Until now, attempts to stream multimedia to other rooms in the home have experienced only limited success. Wireless networking solutions have suffered from complex setup and compatibility issues as well as limitations in data speed. Wired solutions have required costly wiring schemes. And none of the available technologies have been robust enough to handle the high-volume bandwidth requirements of HDTV and multi-channel music.

With 802.11n, HomePNA 3.0 and HomePlug AV on the launching pad, the pipelines are in place for hardware products that can deliver a satisfying connected home experience for consumers. Intel plans to make full use of those highways beginning this year with the introduction of the Viiv technology platform. Home networking—and the ability to enable anytime, anywhere digital entertainment in the home—is key to Intel’s roadmap for Viiv technology.

Acknowledging that confusing setup has been a barrier to adoption of home networking products for mainstream consumers, Intel has taken a leading role, along with Microsoft and others in the Wi-Fi Alliance, to develop a specification called Simple Config that’s designed to simplify networking setup. Recently ratified by the Wi-Fi Alliance, Simple Config is a common set of specifications that allow products from different vendors to identify themselves to each other and use the same procedures for setup.

Intel has also recently joined the HomePlug Alliance, stating that the powerline technology could be easier to implement and more reliable than wireless.

Viiv will appear in various form factors, from a consumer electronics PC that resembles an audio/video component, to a power desktop PC. Some could be the size of a paperback book. At the heart is a dual-core processor enabling multi-tasking of data-intensive operations like music and video playback. The chipset supports 1080i video, 7.1-channel audio and an instant on/off experience that’s more like a TV than a PC.

Viiv 1.0, which launched in January, is incorporated into PCs now and will be built into TVs, DVD players, set-top boxes and game players as well. A mid-year software update will enable remote access from Viiv-enabled devices throughout the home. Content partners include ESPN, Movielink, AOL and Napster.