Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2001/06/20/hp_shows_off_home_entertainment/
HP shows off home entertainment centre
John Denver on 8-track stylee
Posted in On-Prem, 20th June 2001 14:23 GMT
Throw away your Frisco-Disco solid state home entertainment centre - Hewlett-Packard is entering the market.
According to the HP press release the Digital Entertainment Centre will enable customers to:
- Record music to CDs with a built in CD-writer
- Transfer music to select MP3 players, handhelds and memory card readers
- Download music and artist information and access streaming video through dial-up, DSL or cable connections;
- Store, manage and automatically catalogue up approximately 9,000 tracks
- View music selections and other product features through an on-screen TV display and simple remote control
- Access RealNetworks' RealPlayer and RealJukebox services
- Connect to stereo and TV components.
The Digital Entertainment Center will go on sale in time for Christmas 2001. Pricing's not been set yet.
If you want to see a pic click target="_blank">here. The device will be on show at the Tech Expo in New York, June 26-28.
These kind of devices have been touted as the next big thing for a while. We'll see. It'll be interesting to see if the HP brand can cut it in the consumer home entertainment world. Sony will probably be better placed to do it.
In the UK Time Computers and Tiny Computers have both entered the digital home entertainment field. Tiny has its Takami box - a PC, TV, DVD player, video, and MP3 player. Time has its £499 'Player' which it has described as a 'powerful PC, hi-fi music centre with CD-player, Games console, DVD video player, powerful Internet terminal and connects to your TV.' ®