Prominent among them, Fujitsu has already announced 22 additions to its FMV (full-motion video) series of computers that are ‘designed to meet modern lifestyles’, including a number that will replace family television sets.
Fujitsu’s Esprimo desktops are equipped with tuners for terrestrial digital TV broadcasts, with some able to simultaneously tune in two digital programmes transmitted over terrestrial broadcast, broadcast satellite or 110° communications satellite. The machines also have a ‘10x double recording mode’ that enables them to store up to 1,789 hours of programming.
Rival NEC, meanwhile, has taken adopted three-dimensional images into its core comnputer technologies, with the Valuestar series able to advantage of digital terrestrial TV.
Demand for TV-capable computers is being fuelled by Japan’s transition to digital broadcasting, with the growing expactation that both desktop and portable machines be capable of TV playback and Blu-ray recording and playback.
The new computers are coming to market in Japan now, and are expected to reach overseas markets in coming months.
