Cisco may be better known for its enterprise-level network equipment, gear that's at the backbone of the internet, but the company is now attempting to make inroads into your living room with a series of consumer products. In a recent interview, the company's senior vice president outlined some of the gear Cisco plans to bring to market. First there's a set-top video streaming solution, similar to what we've seen from Roku, VUDU, and the like. Cisco already owns Scientific Atlanta, manufacturer of cable boxes, so this sort of project makes a lot of sense from a manufacturing perspective. By using its knowledge of networking and media delivery, the company hopes to make it easier for content producers to bring their creations to a streaming video audience.

Also on the horizon is another tech leveraging the company's networking know-how, an in-home audio sharing network. We've seen plenty of systems like this before, and with DLNA it's even easier for companies to build network-aware media players. Cisco is going to have to bring something new to the game to make its entry stand out. Finally there's a Telepresence-like system for home videoconferencing. Telepresence screens are used in corporate setups and combine large wrap-around high-definition displays with streaming IP cameras. With so many homes now wired for broadband and buying large-screen TVs, the tech makes sense to migrate to residential settings. It's still going to be a tricky market to create, as videoconferencing requires both parties to buy often-expensive hardware. What's the point of getting a new system if none of your friends also have one for you to connect with? That one's a year or two down the road, so maybe Cisco will find a way to make it cheap enough to catch on.

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