Intel’s Digital Home: Under Construction

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) March 12, 2006

A year ago Intel signaled their seriousness in the Digital Home market by forming a Digital Home Group under Don MacDonald that reports to CEO Paul Otellini.

Like many other companies in Silicon Valley, Intel knows that they can only ride the classic PC market for so long, and the shift in consumer spending towards consumer electronic products and services is one of the next growth markets. But, Intel does not make products that consumers think of as consumer electronics, so how can they play the game?

Their answer is to help create the market, and then have companies come to Intel for the silicon and systems required to deliver on the promise.

Intel is doing this in several ways:

•     They are getting up on the podium to raise the visibility of their vision.
•     They are doing primary research into the habits of consumers, including following them around as families aspire, experience and often times grapple with technology.
•     They are working on numerous standards that support their Digital Home vision so that the industry will avoid the delay caused by the confusion a lack of standards can cause.
•     They are investing in small companies with key enabling technologies and concepts in the hopes that many will fill in the gaps and advance the cause.
•     They are making a big marketing and product push behind a new Digital Home platform they call Viiv.

In the meantime, if one wants to see a real Digital Home today they need only talk to their local Electronic Systems Contractor – a member of an organization called the Custom Electronics Design & Installation Association, or CEDIA.

You may have to have a fairly comfortable income, but real homes exist today that can pipe high definition video and music to any room; control the lights, temperature and drapes; monitor security – and all from one WiFi connected touch panel. These homes are not owned by technophiles and the home doesn’t come with a 5 inch manual; yet, anyone that walks in can fairly quickly figure out how to make things work.

It is a contrast between two Digital Homes – the one that the former PC industry is struggling to build, and the one that exists today as created by members of CEDIA. In the middle is a huge gap where most of the rest of us live. This contrast was highlighted even further when Intel recently held their Intel Developer Forum about two blocks and one week away from CEDIA’s Electronic Lifestyles® Forum in downtown San Francisco. So close and yet so far.

About DIGDIA

DIGDIA is a strategic analysis and consulting company that specializes in Digital Home markets, the Digital Entertainment value chain and related technologies. Our mission is to help companies find growth opportunities in the Digital Home markets where strategy and technology can make the difference. Reports on Digital Hollywood, Digital Cinema, Digital Cable Ready, Digital Consumer Electronics and other topics may be found at http://www.digdia.com.

###