When I wrote my University dissertation on the Internet, one of the things I discussed in class a lot was the possibility one day of a single PC system being the heart of a home's multimedia system. This was a few years back and a lot of people laughed at this idea, but now its not looking so ridiculous.
"One day, you will wake up and new computers will have all the Media Center features and there will be add-ons to integrate most of your entertainment systems with the computer. I expect the consumer electronics industry will develop products to compete with Microsoft on this. So far, however, none of the companies has stepped forward with anything like a vision, much less the fairly complete one Microsoft can offer and has the ability to implement. "
I've long wondered why no one builds a PC system that resembles something more like a hi-fi seperate, or something akin to a video recorder or DVD player, perhaps with some kind of smaller keyboard and a remote control. This sort of thing is only just starting to catch on but I think in the future my idea of a PC at the heart of the home multimedia system won't be so silly. Already my main machine connects to the TV to play DVDs and divx and also to the hi-fi to play mp3s as one might play audio CDs or tapes. The PC is already at the heart of my home entertainment system and the systems of many other computer geeks. One day I think it will be in the average home as well.
More here.
How does your PC interface with your home entertainment system? Post a comment here.