Media PCs Take Off
Illustration: Gordon StuderThe Buzz: Look for media-centric computers to take center stage this year, as AMD and Intel aim to put their stamp on the entertainment PC revolution. Intel is launching an initiative called Viiv (sounds like "five," except that someone needs to explain how to pronounce it), and AMD has responded with an offering called (wait for it) "Live." Intel is promoting an instant-turn-on feature that Viiv machines will take advantage of, but most of the real benefits will come from improvements Intel and AMD have been working on for a while. These include lower power consumption (good for quiet, small-form-factor living room PCs) and dual-cores (since media machines often do several things at once).
Bottom Line: You'll start to see Viiv and Live PCs later this year, but the significant boost to media machines will come near the end of the year when PCs get CableCard slots that let you connect and record digital cable without the box.
Home Cable Networks
The Buzz: Sharing videos over a home network gets a lot tougher once you start trying to throw large HDTV files around the house. That's why a couple of new players want to use the coaxial cable already installed in most homes (you use it to watch cable TV) as a potential home network infrastructure. MoCA (the Multimedia over Coax Alliance) and TVnet 2X (a technology jointly developed by Coaxys and ST Microelectronics) each offer theoretical speeds of about 200 megabits per second over standard coaxial cable (today's 802.11g wireless standard maxes out at a theoretical 108 mbps--but actually delivers much less). Of the two, MoCA has the speed advantage (its standard promises up to 270 mbps), as well as an impressive list of backers including Linksys, Motorola, and Panasonic, and a name that reminds tired journalists of coffee.
Bottom Line: Home networking over coax is certainly worth a shot. As wired standards, both of the coaxial networking schemes should be capable of coming close to their promised speeds, which means either of them could easily handle multiple HD content streams at one time.
Wire-Free USB
Photograph: Rick RiznerThe Buzz: Belkin hopes to clear some of your USB peripherals off your desk with its Ultra-Wideband-based four-port Cable-Free USB Hub. The hub transmits data at about 100 mbps over a distance of 10 meters or so. Expect a price of around $150.
Bottom Line: If real-world speeds work out as Belkin promises, this product will be a winner. Easier cable management is always welcome.
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