Tuesday, October 03, 2006

HP Offers New Entertainment Products in Time for Holiday Season

Company brings ease of use, high-definition experience into the home

NEW YORK, Sept. 28, 2006. HP today introduced a new line of computing products aimed at making it easy for people to enjoy high-definition entertainment.

In time for the holiday season, HP introduced three high-definition products based on the HD-DVD digital media format, making HP one of the first companies to announce products that deliver a high-definition experience.

The products include a 17-inch widescreen diagonal HD-DVD notebook PC with a piano-black HP Imprint finish and patterned design; an HD-DVD Media Center TV PC with 7.1 surround sound; and an HD-DVD external drive for PCs - all of which can deliver the superior picture quality associated with high-definition movies.

HP also introduced two home storage products that are ideal for storing high-definition movies and rich digital content such as music and photos. The HP Media Vault, the first in a new product category for the company, is an expandable storage product that allows consumers to easily back up and share movies, music and photos across home networks. The HP Pocket Media Drive is an ultra-portable, 2.5-inch USB hard drive in 80 gigabyte (GB) and 120 GB(1) capacities.

Additionally, the company announced a stylish, versatile handheld, the HP iPAQ Travel Companion, which couples GPS (global positioning system) navigation with entertainment and communication features, such as an MP3 player, to keep consumers entertained and connected when on the go.

"The digital lifestyle is here, and HP is making it easy for customers to experience high-definition entertainment that is compelling and fulfilling," said Todd Bradley, executive vice president, Personal Systems Group, HP. "HP, with its heritage in digital technology, is at the forefront of simplifying the experience. Today, we're extending that leadership to the high-def lifestyle."

The news was announced at the Manhattan Center in New York as a showcase of the high-definition lifestyle.

"Demand for high-definition products is booming and HP is targeting this growth segment with its product lineup and latest introductions," said Danielle Levitas, vice president, Consumer and Broadband Markets group, IDC. "High-definition TVs and media centers, coupled with compelling HD content, bring a great experience to consumers."

HP takes the high-def road

HP's 2006 holiday lineup of high-definition products includes:

  • HP Pavilion dv9000t Series Entertainment Notebook PC - which makes it easy to handle demanding applications with its combination of innovative digital entertainment features and blazingly fast multi-tasking performance via Intel® Core™ 2 Duo mobile technology.(2) Cinema-quality viewing is delivered with a 17-inch diagonal high-definition BrightView widescreen display with optional HP Ultra BrightView dual-lamp technology. An integrated HDMI port enables true HD content playback on a high-definition TV or monitor.(3)


  • HP Pavilion Media Center TV m7600n Series PC - which takes movie watching to a new level with its HD-DVD high-definition DVD player, Intel Viiv™ technology and an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, wireless home networking,(4) and 7.1 surround sound. Users can enjoy high-definition movie playback(3) with six times better resolution than standard DVD. In addition, the built-in TV tuner NPSC and personal video recorder allow users to simply watch, pause, rewind and record live television. The new HP Pavilion Media Center TV PC paired with HP's new w22 flat panel HD-ready monitor completes the HD movie experience.


  • HP High Definition DVD-ROM Drive - which provides the superior picture quality of high-def movies(5) in a portable device for use with widescreen notebooks. The external drive offers advanced interactivity; for example, users can access the Internet(6) and chat while watching a movie, or play games that are seamlessly integrated into a movie. Backwards compatible, the drive not only supports new HD DVDs, but also regular CDs and DVDs.


  • HP Media Vault mv2010/mv2020 - which allows consumers to easily protect and share digital content across multiple PCs. With its user-friendly HP-designed interface, even the least technical family members can enjoy the same movie, photos, music or video by streaming the file from the Media Vault to different computers or networked TVs throughout the home. With a capacity that expands up to a staggering 1.2 terabytes, the Media Vault can store up to 500,000 photos, 16,000 hours of music or 340 hours of video.(7)


  • HP Pocket Media Drive - which makes sharing easy. The sleek, ultra-portable, 2.5-inch USB hard drive provides the storage needed to take digital photos, recorded TV programs and professional presentations on the go. The drive easily works with any USB-enabled PC or notebook and also fits into select HP Pavilion PCs with the exclusive HP Pocket Media Drive bay for a clutter-free desktop. The drives are now available with 80 GB or 120 GB.


Navigate your way to entertainment

The slim and sleek HP iPAQ rx5000 series Travel Companion offers GPS navigation, digital entertainment and mobile connectivity.(8) For easy, turn-by-turn navigation, the device comes installed with TomTom NAVIGATOR 6 software and maps. Additional software to simplify travels includes weather, traffic, world clocks and points of interest.

In addition, the HP iPAQ rx5000 series Travel Companion allows people to travel with their music, view photos and videos, surf the web(8) and play games. Microsoft® Outlook Mobile keeps users' calendars, contacts and tasks up to date so they can conveniently stay connected to important people and information via Wi-Fi hotspots, Bluetooth™ wireless technology or USB.

Tech support just got personal

HP also is improving personal tech support with a new support capability called HP Instant Care. HP agents use the Internet to remotely solve a wide range of PC and printer issues while the customer sits back and watches. It also helps prevent problems by checking the health of the product and identifying additional issues to help avoid future calls. Based on technology created by HP's enterprise group, this help-desk technology affords consumers a secure environment, which they can opt out of at anytime. In the future, HP Instant Care is planned to encompass digital entertainment systems, TVs, cameras and more.

Rounding out the holiday lineup

HP also introduced its fall consumer PC lines, including HP Media Center, HP Slimline PC, HP Pavilion and Compaq Presario desktop PCs, 19- and 22-inch diagonal widescreen LCD monitors, HP Notebook QuickDock, and new accessories. With its ultra-wide angle, the HP 2-Megapixel Webcam takes great still pictures and high-quality video, and includes a versatile clip for easily attaching to all LCD monitors.

Additionally, HP will soon ship two new digital entertainment centers that combine the best of PC and advanced audio/video features to offer consumers a superb home entertainment experience. These advanced systems feature high-definition TV tuners, advanced audio features and digital video recorders designed for the living room. These products build on HP's launch last month of the wireless, 37-inch diagonal HP MediaSmart High-Definition LCD TV - the industry's first TV to connect home networks to home entertainment systems.

More information on HP's new digital entertainment products is available at http://www.hp.com/go/yourlifeistheshow.

Posted by Mike at 12:40 PM
PermaLink

Google
 
Web TheaterAtHome