computer hardware, software and networking industry, Mr. McConaughey has held senior level marketing, sales and business development positions at Centura Software, Oracle, Apple Computer and Hewlett Packard. Steve earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Columbia University, and received a Masters of Business Administration degree from the University of California at Berkeley.
