One & Co conjures Media Center concepts for a future where Home Theater PCs make for fashionable additions to the living room - as opposed to current less-than-stylish models.
Design and engineering consultancy One & Co recently announced its concept for the Microsoft Media Center PC, a prototype developed for Microsoft which addresses the frequent lack of focus on style in current HTPC (Home Theater PC) products. Just as use of the personal computer has migrated from the office to the home workspace, so, with the advent of digital entertainment, One & CO believes developers of computers as media centers would be expected to create more appealing packaging for the technology than is currently available.
Pointing out that the computer’s revolutionary arrival in the living room has yet to yield an equally radical form factor that reflects its new function, One & Co pegged currently available Media Center PCs as belonging to one of two camps: 'PC towers' or rack-mounted 'black boxes'.
According to One & Co partner Jonah Becker, neither hardware configuration addresses either of two key issues. "Interacting through your TV from the living room couch with a PC is a whole different function," Becker notes. "Function aside, these are new surroundings. The design of the computer needs to respond to this changed set of circumstances."
 | | One & Co's Media Center PC Concept |
One & Co’s stated goal in realizing the Living Room PC project was to radically rethink the shape and form of the personal computer in ways that reflect the technology’s new surroundings and enhanced versatility, thus establishing a unique niche for the Media Center PC. As the first step in achieving their goal, One & Co designers decided to optimize user interaction for two markedly distinct functional modes: first, the 'two-foot experience' involved in turning the computer on and off, connecting a digital camera, loading discs, and so forth; second, the '10-foot experience' of watching TV, reviewing digital photos or videos, enjoying gaming, or searching music libraries.
Solving this dilemma through the approach of making the Media Center a piece of furniture to be included with other living room entities, the design team turned the computer’s control panel on its side, facing upwards. The result would allow the typical couch potato quick access to all controls, ports, and the disk drive, whilst digital entertainment management would be carried out using the traditional approach. To top it off, the design consultancy also included an inductive charging dock on the top of the box, which - unsurprisingly - charges the remote for the unit once inserted.
One & Co also developed a wall-mounted design concept which incorporates a detachable, 10" LCD to function as a wireless monitor of sorts, allowing users to carry out PC-related functions from the couch or even other rooms.
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