HP (net) works over its 2006 televisions
HP (net) works over its 2006 televisions
David Katzmaier Editorial Director -- Personal Tech
David reviews TVs and leads the Personal Tech team at CNET, covering mobile, software, computing, streaming and home entertainment. We provide helpful, expert reviews, advice and videos on what gadget or service to buy and how to get the most out of it.
Expertise A 20-year CNET veteran, David has been reviewing TVs since the days of CRT, rear-projection and plasma. Prior to CNET he worked at Sound & Vision magazine and eTown.com. He is known to two people on Twitter as the Cormac McCarthy of consumer electronics. Credentials
- Although still awaiting his Oscar for Best Picture Reviewer, David does hold certifications from the Imaging Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Standards and Technology on display calibration and evaluation.
2 min read
Details are still vague, but yesterday I sat down with the people at HP for a demo of their new home-networking-infused televisions, which rely on (surprise!) an incarnation of Microsoft's Windows Media Center Edition. The prototype 32-inch LCD I saw was connected via Ethernet to a PC in the next room. The company alluded to wireless compatibility, saying that a, b, and g standards may be onboard when the product(s) launch in "mid-2006," along with another mystery wireless solution (at that point they claimed they'd "said too much" and moved on to the demo).
The set I saw employed a slick all-new interface that was able to browse to video, audio, and still picture files stored on the PC and play them back on the TV. Any PC on the network can deliver content to the television and even stream Windows Media 9.0 high-def files. The company stipulated support for just about every file format except for secure AAC (that is, songs purchased from the iTunes Music Store). The system will also have the MCE-like ability to get "push" media center content and to download content over the Web.
HP also mentioned the possibility of a built-in DVR, as well as the option to connect additional storage (USB or network-attached hard drives), but wasn't clear on details. I'm guessing that if HP goes DVR, it will use the subscription-based EPG found on Media Center PCs and devices such as LG's new LG LRM-519 recorder. Although HP only talked about networked LCD TVs in its demo, its press release left open the possibility of seeing the system in other types of TVs, including its new DLP-based microdisplays and plasmas. More-specific timing and pricing for HP's networked TV's was left unspecified.
The set I saw employed a slick all-new interface that was able to browse to video, audio, and still picture files stored on the PC and play them back on the TV. Any PC on the network can deliver content to the television and even stream Windows Media 9.0 high-def files. The company stipulated support for just about every file format except for secure AAC (that is, songs purchased from the iTunes Music Store). The system will also have the MCE-like ability to get "push" media center content and to download content over the Web.
HP also mentioned the possibility of a built-in DVR, as well as the option to connect additional storage (USB or network-attached hard drives), but wasn't clear on details. I'm guessing that if HP goes DVR, it will use the subscription-based EPG found on Media Center PCs and devices such as LG's new LG LRM-519 recorder. Although HP only talked about networked LCD TVs in its demo, its press release left open the possibility of seeing the system in other types of TVs, including its new DLP-based microdisplays and plasmas. More-specific timing and pricing for HP's networked TV's was left unspecified.
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