• by Tom Siebert , January 16, 2007

Your future home is here, as long as you plan on subscribing to Time Warner cable.

The multimedia mega-conglomerate opens the door today on what it's calling the "Home to the Future"--a luminescent cube that's four floors high and has 50 Samsung LCD screens constantly playing videos touting the company's products and services.

The installation, which can be experienced at the Time Warner Center in New York City, will showcase how 21st-century technology will meld with home life and change it forever. An estimated 1 million visitors are expected to see it.

All the parts fit snugly into Time Warner's triple-play option, combining Internet, video and telephony service. They highlight the company's huge variety of entertainment and news programming and publications.

"We believe experiential branding is a critical component of a company's overall corporate-branding strategy," said Ed Schlossberg, founder and principal designer of ESI Design, which designed the home. In the kitchen, visitors can multitask--watching TWC programming on a flat-screen refrigerator while using RoadRunner High-Speed Online to download a new recipe. In the family room, a DVR or VOD will call up their favorite shows. A digital phone in the bedroom makes communication simple.

Adds Schlossberg: "Weaving technology into a cool physical experience enables Time Warner customers to experience the company's current and future services in a dynamic theatrical environment."