Surrey, UK-based personal computer manufacturer Tiny Computers Ltd is hoping to kickstart the market for integrated PC home entertainment systems in the UK with the release of its extravagantly titled Movie Center Freedom. The company is billing the system as its most integrated multimedia device with the functionality of a TV home theater, games consul, fax, telephone, answerphone and computer with Web access. Users can also link the system up to their existing TV and video. The PC based package includes a 266MHz Pentium II machine with floppy, CD ROM and Digital Video Disk drives, a 56k bps voice fax/modem, TV Tuner, Philips Proscreen 6000 SVGA projector, a 68 inch projector screen and a 500 watt PMPO sub woofer with four satellite speakers. Memory is expandable from 64Mb to 384Mb of synchronous dynamic RAM. The all in one device is controlled either by a cordless infrared keyboard or remote control. Tiny’s parent company OT Computers had revenues of ú100m for the financial year ended January 1997. Managing director Jon Harris says the company expects that to grow to around ú180m for the current financial year with an additional $50m from the groups newly launched Hong Kong operation. Harris says the company will continue its aggressive expansion next year (CI No 3,148) and hopes to grow from the present 50 retail outlets to around a hundred by the end of 1998. Sales director Martin Breffit would not comment on how many of the new systems the company expects to shift but says he expects total system sales to double from 140,000 in 1997 to around 280,000 next year, and is ambitiously aiming to grow revenues to ú300m. The Tiny Movie Center Freedom is available from December 1st, priced at ú2,700.
