Connected Home Predictions for CES 2011

CES 2011 is building up to be a very exciting show and one not to miss. From what I have seen this year, I think there are some very exciting technologies in the pipeline, especially for the connected home. The connected home has been added as a new area within the show for the first time next year. This is where I think there will be a lot of new solutions.

With just 17 days to go, these are some of the technology that I think will be featured: Android in the connected home context, Set-top box featuring over the top Connected TV solution, flexible device solution, smart meter, On-Demand for multiroom and place shift and more Google and AppleTV solutions.

Android in the connected home
Apart from Google offering Google Android TV; the MIPS Android community has been doing a lot of work to put Android into our homes. A few prototypes were demonstrated last year, so I am looking forward to see how far they have come.
 
Set-top box featuring Over-the-Top (OTT)
Yes, set-top box is nothing new, but there are a lot of work being done to extend its services.  One area is in over the top services. OTT/Connected TV has been hot in the news this year so look out for the latest in this area.

Flexible Device Solution
By this I mean devices sharing similar functions to each other.  A typical example is the recently released Binatone Andriod iHomePhone, where a phone is offering more than the basic functions. Common functions and services will be available on a number of different devices thereby and cutting out the need to buy specialist device.

Smart Meter/Energy Management Solution
As the smart grid sector grows companies such as Cisco and Microsoft are creating energy management solutions that integrate with the smart grid infrastructure and help us to better understand and manage the energy we use.  So look out for new systems in this area. Intel recently released the “Intel Home Dashboard”referency design; check for products using this technology.

On-Demand for Multiroom and Place Shift
Starting at CES 2011, I think next year is the year for 3D HD on demand solutions becoming more affordable and establishing it self as a standard solution.  Expect to see more and better multiroom solutions especially wireless, like the Netgear 3D HD Wireless Home Theatre Networking Kit.  I also think more devices will be on show that support the way we really live – the ability to stream our content to different devices at the same time there by offering place shift solutions.

Google and AppleTV solutions
The release of Google TV and Apple TV this year were among the top CE (Consumer Electronics) news for the year. So far only the key technology partners (Sony and Logitech) have release major complementary products. I think more products from other key partners and others will be some of the shows major attractions.