Password Magazine — Issue 13
Technology Integration

Converging ideas on the connected home

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+ WWICE-2 System Architecture
+ Useful links
+ More information

Philips focuses on four key areas of technology research that have been identified as critical to the future of its consumer electronics business: Displays, Storage, Connectivity and Digital Video. However, these technologies cannot be seen in isolation to each other. The home of the future will be a networked and connected entity that combines these different technologies to deliver wholly new user experiences. Mark Verberkt tells Password about some of the things that Philips Research is doing to shape the future of our living spaces, including a practical implementation of the connected networked home that allows users to experience rich multi-media content and seamless connectivity in real-life situations.

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PDF-file of complete article (203 kb)

+ Converging ideas on the Connected Home - pdf

WWICE-2 System Arcitecture

The WWICE-2 prototyping system comprises a number of networked resources, including wall-mounted plasma displays, digital TV sets, wireless connected portable web tablets and storage servers. Networked together via high-speed wired Ethernet and IEEE 802.11b wireless local-area networks (LANs), these screens form a platform on which the technical feasibility and potential applications of in-home digital networks can be investigated. To ease the transition from research project into consumer products, both the hardware and software of the fixed screens draw heavily on Philips' Nexperia Digital Video Platform.

Each of the fixed screens occupies a different room in Philips' HomeLab (the living, dining and kitchen corners) so that users can experience new applications in real-life environments. Several of the screens offer interactivity via touch screen interfaces, microphones and computer vision systems, while the web tablets provide an alternative means of control and allow activities to be carried from one room to another.

Useful links

+ WWICE-2 project (pdf-file; 59 KB)
+ Pronto products
+ Pronto user web site

For more information:

Mark Verberkt,
Senior Architect at Philips Research Eindhoven, the Netherlands,
Email: mark.verberkt@philips.com