Sep 08

Netgear expands Digital Entertainer line with the EVA2000 Digital Entertainer Live

Posted in: media streamer, MediaStreamer, streamer, Today's Chili, YouTube

Netgear’s Digital Entertainer media streamers have always been well-admired as capable and flexible home theater units, and it sounds like the new Digital Entertainer Live will keep that trend alive while bringing prices down — the $150 box will play back just about any format you throw at it from just about any source, while offering YouTube, pay-per-view CinemaNow movies and VuNow and PlayOn support in the bargain. Seems like a pretty decent piece of kit, no outrageous claims here — oh, except for this line about the Live’s new video search tool that can “locate videos on the entire worldwide web” by searching “more than hundred thousand websites.” That sounds… ominous. Way to go, guys — first you add MKV support, then you try to blackmail the entire world. We always knew this would happen.

Update: We just spoke with Netgear and learned a couple interesting tidbits. First, although remote bears a resemblance to the one used with the Western Digital WD TV HD, that’s all — the actual box itself is completely different hardware, and the remote has a totally different layout. Second, PlayOn will be offered at a 25 percent discount to DE Live buyers, making the whole thing seem like even more of a bargain.

Filed under:

Netgear expands Digital Entertainer line with the EVA2000 Digital Entertainer Live originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

No Comments
Aug 26

Popcorn Hour C-200 launch nearly upon us, preorders start tomorrow

Posted in: media streamer, MediaStreamer, pre-order, PreOrder, Today's Chili

As you may have noticed, the new Popcorn Hour C-200 media box didn’t quite make its anticipated July launch, but the company now says that as of 12 a.m. PST August 27, pre-orders will open allowing the willing faithful to put in a request for the first batch, anticipated to ship September 3 or thereabouts. Don’t remember the June announcement? The $299 Sigma powered box takes HDD, Blu-ray discs, USB or network inputs of nearly any video or audio codec available and brings them to your living room. Since then, pics and video of the units guts and interface have leaked out on the forums, check after the break or beyond the read link for a better look.

[Via MediaSmartServer.net]

Continue reading Popcorn Hour C-200 launch nearly upon us, preorders start tomorrow

Filed under: ,

Popcorn Hour C-200 launch nearly upon us, preorders start tomorrow originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Aug 2009 22:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

No Comments
Aug 12

Boxee locks up additional funding, plots route from underground to mainstream

Posted in: AppStore, boxee, media player, media streamer, MediaPlayer, MediaStreamer, Today's Chili

We’re not sure how this affects the zero-dollar revenue goal for 2009, but popular media player software Boxee announced it has closed a $6 million round of financing including a new partner, General Catalyst. We’ll let the money men assess value, the key point for users is how this affects the company’s plan to take the platform from underground darling to mainstream hit – embedding the software in connected TVs, Blu-ray player, game consoles and set-top boxes. With a Windows alpha release in the bag and latest support from MLB.tv Boxee seems well on the way towards reaching larger audiences, CEO Avner Ronen says to look forward to the beta release this fall, more content deals and extending the App Store and API support. Our advice is to avoid tearing an ACL itself dancing on stage like another recent independent performer turned-mainstream star, what would you like to see from Boxee now that the company has more resources to provide it?

Filed under: ,

Boxee locks up additional funding, plots route from underground to mainstream originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Aug 2009 21:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , , ,
Jul 30

Digital Cowboy’s DC-MCNP1 2.5-inch NAS doubles as media player

Posted in: Japan, media player, media streamer, MediaPlayer, MediaStreamer, nas, stream, Today's Chili

It’s a little hard to believe that we’ve gone two whole months without a new device from Digital Cowboy, but at long last, the Japanese wrangler is hitting back with a striking new piece of consumer electronics goodness. The DC-MCNP1, which falls neatly into the Movie Cowboy family, is a 2.5-inch NAS drive at heart, but aside from giving you access to files on its diminutive internal drive anywhere in the world, it also streams a plethora of file formats to your HDTV. The HDMI / composite video outputs should take care of the vast majority of ya, and the USB 2.0 socket provides an expansion option for those needing to hook up an external HDD. An Ethernet port is built in for network access, but those who’d prefer to cut the cord can certainly plug a wireless adapter into that USB socket and pray continuously to the signal gods above. If you find yourself in Fukuoka next month, give this one a look if you’ve got ¥19,900 ($209) to spare.

Filed under:

Digital Cowboy’s DC-MCNP1 2.5-inch NAS doubles as media player originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 05:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

No Comments
Jul 29

Kodak Theatre HD Player updated with YouTube HD, 1080p support

Posted in: 1080p, media streamer, MediaStreamer, set-top-box, streamer, Today's Chili

We didn’t have a problem playing 30fps 1080p video on the Kodak Theatre HD Player when we tested it back in January, but apparently we were living on the edge — the box just got an update officially supporting 1080p playback. There’s also now YouTube HD support, some basic web browsing ability, and a few other features in the mix, so all in all it’s a nice little update for the $200 box with solid codec support and that nifty gyroscopic Pointer Remote. Current owners should see an option to update to 1.4 shortly, we’d imagine.

[Via Electronista]

Filed under:

Kodak Theatre HD Player updated with YouTube HD, 1080p support originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jul 2009 20:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags:
Jul 29

VUDU ditches the box, integrates into LG’s LH50 NetCast HDTVs

Posted in: 1080p, hdtv, LCD, LG, media streamer, MediaStreamer, Movies, plasma, set-top-box, stream, streaming, Today's Chili

After a quick test run on Entone’s IPTV boxes, VUDU has now done the deed with a big time player. In a joint announcement today with LG, the outfit is announcing its first major foray into STB-less movie streaming. LG’s Netflix-friendly LH50 line of connected HDTVs will act as the hosts, with VUDU’s tried and true high-def streaming service acting as the highly anticipated guest. The outfit’s next generation movie platform will enable owners of the 47LH50, 50PS80, 60PS80 and 42LH50 to buy or rent HD and HDX (1080p) films on demand through a refreshed user interface that promises no stutters or buffering waits. The new VUDU also brings along instant fast forward and rewind as well as instant start for all movie qualities, and as before, there’s no monthly fee associated with the service. Eager to dive on in? It’ll be made available for everyone (existing owners included) starting next month, and just so you know, we definitely don’t envision LG being the last TV maker to slip under VUDU’s covers. The full release is after the break.

Update: From the sounds of Vudu’s solo PR, the LG sets are just the first off the line, so we’d expect a few more manufacturers to partner up soon.

Continue reading VUDU ditches the box, integrates into LG’s LH50 NetCast HDTVs

Filed under: ,

VUDU ditches the box, integrates into LG’s LH50 NetCast HDTVs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jul 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags:
Jul 20

Engadget’s recession antidote: win an HP MediaSmart Server LX195!

Posted in: HP, media streamer, MediaStreamer, stream, streaming, Today's Chili

This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn’t want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back — so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We’ll be handing out a new gadget every day to lucky readers until we run out of stuff or companies stop sending things. Today we’ve got an HP MediaSmart Server LX195 on offer, perfect for storing and streaming your growing multimedia collection. Read the rules below (no skimming — we’re omniscient and can tell when you’ve skimmed) and get commenting! Hooray for free stuff!

Big thanks to HP for providing the gear!

The rules:

  • Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for “fixing” the world economy, that’d be sweet too.
  • You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you’ll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.)
  • If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you’ll be fine.
  • Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don’t make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
  • Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one (1) HP MediaSmart Server LX195. Approximate retail value is $399.99.
  • If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen.
  • Entries can be submitted until Monday, July 20th, at 11:59PM ET. Good luck!
  • Full rules can be found here.

Filed under:

Engadget’s recession antidote: win an HP MediaSmart Server LX195! originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Jul 2009 12:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags:
Jun 25

Mvix Ultio “It Plays All” HD media streamer debuts in the U.S. July 6 for $179

Posted in: media streamer, MediaStreamer, Today's Chili

We’d heard rumors Mvix USA would be rolling out an upgraded 1080p capable media box to rival the earlier MvixPVR and here it is. Dubbed the Ultio, it has a list of supported codecs and containers that rivals the new Popcorn Hour C-200 in its thoroughness — DivX(R) (3/4/5/6), Xvid, AVC-HD, MPEG 1/2/4, WMV-9, ASF(WMV9), MKV, DVD(IFO, VOB), ISO, MP3, WMA, AAC, OGG, FLAC, AC3 — it’s all here, with a slightly awkward Swiss Army knife-themed tagline to boot. The $169 price tag is sans-3.5-inch SATA HDD, though you can add one for $79 (500GB) $90 (1TB) or $139 (1.5TB). Of course network streaming is a part of the package, with Mvix’s usual suite of Samba / UPnP / BitTorrent (mentioning compatibility with PlayOn and Tversity specifically to get all your Netflix, YouTube and other streaming sources to TV) via Ethernet or optional Wireless-N dongle. It’s up for pre-orders now, take a close look at the specs and pics then get in line before they start shipping July 6.

Filed under: ,

Mvix Ultio “It Plays All” HD media streamer debuts in the U.S. July 6 for $179 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

No Comments
Jun 24

Silicon Mountain debuts Allio Link streamers and HTPCs

Posted in: HTPC, media streamer, MediaStreamer, PC, stream, streaming, Today's Chili

Up until now, the only way to really get the all-in-one “Allio Experience” was to purchase one of its HDTV / HTPC hybrids. But, let’s just say you wanted to have that same experience on your current set. The answer? Silicon Mountain’s latest wares: two new media streamer models and five Allio Link HTPCs. The entry-level $299 Allio Link ADTI-194500 gets powered by an Intel Atom N330 CPU and features 1GB of DDR2 RAM, 4GB of flash storage, GMA950 graphics, four USB 2.0 sockets, VGA / S-Video ports, Gigabit Ethernet and Ubuntu 9.04 running the show. If you’re interested in an integrated DVD player, you can snag an upgraded model for $399. If those just aren’t potent enough for your needs, you can snag one of five Allio Link Media PCs, which range from $659 to $1,199 and feature Windows Vista, 2GB of RAM, the same Atom N330 CPU, a built-in TV tuner and a 250GB HDD. Each of the units are available to order right now, with most shipping out within a week.

Filed under: , ,

Silicon Mountain debuts Allio Link streamers and HTPCs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Jun 2009 03:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags:
Jun 18

QNAP’s NMP1000 network media player starts streaming to Japan

Posted in: media streamer, MediaStreamer, nas, now available, now shipping, NowAvailable, NowShipping, Today's Chili
QNAP's NMP1000 network media player starts streaming to Japan

It’s been ages (okay, months) since we first got our hands on the QNAP NMP1000 network media player, and it’s a good long while past its supposed shipping date. But, shipping it is (finally), now hitting Japanese stores according to Akihabara News. Initially we were only told that the thing would cost “somewhere under $10,000,” and we’re glad to say it’s way under: ¥45,000, or about $470. For that you get an HDMI 1.3-toting HD media streamer, which sports room for a 3.5-inch HDD, a gigabit Ethernet port, and the ability to not only stream media but also to act as a NAS, meaning this one didn’t fall far from the ‘ol family tree. Still no word on a US release, but hopefully that’ll be well under $10,000 as well. Soothing demonstration video to tide you over after the break.

Continue reading QNAP’s NMP1000 network media player starts streaming to Japan

Filed under: , ,

QNAP’s NMP1000 network media player starts streaming to Japan originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Jun 2009 07:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

No Comments