One of the highlights of the upcoming Computex Taipei next week is a demonstration of a digitalized home environment in which users can exchange text, voice and video data, an official at Philips Semiconductors said yesterday at a press conference.
As global technological development moves toward the convergence of information and entertainment -- for instance, the integration of the PC and TV -- the concept of a "connected home" is emerging, said Rob Fletcher, vice president and general manager of Philips Semiconductors Asia-Pacific.
Fletcher said the idea of creating an environment in which all of a home's digital devices are connected to share information and entertainment content has started to come to fruition in some US households, and is being slowly introduced here in Taiwan.
Within a connected home, digital content will be shared between devices and will be accessible anywhere whenever users want them.
The new trend will not only transform homes of the future, but will also benefit Taiwan's information technology sector as Philips Semiconductors, Europe's third-largest chipmaker, may farm out some of its orders here, a Philips Semiconductors (Taiwan) official said.
"Development of the connected home is predicated on the growth of three key areas: high-resolution displays, broadband connectivity and high-capacity storage," said Jack Shih (
Taiwan is already well known as a production center of display panels and networking equipment, and therefore has the potential to get a lot of business stemming from the trend, he added.
The chipmaking arm of Dutch consumer-electronics giant Royal Philips Electronics NV is now working with several partners such as Accton Technology Corp (智邦) to develop products integrating its semiconductor solutions and to promote the adoption of universal standards for technologies utilized in the connected home, Shih said.
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