Posts Tagged mediaplayer

O!Play adding wireless Full HD streaming?

Feb 5

Posted by andrew in News | No Comments

ASUS’ plans for its next-generation of set-top boxes have been tipped, with the company expected to add wireless HD support to an upcoming model.  According to DigiTimes’ usual shadowy industry sources, ASUS are using Taifatech’s TF-600 chipset, presumably in a new O!Play box, which is capable of streaming Full HD video over wireless or wired networks.

The talkative industry insiders also reckon ASUS are considering slapping the TF-600 into their netbooks, which would presumably allow them to wirelessly connect with a remote media source.  According to the TF-600 data sheet , the Taifatech chipset has onboard rescaling functionality, controllers for keyboards and mice, and can natively support IR remote controls.

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1TB, 1080p HD and DLNA box form LaCie

Nov 24

Posted by andrew in News | No Comments

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LaCie Unveils Full HD Media Player with DLNA™ Media Server: LaCinema Classic HD

  • Play HD movies in stunning full HD 1080p
  • Stream movies, music, photos from Mac® or PC
  • Store up to 1TB of HD media content
  • DLNA media server built-in

LaCie today introduced the most complete HD multimedia hard drive player, combining Full HD 1080p playback, unsurpassed format compatibility and DLNA media server functionality – LaCinema Classic HD, design by Neil Poulton. Users can browse, play and share HD media collections from anywhere in the home, directly on HDTV.

The LaCinema Classic HD offers a timeless and sleek design making it a great addition to any TV setup. Providing the widest media format compatibility, LaCinema Classic HD will play all your files without concern – from the most popular DivX format to high-quality MKV H.264 video format via its HDMI 1.3 connection. Uncompromising support for Dolby Digital audio quality enhances the LaCinema Classic HD, as well as your entertainment viewing experience.

The LaCinema Classic HD keeps it easy – use it as an external hard drive to load media from your Mac or PC. Then, simply connect the LaCinema Classic HD to your HDTV for instant playback.

Acting as a DLNA media player, LaCinema Classic HD can conveniently play movies, music, and photos from your computer or network storage. LaCinema Classic HD even offers network access to easily transfer files from your Mac and PC, while keeping it connected to the TV.

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Its unique DLNA server function ensures the LaCinema Classic HD works in tandem with your home network, acting as a media server to stream content to compatible players, such as PlayStation®3 or Xbox®.

The LaCinema Classic HD boosts capacities that include up to 1TB of media storage. By using the included remote control and easy navigation interface, you have quick and convenient access to your media libraries. Additionally, the front USB port allows you to connect a USB drive or digital camera to instantly share your photos on your HDTV with friends and family.

“LaCinema Classic HD is all you need to store, play and share your movies, music and photos at home. We believe organizing and playing should be simple for everyone, without concern for media compatibility or how to access media, no matter where it’s stored in your home,” said Salem Tirane, Digital Home Product Manager.

At no premium, LaCinema Classic HD surpasses the usual media player experience by including a high-quality HDMI cable, Ethernet cable and the renowned DLNA Twonky Media Server for Mac and Windows. Users will be able to get the most of their multimedia contents out of the box!

The LaCinema Classic HD also features the option of connecting a USB WiFi 802.11N adapter (sold separately) for wireless access to the home network.

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Boxee to debut on December7th

Nov 12

Posted by andrew in News | No Comments

Boxee has long been the darling of the homebrew DVR crowd, turning the Apple TV into a far more capable – and less iTunes-centric – media system and brightening DIY HTPCs no end.  Now the company has announced its plans for an off-the-shelf Boxee Box, which will deliver the same sort of experience but without the need to build it youself.

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Boxee won’t yet reveal their hardware partner, but they do expect the upcoming set-top box to be merely the first of “several living room devices” to debut with the platform in 2010.  Hardware specifications and some device mock-ups won’t be unveiled until December 7th, but we’re guessing it’ll be based around some sort of SoC with HD video playback, streaming support and both wired and wireless connectivity.

The possibility of a standalone Boxee device came up back in January, when the company asked for suggestions and feedback on what sort of hardware support users would want to see.  At the time they seemed to suggest that roughly $199 would get full Boxee support, while $299 would add in extra hardware for things like Blu ray playback.  However as yet pricing for the upcoming device is yet to be confirmed.

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Teclast 1080p PMP

Sep 18

Posted by andrew in News | No Comments

It’s obviously a day for promising 1080p PMPs, with Teclast’s upcoming T56 also boasting Full HD.  The T56 has a 5-inch 16m color WVGA (800 x 480) display and some endearingly angular styling to its case; it also has an HDMI output for putting 1080p clips onto your nearest HDTV.

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It’s also said to include a USB OTG port, an SD card slot and integrated GPS, together with an FM radio and a microphone for voice recording.  No word on what sort of internal memory the T56 might have, nor whether the display is a touchscreen, but given the small joystick (under what looks like a touch-sensitive strip) we’re guessing the answer to the latter is no.

There’s also an ebook reader and Teclast are promising more apps soon.  Pricing of the capable PMP is unknown, though, and as with so many alluring gadgets it seems unlikely to ever end up officially launched in the US or Europe.

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Seagate FreeAgent Theater+ gets 1080p, HDMI, ethernet upgrade

Sep 15

Posted by John in News | No Comments

Seagate have announced their latest media player, the 1080p-capable FreeAgent Theater+, and if you’ve already bought into – or are willing to adopt – the company’s FreeAgent Go USB hard-drives then it might be a straightforward way to get digital content on your HDTV.  The FreeAgent Theater+ adds HDMI, ethernet and both Dolby Digital and DTS 2.0 audio to the original Theater, as well as a whole flood of supported codecs.
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Content can be loaded either by slotting a FreeAgent Go drive into the nook on top of the Theater+, by plugging any USB drive into the mediaplayer’s three ports, or by streaming it over a network (either local or internet content).  Seagate expect to release a wireless dongle in October, priced at around $70.

Supported codecs include MPEG-1, MPEG-2 (VOB/ISO), MPEG-4 (DivX® /Xvid formats), DivX HD, Xvid HD, AVI, MOV, MKV, RMVB, AVC HD, H.264, WMV9, VC-1, M2TS, TS/TP/M2T, JPEG files up to 20 megapixels, BMP, GIF, PNG and TIFF. The Seagate FreeAgent Theater+ HD Media Player is available to order now, priced at $149.99 or at $289.99 with a bundled 500GB FreeAgent Go drive.

Press Release:

Seagate’s New FreeAgent Theater+™ HD Media Player Enhances The Enjoyment Of Digital Home Movies And Photos

Bring Your Digital Media to Life with True HD and Dolby® Digital Surround Sound Technology

SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif. – September 15, 2009 -

Seagate FreeAgent Theater+™ (Plus), the next generation of the company’s home theater solution, offers customer a rich user experience and simple way to enjoy digital media on their TV Seagate (NASDAQ: STX), the worldwide leader in hard disk drives and storage solutions, today unveiled its new FreeAgent Theater+™ [Plus] HD media player, the next generation home theater solution designed to instantly and easily connect your digital media library to your home entertainment system.

The FreeAgent Theater+ HD media player leverages a docking system unique to Seagate FreeAgent Go™ portable drives and accessories, providing a quick and easy way to connect your external hard drive to your television or home entertainment center. After loading the drive with your favorite movies, videos, music and pictures from the home PC, simply slide it into the FreeAgent Theater+ dock to get instant access to your digital media library. With the FreeAgent Theater+ player, you can just sit back, relax, point, click and enjoy as digitally captured memories and your favorite movies come to life in 1080p HD video, DTS™ 2.0 + Digital Out, or Dolby Digital technology. The interface is easily navigated with the included remote control, and you can choose from video, photos or music with the up/down arrows on the remote to make your selection.

The Seagate FreeAgent Theater+ HD media player includes two additional USB ports for connecting other USB attached storage devices. Also incorporated into FreeAgent Theater+ is an Ethernet port for network connectivity, which allows access to digital media through your home network. Seagate intends to launch a USB Wireless Adapter in October to enable this same access with 802.11n wireless connectivity to a home network. Enjoy it all, with the included new and improved remote control, from the comfort of your couch.

“There is so much media that is now being captured and created through various methods and stored on the PC, yet the computer is not the ideal way to enjoy these photos and videos,” said Terry Cunningham, senior vice president, Seagate Branded Solutions. “The FreeAgent Theater provides the easiest way to view and enjoy video and photos on your HDTV. Simply load up a Seagate FreeAgent Go™ hard drive and drop it into the FreeAgent Theater+ HD media player dock. It’s a behavior we’ve all been familiar with for years with VHS and DVDs, but now with digital HD enjoyment.”

The new FreeAgent Theater+™ HD media player solution includes:

HDMI with 1080p HD video playback for high-definition content viewing
Dolby® Digital and DTS™ 2.0 + Digital Out audio support surround sound where available.
Unique docking system eliminates fumbling with cables and connections
Ethernet connection for accessing shared content on your network or streaming of content from the Internet
The optional wireless connectivity feature, expected to be available in October, will allow you to access stored content on any networked computer in the home at your fingertips
Two additional USB ports and one front-mounted port for digital cameras and additional storage devices
Simple sync software for PC and Mac® computers
Intuitive user interface with DVD-style navigation
Support for Windows® XP, Windows Vista®, Windows® 7, and Mac OS® X operating systems, as well as NTFS, FAT, FAT32, HFS+ file support
Component video and Composite video support
Optical S/PDIF audio and Stereo RCA sound options
The software included with FreeAgent Theater+ HD media player is a rich media-specific synchronization application that enables the automatic transfer and organization of all photo, music, video and movie files stored on your computer.

Technical Specifications
The Seagate FreeAgent Theater+ HD media player now supports even more Audio/Video and sound formats including MPEG-1, MPEG-2 (VOB/ISO), MPEG-4 (DivX® /Xvid formats), DivX HD, Xvid HD, AVI, MOV, MKV, RMVB, AVC HD, H.264, WMV9, VC-1, M2TS, TS/TP/M2T, JPEG files up to 20 megapixels, BMP, GIF, PNG and TIFF. Audio formats supported include 5.1 channel surround sound, where available, and popular digital audio formats including: AAC, MP3, Dolby Digital, DTS, ASF, FLAC, WMA, LPCM, ADPCM, WAV and OGG. The FreeAgent Theater+ player also offers support for SAMI (smi), SRT and SUB subtitles. To download and transfer content to a Seagate FreeAgent Go portable drive using a Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7 operated PC, a 256MB RAM and an available USB port is required. Mac computer users must be running Mac OS X 10.4.11 or 10.5.6 or later and have an available USB port. FreeAgent Theater connects to any TV with composite, component video or HDMI connection and stereo, optical S/PDIF or HDMI audio connection

Pricing and Availability
The Seagate FreeAgent Theater+ HD media player is available immediately via Seagate.com and other online retailers. It comes as a stand-alone unit for use with any USB storage device for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $149.99, or bundled with a 500GB FreeAgent Go drive for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $289.99. The FreeAgent Theater+ Wireless Adapter is expected to be available in October as a separate accessory through Seagate.com for $69.99.

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Netgear EVA2000 set-top streamer supports Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, more

Sep 8

Posted by John in News | No Comments

Netgear have announced their latest networked media box, the EVA2000 Digital Entertainer Live, which allows for both locally-streamed and IPTV content to be shown on your big-screen TV.  The EVA2000 can play YouTube videos, pay-per-view movies, Hulu, VuNow and Netflix content, among other things, together with audio, video and images from USB external storage.
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Connectivity includes 10/100 ethernet, AV composite output, HDMI, two USB 2.0 ports and a power connector, and Netgear will happily sell you a WiFi dongle or PowerLine adapter should your router be too far away from your HDTV.  There’s also a remote control from which you can do content searches.

The Netgear EVA2000 Digital Entertainer Live is available in the US now, priced at $149.99.  Meanwhile the USB WiFi adapter is $39.99.  Broader availability is planned over the coming months.

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Press Release:

NETGEAR Introduces Digital Entertainer Live, Compact All-in-One Set-top Box for Playing Home Media and Streaming Internet Video on HDTVs

Plays Movies, Videos, Music and Photos from USB Drives, Computers and Network Attached Storage; Accesses YouTube, Roxio CinemaNow On-demand Movies, Internet Videos, Hulu, Netflix and More

SAN JOSE, Calif. – September 8, 2009 – NETGEAR, Inc. (NASDAQGM: NTGR), a worldwide provider of technologically innovative, branded networking solutions, today launched the newest Internet-connected set-top box in its popular “Digital Entertainer” product family. The new Digital Entertainer Live (EVA2000) is an easy-to-use and affordable Internet set-top box that enables viewers to play their digital media collections, YouTube videos and a wide range of other Internet content on big-screen TVs. Rather than having to watch downloaded movies and online videos on small computer screens, families can now enjoy media collections stored on USB storage devices, computers and network storage directly on their HDTVs, from the comfort of their couch.

In addition to personal media collections and YouTube, consumers can now easily browse, download and play newly released pay-per-view movies from Roxio CinemaNow. They can also view videos on their TV from a wide variety of Internet sources, such as Hulu, Netflix and CBS, through free software trials and optional subscriptions. The Digital Entertainer Live incorporates all of these functions into a single compact player, an advantage for cluttered home entertainment cabinets.

“People are amassing a huge amount of their own downloaded and personal digital music, photos, and videos, as well as consuming more and more Internet video,” said Phillip Pyo, NETGEAR’s director of product marketing for connected home entertainment products. “According to comScore’s Video Metrix service, between January 2007 and July 2009, there was a 331 percent jump in the number of minutes of video watched per average viewer per month. It went from 2 hours, 31 minutes to 8 hours, 20 minutes.”

He added, “The vast majority of people are still watching these videos on small computer screens, so it’s logical to assume that the amount of time spent will continue to increase as devices such as the Digital Entertainer Live make it even easier to watch online video on HDTVs. NETGEAR is thrilled to offer an affordable, content-rich, and easy-to-set-up and -use solution that bridges this gap and enables people to fully enjoy their home media collections and online video from popular Internet sites on the best screen in their home – their big-screen TVs.”

The Digital Entertainer Live – Product Features
The Digital Entertainer Live is a compact, “plug in and go” home media player with a simple remote control that enables consumers to easily access their digital movies, videos, music and photos directly from their USB storage devices and watch them on their TV. Users need only plug a USB hard drive containing digital media content into one of two USB 2.0 ports on the Digital Entertainer Live and connect the Digital Entertainer Live to their HDTV using an HDMI or composite cable. The Digital Entertainer Live also features regular RCA jacks for connecting to older analog TVs.

Furthermore, with its integrated network port, the Digital Entertainer Live easily makes an Ethernet wired connection to the Internet and the home network, enabling access to digital media content stored on computers and network storage devices in the home network, as well as Internet content over the web. If consumers do not have an Ethernet connection available near their TV, they can use the optional Digital Entertainer Live Wireless USB Adapter (EVAW111) that connects the Digital Entertainer Live to the Internet and the home network via Wi-Fi. Alternatively, they can use existing electrical power outlets and a powerline device, such as NETGEAR’s Home Theater Internet Connection Kit (XAVB1004), to connect the Digital Entertainer Live to the Internet and the home network.

By connecting the Digital Entertainer Live to a broadband Internet connection, consumers enjoy the full YouTube experience – searching, browsing and watching millions of videos with access to subscriptions, playlists, country selections, categories and channels – all without the need for a computer. Instead of huddling around a small computer screen to watch the latest funny video, consumers can now show it on their TV for everyone to enjoy.

To widen the search for Internet video content, the Digital Entertainer Live is shipped with a built-in Internet video search engine that can locate videos on the entire worldwide web. The Digital Entertainer Live performs dynamic keyword searches of more than a hundred thousand websites for Internet videos without needing a computer. The search feature yields dynamic results with each letter inputted and automatically categorizes popular subjects into easy-to-find folders.

The Digital Entertainer Live also supports pay-per-view movies on-demand from Roxio CinemaNow, where users can buy or rent a range of newly released movies as soon as they are available on DVD and watch them in minutes. Consumers no longer have to wait for the mail or drive to the nearest rental store. They simply browse all the movies on their TV and download them to a USB storage device using their Digital Entertainer Live and Roxio CinemaNow account.

Additionally, the Digital Entertainer Live includes a free trial of VuNow, which provides access to hundreds of other Internet videos, live Internet TV and live Internet radio streamed from popular sites from around the world, such as Bloomberg, CNN Video, C-SPAN, ESPN, Germany’s 2DF, Al Jazeera, BBC Worldwide, China’s CCTV, Germany’s DWTV, Euronews, EuroSport, France 24, France’s Orange Sport, Germany’s RTL, and Sky News. The Digital Entertainer Live also comes with a free trial of PlayOn software. By running this optional software on a computer also connected to the Internet and home network, users enjoy hit TV shows and movies from popular Internet video services such as Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Video On Demand, BBC iPlayer, CBS, NFL, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. and more, wherever the service is normally available via the Internet.

“There is an ever-increasing amount of digital media – TV episodes, movies, photos and music – being stored on computers and other devices throughout the home, as well as on the Internet,” said Jayant Dasari, broadband and television infrastructure and services research analyst at Parks Associates. “In fact, some people have even maxed out their personal computers with media, requiring external storage, such as one that connects via USB. Due to this increase in distributed digital media content, consumers are looking for ways to enjoy their digital media and online videos in one place. Internet-connected set-top boxes are one solution that enable the entire family to benefit from viewing the broadest spectrum of digital content on their HDTVs from the comfort of their living rooms.”

Pricing and Availability
Backed by a one-year warranty and 24/7 technical support, the NETGEAR Digital Entertainer Live (EVA2000) is available in the U.S. through leading retailers, e-commerce sites and value-added resellers at an MSRP of $149.99. The Digital Entertainer Live Wireless USB Adapter (EVAW111) has an MSRP of $39.99. Worldwide availability of the Digital Entertainer Live is planned for the coming months.

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Western Digital Mini Media Player

Aug 18

Posted by andrew in News | No Comments

wdminimediahdWestern Digital have announced their newest compact media player, the WD TV Mini Media Player, which replaces last year’s unit with the same name.  A palm-sized box with 1080i HD resolution support and the ability to play content both from an attached USB hard-drive including RealNetworks’ RealVideo support, the WD TV Mini offers image, audio and video playback complete with a remote control.

 Unlike other media players we’ve seen, however, the WD TV Mini doesn’t offer an HDMI port.  Instead you get a choice of component or composite, together with a single USB 2.0 for your hard-drive and an optical digital output.

Supported file types include AVI (Xvid, MPEG1/2/4), MPG/MPEG, VOB, MP4/MOV (MPEG4), RM or RMVB 8/9/10 video, MP3, WAV/PCM/LPCM, WMA, AAC, FLAC, MKA, OGG and APE audio, and JPEG, GIF, TIFF, BMP and PNG images. The WD TV Mini Media Player has an MRSP of $99.99, but is already available to pre-order from Amazon for $79.99.

WD® INTRODUCES NEW WD TV™ MINI MEDIA PLAYER WITH REALVIDEO™ SUPPORT TO PLAY YOUR DIGITAL MEDIA ON THE BIG SCREEN

SINGAPORE – Aug. 17, 2009 – WD® (NYSE: WDC), the world’s leader in external storage solutions, today introduced a new version of its popular WD TV media player. The new WD TV Mini Media Player now enables playback of RealNetworks®, Inc.’s RealVideo™ content and provides a more affordable way for consumers to play their stored digital content in up to 1080i HD resolution directly on their HD television.

The WD TV Mini Media Player connects to a user’s TV or home theater and plays digital movies, music and photos stored on USB drives such as the best-selling WD My Passport portable drive. As with other WD TV models, the WD TV Mini Media Player supports playback of digital media on most USB mass storage devices such as digital camcorders and digital cameras. The new compact design is small and portable enough that users can easily take it with them when they travel and play their digital media anywhere on any TV in up to 1080i HD resolution.

According to research firm Parks Associates, the average consumer household currently has approximately 298 GB of digital media, which will reach approximately 898 GB of digital media by 2012.

These large personal digital libraries are all but trapped on users’ computers. In order to play their content on their TV, consumers have struggled with clumsy solutions such as copying onto multiple CDs and DVDs or connecting their PCs to their TVs via wires or complicated home networking solutions. The new WD TV Mini Media Player perfectly suits the needs of those with a large media collection that are looking for an easy and affordable solution to watch their digital media on their TV.

“The popularity of the RealVideo format and its compatibility with the WD TV Mini Media Player makes it an excellent solution for consumers who wish to enjoy their RealVideo content on their TVs,” said Scott Nelson, director of business development for RealNetworks.

“For those who desire an easy, affordable and portable solution to enjoy their digital media on their TV and who have content in RealVideo format, the new WD TV Mini Media Player fits the bill,” said Dale Pistilli, vice president of marketing for WD’s Branded Products Group. “The new WD TV Mini Media Player unlocks the content from their PCs and storage devices and makes it simple for people to enjoy their media on their home theater system, without the need to spend time configuring a complicated device or transcoding files to make them compatible.”

Features of the WD TV Mini Media Player include:
Play video, music and photos on your TV in up to 1080i HD resolution;
Supports widest variety of file formats including RealMedia Variable Bitrate (RMVB);
Rich HD 1080i advanced navigation and user interface;
DVD-like navigation with chapter support, trick modes and subtitles;
Expandable: buy more storage, delete fewer movies;
Photo slideshow with unique transitions and music on your HD TV;
Thumbnail support including photo thumbnails and music album art;
Ability to preview your video during navigation (480 and 720 mode only);
Video, music and photo auto-play for users digital signage solution;
Subtitle support including multi-language subtitle support for video playback;
Picture Transfer Protocol to view or backup content from your digital image device;
Compatible with USB Camcorders and USB mass storage devices;
Component and composite video output;
Digital optical audio output via SPDIF;
Ultra-compact design making it perfectly portable for travel; and,
1-year limited warranty
.

Pricing and Availability
The WD TV Mini Media Player is available now at select retailers. MSRP for WD TV Mini Media Player is $99.99 USD.

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