Intel Has Been Thinking About Couch Potatoes

I caught up with the Intel Viiv team in New York yesterday. They explained their vision of the PC's role in the digital living room. As they spoke, all I could see was a vision of a family who will NEVER leave the couch they're so busy being entertained.

Viiv revolves around a specification which Intel hopes will come to be synonymous with optimized digital entertainment. I'm sure you'll be hearing more about in the upcoming months.

A Viiv PC doesn't look very much like a PC, as evidenced by this $1099 WinBook jiv, one of the first Viiv PCs to shipping. Inside are components that are guaranteed to make the digital living room experience a great one.

Viiv's specification calls for a certain combination of components:

• the latest Intel dual core processor
• a chipset that's optimized for entertainment, for example, it's capable of up to 7.1 surround sound
• the ability to play back video in high definition

Viiv PCs use Windows Media Center, a special version of Windows XP with an interface that's designed to be used with a remote control while you're sitting far away from your computer—like on a couch. The menu includes things like playing photos, videos, and music with a single click.

What does this mean to you?

You'll attach a small box that is a PC but doesn't necessarily look like a PC—maybe to a large monitor or TV in your living room. You'll be able to store all your content: personal videos, music and movies. You'll be able to connect your Viiv to everything from your gaming system to your mobile device, to your TV. You can enjoy multiple media activities at the same time (like downloading a movie while you're playing a game, even across different rooms in your home). You'll be able to access a host of content that Intel is certifying as Viiv ready, everything from gaming areas, to music on demand, to first run movies, and sports. You'll pay for some of the content, but some of it will be free.

My take? I have mixed feelings about a PC-centric living room. Make no mistake about it. This is the couch potato's ultimate dream; they'll never have to get up—even to switch from their PC to TV. A scary thought. And at the home-décor level it's frightening, too. There are enough cables attached to the Viiv PC I saw (admittedly fully loaded with peripherals) to make Medusa look kempt in comparison.

Finally, and most importantly, if I were buying a Viiv PC to control everything digital in my entertainment life you'd better believe I'd want it to come with an installation person to make everything work. Media management is getting better but it's still far from Easy Street. That said, Intel gets points for thinking ahead. If Viiv can be easily understood and installed, I might just spend a bit more time on the couch.