Netgear Digital Entertainer Elite available worldwide for $399

The verdict is already out on Netgear’s EVA 9150 Digital Entertainer Elite, and now the ball’s squarely in your court. The self-proclaimed “flexible digital media player” — complete with its dual-band 802.11n WiFi, integrated 500GB hard drive and broad video codec support — is now shipping worldwide. In case you’ve forgotten, this unit plays nice with Windows, Mac and Linux platforms and boasts a pair of USB ports for adding flash drives and additional storage. Worth $399? Answer with your wallet, bub.

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Netgear Digital Entertainer Elite available worldwide for $399 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Apr 2009 16:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sewell’s WiFi-based HD Media Extender should be more affordable

You know what’s most annoying about wireless HD solutions? Two things, really. First off, 95 percent of ’em only come out to play at trade shows. Secondly, the other 5 percent require you to refinance your now-worthless home to even procure ’em. Sewell, a company known for delivering unexpected treasures when it comes to adapters, has just pumped out its very own wireless HDMI media extender. The good news is that it’s shipping right now and it relies on 802.11a/n technology rather than WHDI, UWB or any other less ubiquitous option. The bad news is that 15 to 30 feet of cord-free AV goodness will set you back $1,199.95. You can weigh the pros and cons yourself, but we’ll be begrudgingly sticking with coat hangers cheap-o interconnects ’til it becomes just a touch more of a bargain.

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Sewell’s WiFi-based HD Media Extender should be more affordable originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Apr 2009 18:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sirius XM developing iPhone / iPod touch streaming radio app

My, my — now isn’t this something? Shortly after narrowly avoiding a dastardly collision with bankruptcy, Sirius XM is looking to connect itself with profitable enterprises in an attempt to build market share and regain interest from budget-conscience consumers. Just weeks after hearing that the sat radio company could be preparing a few Sirius / DirecTV bundles, CFO David Frear has now confirmed on a recent earnings call that the outfit is indeed developing an iPhone / iPod touch app. It’s interesting to think that a satellite radio firm could be warming to delivering more content via the internet, but it’s the apparent diversion from being a standalone offering that has us even more intrigued. It should be interesting to see how the pricing model works with this forthcoming app — will users be able to get an iPhone subscription only? Will it be tossed in gratis with traditional subscriptions? So many questions, not enough patience.

[Image courtesy of SiriusBuzz]

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Sirius XM developing iPhone / iPod touch streaming radio app originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Mar 2009 13:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hulu blocks boxee browser entirely, gloves get ripped halfway off

As a wise man once said: “Damn, that’s just cold, son.” Merely hours after boxee announced its latest alpha build along with RSS feed support for Hulu, said video portal has now blocked off boxee‘s browser entirely from accessing its content. If you’ll recall, boxee saw a huge increase in interest when it first added easy access to Hulu, and once Hulu demanded that it be removed, boxee sadly complied. The latest move just seems “cold blooded,” as now boxee users who attempt to surf over via a Hulu RSS feed link will be greeted with an infinite amount of nothing. boxee is quick to point out that its browser doesn’t access Hulu content “any differently” than IE, Firefox, Opera or any other browser, which does a good job of explaining just how deliberate this move is. Needless to say, we get the feeling this bout is just getting started.

[Image courtesy of ZatzNotFunny]

Update: boxee now says things are working. For the moment, anyway. Feel free to join us as we throw our hands in the air and give up on understanding this mess.

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Hulu blocks boxee browser entirely, gloves get ripped halfway off originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Mar 2009 18:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hulu returns to boxee via RSS feed support, in flies App Box and Auto Update

Before we get you all excited, we’ll quote boxee‘s ending of its announcement before anything else: “This is a bleeding edge release, not for the faint of heart since it didn’t go through much testing.” If you’re the brave type, you’re going to want to install the latest version of boxee this instance, as it not only brings back Hulu (in a sense), but it also throws in a boxee application market (App Box) and a much-needed Auto Update feature that will inform you automatically of future builds. So, you’re hungry for more on that Hulu bit, right? This version of the application brings along a built-in RSS reader optimized for video, and obviously, it fully supports Hulu’s public RSS feeds. Needless to say, we’re loving the direction this little app is going, so make sure you give it a go and report back with any praises or complaints.

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Hulu returns to boxee via RSS feed support, in flies App Box and Auto Update originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Mar 2009 08:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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QNAP intros NMP1000 network media player, we go hands-on

While swinging by QNAP‘s CeBIT booth to check out its array of recently launched NAS devices, we happened upon a demonstration that was showcasing a brand new device: the NMP1000. Short for Network Multimedia Player, this set-top-box is pretty much like every other HD media streamer already out there, as it connects to networked storage and pipes out audio and video content to one’s TV via a customized user interface. What we saw looked pretty slick, even though it was inexplicably connected to the LG display via S-Video. As for specs, it’s boasting a Sigma Designs SMP8635 processor, 256MB of DDR RAM, room for one 3.5-inch SATA drive, a single gigabit Ethernet jack, dual USB 2.0 sockets, one eSATA port, HDMI 1.3 / component / composite / S-Video outs and a bundled remote. It supports just about any format on the map, and the on-hand representative told us it should be out next month for “somewhere under $10,000.” Have a look at some in-action shots below.

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QNAP intros NMP1000 network media player, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Mar 2009 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VUDU first on-demand service to sell HD and HDX movies

VUDU made some pretty big waves with its Blu-ray-rivaling HDX downloadable format, and now it’s pushing the envelope once again by becoming the first on-demand service to actually sell (as in, for keeps… on your box, anyway) HD and HDX movies. Starting today, all VUDU owners can browse a growing library of for-sale high-definition flicks, and it should be noted that both HD and HDX titles will sport the same price tags (between $13.99 and $23.99). Initially, only around 50 films will be available, all of which are from top independent studios. Magnolia Picture’s Man on Wire, which just so happened to take home an Oscar this year, is in that group of 50 along with FirstLook Studios’ Transsiberian and War, Inc.. Better still, VUDU intends to make future releases available for purchase day-and-date with the DVD release, and we can only hope that major studios get with the program and follow suit. Full release is after the break.

Continue reading VUDU first on-demand service to sell HD and HDX movies

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VUDU first on-demand service to sell HD and HDX movies originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Feb 2009 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cable companies work to bring new online content to pay-TV subscribers

In an effort to maintain relevancy during a time when online TV viewing is on the rise, a number of big name cable companies are looking to throw in online companion packages to sweeten the pay-TV equation. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that top cable providers (namely Comcast and TWC) and TV networks are looking to assemble a large swath of online programming — some of which has been previously unavailable — and deliver it only to subscribers. As it stands, loads of shows are available right now for free via Hulu and broadcast websites, but some channels without online portals can only be caught via cable. From what we’re gathering, it seems that these operators could be working to bring some of that content to the web, essentially providing a means to tune into a Comcast or TWC lineup without having to be in front of the set-top-box.

Update: Due to some quotes taken out of context, we have revamped our story above to show a clearer picture of the cable companies’ intentions.

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Cable companies work to bring new online content to pay-TV subscribers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Feb 2009 10:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple prepping iTunes Replay on-demand streaming service?

Probably more than any other facet of Apple, we’ve seen rumor after rumor regarding iTunes fade away in the sunset. Of course, many of those delightful plans were likely shot down by the likes of the MPAA, RIAA and other so-called content guardians, but we say all that in order to depress your hopes on this one. For whatever it’s worth, an undisclosed source at CNET has confirmed an AppleInsider report that Cupertino is prepping an on-demand video streaming service for the next iteration of iTunes. Slated to be dubbed iTunes Replay, the service would purportedly “allow users to stream their iTunes video purchases directly from the company’s servers for playback anywhere, anytime without eating up local storage.” There’s no denying that Netflix‘s Watch Instantly has been a universal hit, but that’s in large part due to the firm’s willingness to embed that functionality onto all sorts of devices. Is Apple planning on going toe-to-toe with the market leader via your computer and a box it still regards as a hobby? We’ve got our doubts, obviously.

[Via CNET]

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Apple prepping iTunes Replay on-demand streaming service? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 08:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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boxee mulls production of its own set-top-box

boxee took full advantage of its space at CES this year, and according to a recent post on its blog, it fielded quite a few inquiries from other companies about crafting a boxee-branded set-top-box. Currently, the only way to get boxee running is to install it on your TV-connected PC or inelegantly onto an Apple TV. A number of companies approached boxee asking for its thoughts on embedding the application into “existing or future products,” so the cats at boxee are coming right out and soliciting your opinion on the matter. boxee does caution that getting it baked into a device would take “a long time,” but it certainly seems like that ball is rolling. So, what say you? Would you snap one up? Or would you balk at the notion of adding yet another STB underneath your television?

[Thanks, cros13]

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boxee mulls production of its own set-top-box originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Jan 2009 08:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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