I had a chance to attend a media event hosted by Pepcom at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City the other night. The hors d’oeuvres were good, the wine tasting a nice added touch (the Pinot Noir was superb) and the exhibits engaging enough to occupy my time for three hours. That’s my kind of evening.

Chris Chinnock
Senior Analyst and Editor
for Insight Media

So what did I learn? Nothing earth shattering really, but it is always good to spend some extended time with companies to get a better perspective on their technology or products and to build relationships. This latter is often overlooked by the media who view companies as news sources, not knowledgeable industry experts who can talk beyond the corporate line if you give them the time and the chance. This is how you gain insight.

One of the more interesting areas I learned more about is alternative content delivery methods for the home. HP for example, showcased the second version of its MediaSmart TV - an upgraded version of LCD TVs that feature a simplified user interface to manage audio, video, photo and Internet content. Yes, it is easy to get a movie from CinemaNow, but you can’t go outside this walled garden of service providers.

HP had a comprehensive presence that showed various other components in its home strategy. It showed its new Pavilion elite media PC (starting at $1,100) and a nice looking 24" monitor with 1920 x 1200 resolution for $570. To complete your digital HP home, why not add a new 4-terabyte media server?

What’s the insight? My take away is that HP is making an attempt to create an easier-to-use content management system. There is already a lot of digital content in most homes spread all over the place, and this will only grow, so the goal is worthy. I’m not sure I agree with all aspects of this strategy, but it does offer an interesting side benefit - these systems are great for the family, but they can also serve the Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) market very well too. This was not lost on HP either.

ActiveVideo wants to bring Internet content access and two-way communication to the home using its ICTV ActiveVideo Distribution Network. This works by adding hardware and software elements at the cable company’s headend and requires no real change in the user set top box, with control via the same remote.

The insight here is that these guys have a nice business model. They supply the hardware and software to the cable companies for free. Content creators are encouraged to develop applications that funnel video content, linked web sites and targeted advertising to users. These developers sell "ActiveVideo channels" to advertisers and ActiveVideo takes a few pennies of each transaction.

The on-screen menu is customized to each user in the house, who fill out a profile of themselves. This allows very targeted advertising to reach the individual on each ActiveVideo channel or their personal interface/navigation screen. Now, Cadillac can reach people whose profile suggests they might actually be interested in this car. This is targeted relationship marketing extended to your cable TV - historically a broadcast advertising medium. I see why advertisers might be very interested in this.

I was less convinced about the approach Moxie told me they are taking. They want to sell consumers a stand alone PVR with an interface and broadband connection via your home network. To get cable service, plug in a CableCard or a basic set top box. This is better than the walled garden approach of HP, but lacks the business model pizzazz of ActiveVideo.

I saw some other interesting items too. Panasonic impressed me with their new toughbook laptop PC. These models are surprisingly light and can take one-foot drops to plywood (about equivalent to a 3 foot drop to carpet). Spill some coffee on your keyboard? Not to worry - it drains out of a hole in the bottom. You pay about a 2X premium for these business-class rugged PCs and even more for the hard hat versions.

At Nokia, I didn’t get too far beyond the official line, but maybe I made a connection that will bear fruit later. Nokia sees expanding use of GPS in its products, more open access phones not tied to particular cellular service providers, and more touch screens in its future. AMOLED displays are coming, but the timing for all of the above was a nebulous "later."

Westinghouse showed its latest 52" LCD TV that looked quite good showing 1080i content ($2,599 - very good for this size). A new 24" monitor featured a panel with wide angle PVA LC mode that was bright and colorful. This seems perfect for the office/den/bedroom ($499). Its digital picture frame used TN LCD technology and looked washed out by comparison.

I even got my business card scanned at Neat Receipts. They got most of it right, but each scan of a business receipt, document or business card still requires manual checking. OCR ain’t perfect yet, it seems.

All in all, a hodgepodge of technologies, and a nice break from the evening routine.