Can a computer take over the tasks of every piece of hi-fi, video and TV equipment in your living room? Some of the world's biggest computer companies think so, and are preparing an advertising blitz to convince consumers that computer-centric entertainment is the way ahead. If they get their way, it could be curtains for the makers of traditional hi-fi and video equipment, but these manufacturers are not giving up their market without a fight. The new breed of computers promised by Microsoft, Intel and a host of other companies will record and play back MP3 files, CDs, DVDs, TV and radio - all on a wide-screen LCD monitor with surround-sound audio. Add a broadband internet link and you can have online gaming and the ability to download sound and video content from anywhere on the net. Who, they ask, needs a stack of hi-fi players, amplifiers and tuners - or the high-rise of video recorders and receivers beneath the TV?
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