To: DiViT who wrote (34250 ) 7/10/1998 4:01:00 PM From: Don Dorsey Read Replies (2) | Respond to of 50808
ANALYSIS - SONY LEADS THE IN-HOME NETWORKING PACK TOKYO, July 10 (Asia Pulse via COMTEX) -- "This is the TV of tomorrow," says Rodger Lea, head of Sony Electronics' Distributed Systems Laboratory in Silicon Valley. He points to a set featuring a video-tape recorder (VTR), a MiniDisc (MD) player and a digital camera. He turns it on, and a virtual console appears in center screen. The unified remote controller accesses the Electronic Program Guide (EPG), allowing users to tune into a TV or music program or prepare the VTR or MD player to record. Rapid digitization of audio-visual (AV) equipment has culminated in a digital TV (DTV), poised to become an external information window through which multimedia shines into our homes. Earlier this year, Sony Corp. crafted a multimedia concept, dubbed "fusion." Facilitated by the IEEE 1394 high-speed transmission standard, the fused network of household TV, VTR and personal computer (PC) coordinates the receipt, input, search and playback of broadcasts or e-mail. Video mail is also possible. To realize this multimedia environment, Sony integrated three technologies: HAVi, MHEG, and proprietary operating software called Aperios for quick, real-time processing of multimedia data. HAVi, an in-home networking technology based on IEEE 1394 and formulated by eight manufacturers from Japan and Europe, enables concurrent operation of connected home-use equipment, regardless of maker. Transmission speeds from 200Mbps to 400Mbps expedite real-time sounds and images. MHEG, an international standard for multimedia encoding, allows blanket processing of digital information signals, such as text, music and moving images. The technology, used to navigate through digital broadcasts, works in conjunction with Internet browser software and enables program searches from different sources, such as broadcasts and VTR. Craig Mundie, a senior vice-president at Microsoft Corp., stresses the potential of Sony's fusion concept. Joint efforts will generate a force that propels in-home networking into the future. With this in mind, Microsoft made Windows 98 IEEE 1394-compatible. Digitization heralds challenges as well as lucrative business possibilities. Heightened competition among providers of satellite, CATV and ground-wave services will be further exacerbated by the wired entry of appliance and computer makers. And Sony will lead the way.