Intel Rings Digital Home's Doorbell

SAN FRANCISCO -- Intel(INTC) unveiled its Viiv technology platform used to drive consumer electronics products on Wednesday, as the world's largest semiconductor company attempts to replicate the success of its Centrino brand.

Intel said Viiv -- which rhymes with hive -- will start appearing on products in the first quarter of next year.

The product-line introduction marks a significant step for Intel in a growing battle among the largest consumer electronics companies, which are attempting to carve out space in the "digital home" as they foresee increasingly networked households using more and more digital content.

Intel underwent its largest corporate reorganization earlier this year to focus its semiconductors and related technologies around complementary bundles aimed at specific end markets, such as mobile products or corporations or consumer electronics devices.

The changes were made following the success of Intel's Centrino brand, which was introduced in 2003 and helped spur the uptake of notebook computers and wireless networking. Intel branded its mobile microprocessor, an accompanying chipset and the related networking technology under the single brand name and spread the word through a $300 million marketing campaign.

This led to a sharp ramp-up in demand for notebooks and has benefited Intel substantially as its mobile chips carry higher profit margins than its desktop processors.

Expectations that Intel would carry this branding approach to its other product lines has been growing since the reorganization, and Wednesday's announcement has marked Intel's first attempt to replicate Centrino.

"It sounds alive and vivacious," said Don MacDonald, vice president and general manager of Intel's digital home group, who spoke at the event at the Moscone Center. The brand will be indicated by a V, two forward slashes, and another V.

"The Viiv brand signifies the best entertainment experience," MacDonald said during a presentation at a company conference for Intel's software and hardware engineers, indicating that it wants consumers -- who don't buy Intel's chips directly -- to associate the Viiv name with digital entertainment quality.