Apple in living room

Digital media is poised to take over traditional mediums, and Apple may just be the company to help cement that transition. As Apple, Microsoft, and Sony race to become the most widely accepted "living room" entertainment platforms, Apple's current technology could easily be adapted for mainstream home use. The main objective for any company desiring to replace the TV, stereo, and VCR/DVD is ease of use, since more Americans own TVs than computers, and many do not feel comfortable with computer use. Current, traditional entertainment systems "just work," explains Robert Acker, vice president of digital music services at RealNetworks.

"Part of our challenge as an industry is to create something that's just as easy to use as what we want them to replace-- in a way that doesn't require any [time] investment on [the user's] part," notes Acker.

According to The Street.com, the main obstacle is that "PCs simply aren't stable enough to take over the role of the beloved TV."

"If you're in the middle of your favorite TV show and you get the blue screen of death, you're going to go crazy," Gartner media analyst Van Baker says.

Microsoft already offers the Xbox 360, which is capable of playing most digital media but targets only a certain niche. Song downloading appears to be taking over, with 14 percent of active internet traffic now dedicated to Apple's iTunes store, and the iPod becoming more and more common in the home. Many Apple and aftermarket products are available to help users play their iPods at home over their speakers, and with Apple's video downloading service's rocketing sales, it is only a matter of time before Apple integrates its products into a mainstream-accessible home entertainment solution. With AirPort Express wireless, users can play song bought at iTunes over their home stereo systems, if equipped with a wireless network.

Currently the videos sold via iTunes download service are low-resolution, intended for play on the video iPod. However, high-resolution video content would not be any more difficult to offer, and would be playable on television displays.

Apple's Front Row software is shipping with a remote control, allowing users to access all their digital media files from the couch, much like a multi-use television, but without the live TV feed. The only thing really missing at the moment is the ability to capture and record live TV: "It currently offers a piece of the whole digital living room play," says Tim Deal, an analyst with Technology Business Research. Apple, however, is missing a direct way to view and record live television, according to Deal.

by MacNN Staff