HP Expands Its Portfolio of Digital Entertainment Offerings

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HP has expanded its portfolio of digital entertainment offerings with a new consumer PC category and a broad lineup of digital entertainment products and services that aim to fundamentally change the way people connect, access and enjoy high-definition and personal digital content. The offerings include the industry's first all-in-one touch-screen PC and touch-screen consumer tablet PC based on Microsoft Windows Vista, HP's first home media server, nine new high-definition TVs, a Blu-ray disc writer, new digital content delivery services and home automation solutions.

Additionally, the company's online photo service, Snapfish by HP, has released a new software tool that will enable members to bypass the photo upload process and send their pictures to their PCs or Snapfish accounts without a single click of a mouse.

The new HP TouchSmart PC is the industry's first all-in-one PC based on Microsoft Windows Vista. It provides users with one-touch wireless access to information, communication and entertainment through HP SmartCenter, a new customizable user interface that includes HP SmartCalendar for family calendaring and HP PhotoSmart Touch to manage digital photos. Featuring a 19-inch HD widescreen with adjustable touch-screen display, Vista remote control and personal video recorder with HD and SD TV programming, the HP TouchSmart PC enables "walk-up computing", the ability to quickly and easily have touch access to digital content wherever life happens in the home.

HP also introduced the industry's first consumer tablet PC optimized for Microsoft Windows Vista and on-the-go entertainment. The HP Pavilion tx1000 Entertainment Notebook PC features a touch-screen display, built-in miniature remote control, HP QuickPlay instant movie viewing feature, karaoke and a screen that swivels 180 degrees and folds flat for working or enjoying movies in tight travel spaces such as airplanes or trains.

By partnering with Sling Media, creators of the industry-leading Slingbox, HP has enhanced its QuickPlay offering on consumer notebooks with "place shifting", which allows consumers to instantly access their live television programming and DVR content – as easy as turning on a TV.

HP's new line of high-definition TVs, home media server and digital content delivery services allows consumers to easily view and share their high-definition content throughout their homes. The 2007 HP HDTV lineup includes nine new plasma, LCD and MediaSmart TV models, all of which feature an improved Visual Fidelity Engine for enhanced image quality with finer picture detail.

HP MediaSmart TVs merge the PC and the TV with the ability to wirelessly stream digital photos, music and videos from a PC onto a stylish HP high-definition LCD display. The latest models feature 1080p performance and the new HP Entertainment Services Portal, which provides access to a variety of online photo, video and music services with the click of a remote. Services include Snapfish, Real Networks' Rhapsody and CinemaNow, which allows consumers to begin watching movies from its library of more than 4,000 titles before the download is even complete.

The new HP MediaSmart Server is designed to help people get the most out of their home networks by connecting them to their digital assets both at home and on the go. Based on Microsoft's new Windows Home Server platform and an AMD processor, the server enables users to access, back up, share and enjoy digital music, home videos and photos from any computer or entertainment system on a home network. The server also has the expandability and extensibility to grow with a family's changing needs.

HP also released its first Blu-ray disc player, the HP bd135 Blu-ray Disc Writer. The device delivers the crystal-clear picture quality of Blu-ray Disc movies and allows users to record high-definition TV broadcasts as well as store data, digital photos, music and camcorder footage.

In collaboration with Best Buy For Business and Exceptional Innovation, HP additionally debuted ConnectedLife.Home, a packaged digital home solution designed to bring digital entertainment and home automation to mainstream consumer audiences. Powering the solution is an HP Digital Entertainment Center that enables users to record and view TV shows anywhere in the home and enjoy other digital content such as photos, music or videos. Life|ware software from Exceptional Innovation centralizes the system to automate other household functions like lighting, thermostats and surveillance.

The new Snapfish PictureMover tool is a downloadable desktop client that allows members to effortlessly transfer photos from their digital cameras or memory card readers to both their PCs and Snapfish accounts. For typical users, the tool eliminates at least 11 steps from the transfer process, bypassing the standard upload process and saving valuable time.

HP further expanded its digital photography portfolio with the HP Scanjet G4050 and G4010 Photo Scanners, which provide six-color photo scanning with exceptional color accuracy for photos, slides and negatives. Additionally, the HP Scanjet G3010 Photo Scanner provides photo, film and document scanning with one of the highest resolutions available at this scanner's price.

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