With broadband connections rising in the United States and YouTube kicking off the share your video genre of Web sites that now has dozens of copycats, consumers have become more accustomed to watching TV, movies and videos on their computers. Additionally, with the dropping price of digital cameras and video cameras, and the video and photo features in cell phones, we now witness a whole new generation of consumers that are creating, editing, sharing and consuming media content online.
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It’s no secret that the Internet is now a vast source of entertainment. It’s where we find, share and store pictures, home videos, movies and TV shows. However, we can’t always crowd a group of people around a small laptop screen to share our pictures, videos, favorite TV show or movie with friends and family.

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Take a step back and look at how you and your family use common spaces, specifically the living room.  The living room was traditionally a place for people to gather and discuss current matters, how the day went and future plans.

With technology came multimedia.  First was the radio, then television, video, gaming systems and multimedia computers. Now, broadband Internet and wireless technology has pushed computers that were once confined to the office into our living space.

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Home entertainment has taken a side step recently, more towards the digital realm meant for easy sharing of content. Dinner parties and family gatherings still happen, but with social-networking sites like Flickr, Kodak.com, YouTube, Mevio and Facebook, the ability to directly connect with everyone regardless of how far away they are is only a few keystrokes away.
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The living room truly is where families live today, not like before when it was only used to entertain guests or watch the occasional television show. Nowadays, the living room serves as a sanctuary of sorts; part media room, home office and gaming center. Due to the number of devices connected to each other, it can be somewhat difficult to enjoy all of them in a clean and simple fashion. IOGEAR’s revolutionary HDMI Control Center aims to alleviate some of the confusions.
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You can view part one here.

The way we watch TV shows and movies has changed dramatically over the last few years. Gone are the days when TV Guide dictated what time you must be home to catch your favorite show, or make a trip to the store to buy or rent a movie. Broadband Internet access has been made available nearly everywhere in the USA and media sites are putting it to full use, allowing you to stream content right to your computer and TV, enabling you to watch your favorite shows such as: Lost, CSI, American Idol and House whenever you want.
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This is part one of a two part series that talks about the current status of Internet TV, the second part of this series will explore content that is currently available through the Internet.

The new millennium has brought with it some of the most fast-paced advances in technology within the multi-media industry. Within the last decade, the cost of an average-sized plasma television has dropped from the $40,000 luxury item price that only the wealthy could enjoy to around $1,000 today. Along with the huge price savings, the experience in front of the television has changed, as it’s now being used for much more than simply plugging in the cable that comes out of the wall. Web TV in many ways revolutionized the concept of using a television as a computer monitor while being paired with a wireless keyboard, but it lacked a solid user interface, had limited ability to display websites correctly and ultimately never really caught on.
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Entertainment in the home has been going on for as long as man could make sounds by beating sticks onto walls. We generally associate home entertainment, as we know it today by starting in the last 19th century with the phonograph. Commonly called a gramophone or record player, these devices started to appear around the 1870’s and played recorded sounds, something almost mind-blowing for the time. Users were limited in the selection of sounds and spoken word titles available though and for the most part, this cutting edge technology was only enjoyed by the wealthy.

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Creating a theater experience at home can be rewarding. Think of it now – reclining in the comfort of your living room, watching your HDTV and enjoying a crystal clear sound system. What could be better than avoiding lines and noisy crowds at the movies than cozying up on the couch?

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