Gadgets - The future for TV’s

The way we enjoy music and movies is changing rapidly. Instead of listening to CDs, many of us now choose to play music in the house through an iPod-based speaker system, or - if we want to be really flash - through a dedicated music server available from companies such as Living Control, ‘Imerge or Sonos.

Very soon the same will happen in video. Already, hard drive devices such as Sky+, which will store hours of TV programmes, are proving popular alternatives to video/DVD recorders. But that’s not all. Companies like Kaleidescape are now selling hard-drive devices that can store your entire DVD movie collection on a unit not that much bigger than a PC tower. Just click on the cover image of the film you want to watch and it will play at the touch of a button. It’s even possible to store your favourite scenes and watch them — a bit like setting up a play list on your iPod. Video servers are increasingly popular with custom installers carrying out hi-tech makeovers for rich clients. However, with an average price tag of between £15,000 and £20,000, they’re still beyond the means of the vast majority of people.

Nevertheless, the days of owning massive collections of disks (both CDs for music and DVDs for film) are coming to an end. That’s great news for those with limited storage space and also for those who don’t want to take up shelf space with disk clutter.
And although initially people will still need to own the actual disks to ‘burn’ (record) movie content onto their hard drive, this will change with the latest IPTV (Internet Protocol TV) technology which lets you view and download TV programmes and movies directly from the internet. For example, Sky Sports Broadband (skyscape.sky.com) already offers highlights of sporting events such as UEFA Champions League, Premiership football and boxing over the net while the BBC (who provides an internet-based ‘listen again’ facility for much of its radio content) has been trialling an interactive media player (iMP) which will let you watch the latest BBC programmes on your PC. Similarly, the Sci-Fi Channel has added full ‘webisodes’ of Battlestar Galactica and Doctor Who to its online video on-demand line-up.

So what are the implications for home-builders and renovators? On a basic level it means that it’s a good idea to make sure you have a cable or telephone point installed near to where you want to put your monitor/TV screen. However, you should also think about the type of set-up you want. While it goes without saying that any type of TV display should be HD ready (look out for the logo), you also need to decide how you might want to access the internet to watch video over the web. One option is to buy a flat-screen TV with a PC input (most of them now have one).

Alternatively, you could opt for one of the latest Media Center PCs which combine PC and built-in TV tuner complete with Sky+ type recording functionality. Designs are getting better all the time and it’s even possible to buy all-in-one units, like the £2,000 32″ Elonex Lumina, which are little bigger than a conventional flat-screen display.

Finally, for those who want to watch their TV and DVD recordings without cable clutter, Sony is introducing LocationFree TV this summer. Combining small LCD screen and decoder device, this clever little set-up works by streaming all of your content over a broadband internet connection so you can watch TV/DVDs wherever you are — in the home or anywhere in the world. We’ve sure come a long way since the BBC transmitted its first ‘high-definition’ broadcasts from Alexandra Palace exactly 70 years ago!

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