Convenience is key when watching TV or recording a program, either with a personal video recorder (PVR) or a video tape recorder (VTR). Now, affordable DVD recorder systems are entering the mix as an option. Typical of these systems is the Philips DVDR1000 (Fig. 3). It can record up to four hours of video onto rewritable DVDs, copy camcorder tapes onto DVDs, provide direct access to recordings with no rewinding or fast forwarding, and play DVDs and audio CDs (R and RW). Consequently, the basic DVD player is moving aside for a full DVD player-recorder that, in another year or two, promises to replace the video tape recorder.
The PVR/digital video recorder, as popularized by TiVo and other companies, is evolving from a single-function device to a multifunction unit. It now includes a hard-disk drive to record TV programs for time-shifting and live pause capabilities and a DVD player or player/recorder so you can watch a DVD while recording a TV broadcast.
Most of us don't really envision our family room situated with a PC that also contains the AV center, because PCs tend to be noisy and often require a separate screen and lots of cables. But the PC is getting a radical makeover to more readily blend into the entertainment complex. Intel, Microsoft, and many other companies have defined a new class of media-centric PC that's optimized for viewing and creating video and audio content. As opposed to a standard PC, a media-center PC usually includes a remote control so users can access and play the various media files without a keyboard. Also featured are a TV tuner, an advanced graphics card, a hardware MPEG encoder, a TV output, a digital audio output, and of course, the Media Center version of Microsoft Windows XP.
Typical of such media PCs is Hewlett-Packard's Media Center m400y (Fig. 4). Configurability is its main attribute. CPU options range from 2.8 to 3.4 GHz, main memory of up to 1 Gbyte of double-data-rate (DDR) DRAMs, and up to 250 Gbytes of hard-disk space. Among the many other options are primary and secondary CD/DVD drives (readers, writers, or combo drives), a multiformat memory card reader, a 5.1-channel sound card, a graphics card with 128 Mbytes of DDR memory, and a TV output.
In addition to systems targeting the multimedia market, another class of PC has evolved to serve the needs of advanced gamers. Exemplifying this genre is the just-released Compaq X system (Fig. 5). It comes packed with 10,000-rpm disk drives for blazing disk access to keep the scenes moving quickly and 256 Mbytes or more of DDR2 DRAM on the highest-performance graphics cards.
If you play a dedicated game system such as the Sony Playstation 2, the Microsoft X-Box, or the Nintendo Game Cube on a TV, the experience is moderately exciting. But play on one of the over 50-in. flat-screen TVs or projection systems, and you're in another world. As 2005 approaches, expect greater detail on the next-generation platforms. More lifelike characters, more realistic scenery, and improved response times will further immerse you in the game.
Instead of a game console, Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories is experimenting with a table-like platform called the DiamondTouch. The system, as currently configured, lets people to sit around a touch-sensitive screen to play games or collaborate (Fig. 6).
CUT THE GORDIAN KNOT
One of the nastiest jobs in A/V is interconnecting all of the equipment. Cables are everywhere, often intertwined in a big knot, and you're never sure whether the correct component is connected to the right A/V jack. As wireless networking becomes more ubiquitous, it will serve as the backbone that interconnects all A/V equipment at home. In addition, IP addresses will replace jacks.
In the last few years, many companies supported the IEEE-1394 Firewire scheme, and it remains popular on most handheld video cameras. It's also available as an I/O port on many set-top boxes and PC/Macintosh computers. Yet wireless interconnects and USB 2.0 can now provide the connectivity needed from handheld devices to host systems and between host systems. Nothing is resolved at this point, though, as there is no clear winner in the interconnect game. Although existing wireless networking schemes like 802.11a, b, and g were originally designed for data transfers, they can serve at home as media transport schemes. But they carry various overheads that simply aren't necessary there.
Several versions of ultra-wideband (UWB) communications schemes, as defined by the IEEE 802.15.3a working group, are strong contenders for the home network. UWB offers a low-power, low-cost, and low-implementation complexity wireless communications solution. And depending on the application, UWB can trade off bandwidth for distance—data rates can surpass 500 Mbits/s for short distances, while bandwidth can drop to tens of megabits for longer distances. Standards groups expect to finalize one UWB standard by late 2004, which will translate into commercial solutions by late 2005.
With over 120 members, the Multiband OFDM (orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing) Alliance (MBOA) has developed one of two competing UWB approaches. Silicon implementations probably won't start appearing, though, until mid-2005 to late 2005.
The competing specification, based on a direct-sequence scheme, is offered by Motorola (now Freescale Semiconductor) and XtremeSpectrum. Not only are chips available, but the implementation has FCC approval. Therefore, companies can build UWB radios that offer data rates of 114 Mbits/s over a 10-meter distance while consuming less than 200 mW. By next year, Freescale expects to double the data rate for similar distances and quadruple the data rate if the distance is cut to five meters maximum. In 2006, the company expects to crack the 1-Gbit/s transfer rate for five-meter spans. In the future, both Firewire and USB protocols should ride on top of UWB connections, eliminating the cables for those interfaces.