News

Abrocour offers free home entertainment systems for 50,000 new homes (16/3/2004)

Joining forces with BT, Intel, HP and Microsoft, Abrocour encourages property developers to adopt latest home technology

In a bold initiative, Abrocour, the company offering wireless networking, broadband Internet and digital home entertainment to the residential property market, today announced that it will be giving away 50,000 state-of-the-art Media Center PCs with 32" flat screen displays to housing developers, to be installed in their new developments.

The Microsoft Windows XP Media Center PCs powered by the Intel(r) Pentium(r) 4 processor with Hyper-Threading technology* and 32" LCD flat screens will be provided free of charge to developers who take Abrocour's Openhome solution. Openhome offers new home-owners a package of fast broadband Internet connection, wireless home network and a wireless home monitoring system, which can be supplemented with wireless computing devices such as an Intel(r) Centrino(tm) mobile technology-based laptop and wireless X-Box. Using these solutions, home-owners can enjoy a truly integrated, wire-free home entertainment experience.

Abrocour, which is working with leading technology companies including BT, Elonex, HP, Intel and Microsoft to create Openhome, believes that the Media Center PC scheme will provide house builders with a major incentive to take the solution. Openhome has already been adopted by several leading property developers, beginning with Berkeley Homes at its Chelsea Bridge Wharf development.

The 50,000 Media Center PCs to be offered with Openhome, are powered by the Intel Pentium 4 processor with Hyper-Threading technology, run Microsoft Windows XP for Media Center Edition 2004, and come with a 32" LCD flat screen. This digital home entertainment system gives people a TV, digital video recorder, a CD and DVD player, a digital music library, advanced tools for editing, storing and displaying digital photos and also functions as a high-performance PC. As the Media Center PCs offered feature Hyper-Threading technology, users benefit from advanced multi-tasking performance and the ability to get more done, more quickly and to have more fun.

Traditionally, house builders have been slow to provide broadband and e-home capabilities in new properties, seeing it as an expensive extra rather than an essential fourth utility. However, this is set to change as consumer demand for new technology grows and the government presses ahead with proposed building regulations aiming to mandate expensive in-home cabling.

Abrocour believes its wireless approach offers house builders a cheaper and more efficient alternative to complex and costly cabling.

"We see the provision of BT Broadband and home networking as just the first stepping stone to the delivery of a whole range of new digital possibilities for house builders and home-owners," commented Chet Patel, General Manager, Internet Access Products, BT Retail. "Partnering with Abrocour will enable us to deliver these services and eventually make wireless broadband a standard feature in people's homes."

Andrew Allison, Director of Mobility, Intel UK and Ireland said, "Wireless living is being enthusiastically embraced across the UK, with over 5,000 public wireless hotspots now available in places such as hotels, pubs, cafes and motorway service stations. Intel is delighted to be involved with Abrocour and BT to further extend this wireless lifestyle to the next generation of connected homes, bringing Britain yet closer to realising Intel's vision to unwire Britain by 2005. This new housing initiative will give home-owners instant access to a true digital home experience with an Intel-based wireless PC at the centre of the home."

Paul Randle, Windows Client Product Manager, Microsoft said: "Microsoft is fully committed to developing technology for the home. Windows XP Media Center Edition is the perfect compliment to Abrocour's OpenHome solution offering consumers digital entertainment as part of a fully integrated e-home."

"With the ascent of broadband and wireless technology, more of us are aware of the opportunities offered by the 'e-home" says Sam Sethi, Abrocour's CEO, "but house builders are still reluctant to provide the necessary new technology, so much of the promise of the digital age remains a fantasy rather than a reality. As a viable and cost-effective e-home solution, bringing together the expertise of BT, Intel, HP and Microsoft, we believe Openhome will change this.

"With Openhome and the massive incentive of the Windows Media Centre PC scheme, Abrocour is offering house builders a great opportunity to benefit from the latest technology and start building the homes of the future today."

www.abrocour.com