An entertainment network integrates PCs, TVs, audio/video components, and set-top devices in the home. This type of network offers all the benefits of traditional PC-to-PC home networking products, including file sharing, print sharing, and access to the Internet. In addition, it delivers entertainment to users wherever they are in the home. From any TV, users can:
■ View and control VCRs, DVD decks, and video game stations
■ Watch a DVD movie playing from a PC
■ Move entertainment from satellite receivers or cable boxes
■ Transform existing video camcorders into baby monitors or security cameras
■ View and control the PC from any TV in the house, which allows them to run PC applications, check e-mail, surf the Web, and monitor the Web-surfing activities of children
■ Use infrared transmission to move files between disconnected laptop computers and PCs on the network
All networked devices are interconnected through the CATV cable that provides programming to the television sets in various rooms of the home. The practical value of doing this is to be able to centrally control all of these systems through one device—either a computer or the television.
The HomeConnex system offered by Peracom Networks, for example, supports up to 16 simultaneous video sources, including PCs, on the network. Each video device becomes part of the network and each TV is capable of viewing every video device on the network. Four basic components comprise the HomeConnex system:
PC CASTER A hub device that insulates the home network from the outside world, providing high-quality pictures to every TV and ensuring that sensitive data on the network never leaves the home.
MEDIACASTER Connects video devices to the network via standard RCA audio/video connectors.
CABLECASTER Connects PCs to the network via the USB port.
WIRELESS REMOTE Combined with an easy-to-use graphical interface that pops up on every TV, the wireless remote controls each device on the network.
With central control at the television, for example, a different channel can be assigned to each video source, whether that source is a PC, security camera, VCR, game station, or another television in the house. Turning to that channel enables the assigned video source to be viewed and controlled. Not only can a PC’s screen be viewed, for example, but any application or resource running on the PC can be viewed and controlled from the television, including Web browsing, e-mail, a multicast session, and chat. In addition, a DVD movie playing on a PC can be picked up by any television in the house, eliminating the need for separate DVD units at every television.
Last Word
In the future, audio sources will also be interconnected throughout the home using the same CATV cable. This will permit the creation of home intercom systems, piped music, and audible alerts for wake-up calls, schedule reminders, and system malfunctions. As more CATV networks are upgraded for bidirectional communication, it will even become possible to place telephone calls over the cable network and receive notifications of incoming calls at the television or PC through the display of caller ID information. And with the addition of a video camera, videoconferences can be set up with family, friends, or colleagues at the office.
