Intel vs Apple, Phillips & Rendevous

[vniow]

A new device from Intel could speed the dream of the networked home, where PC-stored digital photos would be viewed on a TV, and MP3 music tracks could be beamed to a stereo.

Sound familiar?. Looks like Rendevous might have a competitor in the home theatre department.

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[szark]

Individually, the adapters are expected to range in price from $99 to $199, depending on their features. Consumers would have to attach a separate adapter to each device intended to share files with a PC, or they could move the adapter from device to device as needed.

...

Ultimately Intel would like consumer-electronics manufacturers to incorporate the adapter's capabilities directly into their products. For now, though, the adapter serves as an interim step, letting consumers create a PC-centered home-entertainment network without having to buy a new TV or stereo or other components. The gadget could thus accelerate mainstream acceptance of the home-networking idea.

Spending $100-$200 for an adapter for each consumer device we want to network, so we don't have to spend money on new components??? For a big-screen TV that's not expensive but I wouldn't buy it for a stereo.

It's also not necessarily competition -- a smart manufacturer would add Rendezvous capability into the box, so it would work with both systems.