Intel warms up for entertainment assault

Viiv entertainment PC platform scheduled for launch next month

Intel plans to launch its new Viiv entertainment PC platform at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next month, according to sources close to the company. 

Initial devices are scheduled to start shipping in the first quarter of next year in nine as yet unnamed countries. Additional regions will be added at a later stage.

The devices will be launched with a set of services including video on demand, online music stores and online games.

Intel unveiled the Viiv platform at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco in August. The brand aims to attract consumers to entertainment PCs built for media-centric tasks such as displaying videos on a living room PC or streaming music around the home.

To qualify for the Viiv logo PC manufacturers need to meet certain configuration requirements. Systems need to use an Intel dual-core processor and 845 chipset, and must support surround sound as well as several Intel software features.

Intel expects that the initiative will kickstart demand for digital entertainment PCs by creating a market for downloadable and pay-per-view movies.

The platform is also expected to enable new form factors that are more suitable for a place in the living room, such as small devices or appliances that are shaped like a DVD player rather than the traditional computer tower.

Digital entertainment networks have been a major theme in the technology industry in recent years. Consumer electronics companies including Philips and Sony have launched devices that are able to share media with each other, as have networking firms including Netgear and Linksys.

Microsoft unveiled Windows XP Media Centre Edition in October 2004, a special version of its operating system designed to serve as a hub in a home entertainment network.

Although computers with the Viiv logo will be running Windows Media Centre Edition, Intel has expressed reservations about its performance.

"Media Centre Edition hasn't really taken off until now. It did not meet the threshold of providing a compelling user experience and ease of use," Intel's chief marketing officer Eric Kim said at a meeting with reporters in San Francisco.

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