Information Superhighway and Private Households

The use of information technology in the private household for consumers is gaining in importance. A whole new world of computerized home applications is already in place or under development. The market potential for the future will arise from the fact that information technology influences all parts of our private life as the discussion on information superhighways, video-on-demand and interactive TV shows. This work deals with infrastructure, applications, current projects and business impacts of information technology for the private home. After a first introductory section, the second part discusses software, hardware and network issues. The third part explains the broad range of applications. The fourth part brings together infrastructures and applications by a description of current projects in Asia, North America and Europe. Finally, the main business and social implications are explored. Authors from science and well-known international companies, such as IBM, Microsoft, Sony, Philips, Silicon Graphics, Oracle and Andersen Consulting, introduce the new field of information technology in private households.