Playing Net movies on your TV

(continued from previous page)

year after Netgear introduced a music-only networked player for about $149.

Also targeting the video market is Linksys, which announced its DVD Player with Wireless-G Media Link in January 2004, along with a music-only networked player.

Given the slow uptake for these devices, Cai said they may wind up being bypassed by next-generation convergence devices that bundle broadband directly into the TV set. Some of those devices are now available, including a flat-screen TV from Sony code-named Altair.

Personal video recorders (PVRs) with direct hookups to broadband modems could also short-circuit the need for expensive networked DVD players or stand-alone digital-media adapters. TiVo, for example, has announced plans to create a video download service in partnership with Netflix.

Wireless video: Still workin' out the kinks
Connecting a PC to the TV with cables can be a hassle, but consumers should be wary of manufacturers' claims concerning wireless video streaming over Wi-Fi.

"The Wi-Fi standard does not include any provision for quality of service," Cai said. "That can lead to some problems whenever bandwidth fluctuates."

Video quality on a network promises to be improved with a new wireless specification for Wi-Fi, called 802.11e, that aims to ensure that video streams are not interrupted.

Netgear spokesman Doug Hagan said that while video quality can be a concern, wireless routers are improving on this front. New standards in the wings, such as 802.11n, should address service and bandwidth concerns, he said, with products expected as early as late 2005 in advance of actual standards ratification.

"Making multimedia easy to play is hard, and many of the parts needed to make it easy are not in place."

--Stephen Baker
NPD Techworld analyst

The 802.11n standard is in the process of being finalized. Once complete, it will allow data to be wirelessly transmitted around 100 mbps. Proposals for the 802.11n standard are being considered by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, which makes determinations on standards, and won't be completed for up to three years.

In the meantime, companies such as Netgear are reviving the largely overlooked 802.11a standard to help alleviate video quality issues, he said.

"'A' has popped up as another alternative as we wait for 'n,'" he said.

The 802.11a standard is less susceptible to interference than the 802.11g and 802.11b standards, which use the same radio frequencies as microwaves and some cordless phones, and can use more channels to send and receive data, making it less likely that a video stream will be interrupted.

Other efforts to connect consumer electronics and computing devices are also in the works. The Universal Plug and Play specification, developed by members of the UPnP Forum, allows different devices to interoperate--playing the same files on different types of devices. The forum consists of 500 member companies, including Microsoft, Philips, Sony, Intel, IBM and Hewlett-Packard. The companies help promote the specification, and they work on its development so that new devices can use it.

The goal of the UPnP Forum is to keep that growth going by helping to connect new and existing devices within the home and make them easy to use.

"Making multimedia easy to play is hard, and many of the parts needed to make it easy are not in place," said Stephen Baker, an analyst with NPD Techworld. "Playing video has not progressed nearly as much as music."

The convergence world is considerably less friendly to consumers who want to use legally purchased video than it is to those trying to make use of their music. The audiophile's audio file option have taken off, thanks to offerings such as Apple Computer's iTunes Music Store, the newly launched Napster service and RealNetwork's online music store and Rhapsody subscription service.

A number of devices have come out to stream tunes from a PC to a home stereo, such as Apple's AirPort Express wireless router and the Roku Soundbridge.

Several video download stores now exist online, including MovieLink and CinemaNow, offering Web surfers a small collection of movies for rental and purchase. The pickings are generally slim, however, putting a $400 DVD purchase on the extravagant side.

Analysts said more content is coming, thanks to the efforts of the Digital Living Network Association (DLNA), an industry group negotiating licensing and technology issues with Hollywood. Cai said the DLNA is expected to make some major announcements by next year that could open up more content and make PC-TV convergence more appealing for average consumers.

Baker agreed that 2005 could shape up as a make-or-break year for Hollywood and electronics manufacturers hoping to cement consumer demand for home networked gear.

"If you've got a digital-entertainment strategy," Baker said, "this year has to be the year you execute on it."