| Every time the computer industry tries to make | | | | the Slingbox, Microsoft's Xbox 360, and several |
| inroads into the home entertainment center by | | | | others. The Apple TV can fetch video from the |
| offering products that are designed to use the home | | | | home computer(which can get the video from the |
| TV screen as a computer screen, consumers offer a | | | | Internet or from a digital video camera), and the |
| lot of resistance. Yet, the computer industry persists | | | | ability to download movies directly from the Internet |
| as evidenced by Intel's Viiv technology and the fact | | | | is expected to be coming soon to the Play Station 3 |
| that the media center version of Microsoft's | | | | from Sony. |
| Windows XP operating system and several versions | | | | Another interesting result of the overlap between |
| of the Vista operating system are designed to make | | | | computers and TV is the introduction of portable |
| computers a part of the home entertainment center. | | | | video devices. A portable video device is a hand held, |
| While consumers have been busy resisting the | | | | battery powered portable device that can store |
| incursion of the home computer into the home | | | | video on a built in data storage system and then |
| entertainment center, computer equipment has been | | | | display it on a TV screen or its built in screen. These |
| sneaking in anyway. This covert incursion can be | | | | devices come in a variety of sizes and capacities. For |
| seen in the form of newer forms of TV technology. | | | | example, there are versions with only two gigabytes |
| DVD players, digital TV converters, satellite receivers, | | | | of storage space and such small screens that you |
| DVR's, and video gaming systems are all computers | | | | have to wonder why anyone gave them the |
| in some form or another. | | | | capacity to play video. At the other end of the |
| One of the side effects of having all of this new | | | | extreme are devices that have amply sized screens, |
| technology so thoroughly computerizes is that there | | | | the ability to store over a hundred hours of video, |
| is an unprecedented level of compatibility between | | | | access the web over a WiFi connection, and even |
| computers and the Internet, and the home | | | | record video that's being played off of other devices |
| entertainment center. For example, there are a | | | | and store it on their own hard disks. The data |
| variety of devices that take advantage of Internet | | | | storage systems use either flash memory or more |
| connections to provide their users with more options. | | | | conventional hard disks, and the screens can either |
| The TiVo is a good example of this. TiVos download | | | | be conventional LCD technology or energy saving |
| their program guide information from the Internet | | | | OLED screens. Some of these devices can even |
| and are even capable of being programmed to | | | | download video from some Digital Video Recorders if |
| record specific TV shows from another location over | | | | all of the compatibility issues are taken care of. |
| the Internet. Some of the newer TiVos are even | | | | All of these devices show the benefits that |
| capable of downloading movies from the Internet to | | | | computer technology can have when applied to |
| be shown on TV sets. Other devices that can do this | | | | home entertainment. |
| include some versions of Sony HDTV sets, the Vudu, | | | | |