“We also have a box, but it’s much cheaper than XBOX and can substitute those expensive game machines.” an engineer exclaimed last Friday when Lenovo announced its real-time multimedia collaboration technology after five years’ research and development.

Multimedia collaboration technology is a PC remote control technology, through which computers can control terminals such as TV, mobile phones, cameras. For instance, PC videos or games can be played on TV screen.

“You can play computer games on TV screen and at the same time your family member may chat on line while another person may watch computer movies on his mobile phone.” An engineer from Lenovo described a story to happen, which shares great similarity with the “Venus Plan” Microsoft put forward several years ago.

In fact, 3C (Computer, Communication, Consumptive Electronics) integration has made the goals of software manufacturers and hardware counterparts consistent in which family entertainment is dubbed a very promising market.

Microsoft’s XBOX360 is more than game fans’ favorite. Its target is no other than family entertainment since it realizes the downloading of internet games, music, movies and TV programs and the playing of computer programs on TV screen.

Lenovo’s plan is computer-centered not game machine-centered. “Due to this, the name of PC may changed into family server.” Lenovo CTO He Zhiqiang said. He also admitted that many companies shifted their focus to family entertainment.

HP has unveiled its computers and software designed for family entertainment long before while Shanda changed its strategy also out of consideration of family entertainment. What Lenovo does now is embedding software into the computer and a receiver into the terminal so as to realize the remote control of electronics. These receivers will finally turn into chips.

According to He Zhiqiang, it will take twelve or eighteen months to apply this new technology into production line and the deadline is 2008 summer before Olympics.