CES: Cisco plans home invasion

Cisco wants to improve links between home entertainment devices and internet multimedia services

Cisco Systems revealed on Wednesday that it intends to launch an intensive new networking campaign.

The company spent its 2009 CES press conference showcasing new hardware devices and online services to reporters in Las Vegas.

Aimed mainly at the consumer market, the new campaign will look to add a new level of connection between home entertainment devices and internet multimedia services.

Leading the way will be Eos, a hosted platform from Cisco which will allow content providers such as music studios or record labels to distribute music directly to internet-connected appliances such as set-top boxes and media players. The company hopes that Eos will not only spur home networking, but help companies make a better profit on digital content sales.

"[Content providers] saw analogue dollars turn to digital pennies," said Dan Scheinman, senior vice president and general manager of Cisco's media solutions group. "We want to bring people closer to their customers."

Cisco is also releasing a new set of home appliances aimed at increasing the level of connectivity between computers, entertainment devices and portable media players.

Central to the line is a new home server system. Cisco Linksys Media Hub will allow users to store media files and regular documents on an internet-connected server system that can be accessed over a local wireless network or remotely over the internet.

Complementing the media hub will be a new line of entertainment devices, including music players, stereo systems and an iPod dock.

Cisco chief executive and president John Chambers told reporters that the new system is indicative of a larger shift in philosophy for a company that made its name in the enterprise market.

"Never have the transitions been faster in the consumer network than they are today," he said. "The next generation will be driven from the consumer up, not from the business down."