We also found the same phenomenon at last year’s Gitex Computer Exhibition, with this time, an impressive array of LCD and Plasma Flat Panel TV manufacturers alongside the major computer software and hardware providers.

These are the latest indications of the rapid convergence between computers and consumer electronics. And we are not talking here of the PC which can also play your favourite song, but computers designed to become your entertainment centre.

These powerful machines, which have enough processing power and memory to make a seasoned computer programmer pale with envy, connect your Internet or Satellite TV and radio feeds to your Home Cinema, or Hi-Fi, and are easier to program than your standard video recorder. They also allow easy manipulation of digital photos. So next time you want to impress your friends with pictures taken with your new digital camera, just download the pictures to your entertainment centre, and project them on your 30-inch LCD TV with the background music of your choice.

And were it not for the wireless mouse and keyboard, these computers could easily be mistaken for a fancy Hi-Fi.