AFI BLOG: Media and Technology

Getting Control of Digital Media

Microsoft and HP as well as smaller names want to help consumers keep better tabs of their growing collection of photos, music, and videos

First, you put a few digital photos of the kids on your computer. Then you loaded up music for your iPod, everything from Belle & Sebastian to Bach. And then you started storing videos on your computer, of baby’s first steps or junior’s homemade movies. Before you know it, the hard drive on your PC is overflowing with digital media—and you’re one serious crash away from losing precious mementos of days gone by.

Where there are challenges, however, there are also opportunities. In the past few months, a new batch of products have been introduced, aimed at helping everyday consumers get control of their digital media. Tech giants such as Microsoft (MSFT) and Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), as well as smaller brands familiar to tech enthusiasts, are jumping into the business. Steve VanRoekel, a senior director at Microsoft, which makes the software for such devices, says this is the “natural next evolution” of computing in the home.

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