The future of the home theater system is already being seen in deployments around the country, but most notably by those provided by AT&T and Verizon. The U-verse and FiOS networks are amazing technologies, but they are just the tip of the iceberg. What does the tip look like? Well:
Integrated VoIP technology makes set top boxes aware of incoming and outgoing calls. DVRs can be automatically engaged or the phone can be controlled via the remote control. This technology is likely to become standard and evolve as the phone dies off and video conferencing via open standard technologies similar to those on the iPhone 4 become popular.
Remote management technologies such as those that enable DVR management and scheduling will continue to evolve. Soon, it will be possible to remotely manage everything from the activity in a house to the coffee pot. The smart grid is already starting to bring these technologies to life, as is the security technology to back it up. A fusion of these technologies will be standard sooner rather than later, especially on new homes.
Televisions with cards that do it all are also on the way. The truth is that the day of the media streaming box and gaming console might soon be coming to an end. Sure, consoles and media boxes might live on in upper-echelon households and businesses that demand premium prices and services, but for most people an onboard card that can decode HD/3D signals, manage reasonably complex games, handle streaming media all over the house or business, and running set top apps is enough. AT&T has plans for an Android based set top box that does most of this, and Verizon’s FiOS network already has apps.
Apps are obviously going to be the big thing in the next generation of home theater systems, and it makes sense. Content aware apps are going to be huge. Imagine apps that look at the live text feed for the hearing impaired to decide which Twitter feeds to follow and participate in as well as which RSS feeds are most relevant to what you are watching. Real time tracking of facts on news shows would certainly be a plus, but somehow it seems unlikely that the commentators that have strayed so far from the facts will endorse this technology with open arms. On the other hand, it certainly would be nice to know when a politician is misrepresenting facts and/or him- or her-self on live television.
July 26th, 2010 at 1:57 am
it was very interesting to read.
I want to quote your post in my blog. It can?
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