It is the one romance that has been long rumored but never consummated in the world of consumer electronics: PC meets TV. Now, some of the world"s largest electronics companies think the happily-ever-after is in sight and are readying a range of devices to link home computers to televisions. All of the devices, due to be rolled out in the coming months, are based on the belief that consumers have plenty of songs, photos and video files idling in their computers, but they would enjoy it more elsewhere.
At the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this month in Las Vegas, at least a half-dozen companies showcased devices that, in one way or another, will connect the computer, the living room -- and in many cases the whole home -- to each other. Hewlett-Packard Co. announced the Digital Media Receiver 5000 series, devices that will cost $199 for a wired version and $299 for a wireless version, and will display photos on a TV and play music through a stereo with a remote control.
Both SonicBlue Inc. and TiVo Inc. said they would update their digital video recorders this year with new software and networking features that would also let them pull photos and music from PCs on home networks. Pioneer Corp. showed off a $1,000 digital media server that can store music, photos and videos, and a $600 server that can receive the content through a home network.