Advances in broadband access and wireless delivery have transformed what was once a clash between cable and satellite operators for control of the living room into a much broader battle for control of the house. The explosion of devices and services enabled by broadband and wireless offers consumers an increasing variety of ways to manage the content and communications in their homes.
This development was illustrated vividly here this week during the annual meeting of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association with the construction of a 7,000-foot "house" -- complete with garage and a deck that doubled as the main stage -- on the floor of the convention center. Industry executives wanted to show off the consumer possibilities enabled by cable's $72 billion-plus investment in upgrading infrastructure for broadband delivery of video, high-speed data and telephony.
Built by Scripps Networks -- home of Food Network, Home & Garden Television and the Do It Yourself Network -- and broadband-powered by Cox Communications of New Orleans, the 7,000-square-foot home boasted amenities any buyer with a fondness for technology would love -- plasma video screens in every room (and even built into the Jacuzzi), a microwave that scans bar codes for cooking instructions, a treadmill linked to the Internet, video phones and an alarm clock that runs the coffee maker from the bedroom.
High-definition ruled, music libraries were digital and the speakers on at least one system sent tremors through the floor. Programs were multicast, recorded on one digital video recorder and watched in another room while a high-definition television program was being recorded in yet another room. But this wasn't the General Electric house of the future. Every product and service displayed by more than 40 companies featured in the model broadband home is currently launched or in consumer trial.
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