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Construction needs cloud flexibility
Australia’s embattled construction sector could benefit from cloud based information systems that can be switched on and off in lockstep with individual projects – with the exception of those organisations based in remote areas like the Kimberleys.
read moreApple iTV provides missing link to the armchair
Stan Beer
Wednesday, 13 September 2006 09:17
While the workings of iTV may not be exactly clear just yet, the intent of Apple surely is. What Steve Jobs and company intend to provide through a book sized device that connects to the TV, including high definition TVs, is a wireless connection from the PC, using the 802.11 standard, that will enable users to easily stream downloaded videos to their TV set.
This is an infinite improvement on the suggestion from the Amazon Unbox page: "In most cases, connecting your computer to your television is as simple as using an s-video connection. S-video is a standard 4-pin video connection available on most televisions and video cards. S-video only transfers the video image, so you will also need to connect the audio out port on your computer to external speakers or to a home stereo system."
Clearly not many would-be movie downloaders will want to go to that trouble and Apple knows this, which is why it has come up with iTV.
Unlike Microsoft, which has unsuccessfully tried to force the world to put PCs in the living room, Apple has taken the more pragmatic approach of connecting the living room to the PC or Mac using a device that acts as a wireless router for videos. Then an Apple remote control can be used to access the movie and music content streamed from the computer to the TV through the router.
What happens with sound is not exactly clear but it would be fair to assume that the iTV will also connect to a home sound system.
We will not see iTV until the first quarter of 2007 and no doubt between now and then Apple will be pushing its new iTunes movie downloads service, including trying to seal deals with other studios besides Walt Disney.
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