HP Pushes into the Living Room

LAS VEGAS—Hewlett-Packard Co. is preparing to expand its presence in the living room this year with its first HDTV media hub and 17 new high-definition televisions and home projectors, the company’s top executive said here on Friday.

Speaking at a keynote during the International Consumer Electronics Show, HP CEO Carly Fiorina said the HDTV media hub is based on the company’s own technology and would be released in the fall. A company spokesperson also confirmed that the hub is based on the Linux operating system.

The HDTV media hub combines HDTV capabilities with a digital cable set-top box and a dual-tuner digital video recorder, she said. It also includes a DVD recorder that can label burned DVDs.

Fiorina demonstrated the upcoming hub along with an HP product manager, showing how consumers could navigate and play a range of digital content and create their own photo slideshow paired with music.

HP already sells its Digital Entertainment Center that is aimed more at PC enthusiasts.

“Some [consumers] don’t want PC functionality in the living room but want personalized entertainment,” she said about the HDTV hub.

The HDTV hub also will come with three HP-created services: an electronic programming guide; a music information service with song titles and artist information; and a service to feed the hub HP updates.

As for the 17 planned TVs and projectors, they will include a rear-projection and a front-projection model to be ready in the fall, Fiorina said. She didn’t offer other details about the upcoming TV and projectors.

Read the full story on PCMag.com: HP Pushes into the Living Room

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