What Pluto Promised
This page gives an overview, of what PlutoHome promised to be in 2004.
Contents
Media
Pluto IS the integrated media system—rather than just controlling media systems like home automation products—Pluto Media system integration is better and easier for the user. Drop a DVD in a Media Director, without touching a button, Pluto will respond according to the type of disc. Homeowner directed scenarios dim lights, power the TV, and set appropriate audio modes. Pluto reads the DVD Menu then displays the DVD menu options on an Orbiter. All Media is shared digitally on the Pluto network. Touch a button to transfer movies to another TV in the home without moving the DVD. Broadcast it to multiple TV’s. Put your entire DVD collection in the Pluto Jukebox and everyone can watch digital quality movies across the all digital Pluto Device network. Pluto also has full PVR capabilities—pause/rewind/record live TV, etc... Pluto records on the Core and shares all recordings over the network. Set Pluto to record every show episode and Pluto won’t disturb you if you are watching TV. Pluto will record with an unused set top box from the network. Pluto’s ability to use networked tuners means you watch your shows uninterrupted. With Pluto’s picture-in-picture capability you can watch the networked tuner shows so you will know when the commercial break is over to change back to the other channel. You don’t need several cable boxes in the same room to get PIP as Pluto provides video over the network.
Telecom
Pluto integrates a modern Voice over IP PBX to control all communications in the home. Callers to Pluto homes hear, “This is the Smith home. Would you like to speak with Jim or Mary?” When the caller chooses “Jim” Pluto asks “would you like your calls to always be put through to Jim?” If the caller picks “Yes”, then Pluto will record the caller ID and for all future calls will automatically put the caller through directly to Jim’s extension Pluto keeps track of which phone extensions it should ring for each family member and whether they’re home, away, sleeping or do not want to be disturbed. Pluto synchronizes phone books and flags priority callers so when “Jim” is sleeping calls go to voicemail, except for priority callers who will hear, “I’m sorry. Jim is sleeping. If this is urgent I can wake him. Shall I wake him or would you rather leave a message?” Pluto’s inter-home PBX connects multiple homes together as one so calls to your home in LA while you are at your NY apartment will ring only the extension in NY. Telecommunications control is easier with Pluto’s graphical Orbiter. When a call comes in you can see who it is from and who it is for. Each family member and extension has direct dial icon, with their picture on the screen. Just touch the icon to transfer the call or to conference them in. Video conference calls are intercepted by the Core’s PBX and then ring on the normal phones just like a regular phone call. The Orbiter will let you know it’s a video call. Press a button and a TV shows the video. To make a video call, just dial, as Orbiters indicate who has video conferencing capabilities.
Security
When a burglar enters a Pluto home, the Mobile Orbiter alerts the owner showing live video of what is taking place in the home, gives him full control of the home, lets him broadcast his voice through the TV’s and stereo’s so his voice can roar through the home while he watches the burglar run away, and lets him call 911 and/or the neighbors immediately. The key to this is 911 is dialed directly from the home as the PBX patches the owner in, so the call gets treated like a real emergency—not a monitored alarm call. Using its PBX, Pluto will simultaneously call neighbors notifying them of what is going on, giving them the option of being conferenced in to the 911 call so they can provide on-sight reporting to the police. Since the mobile Pluto Orbiter works anywhere in the world your home is protected 24/7. This same technology alerts the home owner of smoke alarms, allows the home owner to speak to deliverymen at the intercom, allows home access remotely, and when the house is in babysitter mode, the Orbiter automatically shows a snapshot of every person entering or leaving the home.
Home Automation
Pluto gives you control of your home with a simple graphical touch-screen Orbiter. It does all you would expect in an ultra high-end Home Automation system: it handles lighting scenes & moods, shows floor plans with the lights, climate, surveillance cameras, a/v equipment, etc.... While a few Home Automation systems offer internet access to the home only Pluto lets you see all that’s going on and gives you control of your home from the Mobile Orbiter in your pocket.
PC
The special aspects of personal computing on the Pluto network are how Pluto makes home PC users more productive and how it makes their existing PC’s more powerful The Pluto Core shares public & private network folders for each family member to save files. There is no need to backup or risk of a disk crash since it’s a RAID array. They can access files from any computer in any home. Each family member has a password protected personal web page allowing them to retrieve any of their files while away from home. Pluto integrates an E-mail server compatible with all E-mail clients, such as Outlook. Family members can access E-mail from multiple computers in multiple homes. Pluto integrates calendars, contact managers, phone books and task lists to populate speed dial phone books on the Orbiters. Pluto’s integrated web server means contacts & calendars are available via their cellular phone browsers. With Pluto’s web-mail family members can access their E-mail with any web browser. Share digital camera photos just by inserting digital film cards into the front of any Media Director. The Orbiter shows the pictures and lets you choose what to put on the web site. Plug any digital camcorder into the Firewire port and Pluto will detect & play the video. Orbiters have options for transferring video, editing, burning to a DVD, etc.....
