Tell us what you think. Cable and telephone digital subscriber lines, or DSL, are making possible new products that represent a convergence of Net content and home entertainment centers. Nonetheless, several companies are developing devices called residential gateways that can perform those tasks and more. Panja's coffee-table touch screens provide easy menu access to entertainment and information services as well as to PCs, TVs, DVD players and stereo receivers.
Advanced models add control of mundane appliances and systems.
Don't make me run to my PC to play a music file. Competitors such as wireless pioneer Sharewave are convinced that a home PC with a broadband Internet connection will be the center for distributing music, video and information to players throughout the home. Its hand-held boxes hook wirelessly into cable or DSL, then sort out and push multimedia presentations to home stereos and TVs. This fall, Panja will begin marketing its Panja 1000 that, using subscription services, will cull MP3 files, streaming video and movies from the Internet and convert them to forms that can be used by existing entertainment equipment. We believe we are at an inflection point, literally changing how we are entertained.