Why Today’s Homes Need at Least an
Eight-Port Switch Behind Every TV
In the late 1980’s, Scott McNealy–
cofounder of Sun Microsystems–
infamously proclaimed that the “Network
is the Computer.” The implication of
this phrase was that the collection of
intelligent devices attached to a corporate
network would always be more powerful
than any single computer. Twenty years
later, a similar phrase could be used
for the home. The home is no longer
a collection of individual, electronic
boxes that serve a single function–such
as watching television. Almost every
new electronic device entering the
residential audio-video space has become
a networked device–today it would be
accurate to state that the “Network is the
Home.”
Almost eight years ago, I wrote about
the emergence of networking AV and data systems products for the home
in a column titled, “In Search of Data Ports” (RS, September 2003). At
that time, we were just beginning to see the emergence of a few products
that could be connected to a home network–some leading-edge receivers,
media centers, and set-top boxes. In contrast, today you need at least
an eight-port switch behind almost every TV in the home that is used
for more than just casual viewing (i.e. the kitchen or master bath TV)
to support the plethora of products and services that leverage the home
networked devices and high-speed internet connection gateway. Let’s take
a closer look at the electronic products that are connecting to all of those
network ports behind the TV.
The AV Receiver
No longer reserved for only the high end of a manufacturer’s product
line–almost all new receivers add a network port to
their box. These network ports are used for a wide
variety of purposes. New receivers can now connect
to the internet to stream from a variety of internet
audio services, such as Pandora or Rhapsody, as
well as video services like those offered by Netflix
and YouTube. Increasingly, universal remote
controllers now communicate over a network
connection to the receiver (instead of RS232) to
initiate and receive command information. These
network ports also are used to communicate
between the receiver and its manufacturer for firmware updates and
remote troubleshooting capabilities. Most recently, incorporating Apple’s
new Airplay feature allows these receivers to stream audio content from
iTunes collections on the home network directly to their receiver.
Television Set
The smart TV is here. Almost all of the new larger TVs (40 inches and
above) have a network port on the back. These new internet-connected
TVs now support dozens of different entertainment and informational
widgets/apps. Netflix, Pandora, weather, and traffic reports are just a few
of these networked-based services enabled by this new functionality–and
we can expect a steady stream of new applications to be added to these
TVs over time. One application that is uniquely suited for the large-screen
TV experience is Skype–simply add a small camera and microphone
to the smart TV, and you’ve created a very engaging and inexpensive
videoconferencing experience.
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For any room that is used for more than just casual viewing,
every TV must be equipped with enough switches to support
the plethora of products and services that leverage the home
networked devices and high speed internet connection gateway.
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Service Provider Set-Top Boxes
Most all set-top boxes have now added a network connection to
complement the traditional phone port on these units. Electronic program
guide information streams in via this internet connection, and iPad and
Android-based platforms can control these set-top boxes across a wireless
network connection in the home. Set-tops, like those from TiVo, also
allow content to be shared on the home network across networked TiVo
boxes. TiVo also supports the movement of its recorded content from its
own hard drive to any fixed or mobile hard drive around the home–the
perfect solution for the clients that want to take their TiVo recording of 60
Minutes and move it to their laptop for viewing on their next plane flight.
Media Clients
Inexpensive products from Apple, Roku,
Google, and Boxee (to name just a handful)
provide a full range of “over-the-top”
entertainment services to the television.
These are all the potential service provider
“cord killing” boxes that offer an increasingly
wide range of movie, TV, and audio
experiences that all stream from the home’s
broadband internet connection. The breadth of these offerings have become so wide that the need for cable or satellite
subscriptions in the coming years will diminish, as will the need for discbased
players (either audio or video).
Universal Remote Controllers
The base stations of universal remote controllers are now connected to
the home network and the internet. With so many AV devices having
a network connection, it has become the preferred method of control
communications (vs. RS232 and certainly IR). Placing a network port on
these base stations allows a wide range of handheld devices to become
universal remote controllers, which can engage with the networked,
connected AV equipment over the home’s wireless 802.11b/g/n
connections. Think of the Apple iPhone or iPad now as universal remote
controllers–and many of the newly released Android tablets.
Game Boxes
Xbox, Wii, and many other gaming platforms have networking ports to
enable multi-player gaming with other players on the Internet. Network ports
also enable these boxes to add many of the additional feature sets already
noted–such as movie and audio streaming. In the case of the Microsoft Xbox,
you add their Kinect camera platform to this gaming station and have a video
teleconferencing solution that can follow you around the room as you talk.
Movie Players
To get the highest quality movie experience (1080p) and the greatest
range of new movie titles, you still need to install a Blu-ray player. Almost all of these now require a network connection to enable the internet-based
audio and video streaming services previously discussed and to insure
that they are upgraded with the latest firmware to allow newer movies to
playback properly. Many new movies are encrypted in such a way that
some cannot be played back via older Blu-rayplayers (until upgraded).
And Everything Else
Wireless access points, audio amps (think Sonos or Control4), and line
conditioner/UPS devices are more examples of network-based products
that increasingly find a home in our client’s AV cabinets. Enhancing the
home’s wireless cloud, moving music from room to room, or intelligently
turning off unused electronic devices–all of these products leverage the home
network and the internet to enhance the home entertainment experience.
In Sum
It is clear that the professionally
installed home entertainment system
has become an intricate system of
networked devices. As ESCs, we
must be prepared to install these
larger switches behind many of our
client’s TVs and to train our staff
to leverage network connections
to enable the latest generation of
entertainment and control solutions
for our clients’ homes.