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The design and functionality of a flat panel HD TV, personal video recorder, or even a Foxtel set top box, is set to change with traditional PC component makers like Intel and their new Canmore technology set to play a key role in their future capability, say leading research Company DisplaySearch.
New content sources will change the whole concept of the way a TV is used said the head of research at DisplaySearch Calvin Hsieh. “While it will still be used for entertainment it will also be used as a kiosk for information, banking or social networking”.
Intel is set to expand their investment into the consumer technology market. claims the research Company. This is despite their failure to excite the market with their Viiv offering for Windows based Media Centres.
Canmore CE3100, which was released last month, is Intel’s first System on a Chip for CE products and is intended to be used in TV’s, Set Top Boxes and Personal Video Recorders.
Hsieh recently wrote “The amazing thing here is not the performance of Canmore; it is the possibilities for multimedia convergence that is important. No matter whether this chip is on the STB or TV-set end, it can extend the content capability of a TV. The traditional definition of a TV is a device that can receive broadcasting signals plus some connected content like DVDs. But now, the internet will become a content source” he said.
He added, “Canmore is built for CE and the internet with H/W, S/W decoding and x86 architecture. H/W decoding is just like what we have seen from existing TV ICs, but S/W decoding for those new formats (like MPEG-4 and VC-1) is a concept from PCs. The TV scenario is that we still watch broadcasting programs via broadcast, cable or satellite as usual. In addition, we can also access YouTube, Web 2.0 content and other content via the internet.”
He said “IP is a new carrier for the millions of content selections on the internet already. But be careful, this IP is different from IPTV from a Telco or from a web browser installed on a TV set. The purpose is to let the TV access content from the internet and link with a PC at home. Eventually, the unlimited freedom of the internet can stimulate more creative content providers and new business models without any blocking”
He warns that the digital home is still in infancy stages, and TV is the first step. “Nowadays, TVs are flat panels with high resolution, but it’s impossible for name brands to stop here. The fierce market war and sacrifice are just positioning exercises for the future. In the future, all content will be digital and available on demand. People will want to see media convergence involving broadcasting, DVD, and personal media sources from PCs and all CE products. Traditional broadcasting is just one of the available sources for your TV. Air, cable, satellite and IP are all carriers to convey more content to the home” he said.
He added “Apple TV is a brand new business model like the iPod + iTunes site. This has been a kind of fusion of devices, channels and content providers. Google Phone opens the window for your mobile phone to an unlimited internet space, and thus some new creative content services can grow and this also can be applied to your TV. Finally, more powerful SoC devices behind the TV set or inside the box can easily bring TV multimedia and connections. And then, TVs can be wall-mounted and blended into the home’s style, while still being powerful as for the connection. Traditional TV has almost reached an end, since it’s flat and digital. Meanwhile, the next generation has been just begun.”
