Teched out: Latest in home technology paraded at CES

Kirk Baird

Monday, Jan. 14, 2002 | 8:20 a.m.

In the '50s they called it, "The home of tomorrow, today."

It was the almost fully automated kitchen that helped select what type of meal to prepare. Or a living room with a TV that was voice-activated. Even a coffee maker could be turned on by a switch in the bedroom.

More than a half-century later, that tomorrow world appears to be here now if the Consumer Electronics Show was any indication.

The five-day event, which was not open to the public, concluded its annual run Thursday at the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Sands Expo Center, the Las Vegas Hilton and Alexis Park Hotel.

While CES featured the latest in audio and video technology, along with clever gadgets sure to make some inventor very wealthy, it was obvious where consumer electronics is going: to computers specifically, home networks and automation.

That essentially means the personal computer could become even more "personal" by interacting with audio and video equipment, refrigerators and other kitchen appliances, home-security, heating and cooling systems, even light sources around the house.

In his keynote speech, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates referred to this period as "the digital decade ... when great software and hardware come together."

It is all made possible through rapid advances in computer chips, Gates said.

"Now, for $4 to $8, the kind of intelligence we get in the microprocessor is far beyond the original PC," he said. "And so what it means is that we have multiple devices that are smart and we have protocols, digital protocols, digital standards between those devices allowing them to work together."

In a home network environment, then, think of the PC as both server and remote control. Through it you can access any device plugged into the network.

For now most electronics plugged into a such a network are audio and video equipment.

But as the chips get less expensive and more powerful, it becomes feasible for them to be inserted into other electronic appliances, such as a coffee maker. If that coffee maker was plugged into the network, it could then "talk" to the PC.

So while slaving away late at night on an important spreadsheet for work, one could start brewing a cup of coffee without ever leaving the computer. Simply tell the computer to start the coffee maker with a few clicks of the mouse.

The coffee maker could then send a message to the PC letting you know the coffee is ready.

And with other devices plugged into the home network, a person could access the PC from the living-room TV and turn up the heat in the bedroom before going to bed. Or change the sprinkler cycle from a personal digital assistant (PDA) once you're in bed.

"Everything is here" for automation, said Michael Alford, a director of product marketing for electronics maker Philips. "But as a consumer, are you ready?"

It's automatic

According to the Consumer Electronics Association, which sponsors CES, the number of home networks is relatively small, but growing quickly.

In 1999 less than 1 percent of all homes in the United States were networked. This year it reached 6.25 percent, and by 2006 it's expected to soar to 23.13 percent.

Logically, as more homes are wired for networking, the demand for automation will increase.

It's little wonder Dan Quigley left Microsoft three years ago to create Premise Systems Inc., a developer of residential and commercial automation software.

At a booth inside Microsoft's Connected Home exhibit at CES, Premise was showing off its latest automation software, SYS, which Quigley, who serves as the company's chief executive officer, described as a "universal translator."

"We took the approach that in order for home automation to succeed, you would have to tie in any device," he said.

All that's needed is a computer running either the Windows 2000 or XP operating systems, and any electronic device with a microchip and the ability to plug into a home network, such as an Ethernet port.

Once the software is installed and the home network set up, a PC running SYS should be able to communicate with common household devices, media, automation products and Internet devices from different manufacturers.

At $1,000 for the consumer package, though, SYS is a little pricey for the average person, Quigley acknowledged. The bugs are still being worked out -- including its ease of use and installation.

But the software's price will drop with future versions, which also will become much more user-friendly, he said.

"I have this at my home. When I first installed it, my wife hated it. A year later, she still hated it. This year, though, she said it's not bad," he joked. "So it's getting easier to use."

Philips is also banking on the future of home automation, only from a hardware perspective.

The company is developing what it calls a "Zaptop," a lap-sized PDA remote, which, when connected to a home network, can provide access to any networked device. It can also coordinate functions between systems.

For example, you can record a TV program onto a computer hard drive and later burn it onto a DVD -- all while making dinner in the kitchen.

The Zaptop also provides access to the PC, so you can check your e-mail on your TV -- and if you're in the middle of watching a program, view it as picture-in-picture.

For those still intimidated by the VCR clock, however, home automation should be a gradual process.

By taking baby steps toward controlling household electronics and appliances through a computer or special remote, it can ease the frustration of too much technology, too soon.

Sharp demonstrated two TVs with PC card slots, for memory cards from digital cameras. You can then access the photos stored on the card with a remote control.

That is a simple introduction to the merging of computers with other electronics.

Taking it slightly further is Intel.

The computer-chip maker showed off a prototype "extended PC remote" it is developing in conjunction with other high-tech companies.

The PC remote plugs into an electronic device, such as a TV or stereo, but is also wirelessly connected to the computer.

With the remote, you can access photos stored on the PC's hard drive and show them to friends and family on a big screen TV. Or, MP3s (music files) can be played from the computer on a stereo.

There's no price set for the remote, but it's scheduled for release in the second half of 2003.

Using the remote in conjunction with the credit card-thin, 5 1/2-inch TVs that Sanyo was displaying, it's possible to have access to your PC most anywhere in the house.

As one Intel employee said: "It's all funneling in that direction."

The audience is listening

What would an electronics show be without controversy?

In the '70s it was VHS versus Betamax. In the '80s there was the video-game war between competing home systems. In the '90s there was Digital Audio Tape versus CD.

This decade isn't any different. There's an audio feud going on, of which many consumers aren't even aware: Super Audio CD (SACD) versus DVD-Audio. Perhaps the biggest supporter of the SACD are Sony and Philips, which not only worked in tandem to create the product, but were co-creators of its predecessor, the CD.

Other companies, such as JVC and DTS, are focusing on DVD-Audio.

Who will come out on top?

Probably manufacturers such as Sharp and Apex, both of which demonstrated single units that play both formats.

While the combo players are still out of the average consumer's financial means, the prices will drop with each new generation -- as is always the case with new technology.

As for the discs themselves, the music is breathtaking. Both SACD and DVD-Audio take full advantage of a home theater system, sending specific sounds to individual speakers; it's as if each speaker is devoted to one instrument or voice.

When asked if consumers would still notice a difference between an SACD and/or DVD-Audio over a CD, Ken Mendez, a national product specialist with JVC, pointed to a nearby wall with two TVs mounted on it.

One, a high-definition set, was significantly sharper and brighter than the other TV, a standard set.

"I have people come in and ask why I have two TVs hanging up with the same picture," he said. "After I point out the difference in the picture quality, they say, 'Ohhh ... yeah.' "

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