[Updated Jan. 12, 2004] — HP plans to ship a Linux-based HDTV media hub later this year, according to an article at PC Magazine. CEO Carly Fiorina demonstrated a non-working prototype of the Linux media hub at the Consumer Electronics Show this week in Las Vegas.

This is not the first time HP has announced an entertainment system running Linux. The company unveiled the HP Digital Entertainment Center (shown below) at the Tech X NY trade show in New York in June of 2001.

HP's “Digital Entertainment Center,” circa 2001
According to PC Magazine, the new Linux-powered HP media hub will support high-definition (HDTV) video, and incorporate a digital cable set-top box and dual-tuner DVR (digital video recorder). It will also have a built-in DVD burner capable of printing labels on DVDs. HP plans to offer a number of services around the media hub, including program guides and content services.

HP in November launched a similar digital entertainment system, the z545 (pictured at top of article), based on Microsoft Windows Media Center Edition (MCE). At her keynote address, Fiorina noted that HP's MCE-based devices target PC enthusiasts, while the forthcoming Linux-based living-room systems will target those who simply want personalized entertainment, without a lot of PC functionality.

To learn more about HP's forthcoming Linux media hubs, as well as other topics presented by Fiorina in her keynote address, read the complete story at PC Magazine.

Read about HP's Linux media hub at PC Magazine.

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