The use of information technology in the private household for consumers gains 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, the Information Society, Video-on-Demand, Smart Houses, Interactive TV, Internet, Cyberspace or Multimedia shows. This book deals with infrastructures, 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 links infrastructures and applications by a description of current projects in Asia, North America and Europe. Finally, the main business and market implications are explored. Authors from science and well-known international companies like IBM, Microsoft, Sony, Philips, Silicon Graphics, Oracle or Andersen Consulting introduce the new field of information technology for private households.

One: Introduction.- Computerized Information Processing of the Private Household: A Framework.- Two: Infrastructures.- In-home Infrastructures.- Microsoft Brings Personal Computing Home.- Digital Devices and Advanced Technology for the Consumer Market.- Bang & Olufsen's Integrated Home-Networking with Beolink.- Out-of-home Infrastructures.- Oracle Media - Enabling the Information Age.- SmartCards as Carrier of Personal Data and Documents.- Deutsche Telekom's Network Platform for Interactive Video Services.- Three: Applications.- The Citizen's Information System "Dresden and the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady)" - Realization, Experiences, Prospects.- Books of the Next Generation - Reading on the Electronic Frontier.- Electronic Agents and the Market Place: New Generations of Electronic Services for Consumers.- Home Systems - The Vision.- Teleshopping: Today's Solutions and Future Trends.- Private Household Shopping Behavior.- Interactive Multimedia and In-Home Marketing.- New Media: A Growth Market in Erotica and Pornography for Beate Uhse.- SEGA Game Applications: Consoles, Games and Development Possibilities.- TV of the Future - The Future of TV.- Interactive Video-Services for the Residential Customer.- Information Technology and Applications for Elderly and Disabled People.- Four: Current Projects.- The Information Society - Developments in the Triad of Europe, North America and Japan.- Home Automation - Recent Developments in the Genesis and Diffusion of Intelligent Home Technology in Europe, Japan, and the USA.- Multimedia Application Services.- Time Warner Cable Full Service Network - Silicon Graphics Technology and Architecture Overview.- Burda New Media's Multimedia Activities for Private Customers.- Agent Based Communication inTraffic Telematics.- Five: Impacts and Implications.- Business Impacts.- New Products and Services for Private Households on the Information Highway: Facts and Obstacles.- New Visions of Information Technology and Postmodernism: Implications for Advertising and Marketing Communications.- Seven Theses on Successful Market Development for Home Management Systems.- Stand-alone Multimedia in the Private Household.- Strategic Management and Transformation in Converging Industries - Towards the Information Society.- The Multimedia Marketplace in the Private Household - Some Observations and Comments.- Information Technologies in the Home: Policies and Markets.- Social Implications.- Computer Use at Home - A Cultural Challenge to Technology Development.- The Home in Transition: Social Implications of Home Information Technologies.- Author Profiles.