VIDEO OVER THE INTERNET: Services and devices move closer to living-room convenience

摘要

You could argue that the Internet has long been used for video distribution, but such applications have been mostly computer-centric and the video of questionable quality. But recent Digital Den experiments with the Akimbo PVR (personal video recorder) and the Slingbox suggest that mainstream consumers can bo,th receive quality video streams through the Internet and use the Internet to "place shift" their own content. And assuming some form of a home network, the products and services won't bust the bank. Remaining obstacles include distributing digital video in a home, the rather narrow choice of Internet content, and, of course, the business models involved. Still, our evalua-tion suggests that digital video is in the nascent stage and will still offer designers and entrepreneurs many opportunities in the future.